Pretty Miss Emma Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Have to say when I was looking for Kenzie I let all the breeders I spoke to know what I wanted to do with her. When it came down to it Kenzie was chosen by my breeder for me, and she was chosen based the activities I wanted to do with her but also on how she interacted with older dogs seeing as though she was coming into a house with an 11 year old dog and the breeder discussed with me that she did not want to place a puppy with Emma that was going to constantly hassle her and not "listen" to what she was saying. She chose perfectly as Kenz was beautiful to Em. So as she was my first puppy I was more than happy to have her chosen for me (particularly seeing as though the breeder discussed with me the reasons behind her selection). In the future and now that I am getting to know more about the breed and dogs in general I think I would want more choice. But I would still be looking for that pup that falls somewhere in the middle not timid not too boistrous. Probably would like to spend time with them to see who has a bit of focus (as much as a pup does!!). But I would still be relying on the opinions of either breeder or people who are in the know about what puppy traits to look for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I think you need to trust your breeder more, and if you can't trust them, maybe they aren't the breeder for you. The breeder has spent seven or eight weeks with the puppies, seen them every day in a ton of different situations and has likely done temperament testing etc on them (especially if they are a serious sports breeder). They will also have had an extensive chat with you about what you want and expect. I would trust them to pick the right puppy for you given all their experience and time with the pups over the impression you build (even if you go and see them a few times). Have you even read my posts? I just said that I wouldn't buy a pup from a breeder I didn't trust but that doesn't mean I have to be happy taking wahtever puppy the breeder "decides" to give me. There are VERY few breeders who train their dogs with the same methods I do, the breeder I am getting my next pup from has many successful dogs in working and sport homes - if I didn't trust her breeding I would not be getting a pup from her - but I still wouldn't take a pup that she gave me without assessing it first to make sure it is what I want. But of course I am sure you know far more about how to pick a great competitive dog sports puppy than I do Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) Have you even read my posts? I just said that I wouldn't buy a pup from a breeder I didn't trust but that doesn't mean I have to be happy taking wahtever puppy the breeder "decides" to give me. Is it possible that agentvee's reply was aimed at Mason2009? Edit: I see you were quoted in the previous reply. Never mind Edited July 14, 2011 by RubyStar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Totally agree with Huski. I would not get a pup from a breeder that said I could only have the one they picked for me... I think advice and info about individual puppies is great and even a selection what they think the most suitable puppies (which I could then assess) would be good but I personally think its quite important to at least be given the impression of a choice. I was not able to pick my current dog, she was given to me. Although I love my Mindy very much and she is a great dog, she is possibly not the dog (or breed lol) one would choose for competitive agility (which is what I want to do). She is still the best dog in the world though :D Will be getting advice from our trainer and other agility people when the time comes to get my next dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Totally agree with Huski. I would not get a pup from a breeder that said I could only have the one they picked for me... For me it would depend entirely on who was doing the picking. ;) Howie was picked for me. I had never seen him before he arrived in his little crate at the airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Yep Kaos was picked for me, hadn't seen him before the airport either. My attempts at picking a pup myself didn't go too well (Zoe and Diesel)- the one the breeder picked was a much better dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Totally agree with Huski. I would not get a pup from a breeder that said I could only have the one they picked for me... I think advice and info about individual puppies is great and even a selection what they think the most suitable puppies (which I could then assess) would be good but I personally think its quite important to at least be given the impression of a choice. I was not able to pick my current dog, she was given to me. Although I love my Mindy very much and she is a great dog, she is possibly not the dog (or breed lol) one would choose for competitive agility (which is what I want to do). She is still the best dog in the world though :D Will be getting advice from our trainer and other agility people when the time comes to get my next dog This also comes down to your choice of breeder though. Would you be happy to have your pup picked or a couple of pups that the breeder thinks are suitable if the breeder was successful in your chosen sport? Giving a buyer the impression of a choice so that they feel as though they have achieved something by picking thier own puppy in my personal opinion does not reflect the best interests of my puppies... picking the best puppy for their situation, their home, and what they want from their puppy/dog is the best way to ensure that MY puppies go into the very best of homes. As I said above though, this is purely based on buyers that are not experienced in specific sports or a proven strong knowledge of what they want. None of my puppy buyers wanted specific sports dogs, nor