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Post by ralams3 on Feb 28, 2022 13:14:01 GMT
If you purchased your dog from a breeder, were you able to meet the puppies and make a choice?
DD recently bought a dog. The breeder picked the puppy. Is this how things are usually done?
As a child, I was able to select both of our dogs. Personality and making a "connection" seem like important factors to me.
Did you get to choose?
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RedSquirrelUK
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Aug 2, 2014 13:03:45 GMT
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Feb 28, 2022 13:30:30 GMT
We're in the UK but my SIL and BIL got to choose their French Mastiff puppy from the breeder.
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Post by busy on Feb 28, 2022 13:38:02 GMT
It’s fairly common for breeders to make the match. They learn from their buyers what their priorities and situations are, and then match the puppy with the most suitable personality. It seems weird on its face, but it’s actually smart. The most outgoing pups are usually the ones people are drawn to when meeting a litter, but they aren’t the right match for everyone. If you live a quiet life, are new to dogs, want a cuddly lap dog, or any of several other things, the most outgoing and confident puppy in the litter is actually probably the worst choice for you.
The breeder has literally been with the pups since birth and knows their personalities better than the new owner possibly could from quick meetings.
Making a connection is overrated. A young, untraumatized puppy will bond with anyone who provides it love and proper care. (I think with adult rescue dogs, making a connection is a real thing and matters.)
ETA: people also tended to be drawn to the appearance of puppies when selecting from a litter and that has nothing to do with whether the pup and person/family will be a good match.
Basically, the breeder is trying to ensure the best possible matches for the lifetime of the dog, which is a good thing.
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Post by disneypal on Feb 28, 2022 13:41:44 GMT
We've only picked a puppy twice from a breeder (our other dogs were adopted when they were older). Both times, we selected the puppy.
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blue tulip
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Jun 25, 2014 20:53:57 GMT
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Post by blue tulip on Feb 28, 2022 13:54:21 GMT
growing up we always picked our pups too. but i wouldn't be offended if the breeder did, in face i might prefer it for the reasons Busy mentioned. i wouldn't know if the pup who was perfect for me was just having an off day when i met it, and wasn't acting true to itself. the only thing that would stand in the way of this possibly is if i really wanted specific markings or color, and the pups were all different.
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Post by rainangel on Feb 28, 2022 13:55:51 GMT
My sister bought a puppy from a popular litter. She gave preferences to the breeder. Her preferences were male and as white as possible. This was a golden retriever. The breeder ultimately made the selection, but my sister did get a white male. They visited the litter a few times before selections were made by the breeder. I assume the other buyers also visited before being matched with a puppy.
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Post by voltagain on Feb 28, 2022 13:58:04 GMT
I could pick a puppy from photos if I wanted a certain color or allow the breeder to pick. Her website had lots of photos of the home the pups grew up in but she didn't want strangers knowing where she lived. When I picked the pup up we met in a public area. I understand the concern about having your address out there when you have high priced pups and breeding dogs roaming your yards.
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paigepea
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Post by paigepea on Feb 28, 2022 14:03:39 GMT
We didn’t get to meet the puppy in advance.
If the breeder takes info from your dd about what type of puppy they want, etc then I’d let breeder pick puppy.
Our puppy most likely came from a puppy mill and the breeder was brokering the puppies. I knew many people who had received puppies from her so I thought she was reputable. We also got the puppy in the height of covid so not driving 7 hours to meet the puppy seemed reasonable.
The puppy bonded with us well. Not seeing her in advance didn’t affect our relationship.
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Post by workingclassdog on Feb 28, 2022 14:08:50 GMT
If you purchased your dog from a breeder, were you able to meet the puppies and make a choice?
DD recently bought a dog. The breeder picked the puppy. Is this how things are usually done?
As a child, I was able to select both of our dogs. Personality and making a "connection" seem like important factors to me.
Did you get to choose?
