How do you choose a pup from a litter? HELP!

cariadbach10

cariadbach10

Happily Hacking
Sep 16, 2007
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Devon
After years of consideration I finally went to see a litter of whippet puppies last night.
There were two boys remaining. One was wild- chewing hands and cushions and leaping and swinging from the chandeliers- the other was quieter. I found myelf more drawn to the quieter one- but I;m not sure if this was just becuase the other was so wild! I had to ask the breeder to take the rest of the litter out of the room so I could just focus on the two boys- but her other adult dogs stayed in the room and played with the pups.
I don't know if I'm just being a snob.....but lots of the pups weed on the carpet and she made no effort to clean it up or tell the pups off. The house was messy and smelly- but she is a relatively experienced, reputable breeder, pups registered, vacc,wormed etc. Is it just me - or would I have issues litter training a pup that had been allowed to wee on carpets ad lib? Nice lady- but how does she live like that?!
Anyway- I am going to see another, pricier litter on weds.....I guess what I;m asking is -should there be an immediate 'YES! THIS IS THE PUP FOR ME!' reaction......or should I just choose one randomly!
And what do you breeders think of what I saw? Am I being terribly stuck up?
Thank you!
 
I emailed a breeder a while back (im looking for a siberian husky puppy) anyways, she said you should go for a more outgoing puppy.And ive always been told to let the puppy choose its owner. So an outgoing puppy that comes to you should be good?
Saying that, our collie bitch (now 17! :eek:) She was apparently cowering away at the back of the stable, and she is the sweetest, most adorable, fantastic dog ever! :D
Hmm i wouldnt be too keen on letting the pups wee everywhere though, and if their at the age to be rehomed (im guessing about 8 weeks) they really should be litter trained, an accident here and there isnt too bad but they shouldnt be completely un-litter trained.
I'd look at other breeders/litters before you put a deposit down, or buy your puppy.
x
 
alot of people say the puppy chooses you when i went to chose my boxer pup i knew what kind i wanted a red and white one there was only 2 red and white ones.but the one i chose was quite active and playful the other one was just asleep so i thought to myself is something wrong with that one, and he was quite small so maybe he was the runt of the litter. i got alot of help and advice from the breeder still speak now.my pup wasnt house trained but i just took the time in training him and after a week he got the hang of it but i never told him off i just picked him up and put him outside.if i were you go and look at the other litter and see what you think if your not to sure of the first ones you seen.dont just buy the first pups you see if you feel its not right. hope this helps and good luck in your search for a puppy.
 
I would say that you will know what is the right puppy for you, there has to be an attraction of some sort, if you dont feel it then it isnt the right one for you.

Also you have to sometimes watch the puppies that are a bit more reserved... no disrespect to any breeders but it could be a sign that the pup is unwell, my mum went to look at dobermann pups from a KC registered breeder and from the two available it was clear one was not well, weepy eyes, runny nose, unbalanced, no interest etc and it was with a sibling so you could clearly see the difference.... it can also depend on how long the puppies have been "awake" for! after all they do just eat, sleep & toilet!
 
We had the choice of 2 boys when we got our flatcoat - there was absolutely nothing to choose between them, so breeder said to call the name we had chosen and one ran towards us, so it had to be him :D. The breeder also walked across the garden to the gate and the other one followed her while the one who came to his name stayed with us, so that clinched it!

Given a choice from a larger number, I agree I wouldn't choose a timid one, but neither would I go for the bolshiest of the litter - a man who runs a dog training club got that one from our litter and has had trouble training him, lol :D Ours has been no trouble at all :) Outgoing, but not hyper, is ideal. The puppies should be interested in you, not scared, and should interact with each other nicely too.

Good luck with finding your new pup :)
 
A puppy that is 'in your face' and wants to be the centre of attention can often be a challenge to train.
Try to pick a puppy that connects with you or people in general rather than one that just wants to play with the other pups or dogs. Again harder to train if other dogs around.

Your actually very lucky that your being allowed to choose one as a lot of breeders have other ideas for the litter (picking ones for showing etc. some for breeding bitches/stud dogs ...)

As for the litter training, it is strange that she is just allowing them to just wee where ever they like. Do they live in the house, or a kennel? If its a kennel then they will be harder to litter train as they are used to going to the toilet anywhere whereas a dog that lives in the house has usually been taught to use the paper from an early age. If newspaper is around and thats what they have been used to they will look for it.
The pups you went to see may have just been a bit excited though that new people where there and forgot all this - when you tell people that yes they are trained and then they have an accident you do feel a bit stupid, maybe she was just trying to brush it off while you were there?

