For Those Of You Who Breed

[poodlemum]

That's why I said that the puppies would often choose their owner - I have seen this happen several times.

I think we originally posted around the same time. This above is different though as I am betting you knew the personality of the pup would suit them anyway and you encouraged them to choose this particular pup when they had something different in mind . A little different from the puppy purchaser who insists that the one that races up to it first must be the one regardless of what the breeder thinks.

Exactly right!! With the 1st litter I ever bred I allowed a couple to pick their puppy - they chose the biggest, dominant bitch - totally wrong for them but I didn't know enough at the time to say no. The bitch dominated their household for about 15 years!

[Dust Angel]

Not a breeder, but my breeder chose for me.

She also made sure I knew exactly what I was getting and gave us the opportunity to rethink several times as Flute got older .... And bolder! She let us know from the start that Flute was the first to be born, the first one out of the whelping box, the first outside, the first .... Well you get the picture! We were an experienced GSP home so she felt comfortable sending us the Tazzie Devil that is Flute

We were happy to let the breeder choose as she knew us from lots of communication and she new the pups so well. :D

Sienna chose me, out of 14 pups she marched up to me at sat at my feet staring up at me ( at the time we were there as my other friend was getting a pup), I paid a deposit on the spot. Came back a week later and she came bowling over as though shed missed me and then tried to scramble in the car Unfortunately Sienna was purchased from a BYB before I knew about such things. I have been lucky health wise and both her parents were papered dogs and I wouldn't swap her for the world, but knowing what I know now, never again would I buy from anyone but a registered ethical breeder

[Shazzapug]

We only have an average of 5 per litter...I usually keep the best boy and best girl to run on for showing...which will leave 3....depending on sex it often means someone misses out. Out of the 3 left I pick who goes where...a dominant goes if he/she needs to get flown somewhere, and a sooky goes to the young couple starting a life together...personalities in a Pug are pretty much the same, they all clowns and happy as long as there is food. But I always pick who gets who and dont leave it to the new owner.

[becks]

I tend to describe the personalities to the people who come to see the pups and try to steer them towards a suitable match (although I wouldn't let them take a pup they couldn't handle), I will tell them why I think particular pups would be a better match or why one isn't.

I've had a breeder chose for me and they totally didn't give me the temperament i was after (I like the big, bold, in your face types, and got a wall flower who I have to stop the others bullying :rolleyes: ) so I won't let a breeder pick a dog for me again.

[Blackdogs]

As a buyer, I have told the breeder exactly what I am after in personality and why, then I explain what I would like in appearance. I then let the breeder find the closest match. This has worked for me.

I am a fussy buyer and I know exactly what I want, (after all, I'm the one who has to live with the dog for the next 15 years) so I research the hell out of breeders before selecting one in the first place. I think this helps.

[dasha]

I bred working border collie pups this year

I had 2 litters this year and with one bitch I had someone that ordered 2 males and some others that wanted females and I wanted to keep one maybe 2

That said she had 2 males and 4 females.

Males already taken so no option for colour etc. They just wanted 2 males of that mating. DONE

Of the 4 females left, each other party was happy with whichever they got, as long as I picked mine out and was happy with my choices.

One person had very frequent visits and watched them all grow and had her eye on one but still would be happy with any of them.

I ended up deciding to keep 2 of that litter and I had a tough choice between the other 3.

To be honest, they were all a bit different but I would be happy with any of them.

So in all, I person selected theirs, I picked my 2 and the other person got what was left over. I person missed out.

But all pups of that litter have gone to homes where the owners are over the moon about them.

The other litter was different.

5 boys so suddenly had more pups to find homes for as most people previously interested wanted bitches.

I wanted 1 but couldn't decide. I guy picked his out early as he liked the markings and just wanted a dog out of the bitch.

That still left me with 3 male pups.

