Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Pick of the litter- too much choice!

29 replies

Katquoa · 08/08/2022 07:18

How did you pick your pup and do you ever wonder if you made the wrong choice with its personality?

We had the pick of the litter and get pup this week. DC is having a slight wobble now that we made the right choice.

OP posts:
Mindymomo · 08/08/2022 07:30

Our breeder asked a lot of questions to ascertain which puppy would suit us. We wanted a boy and out of 7 puppies only 2 were boys. They were border collies, we weren’t sure, but the breeder put one puppy in our arms and he hung onto me, then in the kitchen when we were talking, he just laid down on my foot. I think you can overthink things. DH and I went on our own and my 2 adult sons just had to hope we’d picked the right one. Of course we will never know, he’s 4 years old now, still a puppy, still very hard work, but we wouldn’t change a thing.

autienotnaughty · 08/08/2022 07:31

Don't pick the quiet one!!!!!

EdithStourton · 08/08/2022 07:36

We've had four puppies and the two we picked ourselves have been the best fit to us as a family. We went for the puppy that seemed the happiest with us. We went to one litter wanting a puppy who would look like our current dog, and ended up choosing one who looked nothing like him, because she was all over us and fell asleep on DD's lap. She was confident without being a pain in the arse.

Dogs are a mix of genetics and upbringing and provided you thought about what traits would work for you (you haven't got a Malinois when wanting a sofa dog, you haven't picked a more nervous puppy when you have young DC etc) you should be fine.

Original poster
Katquoa · 08/08/2022 07:37

Thanks @autienotnaughty can I ask why?

OP posts:
GCAcademic · 08/08/2022 07:37

autienotnaughty · 08/08/2022 07:31

Don't pick the quiet one!!!!!

Or the most dominant one!

Trulyweird1 · 08/08/2022 07:44

Our breeder seemed to have sussed out all her owners. We met the pups at 4 weeks to ‘choose’ but she steered me towards the one she thought would work for us.
He was not the most confident of the litter, but when we went back 4 weeks later he trotted straight to me.

A good breeder should know the personalities of the pups and help match them up with appropriate owners.

Original poster
Katquoa · 08/08/2022 07:51

For context, I thought the litter was very balanced. It was hard to spot any strong personalities. The puppies were all confident and happy to play with us, chew shoe laces and have a nap near or on us.

I would describe the one we picked as quietly confident and calm. She wasn’t fighting when a few of them were. She let DD hold her, but then wriggled away to have a nap on the floor. The issue is now DD is saying we should have picked the one who was happy to nap on DS (this pup is the smallest of the litter and more quiet) It was a warm day and our pup may have wanted a cooler spot. I really think we’re over thinking it, but DD is upset that our puppy isn’t affectionate.

OP posts:
autienotnaughty · 08/08/2022 07:58

Katquoa · 08/08/2022 07:37

Thanks @autienotnaughty can I ask why?

Our behaviourist (note the use of the word behaviourist!!) said that quiet often equal anxious/timid which are not qualities you want. I say this sitting next to my large lab who's basically a bundle of worry and has cost us £££ in trying to resolve this.

Original poster
Katquoa · 08/08/2022 08:15

@autienotnaughty thank you. Sorry to hear your dog is a worrier. My DC is! Hence this thread.

OP posts:
FuckingHateRats · 08/08/2022 08:19

We just 'knew'.

It was a litter of ten and we knew we wanted a bitch, of which there was four. Based on videos, we went to see a different pup but when we met them, Maggie just seemed 'right'. She has a lot of personality and has slotted in well with our family, so the instinct was right. The breeder said the original one was 'too quiet' for us and she was right.

GrowThroughWhatYouGoThrough · 08/08/2022 09:07

We recently had a litter as the owner you get to know their personalities and get a feel for if their going to be a good match. Out of 7 4 of ours actually picked their owners themselves it was amazing watching them do it! If your unsure speak to the breeder

GrowThroughWhatYouGoThrough · 08/08/2022 09:08

This one seems to have claimed me 🤣

Pick of the litter- too much choice!
SarahSissions · 08/08/2022 09:38

I wouldn’t pick, let your breeder guide you. Be honest with them about your household and family as well as your hopes for the dog. They’ll be able to point out the most suitable pups.
so if you say that you are quite a loud, high energy household a timid pup might not be the most suitable.
use your breeder. I was shameless in the amount of questions I asked (and still ask!!)

duvetdrama · 08/08/2022 09:44

I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. Our dog is very affectionate but never has slept on/next to us. She likes her own space. She is also a dream to leave in the house alone for an hour or two. So as long as the pup is confident and happy being around you it sounds like a great choice.

Creepymanonagoatfarm · 08/08/2022 10:03

Our first dpuppy dc wanted the one that barked at me - said it must be a confident one to back chat me!! Next one we got a more reserved one. Didn't want it overzealous with ddog 1! Same with the last one. Boisterous males but the bitch was cautious at first then came for affection. Worked out well and we now have 4!!
Mid range for first dpuppy imo!!