Yes we were first in line to pick a puppy. (I knew the breeder personally so I was the first to know and pay a deposit first) I went with another friend once who bought a puppy and she was also able to pick from what was available. I thought this is how it was all done but that is all the experience I have had with buying a puppy (we generally adopt dogs for the most part except for this one exception)
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 28, 2022 14:27:16 GMT
We’ve gotten puppies about half the time and the other half of our dogs have been rescues. Of the times when we got our pets as pups, one wasn’t purchased from a breeder, another one we got to choose from two (one female and one male, I picked the male), another one DH wanted a chocolate male but the only chocolate male in the litter had an injury during birth and had to have a leg amputated so we ended up getting the only other chocolate which was a female, another one was the last pup left from an accidental litter. The rest were from the Humane Society, a rescue organization or directly from people we knew through friends whose pets needed to be rehomed.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Feb 28, 2022 15:00:33 GMT
we've purchased all of our dogs from breeders (6 dogs, 3 different breeders), and I think the very first time was the only time we got to actually pick the puppy. And that was only because they had two litters at the same time. The last two dogs we got, I had to search for quite a few months for a new breeder (our previous one retired from breeding), so we were lucky to even get a puppy at all- she actually put us in line in front of some other people on her waiting list due to some personal circumstances. We specified that we preferred a female, but that was all- and if a female wouldn't have been available, we'd have had to take a male or not get a puppy at all from that litter. we have loved all of our dogs, no matter whether the breeder chose them or we got to choose. eta: we did get to meet them ahead of time, but we didn't get to pick which one we wanted. (well, we kinda did get to pick, in a way- there were two puppies left and we knew we were getting the female. Her brother-- the runt of the litter- was also still there when we got to meet them, and I told the breeder we'd love to have him, too... and we did end up being able to get both of them.) Kachina and Kokopelli- puppies
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Post by Basket1lady on Feb 28, 2022 15:05:50 GMT
We chose our puppy. This was the first time we had used a breeder/purchased vs adopting from the shelter. I've seen it done both ways and both ways have merit. We are currently putting in a bid for another puppy in a year, but I'm not sure how we are matched with the puppy.
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Post by christine58 on Feb 28, 2022 15:09:30 GMT
If you purchased your dog from a breeder, were you able to meet the puppies and make a choice?
DD recently bought a dog. The breeder picked the puppy. Is this how things are usually done?
As a child, I was able to select both of our dogs. Personality and making a "connection" seem like important factors to me.
Did you get to choose?
I had second pick of the litter. She should have been able to pick.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Feb 28, 2022 15:23:41 GMT
She should have been able to pick. I disagree; I think it depends on how long the list of people wanting a puppy was, and how that particular breeder makes those decisions. We didn't get to pick because our breeder gave first pick to people who have had a longer relationship with her.
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scorpeao
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Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Feb 28, 2022 15:30:34 GMT
I picked my puppy. I wouldn't take one where the breeder picked.
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Post by voltagain on Feb 28, 2022 15:34:06 GMT
I had second pick of the litter. She should have been able to pick.
No "shoulds" in this. It is up to the breeder on how they do business. If you want to do it a different way you will need to find a different breeder. Around here finding a breeder who does not have a long wait list of buyers means most of them select the pup for you. I wanted a poodle. Every poodle breeder around me had a wait list longer then the size of an average litter. No breeder had a "come see them and choose one" option. I was surprised my chosen breeder even gave me the option of choosing from photos. The only puppies around here you can go pick one is for "oops" litters of unknown parentage.
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Post by busy on Feb 28, 2022 15:36:12 GMT
She should have been able to pick. Disagree. I actually think the breeder picking is a sign of a breeder who is really invested in ensuring lifetime matches for their puppies, which is undoubtedly in the dogs' best interests. Especially people who newer to dog ownership, or new to the breed they are getting, are often not well-equipped to know which adorable, bouncy puppy is the best match for their lifestyle. Puppies can have very different personalities.
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Post by greendragonlady on Feb 28, 2022 15:39:30 GMT
The only time I ever got a puppy from a breeder I was allowed to pick. She also let me bring my dog at the time to meet the puppies (after she verified she had all vaccinations, etc.) She turned out to be an awesome dog.
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mich5481
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Oct 2, 2017 23:20:46 GMT
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Post by mich5481 on Feb 28, 2022 15:42:59 GMT
With our two younger shelties, the breeder picked the puppies to match our personalities. They were from 2 different litters, born two and a half weeks apart. The breeder interviewed my mom for over an hour to determine which puppies came home with us. That was almost seven years ago, so I don't know if her policies have changed.
Our rescue dog actually picked my mom out - a rescue group was having an event as Petsmart one weekend when my mom stopped by to get dog food for another dog. Belle supposedly had not responded or interacted with anyone else during the entire event. As soon as she saw my mom, she apparently beelined it over to her and jumped up until my mom picked her up.