I took them to sheepdog trials and training and sold 1 to an agility person that came to watch the sheepdogs and fell in love with one, the other was sold to a farmer who came to the dog trial looking to buy another dog.

the last one hung around for a while and finally at about 15 weeks old, he met a lovely lady at an agility trial I went to watch and has now found his new home that he is greatly loved.

So 2 went to people that had no plans of another dog and saw the pups and bought one.

Again, ALL owners that have one of that litter are all over the moon.

So really there was really no decisions needed in finding the right homes. Sometimes the right homes just come along.

Of that litter though, only my pup and one other have really gone to a working home and the others went to sporting homes.

The only choices available in the all male litter was a colour preference

[sandgrubber]

I sense that the differences here have something to do with

(a) markings . . . . puppy buyers take these seriously . . . often more seriously than they should . . .

(b) whether the breed and lines include both high and low drive animals . . . in which case the breeder is likely to be able to pick out the higher drive pups and would be irresponsible to place a high drive pup in a home that won't be able to handle it.

I have gotten one or two high drive pups in 100+ pups. If I were breeding BC's and some were to go to herding/agility while others go to pet homes . . .or a guarding breed where some dogs were going into security work . . . or Labrador lines that include very high drive hunters . .. , I would feel a greater need to prescribe who gets what pup.

Given a high drive puppy with a darling eye patch that really appealed to somebody's kid -- which isn't going to happen in my breed cause they're all solid colours -- it would be irresponsible not to intervene.

[WreckitWhippet]

I put the show potential aside and out of the question, potential buyers get to view the whole litter but they are made aware from the very beginning, that certain pups are not available at this stage and unlikely to be. We take those pups and seperate them from the others, while people are looking at the pups.

We pick the pups for the potential owners and are careful to match the temperaments and individual personalities. For more expereinced owners, they may get to select between a couple of a few puppies.

There's no point in putting your show potentials on display, without making it very clear they are not available, as anyone with a reasonable eye for a dog, will be certain to pick your keepers and feel disappointed they can't have it.

[Bjelkier]

I have picked all my show dogs myself with the breeders giving me tips on which pups they think will turn out the best, they know their lines much better then I do.

The only dog that picked us was our first Samoyed and he was only going to be a pet so I wasn't too worried about how good he looked. Turns out he ended up a nice looking and a good show dog.

[whiskedaway]

Sienna was purchased from a BYB before I knew about such things. I have been lucky health wise and both her parents were papered dogs and I wouldn't swap her for the world, but knowing what I know now, never again would I buy from anyone but a registered ethical breeder

This is exactly us with Akira. She's from a BYB, her parents are papered, and I love her to death, but like you we'll never buy from anyone but a registered ethical breeder too.

Akira was the last one left in the litter, the breeder wanted to keep her (because she's the spitting image of her mum) but his wife said no. So she came to us.

Halo we picked with a lot of help from her breeder, we were after a show dog so after the breeder made her pick we chose from the remaining girls. We were lucky to meet the litter when they were five weeks old and based on personalities it was always going to be either Halo or Ruby, who the breeder kept. Halo was the first to escape the whelping box and the naughtiest, and we knew that, but it worked well for us because we already had a Sibe so Halo has been a piece of cake in comparison! I doubt we would have been able to have her if we weren't fairly experienced with dominant dogs though.

If we ever have a litter, I will probably pick for my puppy buyers, but it will be in consultation with them to make sure they're happy with the arrangement too.

[The Spotted Devil]

I have had the good fortune of picking both my dogs - but I wasn't in a hurry for a pup, had a good relationship with the breeders and was prepared to wait for the right pup to come along. I waited 2 years for my Dally, flew interstate and stayed with the breeder for several days when pups were 5 weeks old. I wanted a male pup that would be suitable for dog sports and had pretty much made up my mind by the time I had left. However, I waited until the BAER tests had been done and for the 'puppy party' at 6-7 weeks, where several knowledgable people assessed the pups. They all came to the conclusion that my choice was not quite the show pick but was certainly the dog sports pick so that confirmed my decision. My working ESS comes from lines that are pretty consistent and I was advised that as long as she didn't have 2 heads she'd be fine I wanted a female and in the end I had the choice of 2 - breeder kept her pick and a repeat buyer wanted the quietest pup - at 8 weeks of age I took each pup away from the house yard to interact with them and then observed how they responded to retrieving, loud noises etc. I immediately "clicked" with the 2nd puppy as well as preferring her responses so it was a very easy choice in the end. Pups had been playing outside so we gave her a bath, had a cuppa and a long chat, and then I drove her home. Best. Choice. Ever.