were any incredibly experienced in the breed, but some of them were interested in giving some things a go. I did Breed specific temperament testing, consulted the breeder of the stud dog and the breeder of my own bitch (also my mentor), and spoke to a behaviourist with over 30 years experience in my breed. Whilst I dabble but don't seriously take part in particular dog sports my breeds are well known for, i was still I feel the best placed to choose where my puppies went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarLapyz Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I think you need to trust your breeder more, and if you can't trust them, maybe they aren't the breeder for you. The breeder has spent seven or eight weeks with the puppies, seen them every day in a ton of different situations and has likely done temperament testing etc on them (especially if they are a serious sports breeder). They will also have had an extensive chat with you about what you want and expect. I would trust them to pick the right puppy for you given all their experience and time with the pups over the impression you build (even if you go and see them a few times). Have you even read my posts? I just said that I wouldn't buy a pup from a breeder I didn't trust but that doesn't mean I have to be happy taking wahtever puppy the breeder "decides" to give me. There are VERY few breeders who train their dogs with the same methods I do, the breeder I am getting my next pup from has many successful dogs in working and sport homes - if I didn't trust her breeding I would not be getting a pup from her - but I still wouldn't take a pup that she gave me without assessing it first to make sure it is what I want. But of course I am sure you know far more about how to pick a great competitive dog sports puppy than I do Brendan My first two dogs were picked as pets- they did that job really well. My next one was picked for me. The only dog that I have personally selected as a sports dog is 18 weeks old, so the jury is still out on my ability to pick a great competitive sports puppy as she is a little young to tell. I was not the breeder of this pup, but I was involved with raising it, so I got to see how they grew and changed throughout the 12 weeks that we had them all. People that visited would make comments about a pups temperament that were incorrect, because they only saw a snapshot of their personality. I am not telling you that you should blindly accept a dog offered to you, I completely agree with doing your own assessments. But communication is the key. You might be offered two or three pups that are suitable, and none might make your grade. You might be offered one, and it is perfect. You could even be told by the breeder that there is nothing in the litter for you! The other pups in that litter should have been eliminated as the potential dog for you by what you have communicated to your breeder and you should listen to them on that. To say that you would walk away from a breeder that only had one pup avaliable to you might mean that you are walking away from an amazing pup before you even see them. I'm not saying that I must have my choice out of the entire litter but if a breeder said to me "this is your puppy" and I had no choice in the matter at all I would walk. I want to make sure I am getting the right puppy for me and at the end of the day I'm not going to be willing to rely 100% on the breeder to know exactly what I want and how to look for it. walking away after you have assessed them is quite different to walking away because you were only offered one pup. I am saying you need to trust your breeder to fill in the gaps in what you can see because they have been around the pups every day for their entire lives and seem them grow and develop. Mason is looking for an Obedience dog, and there should be puppies that the breeder already knows will not be suitable, and some she believes will work for her. If there is only one pup offered then she can either take it or walk away- and there is nothing wrong with walking away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) Totally agree with Huski. I would not get a pup from a breeder that said I could only have the one they picked for me... I think advice and info about individual puppies is great and even a selection what they think the most suitable puppies (which I could then assess) would be good but I personally think its quite important to at least be given the impression of a choice. I was not able to pick my current dog, she was given to me. Although I love my Mindy very much and she is a great dog, she is possibly not the dog (or breed lol) one would choose for competitive agility (which is what I want to do). She is still the best dog in the world though :D Will be getting advice from our trainer and other agility people when the time comes to get my next dog This also comes down to your choice of breeder though. Would you be happy to have your pup picked or a couple of pups that the breeder thinks are suitable if the breeder was successful in your chosen sport? Giving a buyer the impression of a choice so that they feel as though they have achieved something by picking thier own puppy in my personal opinion does not reflect the best interests of my puppies... picking the best puppy for their situation, their home, and what they want from their puppy/dog is the best way to ensure that MY puppies go into the very best of homes. As I said above though, this is purely based on buyers that are not experienced in specific sports or a proven strong knowledge of what they want. None of my puppy buyers wanted specific sports dogs, nor were any incredibly experienced in the breed, but some of them were interested in giving some things a go. I did Breed specific temperament testing, consulted the breeder of the stud dog and the breeder of my own bitch (also my mentor), and spoke to a behaviourist