UPDATE: Question for dog breeders, we picked our new little pup!

[Dee77]

We are going this weekend to pick out our new puppy. The litter has 3 females and I think 4 or 5 males. We are scheduled to get one of the females. According to the breeder's website, all of the puppies are accounted for.

I am curious how it works that each family goes and interacts with all of the puppies, what if 2 of us both want the same female? Is it who sent in their deposit first or is it who goes there first? Will the breeder even continue to show the dogs once they are selected by another family?

Any advice on how to handle the initial meeting and selection process? My DH has to work so it will just be me and my DD(6). TIA

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Generally there is a distinct order of which dogs you get to choose from based on factors determined by the breeder. It could be the order of deposit, or other factors like she's keeping one, or giving one to a friend, etc. I once had first pick and it was tough. It took two hours to figure out which would be the right dog for us. (And she was a great choice.) We were there alone. IIR there were 4 females. Two we put back right away - one was hyper and one was too mellow - the other two were pretty much the same - interactive but calm - and we could have gone with either one. The breeder knew what we were looking for in personality and helped reassure us with our final choice. We already had a very active male at home and knew we wanted our second dog to be low maintenance.

Ideally you should only be shown dogs you are eligible for. I mean, it would be ok to see the others, but don't get your heart set on any of those if they are already spoken for (unless something falls through). But for comparison it would be ok. Do some homework on how to pick a puppy before you go. You often hear people say they took the dog that was bouncing on them, but this may not be the best choice if you want a sort of mellow dog. There are some simple tests you can do right there that would help you figure out which one might be best. Also do some education with your youngster about the proper way to interact with puppies and dogs so as to avoid problems such as biting and growling, dominance, etc. Have fun, and don't forget the camera.

http://mysmartpuppy.com/

 

[Dee77]

Pea-n-Me, thanks so much for your very thoughtful and thorough reply. I am going through the link you included right now, it's very good. I am also reading a few books that some friends recommended. (The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete and a couple by Cesar Millan)

My last experience picking out a dog was at a shelter and I did it on impulse without any research and while we enjoyed the dog for over 12 years, it was a trying and challenging experience since he was food aggressive and had other issues etc. It made for a lot of stress and turned out we could not trust him with strangers or visitors etc. I am determined not to repeat that again.

Thanks again!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Pea-n-Me, thanks so much for your very thoughtful and thorough reply. I am going through the link you included right now, it's very good. I am also reading a few books that some friends recommended. (The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete and a couple by Cesar Millan)

I love The Art of Raising a Puppy. The owners of the website also have a series of books that are excellent, including my favorite, Good Owners, Great Dogs, and Childproofing Your Dog. (Sarah Wilson is married to Brian Kilcommons.)

My last experience picking out a dog was at a shelter and I did it on impulse without any research and while we enjoyed the dog for over 12 years, it was a trying and challenging experience since he was food aggressive and had other issues etc. It made for a lot of stress and turned out we could not trust him with strangers or visitors etc. I am determined not to repeat that again.

Well you never know. You can still get a problem puppy from a breeder. But chances are good that if you've chosen a good breeder, done your homework and treated the dog right, you'll have a well adjusted dog. Remember that the puppy period can be nuts and that before age 3, the dog is still energetic and immature. After three or so there comes a maturity and sort of transformation of the relationship into a beautiful bond. (As in, aah, we made it through this together!) Then you enjoy the middle stage for a good number of years until you hit the twilight years, when you pretty much have the perfect dog. What kind of dog are you getting?

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Good luck picking your puppy and please post pictures!! I love puppies. We have 3 dogs already but DH is itching for a 4th. I keep telling him he is nuts!!

 

[Dee77]

We are getting a soft coated Wheaten Terrier, and the breeder is a great one that comes highly recommended. My DD is so excited, it is all she can focus on this week- that we will be picking out our puppy in just a few days.

My last dog was an Akita/Shepherd mix, a strong and aggressive personality that I was not quite prepared for. My saint of a Dad (God rest his soul) would never want to discipline him because "he's just a dog" so we really had no chance of success in the household with such varying personalities. That kind of a rescue dog really needed a strong type to lead, I wish I had better knowledge then to have been able to help him with his issues. He did have his good points and we loved him dearly.

 

[pixiewings71]

When we got our dog we went to the home and played with the pups, we wanted a female (we already had a male dog who was very non-aggressive and we felt a female would fit in better) but we played with all of them, they had 3 females and 3 males. Unknown to us 2 of the females had already been chosen so we really only had 1 to chose from unless we decided we wanted a male. Luckily she was the one we picked. lol The breeder will let you know who is available, just don't be afraid to go spend a while considering. A good breeder will prefer it.