SirSniffsAlot · 08/08/2022 10:09

Agree with being guided by the breeder. He/she will have been with them 24/7 for about 4-5 weeks before personalities start to come through. They will know infinitely more about their characters than anyone spending 30 mins with them could - pick a good breeder and be guided by them.

Just be clear with your breeder what kind of dog you are hoping for.

p.s. not many puppies are affectionate at this age - there is plenty of time for that to develop as they grow up.

TerrierOrTerror · 08/08/2022 10:49

I ended up with one I didn't "pick"

I wanted a boy, litter of 4 with 2 of each. We had second pick but the first pick wasn't going to make his decision until they were 6 weeks old. I felt one of the boys was very shy and nervous and so went for the other, ignoring the very sweet little girl who kept curling up on both our laps. The man choosing first then went for the boy I'd originally chosen, and so we went with our second choice (the cuddly girl). On pick up our breeder gave us a memory stick with a LOT of footage of the litter, more than was sent previously and it was very obvious my original choice was a cocky so and so, whilst our choice clearly loved people and a good cuddle. Yes, she also has severe separation anxiety possible as a result of loving people quite so much, bit o genuinely think our original choice would have been way too much for us!

Original poster
Katquoa · 08/08/2022 12:22

Thanks for everyone’s experiences. I’ve spoken to the breeder and they’re happy with the match. They said they’d be happy to keep anyone of them. We met both parents who were very lovely dogs. It’s a common family breed of dog. I’m sure it’ll be a great pup. Breeder said she’s not easily scared and loves cuddles so that sounds good to me.

OP posts:
certainshepherdpups · 08/08/2022 16:09

With my current dog, I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of pups (large litter) and would have had a hard time narrowing it down since they were all lovely. My DH noticed one with striking blue eyes who was a bit more reserved than the others. The breeder mentioned that this particular pup was her teenage daughter's favourite. When we first interacted with him he was still a bit reserved but then he approached me and gave me his paw. That was it for me, I knew he was ours.

PoolSquid · 08/08/2022 16:50

Our pup picked us - we were choosing from 3 girls. Would have been happy with any of them as all very similar so just went with the one that approached us first.

It's hard to say whether it was the right choice. Now they're a year old it's hard to say what is nurture and what is nature.

stockpilingallthecheese · 08/08/2022 17:07

They choose you Smile

For ours, 2 we had no choice - 1 was last in the litter and another was 1 of only 2 girls and we wanted a girl, and the other was already chosen. For our 3rd we had our pick of 11!!! Which obviously was a great excuse to spend a load of time having puppy cuddles!!

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 08/08/2022 19:47

Our breeder picked ours and he's been great for our family. We're still in touch with him (breeder) plus all our pups' siblings and I think he made the decision.

Aria20 · 09/08/2022 06:58

We had a choice of 2 girls. Obviously both were adorable. One seemed very timid and like a pp said we didn't want an overly anxious or nervous dog. The other seemed a bit cheeky and definitely more confident and we felt that would work better in our busy household. She's now 18 months and definitely was the right choice for us.

Champagneforeveryone · 09/08/2022 07:44

My "once in a lifetime dog" was chosen for me by the breeder. She later said she was glad when we clicked as she "knew she would be a handful" 😆

DDog1 was not who we went for, but it was an uncommonly mild morning in spring and we sat outside chatting to the breeder for much longer than expected. The extended visit meant we got to see the puppies true personalities as the dynamics changed, and DH feel head over heels with DDog1. He's an utter git and there have been times when I bitterly regretted our decision, but I would never change him as no bugger else would have him

catsrus · 09/08/2022 07:52

I disagree with "don't pick the quiet one" . I picked our first pup - dh wanted the one that bounced all over him but this one was my choice. I picked the girl at the back who looked at me, and was clearly assessing what was going on.

She was an amazing dog. When we had Dc they learned to walk holding onto her, she would go stand by the child clinging onto the sofa and wait until they transferred to her, then slowly walk round the room. She was very smart, picked up commands easily, remained gentle, quiet and thoughtful all her life.

She was supposed to be "my" dog - but the minute we got her home it was clear she was dh's devoted acolyte. She would do anything I said but if he walked off in the other direction she would follow ...... we were in an obedience competition once, doing ok, I'd told him not to be ring side - but half way through she spotted him in the distance and just shot off to be with him.

A year later we got a second dog, his choice, he did choose the lively one, and she was bonkers, lovely but dim. She decided she was mine 🤷🏼‍♀️

We've not always had a choice with pups - but last time I got a working bred gundog and the breeder narrowed it down to two that she thought would fit in well with me. Again, I chose the quieter one. She is a bit more anxious than my first, but I don't think she's had the same opportunities for socialising - and it's not a bad thing that she wouldn't wander off with a stranger, or approach them on walks.