[Dreammom]

The other thread here has me wondering something... and this really is an honest question so please no snarkiness.

I have had dogs all my life, I have purchased two from pro breeders, most from hobby breeders (growing up we had a few mutts, heck if I know where they came from LOL). Never once has a pup been chosen for me, I did the choosing, and have had great dogs.

How can a breeder know the right fit for my family, my other dogs...from an application, emails or meeting once or twice? I honestly don't understand it. If I was told I could only have this one pup...and it was not the one I wanted of course I would walk - I am sure the breeder would not mind but.. I'm just sayin. I know what I am looking for in temperament...how would a breeder really know? Is this something new or recent? I just never remember coming across it until the last few years.

I am the first to admit, our last two picks have sucked (don't let teenage boys choose your pup)...but I am always in it for the long haul, and it seems to be working out fine now.

I was turned down by rescue twice, one Golden rescue, and one Siberian Husky rescue would not even talk to me - both because I don't have a 6 foot fence - just a 4 footer, sorry that's all the village would allow...but I do have experience with both breeds...and know what fits here (have not had an escape yet knock on wood). Would pro breeders turn me down for the same reason? It just seems to me breeders and rescues are making it more and more difficult for people to get pups...and unfortunately they will turn to puppy mills and the like to get what they want, and sadly the poor pups pay for it with health issues and such.

Just wondering, thanks in advance, and please no hitting me....

Julie

 

[LibertyME]

Breeders that actually spend time with their puppies know which pup is more pushy...which will submit....which are the peacemakers...which may be more adventuresome...which are more watchful...which are leaders ...which are followers. etc...etc...etc....

Breeders that have spent time with early life stimulation will know which recover from stress faster which take more time...

Now breeders that have no clue what they are looking for as far as signs/signals would be useless....

 

[NapaValleyGolden]

The other thread here has me wondering something...

How can a breeder know the right fit for my family, my other dogs...from an application, emails or meeting once or twice? I honestly don't understand it. If I was told I could only have this one pup...and it was not the one I wanted of course I would walk - I am sure the breeder would not mind but.. I'm just sayin. I know what I am looking for in temperament...

I'm sure others will answer that know a lot more than I, but my experience in getting two dogs from breeders is that it's not so much that the breeder gets to know you as they know their puppies. With Cody, our 8 month old, I talked with the breeder several times on the phone before meeting her and the puppies. I told her what I was looking for and described our day-to-day life, and we spent quite a bit of time with the four puppies we could chose from. She recommended Cody as the best fit for us based on her knowing him and what we told her.

 

[Dreammom]

OK thanks... is this something fairly recent or have they always done that?

I am just wondering if it was by the questions that I would ask about a pup...that I was kind of "steered" toward the right one then?

I really appreciate answers on this, my old brain just can't figure it out I guess LOL.

 

[rappwizard]

I agree with you about purchasing a "well-bred" golden retriever puppy--it can get very difficult, because breeders don't have litters all the time and the ones that have been doing it for a long time and have developed a certain following have a waiting list once they do have a litter. For a person who doesn't know anyone, it's hard to break through that closed door.

My husband and I have dealt with the same breeder for each of our 3 goldens, and she chose the first 2 goldens for us, and we gave her our specifications as to what we were looking for, and she matched them practically to a "T." The third time, we met the litter at 5 weeks, and we discussed what we wanted, and there was a pup that we felt would meet our needs; she also said that the pup we choose would meet our needs. When we came to her house 3 weeks later to get our pup, "orange girl" was waiting for us.

 

[Bender]

Just being honest here... but you come across as a bit of an 'expert' in how you worded the OP. That you know what fits and you'd know exactly what puppy you would and wouldn't take. From a breeder's point of view, you may come across as not willing to take advice or change anything that you are doing - and in a lot of cases, breeders want certain things done with their puppies (crate training, feeding, training, health care....) that may not 'jive' with what you are doing now. Or it could be something with your exisiting dogs that is a 'red flag' to a breeder (like having them intact for no 'good' reason). Also, if you approach a breeder who will be selecting your pup for you based on their experience, and you are telling them that if you don't like that choice you'll walk away because you know otherwise.... well most breeders want committed homes.

Have you ever gone back to a breeder/rescue who turned you down and simply asked why? Don't go into attack mode, just ask - you might find some insight (I can't say much not having talked or met with you) into what they are thinking.