[SparkyTansy]

When i had my litter, I made it very clear that i would be picking the pups for the owners, but that i would give them a choice if there was more than one that would suit them. All of them were fairly happy with that, although one person did give me a "hint" on which pups they liked when she came to visit (not really an issue, she picked out 3 out of 5 puppies so didn't really narrow it down!). all puppies were fairly even just each had their little quirks which helped me to decide which would suit best. I had one home which was the most experienced, who was getting a show potential male as they were letting me show. Show potential male came out of nowhere at 8 weeks old and it turns out he also had the most challenging temperament, and I was struggling up until that point on where I coudl place him. He is now perfectly placed with the most experienced home and being shown. All the others are perfect for their families.

If I had a buyer who had the breed before, wanted a dog for sports or working, and had a good idea of what temperament they wnated, I would definitely give them the opportunity to come and visit and give me their thoughts on their choice and why.

[Steve]

Ive put a lot of work and science into my beagles and its very rare now to be able to pick one or the other with different characteristics or traits to any other in the litter. You can come here to look and one pup may appproach you before the others but tomorrow it will be another. If I try to find some small thing which will make one more suitable than another for a particular home its almost impossible to do. The difference in the beagles is the markings and how they look rather than having to be too concerned about which one will match which family.Once you work out the family is good to go with a beagle the rest is simply a case of which goes where after I pick the one I want.

The Maremmas are a slightly different story and with them I agree with espinay. You can come and look at a litter where every pup in a litter of a dozen appears to be identical and whether or not the pup comes up to you or hides away has different meanings with this breed to any other. So the owners tell me what they want it for and I choose every time.

[Ruffles]

With Loki, he was offered to me by the breeder and thank goodness he came to us, and not someone less experienced etc.

Cash, I waited 4 years for. I spent every weekend from Friday, to late sunday with the litter (of 14) from the time they were born, until 9 weeks. I made the choice with her, but it was through careful selection, discussion etc. it wasn't because she was the only pup that waltzed over to me

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Just remember that pup that 'walks up to you' may be the pushy dominant hard to control one in the litter

I had the choice of two remaining sisters from a litter of six. One only wanted to go back to her pen and wouldnt' talk to me at all.

The other liked talking to me, liked checking everything out, would chase toys but not fetch them (nothing has changed much) etc. This one was the one I chose.

She is the biggest grovel dog I have ever met. But she will make all the decisions in your home if you let her. A couple of my friends who dog sat for me briefly - found this out the hard way. She even convinced one - she gets to sleep on the human's bed. Dogs can lie.

[Souff]

Just remember that pup that 'walks up to you' may be the pushy dominant hard to control one in the litter wheras the one that hangs out in the middle may be a better pick from a personality/temperament point of view for many people. IMO 'letting the puppy pick' could be a recipe for disaster or see people overlook a pup much better suited to their needs and I really hate it when I hear people are making choices purely based on this method.

Espinay, thank you for saying what naughty Souff has wanted to say for years on here, but for fear of upsetting even more people has refrained from doing so.

Very often the pup that "chooses the owner" by walking up to them first IS the pup who may well need more of their attention than they could ever believe. Very often this is the pup that throws out the challenges that may not be what they want at all, and many people simply don't understand or could predict this.

Pups of many breeds are very smart little creatures and I suspect that they know that there are no fairies at the bottom of the garden.