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luckyjune
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Post by luckyjune on Feb 28, 2022 16:08:31 GMT
We got our chocolate lab from a breeder. We saw all the puppies (the classic being smothered by pups while sitting on the floor) and narrowed our choice down to two. The breeder made suggestions based on their personalities and what she could see in them. She steered us away from one pup because the dog was tending toward being a hunting dog and if we weren't going to train for that and take her duck hunting, it might not be a good match. I appreciated her insight. We had our pup for 13 when we said goodbye for the final time last September.
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Gennifer
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Post by Gennifer on Feb 28, 2022 16:34:30 GMT
I’m going to back up busy here. While I think people should be able to choose, a smart buyer listens to the breeder and will take her recommendation. She definitely knows each puppy, and can make the best pairings based on what the buyer wants/needs.
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Post by rst on Feb 28, 2022 16:39:43 GMT
A good breeder will definitely make recommendations at the very least. Picking the best choice for your specific situation is not unreasonable. When we got our black lab Lizzy, she wasn't the one I was most drawn to initially. The breeder said emphatically, "this is your dog. She is exactly what your family needs." And she was not wrong. Liz was the perfect temperament and a wonderful, healthy, easy to train, just the prefect choice.
Later, when we got our current male lab for my 3rd son to help in his bereavement after Daniel died, the breeder again was very involved in selection. We hadn't been on the waiting list, so technically weren't in the running to pick a pup, but she had one male pup who was probably pick of the litter and she was considering keeping him as a stud. Most of the people on the list for that litter of puppies were first time owners or wanting a relatively mellow and low energy dog, so she was steering them away from orange collar male because he was clearly strong willed and going to be big and powerful. Because we were experienced owners and my son was going to be spending a lot of time with this dog, she matched us with Sebastian, and again, he's been very good for our family.
I think a breeder who is invested in matches and who offers a strong return policy is a good thing to look for. (Return policy is that for the lifetime of the dog she will accept it back, and if it's possible to resell the dog, she will refund some of the initial cost. But she never wants to see one of her dogs abandoned or put into a shelter. She has some very loyal customers, and once when there was a very sad situation where a death in the family and changes in financial situation made it impossible for one owner to keep a senior dog, the breeder was able to facilitate rehoming that dog with another family that had lost their dog recently but weren't ready to deal with puppy shenanigans.)
It's not a great sign when buyers can't see the litter at all, and they never get to see the mother or the facilities-- those issues suggest backyard breeders who aren't providing a great environment. But puppy matching is not a bad thing.
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Post by busy on Feb 28, 2022 17:23:26 GMT
It's not a great sign when buyers can't see the litter at all, and they never get to see the mother or the facilities-- those issues suggest backyard breeders who aren't providing a great environment. Absolutely agree with this. Unless I really knew a breeder (from dog shows, performance events, breed club, etc.) no way would I consider getting a puppy if I could not see where they live and raise the dogs. NO WAY.
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Post by Basket1lady on Feb 28, 2022 17:32:43 GMT
It's not a great sign when buyers can't see the litter at all, and they never get to see the mother or the facilities-- those issues suggest backyard breeders who aren't providing a great environment. Absolutely agree with this. Unless I really knew a breeder (from dog shows, performance events, breed club, etc.) no way would I consider getting a puppy if I could not see where they live and raise the dogs. NO WAY. I definitely agree with this, too!
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Feb 28, 2022 17:33:33 GMT
just a thought... maybe 'picking' the specific puppy isn't as important (sometimes) because a reputable breeder 'picks' the parents and does careful, thoughtful breeding? and the breeder 'picks' the potential owners through a careful, thorough screening process?? Our last breeder had a NINE-PAGE questionnaire we had to fill out before she would even CONSIDER selling one of her puppies to us. She had to know that we knew enough about Shelties, and how we would take care of any one of her dogs before she would even meet us. And she also has a 'lifetime return' policy written into her contract- if for any reason we can't keep our dog, we must contact her and return it to her if possible.
We met both the sire and dam, saw her house and where/how she raises her dogs and puppies, and got a good feel for the temperament of the parents of the litter our puppies came from before they were ever old enough to be adopted. And we had owned Shelties before, so we know what their general temperament is, anyway. In a situation like that, perhaps choosing the actual puppy isn't as important??
eta: we wanted a puppy / puppies when we did because we have an older dog who had suddenly become an 'only' dog. He was not cut out to be an 'only' so we wanted to get him companionship while he still had a number of years to enjoy the new dogs; we didn't want to wait a year or two for another litter to come along. That also played into our decision to take the breeder's choice in dogs instead of having to wait to be higher on the list to choose our own.