 

[BeachLove]

We are getting a soft coated Wheaten Terrier, and the breeder is a great one that comes highly recommended. My DD is so excited, it is all she can focus on this week- that we will be picking out our puppy in just a few days.

.

My friend has two of these. They are sweet dogs towards the kids and protective when strangers are around. It's just when you get their nails trimmed they turn into nasty beasts. They've gotten kicked out of some groomers for aggression for being brushed and nail clipping. Groomer said its really common for that breed. You should get them a haircut about every 4 weeks because the hair gets knotted so fast!! The hair seems to latch onto everything.... Trying to think of what else she's told me about them. Oh, start off with good food, they seem to be really sensitive dogs to changing seasons and food. As in the skin gets red and sometimes she has to get the beards shaved right off. (help keep down skin issues around the muzzle/yeast growth. ) They are prone to ear infections too! She just keeps the medicine around at all times. Not a big deal.

 

[Maria1985]

I like dogs. Sound like you are off to a good start..!..Congrats...Good luck..

 

[minkydog]

I keep reading "Pick a good breeder" but how exactly do you do that? You can't really tell anything by a website. I don't know anyone who ever got a dog from a breeder.

 

[brittsmum1998]

We had read also to pick a good breeder. What the book DOESN'T tell you is how to explain to your 7 yr old dd that the house is a mess and you aren't sure once you meet the breeder. Too late then! There wasn't a "pecking order" with our breeder in fact my dd picked the bichon that had the poop on her butt . She is the love of our lives (the dd and the bichon) . We bought a collar with us so we could put it on our "Jazmine" because she was still too young to go home yet.

We also had dd sleep with her "baby" blanket to leave with "our" dog so the dog could get used to her. Needless to say the blanket was gross!!! when we picked up the dog.

 

[Dee77]

OP here!

Today was the big day! My DD(6) and I went this morning to pick out our new little love. We were the first appointment and with that we had the pick of the litter, well the females anyway since that is what we scheduled to buy and all puppies were sold.

The breeder took the females out and handed one to me (the largest female and one of the largest of the entire litter) while she held on to the other two. All I can say is that it was so tough to decide because they were all very laid back and easy going. My DD wanted to pick the darkest colored one until she got a hold of the one I had and she agreed that the coloring and temperament were "perfect!" The only issue was that we had to change the name because she is not a Darby (a strong name that wouldn't work for any of the dogs), we will now be calling her Abby, a much better fit for our little darling!

Well there is another problem, waiting out the next 3 weeks until we can pick Abby up!

 

[ilovejack02]

OP here!

Today was the big day! My DD(6) and I went this morning to pick out our new little love. We were the first appointment and with that we had the pick of the litter, well the females anyway since that is what we scheduled to buy and all puppies were sold.

The breeder took the females out and handed one to me (the largest female and one of the largest of the entire litter) while she held on to the other two. All I can say is that it was so tough to decide because they were all very laid back and easy going. My DD wanted to pick the darkest colored one until she got a hold of the one I had and she agreed that the coloring and temperament were "perfect!" The only issue was that we had to change the name because she is not a Darby (a strong name that wouldn't work for any of the dogs), we will now be calling her Abby, a much better fit for our little darling!

Well there is another problem, waiting out the next 3 weeks until we can pick Abby up!

Do your homework on a good food for pup, these doggies are adorable , but can have skin issues, food allergies etc.

 

[Dee77]

Do your homework on a good food for pup, these doggies are adorable , but can have skin issues, food allergies etc.

Thanks- things sure have changed in the last few years. The breeder uses Diamond Naturals which is not easy to get where I live, so we will try and make a gradual switch to Blue Buffalo puppy. All of the reviews I have read seem to be very positive for that food product.

 

[ilovejack02]

Thanks- things sure have changed in the last few years. The breeder uses Diamond Naturals which is not easy to get where I live, so we will try and make a gradual switch to Blue Buffalo puppy. All of the reviews I have read seem to be very positive for that food product.

It can be ordered off Amazon , free shipping if you have prime .. but Blue buffalo pretty good too . Check the prices sometimes Amazon has great prices on pet food .. but not always .

 

[Dee77]

It can be ordered off Amazon , free shipping if you have prime .. but Blue buffalo pretty good too . Check the prices sometimes Amazon has great prices on pet food .. but not always .

This was very helpful, thanks!

 

[thedonduck]

We are really happy with blue buffalo. Both of our dogs and our cat eat it and like it! Check for coupons as it is often on sale and then we combine with a coupon! We go through about 1 of the big bags a month per dog (labs) so it cost is about $125-150 a month in pet food!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

How are things going? Any pics?