As one hard nosed writer put it in something I read some time ago, some place ago, only He knows where it was cos I have forgotten, dogs are OPPORTUNISTS. Dogs are PARASITIC. They latched on to humans back in neanderthal times cos they knew man was able to PROVIDE FOOD and WARMTH for them. In return, they could bring a smile to his dial as they helped to tire out the wilderbeest or whatever poor unfortunate creature he was trying to run to earth for the next week's dinners. This was a good game for most dogs as they enjoyed a chase. They could catch and kill those beastly little rats that were stealing his food while he was asleep and transferring bad things to him.

Instincts are still with us. Pups are still choosing man or woman, and man or woman falls for it every time.

Being the chosen one is not necessarily the best thing and breeders do need to match pups to people, whenever they can.

Many thousands of years after cave man, dogs are still very smart little creatures

Souff

[MissMonaro]

I let my puppy ppl pick....well okay....too a certain extent.

I had 2 pups left in one litter.... a very laid back boy and a much more outgoing pup.

The man came to buy one for his 11 year old twin boys.... of course the laid back one went straight up to him and in his lap. He was smitten... oh yes, he liked this one...

I felt that with twin boys, the outgoing pup would be better.....

so I told him that the laid back pup was a barker.... loves the sound of his own voice...yaddy yaddy.... then he started looking at the other boy and after awhile said oh no...I like this one.

:D Job done... he thinks he "chose" the puppy

The other pup went to live with an older lady, who was most impressed how the pup came to her trained to sit and drop... um...we had not trained it to do that. But he was just that sort of pup and she loved that he was very laid back.

Alternatively, there really are lots of ways you can get around it. A lot of people like to pick their puppies. My last litter, both the new owners said you pick for us as we like them all and cant decide. I like to find out what the ppl are after... invite them out a few times to see the pups - watch how they interact.

Pups change as they grow as well. I have found that sometimes a more confident pup in the litter, isn't quite like that when you take it away from the "security". Sometimes when you take the more dominant puppy out of the mix, the little wallflower starts to bloom and a different pup emerges.

[suziwong66]

I let my puppy ppl pick....well okay....too a certain extent.

I had 2 pups left in one litter.... a very laid back boy and a much more outgoing pup.

The man came to buy one for his 11 year old twin boys.... of course the laid back one went straight up to him and in his lap. He was smitten... oh yes, he liked this one...

I felt that with twin boys, the outgoing pup would be better.....

so I told him that the laid back pup was a barker.... loves the sound of his own voice...yaddy yaddy.... then he started looking at the other boy and after awhile said oh no...I like this one.

:D Job done... he thinks he "chose" the puppy

I would hate to have been manipulated by a breeder in this way; i like to think that purchasing a puppy is a team effort where open honest communication is exercised.

[jerojath]

I always select puppies for owners and prospective owners are made well aware of this from their first enquiry.

Firstly, for me, it depends on what the puppy is to be 'used' for,ie; conformation, hunting, companion etc.

Secondly is the owners lifestyle and whether or not there are children in the family etc.

[MissMonaro]

I let my puppy ppl pick....well okay....too a certain extent.

I had 2 pups left in one litter.... a very laid back boy and a much more outgoing pup.

The man came to buy one for his 11 year old twin boys.... of course the laid back one went straight up to him and in his lap. He was smitten... oh yes, he liked this one...

I felt that with twin boys, the outgoing pup would be better.....

so I told him that the laid back pup was a barker.... loves the sound of his own voice...yaddy yaddy.... then he started looking at the other boy and after awhile said oh no...I like this one.

:D Job done... he thinks he "chose" the puppy

I would hate to have been manipulated by a breeder in this way; i like to think that purchasing a puppy is a team effort where open honest communication is exercised.

Gees...call it how you like - I dont see it as manipulation at all, but gentle persuasion. Yep, seeing as you dont know the whole long and lengthy conversations that entailed beforehand I guess its easy just to assume there was a lack of communication.