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Post by hop2 on Feb 28, 2022 17:40:07 GMT
Yes& no. My Ex worked with the guy who’s dog was pregnant. We had met the entire litter and listed our 3 choices. The breeder made the final choice though due to temperament testing & health issues.
Our dog basically chose us. We visited 3 times and each time he was all up in my lap. He was our 3rd choice because I’d always been raised with female dogs and I just said I preferred a female due to that. The other 2 were females. He was on our list at all because he chose us, he crawled into my heart when he crawled into my lap. when the breeder heard my only reason for wanting a female dog was ‘because that’s all I had ever had’ they asked if we’d take him and we said yes. He is still 100% my dog and still lays as close to me as he can usually. When he goes to Ex’s house he gives him attitude after awhile because I’m not there. Lol
If the breeder is a good breeder and does proper temperament testing etc then they should be better at placing dogs in the proper homes than people are at randomly choosing dogs based on looks or whatever. There were people who got dogs from that litter without having any choice other yes we’ll take the one your offering though.
If the breeder is choosing without any input from you, politely ask why or what parameters they are using.
Sometimes it’s just that the others are spoken for
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Just T
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Post by Just T on Feb 28, 2022 17:43:31 GMT
It makes sense for the breeder to choose the dog, if they have spent time learning about the family and what they expect/want from a dog. My brother in law breeds chocolate labs. I have been there visiting when families come over to look at and choose a puppy, and he always tries to find out what they want, etc, but he lets them go out to the kennel and interact with and choose a puppy. He will also tell them if he thinks the personality of the puppy they choose won't work for the family. His puppies go fast, and sometimes they are all sold before the mom even gives birth. (Some people put a deposit down ahead of time, and he keeps track of the order so that if there are fewer puppies than what he has gotten a deposit for, he gives the deposit back).
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Post by hop2 on Feb 28, 2022 17:44:35 GMT
Yes we had 8-9 pages questionaire to fill out AND a lifetime return policy
I would not ever buy a dog from a breeder or accept one from a shelter that would not take it back. It’s a bad sign that they have not put enough effort into the proper match or that the dogs might not be healthy or that they don’t care enough if their dogs end up whetever.
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Gem Girl
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Jun 29, 2014 19:29:52 GMT
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Post by Gem Girl on Feb 28, 2022 18:46:09 GMT
My sister bought a puppy from a popular litter. She gave preferences to the breeder. Her preferences were male and as white as possible. This was a golden retriever. The breeder ultimately made the selection, but my sister did get a white male. They visited the litter a few times before selections were made by the breeder. I assume the other buyers also visited before being matched with a puppy. This led me to Google images of white golden retriever puppies. I think I'm in trouble.
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scrapngranny
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Jun 25, 2014 23:21:30 GMT
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Post by scrapngranny on Feb 28, 2022 19:04:01 GMT
I made one of the more riskier decisions in my life 5 years ago.
My beloved dog for of 14 years had died in August. By January I missed have a dog so badly, I started searching the net for a puppy. I had had 2 rescues, but this time I wanted a puppy. I also wanted instant gratification, not usually a good idea. Most breeders had huge wait lists. I found a breeder In Wyoming, I’m in California, they had six female pups ready to go. The first puppy I chose had already been chosen. I talked to the breeder and explained exactly what we were looking for. We are both home all day, had no children, we had a yard, and that a more mellow pup would be perfect. He had to he thought would be a good fit. I chose one, and waited until the final vet checks were done and arrangements had been made her to fly Salt Lake to Sacramento.
I was a nervous wreck wondering if I had done the right thing I admit there were 100 places this could all go wrong. The arrival date finally arrived, and on February 13, 2018, the most wonderful puppy in the world was delivered to our arms. She is the love of lives. Everything we were looking for. A match made in heaven.
I would hesitate to recommend this way of finding a pauppy. For us it worked out. I know a lot of breeders do the puppy matching or the first to place a deposit get first choice and so on. The ideal situation is when the breeder is close enough for you to see all the pups before you choose.
I also am a firm believer that the dog you need will find you.
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