Advice on puppy selection day please!!!

[Monica And Cooper]

Hi doodle friends. Needed some friendly advice. Our puppy was just born almost a week after anticipated and while I'm completely elated I'm in somewhat of a pickle! Turns out the puppy pick weekend is the weekend of July 4 and my family and I are leaving town on a vacation that was planned and paid for before we decided we were getting a doodle. I thought of catching a plane from we we were traveling but the flight times aren't working out. The drive to pick the puppy is about a 9 hour drive one way. I asked if it could be done a day early but rules are strictly enforced for sat and sun every hour on the hour.
My husband thinks we should pick based on the puppy trainer test and breeder input but I was initially really opposed to not picking our own pup and I'm feeling really bummed.
I guess what it boils down to is has anyone gotten a puppy without being at the puppy selection and how did it work out for you?
Thank you so much

[Wendy and Myla]

My breeder also picks the pups.  We had to give her a lot of information regarding our lifestyle and what we expected in a pup - it was almost like filling out an application form :)  We told her we wanted a red standard F1 (she also breeds F1B's), a female on the smaller size and that we did a lot of Rv camping, hiking and kayaking and that we had very young grandchildren (the youngest three months old at the time).  She did temperament testing with the puppies at the age of seven weeks and then let us all know which puppy was ours.  All twelve were spoken for before birth.  I admit I was very skeptical of this but I had done a lot of research into breeders and really wanted a puppy from her.  When we went to pick her up at the age of eight weeks, all of the puppies were still there.   I hate admitting this but one of the puppies owners had to cancel and that puppy was a lot redder than Myla so I asked about that one.  The breeder went to look at the testing and said that it wouldn't be as good a fit for us as we had small children around.  I then picked Myla up and she snuggled right into me and let out a long sigh!  So cute.  We have had Myla for three years and she is by far the best dog we have ever had - she is so gentle with the grandkids (although she does herd them continuously to her toy bucket :) and she absolutely loves the outdoors - she just seems to know what we want and how we want her to behave - she goes everywhere with us.  Every year I email the breeder with pictures and so many thanks - there is no way we could have picked a more perfect fit!  If you have picked a great breeder who has bred for temperament (and has done the health testing) then I don't think you can go wrong with any of the pups and I would definitely let her pick the best pup for you.  Have a great vacation and just enjoy the time getting ready for your newest family addition!  Post pictures!!! 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I didn't get to pick either.  All of the litter was sold but at the last minute, Finn's prospective owners canceled. I got an email and talked to the breeder. She asked a a lot of questions and decided he would be a good fit. So I guess you could say the breeder picked the pup :)  BTW I couldn't have asked for a more perfect BFF :)

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Riley,, my darling four year old Labradoodle was pickeed for us by the breeder and the first time I saw him was when I went to pic him up. A really good breeder will be able to pick the right puppy for you. Riley is everything the breeder preicted he would be. Good luck.

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Monica - My primary concern would be the puppy's age. You say that they will be exactly 6 weeks old that weekend. Is that correct?  That is early to separate puppy from mom.  Typically, puppies aren't separated until at least 8 weeks old - and some breeders are now keeping them until they are 9 weeks old.  That being said - our breeder chose both of our pups for us and we couldn't be happier.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I let folks visit the litter at 6 weeks and then give us their top three assuming there are no obvious choices, such as size differences (sometimes a really big pup goes to the family that wants a bigger dog, etc). Then we match them up based on the family's needs and they come get them at 8 weeks--which is state law where we live --they are getting pictures weekly and can ask about individual pups as they get older to see what personality differences there are--as someone else said, I know them better than they will after a short visit--sometimes the pup is asleep while the others are playing and after the people leave, he is running around!

So, that said, I too am saddened by the fact that the pups are going home at 6 weeks, but not much you can do about that--I am also a bit concerned about the fact that the pups were born a week late--very unusual. After one or two days, a breeder opts for a c-section if the dog is not going to have them naturally--dogs are usually right on time!

I think that if this is a breeder you trust, you will be fine--if you can see pictures beforehand, that would be good too--to make sure that you have some input if there is one you really do not like the looks of--and once you leave with your pup, you will be in love!

[Monica And Cooper]

Thanks so much for your response. The puppies go home at 8 weeks but they are selected at 6 weeks which is the weekend I'm traveling. They will send weekly pictures and info which I'm sure will be great. I've heard wonderful things about the breeder so I trust she will select a great pup for us. I'm so grateful for everyone's responses. This is such a great resource and community! Thanks again!!!!!