Good luck with the puppy search, i'm sure you'll get the right one for you. You will just get 'a feeling' when the right one comes along.
If for some reason the puppy doesnt fit in with your lifestyle please let the breeder know as they are usually happy to take them back rather than being passed around.

And remember - a dogs for life not just for christmas!
 
I've always felt that "click" with my dogs, much the same as I have with my horses. If you're not sure, then walk away - the right puppy will be out there for you :)

I think most puppies have a few toilet issues when they move homes, so even if you find a breeder whose pups are 99.9% on their toileting, expect a few accidents in the early days. We've had our five month old pup for six weeks now, and we still get the occasional accident - he's much improved, though, and mostly it seems to be a protest at it being cold and wet outside, as it's always on wild evenings when going outside isn't very appealing. We use a biological washing powder to clean up the area as the enzymes completely break down the smell, and the pup stops associating the area with "toilet".

Good luck with finding your perfect puppy. I adore sighthounds, so lots of piccies, please! :D
 
Generally, the dog that comes up to you first will be the more dominant of the litter. Did the 'wild' pup come up to you first out of the whole litter, or just out of the two you were looking at?
If it was out of the whole litter I'd be aware that he is more likely to have some dominance issues. Not necessarily - he could be perfectly lovely, but there is usually a higher chance that he'd be the more difficult to train.

If it doesnt click - look elsewhere. You shouldnt make a decision on a puppy if you dont want that one 100%

Good luck :D
 
Hello,
Choose a healthy looking pup - so clear eyes nose mouth ect.
Choose one that is adventurous and comes to you and seems alert looking.:)
Good luck.
xxxx
 
my dog was 12weeks when we got him and not housetrained - i wouldnt worry too much about difficulty to house train. out of those two i would of probably gone for the quiet one as i always feel sorry for them!!

my dog was the runt of his litter and last left because of this - which offended me that no one wanted him:D but the breeder said he has biggest personality becuase if this and boy was she right!! he's a great dog and i was so lucky. my familys always ended up with the runts and theyve all been loyal and playful!
 
When we picked our old cocker she was the one lying in the corner having stuffed her face before all the others and was sleeping soundly. We still have her, she's 13 now and still greedy. Kara the pointer - we went for colour mainly and we're getting another pointer puppy in January. I'd a choice of 3 bitches (don't want a dog) and the one I've picked has the better bone I think. I haven't actually physically seen her, just pics via e-mail so finger x'd she'll be ok;)
 
I guess it would also depend on your household and lifestyle - do you want a lively active animal who is raring to go or would a quieter one suit you better.

Ihen we picked our dog, I had one in mind that I liked the look of - a little cheeky chappie but Rags came and curled up on my lap and fell asleep so how could i argue with that!

With our cat, she was in a small cage in a pet shop with 4 other much larger kittens who fought all the time - we knew we had to 'save' her as she obviously wasnt getting a look in at the grub.

I would keep looking until the 'chemistry' happens. :D
 
Not sure if cats and dogs are similar, but when we saw Tig's and his siblings he was the quiet little one who they wouldn't let get to the food bowl.

Against all the book advice, we picked him, and took him home, expecting a quiet, peaceful cat like our old cat Wilkie.

Three weeks later we came home from school and found him half way up the brand new made to measure dining room curtains...

He is now almost 13 and still charges around like a nutter, tho he is a bit old to get that high up the curtains now ;)

Good luck with your puppy and yes please lots of pics!
 
I picked out a pup last night. I needed a pup that wanted to be with people, wasn't scared of anything as will be down the yard of me, and one that was attentive as I can't stand dogs that arent trained properly, so the pup would be easier to train and want to learn.
All 4 came running over to say hello, then 3 went off to the middle of the room and played, the fourth stayed with me, play biting and chewing on my hair, then ran off to explore, then came right back, jumped on the sofa, even though she was the smallest and started playing with me again, Jumped down again, checked on brothers and sister then came back to me. All the while the other 3 carried on playing together.
I naturally picked this tiny little girl and she will be home a week saturday. I had originally gone for a larger dog pup, but this little girl was ideal.
 
i've always let the pup choose me

the Jack Russell I once had chewed my boot lace off in the breeders kitchen, the Weimaraner just jumped on my lap and instantly went to sleep.

my current Labrador came straight over and bent into the play position the moment it saw me.

All have been happy doggy relationships!
 
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