KLB Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I know I'm asking a ton of questions, so I appreciate all the feedback I've been getting. Anyhow, I've noticed that many breeders will freight a puppy to a buyer interstate. How does the breeder choose which puppy to send to a particular family? Excluding examples where most the litter has been claimed already by more local families or there is only one of the sex the family requests, how is this done? I used to think that it seemed necessary to check out the puppies and find out who you 'click' with, and also to check out where they've been raised, but I get that there are so many local places. Anyway, I'm just curious on this whole process. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) KLB - it depends who my puppy buyers are, their level of knowledge and how often they visit. But I spend soooo much time with my puppies that I know them inside out until they leave. I know if they are outgoing, relaxed, high drive, determined, how they get on with other puppies...all the traits that make for a good sports or family dog or both. If you visit once you only get a snapshot of that puppy at that particular time. Even I'm surprised at how accurate I have been although there's no science to it. From 5 weeks of age I was saying "thank goodness I'm keeping the only bitch. Way too much for anyone else". And 15 months later I'd say the same thing :laugh: My friend fell in love with the "first born" - fortunately she is an awesome trainer and he has turned out beautifully and the whole family love him. But I would not have sold him to an average pet home. When I've purchased interstate it was on recommendation by a work colleague, I established a relationship with the breeder over 2 years, I visited pups when they were 5 weeks old and stayed for several days. Personally I actually want to see people interacting with my adult dogs - puppies are easy but I need to see how they deal with adult dogs bouncing around. I would be unlikely to sell interstate without meeting the potential owner. Edited July 21, 2016 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjosa Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I just do not sell my puppies interstate unless it is someone that has been recommended not by just one but at least two people that I know personally. On the whole I prefer to sell within my state especially when it comes to a pet home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 My comments will not be popular with many here, however.... Many breeders like to think that they choose the puppy by personality to suit the family. However after having more than 25 years involved with breeding, training and teaching classes I know that there is no real guarantee that most breeder really knows what the personality of the pup is when only 8 weeks old... I agree that a pup is born with a DNA that will help set their temperament however there is still a great deal of initial development and learning that is done from 3weeks thru to 12 weeks (and beyond) that will allow the temperament to be enhanced or suppressed. Most breeders don't create (for their pups) a varied environment and provide travel to new locations or increase their contact with varied dogs and people. All of these activities will build a pups ability to deal with the stress that will impact them when they go to a new home. To cover these aspects takes a great deal of time, experience and varied facilities, which most breeders (especially those who work full time and/or show every weekend) just don't have. Hence it is impossible for us to really know which pup is best for which home just by our early assessment of their temperament. Instead.... consider the breed that you have.... the activity levels of your breed .... the space, health requirements of your breed and then choose a family that is already living the lifestyle that your dog should easily fit into. We have long conversations with prospective homes before we have pups born, and this also involves them visiting us ... (even if interstate) ... we talk about how they live and what their expectations are... we have them hang out with perhaps half a dozen really active Aussie Shepherds to see how they cope with being jumped on or getting dirty... This gives a really good feel for how they will let a dog fit into their life. We also ensure that the parents are the instigators to getting a dog, even if the dog is for the one of the kids we want to feel the parents have really considered the work needed. We are also careful not to judge people whether they are single, married, have kids, or a big yard... instead we look at the whole package.... and have had many go to live in small backyards in the city but these are people who include their dog into their 'latte lifestyle' where they go to the parks, beaches and cafes... We have at times talked people out of getting an Aussie as they might have unreal expectations or perhaps they think getting a dog might be good for the kids, or they will start walking more and help them get fit... these are often the ones where things don't work out in the long run. Over the years we have got really good at choosing homes for our pups... We are very proud that with over 90 pups out there now we still have contact with a large percentage and have re-homed 4 dogs when circumstances have changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tor Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Our breeder matched us with our puppy, we are first time owners of our breed and have a busy, active household. Our puppy is confident, calm (for a boxer), plays well with others and is generally cooperative. The puppy owners from his litter keep in touch on Facebook and it's clear as they've grown that he was the best choice for us. All the puppies are adorable, but several are much more challenging and are doing better in more experienced homes. If you trust your breeder and have a good rapport I'd definitely allow him or her to choose the right puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I know some breeders who use a combination of observation and Volhard Puppy Testing to 'grade' pups and then match homes accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRG Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 What a difficult question, and, even after 40 years, the a answer is I don't know! Gut