Good luck, hope the right pup finds it's way to you!

Lana

 

[Dreammom]

ohhh nooo sorry don't misunderstand, I am not looking for another pup (I have my hands full here with 3). Honestly just wondered about it, because I had never come across it before...I see it talked about here often, and no one has ever chosen one of our pups for us. Sorry if I caused confusion.

I did question the rescues, both were because we only had a 4 foot fence, I was not defensive - a bit shocked, but not defensive. The golden rescue was willing to let us have one of their special needs dogs (epileptic), I already have an epileptic dog and did not want to go through that again.

 

[K9-Design]

No, it's nothing new. MOST good breeders do a fair amount of selecting for the new owners.
Now with a large litter, they may par it down to a few puppies that are very similar and let you pick, but with a small litter, usually they will want to place certain puppies with certain owners based on the DOG'S personality and what the home wants to do with them.
I will say, in my experience, predicting a puppy's ultimate temperament from that in the first 8 wks is at best, a 50/50 chance. I think the parents of the litter are a much better guide, and how the puppy is raised is even more of an influenced in their behavior (temperament is ingrained, BEHAVIOR is trained).

 

[K9-Design]

Oh -- and trust me -- rescue groups are almost always MORE restrictive than breeders. It is not uncommon at all for rescue groups to mandate certain fences, hours outside the home, other pets, etc, whereas a breeder will take it case by case. I understand it and feel those policies have their merits and downfalls. Back when I did a lot of foster & placement, the running joke was that I got GRRMF's leftovers! People would get denied by the local "official" golden rescue because of stupid stuff (dog door, kid too young, both work full time, whatever) and I would place a dog with them, that suited their needs, with great results. But I did one dog at a time and did it myself -- so everything was up to me, and any failure was on me too, so I understand a rescue group not doing this. BTW I only had ONE dog fail placement out of about 35.
Anyways.....

 

[Pointgold]

OK thanks... is this something fairly recent or have they always done that?

I am just wondering if it was by the questions that I would ask about a pup...that I was kind of "steered" toward the right one then?

I really appreciate answers on this, my old brain just can't figure it out I guess LOL.

I've been doing it for 25 years. I LIVE with my puppies from the moment of birth and 24/7 until they go to their new homes. Most of those homes are people who have been on a wait list and who I have gotten to know, either personally, or in the course of many months of phone/email contacts. My puppies are evaluated by several trusted and respected breeders, and temperament/aptitude tested at 7 weeks. All combined, this is an invaluable help in determining good, solid placements.

 

[hotel4dogs]

we had to fill out a 4 or 5 page questionaire about our hopes, desires, and expectations before we got Tito. Questions included things such as whether you want a dog that's always pushing a toy in your face ready to play, or a dog that lies quietly on the floor until you invite him to play, for example. Of course the standard questions about your other dogs and their temperaments, as well as your family life (is it quiet, hectic, etc). Which sex you wanted and why. Why you want a golden in the first place. Whether you intend to do any dog sports with your dog, etc.
We also met with the breeder 3 times before our puppy was selected for us.
She narrowed it down to 3 (out of 11 in the litter) and explained the results of the temperament testing to us, and why should would recommend the pup that ultimately became Tito. We went with her recommendation, and of course couldn't be more pleased.
I firmly believe that after living with the puppies in her house for 8 weeks, doing the temperament testing, meeting us, reading our questionaire she was able to fit a puppy to our household much better than if we had gone in and just picked one out.

 

[Dreammom]

ok now I am starting to get it... thank you so much. Maybe I never came across it before because the two I did get from pro breeders were from large litters...13. We just picked one out, put down a deposit, and picked them up when ready...the last one was in 1985 so things may have changed since then. I did ask lots of questions and maybe they did steer me towards the right ones at that time. I don't remember ever filling out applications, having interviews, etc.

Thanks again all,

Julie

 

[Pointgold]

ok now I am starting to get it... thank you so much. Maybe I never came across it before because the two I did get from pro breeders were from large litters...13. We just picked one out, put down a deposit, and picked them up when ready...the last one was in 1985 so things may have changed since then. I did ask lots of questions and maybe they did steer me towards the right ones at that time. I don't remember ever filling out applications, having interviews, etc.