with over 30 years experience in my breed. Whilst I dabble but don't seriously take part in particular dog sports my breeds are well known for, i was still I feel the best placed to choose where my puppies went. And I guess the point is- if you dont agree with what is allocated to you, you should ALWAYS feel free to walk away. I turned away people who wanted 'quiet' dogs from my litter, and turned away a sports home because I didn't feel that the pup they wanted was right for them (it had the temperament but not the physic). I did recommend them another breeder who was able to help them because they did have the right pup. I did offer one person the choice of two pups because both were suitable for that situation and I am happy to do that where I do have more than one pup that would fit in to their lifestyle. I do acknowledge that not all breeders do this- but are they the breeders that you should be going to for sports dogs in the first place? Edited July 14, 2011 by ~Woofen~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Totally agree with Huski. I would not get a pup from a breeder that said I could only have the one they picked for me... For me it would depend entirely on who was doing the picking. ;) Howie was picked for me. I had never seen him before he arrived in his little crate at the airport. Snap. Both CK and Wikki were more or less picked for me by the breeders. CK was pointed out of a litter as 'the one who is available', Wikki had already been 'tagged' as a performance dog and her breeder decided she was OK for me. Both of them have turned out to be exactly what I asked for. I really don't know what I'm looking for in a pup so I'm happy to outline what the dog is for, what characteristics I want and let a trusted breeder judge their puppies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I'm not saying that I must have my choice out of the entire litter but if a breeder said to me "this is your puppy" and I had no choice in the matter at all I would walk. I want to make sure I am getting the right puppy for me and at the end of the day I'm not going to be willing to rely 100% on the breeder to know exactly what I want and how to look for it. I think you need to trust your breeder more, and if you can't trust them, maybe they aren't the breeder for you. The breeder has spent seven or eight weeks with the puppies, seen them every day in a ton of different situations and has likely done temperament testing etc on them (especially if they are a serious sports breeder). They will also have had an extensive chat with you about what you want and expect. I would trust them to pick the right puppy for you given all their experience and time with the pups over the impression you build (even if you go and see them a few times). To add in my 2 cents worth in here... trusting the breeder is one thing if they have proven that they know what their doing with assessing puppies (like if they compete in some sort of sport) but realistically there are some breeders that really have no idea. I have spoken to soo many breeders who have absolutely no idea on temperment and will place a pup in any old home. My current bitch is from such a breeder, she let me pick what ever I wanted first before she simply gave the rest of the puppy buyers have their pick... thankfully I ended up with Ella and not some pet home who wanted a calm friendly dog who would cope in the backyard with a half hour walk! Picking the right breeder is probably as important as picking the right puppy. To the OP - have you considered looking interstate for a good breeder? The right breeder/puppy isn't always in your state. Agree with this too. Both my dogs breeders have a good number of dogs titled in agility, this is why I trusted them. There were a number of breeders I didn't trust and didn't ask to pick a dog for me........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarLapyz Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I'm not saying that I must have my choice out of the entire litter but if a breeder said to me "this is your puppy" and I had no choice in the matter at all I would walk. I want to make sure I am getting the right puppy for me and at the end of the day I'm not going to be willing to rely 100% on the breeder to know exactly what I want and how to look for it. I think you need to trust your breeder more, and if you can't trust them, maybe they aren't the breeder for you. The breeder has spent seven or eight weeks with the puppies, seen them every day in a ton of different situations and has likely done temperament testing etc on them (especially if they are a serious sports breeder). They will also have had an extensive chat with you about what you want and expect. I would trust them to pick the right puppy for you given all their experience and time with the pups over the impression you build (even if you go and see them a few times). To add in my 2 cents worth in here... trusting the breeder is one thing if they have proven that they know what their doing with assessing puppies (like if they compete in some sort of sport) but realistically there are some breeders that really have no idea. I have spoken to soo many breeders who have absolutely no idea on temperment and will place a pup in any old home. My current bitch is from such a breeder, she let me pick what ever I wanted first before she simply gave the rest of the puppy buyers have their pick... thankfully I ended up with Ella and not some pet home who wanted a calm friendly dog who would cope in the backyard with a half hour walk! Picking the right breeder is probably as important as picking the right puppy. To the OP - have you considered looking interstate for a good breeder? The right breeder/puppy isn't always in your state. Agree with this too. Both my dogs breeders have a good number of dogs titled in agility, this is why I trusted them. There were a number of breeders I didn't trust and didn't ask to pick a dog for me........ I suppose it boils down to "If you don't trust them enough to pick the right dog (or dogs) for you, maybe they aren't the right breeder for you". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 I will take this all into consideration i am quite happy with the male though i have had females before and i personally bond better with males ( even with my cats my male is the one i am closest to). I guess though i am not a terribly competititve person i compete because i enjoy it and i enjoy teaching my dog new things, going in the ring is an added bonus but my dogs will always be pets first and if it came down to it i would rather take a dog i feel i could bond with than just taking one because i think it will be a better obedience dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I will take this all into consideration i am quite happy with the male though i have had females before and i personally bond better with males ( even with my cats my male is the one i am closest to). I guess though i am not a terribly competititve person i compete because i enjoy it and i enjoy teaching my dog new things, going in the ring is an added bonus but my dogs will always be pets first and if it came down to it i would rather take a dog i feel i could bond with than just taking one because i think it will be a better obedience dog. The reason I suggested a female was to minimise any conflict with Mason. Like you though, I prefer males. I think two males can work out fine but its not where you'd start if minimising conflict was the aim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 if it came down to it i would rather take a dog i feel i could bond with than just taking one because i think it will be a better obedience dog. Good attitude to have but do remember, that for one, training a dog creates a strong bond usually, and secondly, I don't think anyone here would take a dog if they didn't think they could bond with it just because it has potential :p Whatever you decide, I want puppy cuddles ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I specifically chose a bitch puppy for Ziggy's sake and it was the best decision. And I'm so in with her girly softness underneath the madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 when i wanted a male for my second ES I had specific temperament ideals I thought would match my older male (who also had some temperament issues). They lived together, both entire, for two years before the older one was desexed for different reasons. it can definitely work if they are well matched temperaments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 My first two dogs were picked as pets- they did that job really well. My next one was picked for me. The only dog that I have personally selected as a sports dog is 18 weeks old, so the jury is still out on my ability to pick a great competitive sports puppy as she is a little young to tell. Oh, my mistake. I assumed both Soaks and Fable were dogs that were bought with an intention to compete in dog sports with them. I am not telling you that you should blindly accept a dog offered to you, I completely agree with doing your own assessments. But communication is the key. You might be offered two or three pups that are suitable, and none might make your grade. You might be offered one, and it is perfect. You could even be told by the breeder that there is nothing in the litter for you! Well, obviously communication is crucial. Hence why I contacted the breeder I liked and met her dogs a good year before I am going to be ready for a puppy. I am not saying that I won't communicate with the breeder or ask for their opinion (not sure where you got that impression from) just that I won't solely rely on the breeder's opinion when it comes to selecting my puppy. To say that you would walk away from a breeder that only had one pup avaliable to you might mean that you are walking away from an amazing pup before you even see them. That's not what I said. I said I'd walk away from a breeder who only gave me the choice of one pup that they selected for me. I don't want to have no choice in the selection of a dog I am going to live with for 10+ years. walking away after you have assessed them is quite different to walking away because you were only offered one pup. I am saying you need to trust your breeder to fill in the gaps in what you can see because they have been around the pups every day for their entire lives and seem them grow and develop. That's not what I said. If a breeder I really liked only had one pup left I'd have a look at it (as long as the rest of the litter was there), but that's different to a breeder saying 'you have the pup I choose end of story'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elise+Hudson Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Having the breeder pick the puppy for me was something new when looking to purchase my first puppy, I have been in the horse world for a while, and obviously pups and foals are purchased differently. I am now 3 weeks away from bringin home my first ever purebred pup, it was selected for me by the breeder for a show pup, I don't even know if I am getting the dog or the bitch yet. But I fully trust my breeder and know that whichever pup I end up with it will be just what I had been looking for. I was alowed to make some requests, have have preferences, and if I wasn't happy with this you don't have to take he pup. The last pup I was offered I was unsure about so I just kindly said thankyou but maybe some other home would suit better, and it had a new home within the day . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 I have spoken to a lot of lab breeders and they all say 2 desexed males would bd their preferance over any other combo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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