feeling? careful observation? testing? all of those and I can still be wrong! But maybe, just maybe, I'm better at it than most people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelsun Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Although genetics plays a part in who the puppy is and how it will be when it's grown, owners play the largest part and often should be given credit for making that puppy exactly what they want it to be and thus the perfect 'pick'. They give credit to the breeder and often the breed will take it, however I believe that owners create their perfect companion and should be given kudos as such. What I do pick is if the family will suit my breed.....if they don't, no perfect puppy in that breed will exist for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Although genetics plays a part in who the puppy is and how it will be when it's grown, owners play the largest part and often should be given credit for making that puppy exactly what they want it to be and thus the perfect 'pick'. They give credit to the breeder and often the breed will take it, however I believe that owners create their perfect companion and should be given kudos as such. What I do pick is if the family will suit my breed.....if they don't, no perfect puppy in that breed will exist for them. Completely agree. But if I have what I think is a particularly drivey or challenging pup I will try to match that with someone who is capable of bringing out that dog's potential. I knocked back so many people - so definitely you have to select people based on their suitability for the breed first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) How to match them? Talk to the prospective owners a LOT. I do like the prospective owners to visit if they can (even if it is a week or two before the pups go home or even before the pups are born) so I can get to meet them in person and see how they act around the dogs etc (puppies are sucker bait. I want to see them with my adults in particular). But lots of long distance conversations where I find out about their family, their lifestyle, what their aspirations are for the pup, what they plan to do with the pup and so on so I can get a feel for what life will be like with that family and what they are like as a family. I have a questionnaire that starts the process, but talking and asking lots of questions and basically letting me into their lives really helps. From there it is assessing the pups to determine who I think would be a good fit for them. That involves mostly lots of observation (based a lot on 'gut feeling' which is based on experience with dogs and lots of practice observing and understanding them/their behaviour etc), but can also include formal testing. One of my pups was going to an interstate home as a prospective therapy dog. With the assistance of the program coordinator we did some formal testing to confirm the puppy I felt was most suited to them as a family also responded appropriately to certain tests (usually you would test a whole litter and I would recommend this generally when doing formal testing). This was more for their benefit too as it meant they had something more structured than my word to see how the pup responded. His prospective owners engaged with me fully throughout the whole process (we still talk a lot LOL!). Dog in question is now a certified therapy dog and has been a fantastic fit for their family. But yes, they have put in the work to shape the 'clay' I sent them (and the fact that I believed they would is part of the reason they were even allowed to have one of my pups ;) ) Edited July 24, 2016 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLB Posted July 26, 2016 Author Share Posted July 26, 2016 This is all so good to know! We will have 2 joining us in 6 weeks, and we have chatted a fair amount with the breeder. Hopefully she will pick a pair that have get along well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 KLB - As a Trainer and Breeder... I would NEVER sell a family two puppies at the same time. This is fraught with potential problems... I wish breeders would consider this when they sell pups as it is important to send pups to families with the best chance of a great relationship developing. The pups will bond too much to each other to the detriment of the relationship with the human. The pups also go thru the horrid teenager stage at the same time which is double trouble. Ideally there should be 2-3 years between dogs, hence the older dog is settled and mature and helps to settle a new pup into the home and the family have a chance to enjoy a new pup without any detriment to the older dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRG Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) Totally agree AB A recipe for problems! Edited July 28, 2016 by JRG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) KLB - As a Trainer and Breeder... I would NEVER sell a family two puppies at the same time. Ditto. I have as a trainer seen far too many issues when people buy siblings. They are often quite focussed on each other, get separation anxiety when separated and generally there is either one or both that just couldn't care less about paying attention to their owners. With two there is a strong pull towards letting them entertain each other and 'cutting corners'. The only time I have seen it really work successfully is when there are two owners who can devote individual attention to each of them and do individual activities with them away from the other, and also when they have other dogs they can put each of the pups with to separate them. I have raised two siblings at once (out of necessity when one pup from the litter was staying longer before going to its new home and I was keeping one) and the amount of work to give both the same attention and training that you would give to one (even with other dogs and a good setup to separate them) is at times exhausting if one person is doing most of the work (the pull of cutting corners is strong!). It is not something I would recommend to the average pet owner. Edited July 29, 2016 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loba Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 How exciting! Two puppies - my godness......what breed are you getting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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