Thanks again all,

Julie

Out of curiousity, what are you defining as "pro breeder"?

 

[K9-Design]

Out of curiousity, what are you defining as "pro breeder"?

Uhhh -- yeah -- a "professional" is someone who makes a living doing that activity, and very few "reputable" breeders even come close to that! More like they work in a professional occupation to support their hobby of breeding purebred dogs.

 

[Bozema]

I did have a breeder one time who when in the process of picking a pup I felt was not listening to me and my needs and was pushing me toward two specific pups from her litter of 12. She had one pup that needed a certain type of home and she felt that I was it. The pup was nice enough, only problem, the pup was female and I adamantly wanted a male (we have always had two dogs - one neutered male, one spayed female and I am happiest with that combo). Then she wanted me to take a male from the same litter that I could tell from watching the litter for awhile was a very dominant pup, even at an early age. No one was going to push me into a pup that wasn't what I wanted and I felt she was trying to get me to take a hard to place pup instead of one that was suitable for me. So there does need to be something of a two-way street and the breeder does need to listen to the buyer. If you don't like what the buyer (or seller) has to say, you have to agree to disagree and walk away.

 

[Dreammom]

I guess, from what I have learned on this forum and the Husky forum I belong to....people who are striving to breed towards breed standards, get all health clearances, temperament testing, etc... Have a few plus litters a year... but not puppy mills. Honestly sometimes it is difficult to tell...takes some hard research.

Like I said I have mostly used hobby breeders, they have all done health clearances and such, but not sure of temperament testing and the like. They have maybe one or two litters in the lifetime of the dogs... I have been pleased with all of my dogs, although the last two have been a trip LOL.

 

[Pointgold]

I did have a breeder one time who when in the process of picking a pup I felt was not listening to me and my needs and was pushing me toward two specific pups from her litter of 12. She had one pup that needed a certain type of home and she felt that I was it. The pup was nice enough, only problem, the pup was female and I adamantly wanted a male (we have always had two dogs - one neutered male, one spayed female and I am happiest with that combo). Then she wanted me to take a male from the same litter that I could tell from watching the litter for awhile was a very dominant pup, even at an early age. No one was going to push me into a pup that wasn't what I wanted and I felt she was trying to get me to take a hard to place pup instead of one that was suitable for me. So there does need to be something of a two-way street and the breeder does need to listen to the buyer. If you don't like what the buyer (or seller) has to say, you have to agree to disagree and walk away.

In this case, the breeder was not taking into consideration what would be best for the PUPPY that she bred. I will NEVER push a puppy on anyone, as my bottom line is the best home possible for the puppy, which means, in turn, the best puppy for a particular home. One does not occur without the other.

 

[Dreammom]

I apologize for my wrong choice of words, I did mean reputable breeder, not pro... I guess it was a halfzeimers moment. Again I apologize, but am glad you could all have a laugh at it - I laugh at my poor choice of words all the time :.

 

[Florabora22]

I personally wish my breeder had helped me pick out my puppy. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Flora, but I remember feeling kind of pushed aside when I was presented with the litter I was to choose from. I turned to my breeder and said, "Well, how do I pick out a puppy?" and he just sort of shrugged and smiled at me. I was like, "Gee, thanks for the help." And then when I started to narrow it down to a particular pup, he said, "Oh my wife really likes that one..." obviously implying that I wasn't supposed to take that one. Maybe he knew that that puppy had a bit more attitude or something and was trying to help me out.

I think it's really great that so many breeders temperament test their puppies and then use that to help them pick out the right pup for each family.

 

[Ljilly28]

From my perspective, having the breeder select the right puppy for me is one of the privileges that comes with choosing the right litter. One thing I truly want is a balanced pup with a correct front and rear because I want the best chance possible of a sound athlete. Even before that soundness, I need a particular kind of sociable, confident pup because I live in a multidog household, bring my dogs to teach college, work in the obedience ring, and ask them to be demo dogs for pet obedience classes/test dogs for canine good citizen tests. There is just no way my eye for a pup's conformation is close to that of a breeder- who usually has his/her litter evaluated by peers too; there's no way I know which of the puppies is the most drawn to humans in comparison to others in the litter. I think demanding to pick the puppy oneself can sometimes be like throwing away one of the best parts of researching a wonderful breeder/ litter.