Are breeders usually hard to get information out of on your dog?

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

My breeder is very sweet but answers my questions about Hattie in as few words as possible. Is that common to have to drag the information out of them? I was curious if she could expound on the litter ranking and Hattie's personality but all she says is that Hattie is laid back as are all Goldendoodle puppies. Frustrating!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Our breeder for Vern was wonderful and sent pictures and answered all questions. Fudge's breeder was a whole different story and I wish I had been on DK when I was going through the process. She acted like answering questions was a hardship and when I asked for pictures was very rude and wrote back if she had time, she would take ONE picture. I had not asked much of her up to this point, so I did not feel like this was out of line. I could go on and on, but in the end, I would not want any other dog than my Fudge, so if worked out.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Let me assure you that all English GD are not pre-determined to be laid back. We have one that is four years old and one that is 8 months old. Our first was so mellow we couldn't believe how easy he was. Our puppy is full of the dickens! He is super smart and is the star of his obedience class but he is not laid back. Kona and Owen have the same English GD father. We love them both intensely. Your breeder's statement about the puppies being boring does not hold true for our current little guy. I'm sorry you are having difficulty getting information. I was not wise enough to ask tons of questions. If I had it to do again, after learning so much on DK, I would be asking lots of questions and be eager to have all the information possible. Hoping Saturday is a great conversation and all of your questions are answered and concerns allayed.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I think that some breeders are not people people but animal people, just like some teachers are NOT good when speaking with adults, but are magic with children.  I also think some breeders do not realize that contacts with future owners is good publicity and sort of part of the job.  I would love to have had information on my dogs' pre-me lives.

[Jennifer and Jack]

It could be that she is extremely busy. I am not sure, I know my breeder is so super busy right now because a whole bunch of her dogs, just had liters and she spends a great deal of her time taking care of them. She however, will email you back and is very active on our fanpage club.

 

It is hard to say....I bet it is frustrating....I think that she should expound on the liter and how each puppy does in there, That is not to much to ask in my opinion. I know our breeder has each puppy temperament tested and that is available along with a video at six weeks of age, other then that, each week we get an updated picture.

 

I would keep asking questions until you are satisfied.

[Pat and Traveler]

Traveler's breeder was very helpful.  I found Trav on the same day I brought him home, so didn't have a chance to ask questions ahead of time.  I did meet his parents, at that time.  She polled all the puppy owners to keep track of size, weight, personality, etc. and shared that information, along with using it for her own records.  She also offered to groom Trav for me, with me in a learner's role, when I called her about his getting matts when he was getting close to a year old.  (Yes, I was a VERY ignorant dog/doodle owner!)  I did have access to photos of Trav taken at weekly intervals from the time he was born.  She was careful and thorough in explaining how he (and his littermates) had been socialized, his food requirements, etc.   

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Rooney's breeder is a professional breeder and big part of her business is the contact with clients.  Not only does she post weekly pictures (they look like they are out of a photo studio) on an amazing website but she blogs weekly also - explaining the growth and advancing achievments of the puppies as they grow.  She does videos all along also that you can watch your puppies progress and shows you training when the puppies are older.  Her business partner has a "puppy cam" and for those litters you can watch the litter live starting from the first few days, pretty cool but Rooney's litter didn't have a puppy cam and I was glad or I would have never left my computer.  I always had each and every question answered in detail - I'm sorry that you are having problems in this way - I hope that your upcoming conversation puts your mind at rest although I'm thinking that the "boring litter" comment is perhaps a sign of a breeder that just isn't that interested in the puppies herself.  Let us know what she has to say!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Jane, even though I'm getting my Puppy from Scotland I am glued to the Seaspray web cam every night and am amazed at how great the website is.  Some breeders understand  communicating with new owners and potential ones and use the internet very well and others don't.  I don't think they are necessarily bad but in this age of communication we all want instant answers.  I am learning to be patient and have found that my breeder doesn't post a lot of info but she answers the phone and is available to chat any time I want.

[Jennifer Tramell]

My guess is that the answer is pretty simple.  She is a good breeder who knows and loves her dogs and puppies but she has had so many puppies  that they all kind of blend together.  As the new owner, I know this is hard to understand because you only have eyes for Hattie.  For the breeder, Hattie is one of many sweet, cute pups.  Unless a puppy really stands out - aggressive, wild, ultra-submissive, etc - it is probably hard to determine unique personality characteristics at this age. 

I've had the privilege of watching a couple litters of puppies as they grew.  I could sit and watch the puppies play and try to learn their personalities.  The breeder, however, had to feed, clean up after, bathe, socialize and do a lot of caregiving to make sure this was a physically and emotionally healthy litter.  I think I knew individual puppy personalities better but the breeder was the one who the puppies saw as their second mama :-)

[Ginny Nightingale]

I am raising a litter now for my breeder and it is a busy time--and I just have two pups--it is hard to differentiate between puppies also if you are not paying attention to each individual. If she is a big breeder and has several litters, she may not even be totally sure of differences between littermates in terms of personality. Because I just have one litter at a time here and I am with them all day, I could give you a list of differences between my pups, but sometimes the breeders don't have the time to get to know them that well until they are 6 or 7 weeks old. I also think there is a fear that they will make statements that turn out to be untrue later on as the pup matures. Then you would be holding her to things that she told you--new owners are so anxious to "know" their pup before the pup comes home that they could be very vulnerable if told one thing and then later, when the pup comes home, they observe something different. 

I think it is better to bring Hattie home with an open mind and great expectations and take it from there. They do change so much after 8 weeks --they are maturing, adapting to a new home with no momma dog, getting to know you, etc. It is good that she feels Hattie is calm and cautious and the rest will unfold as you get to know her.

I also have to say that it takes a LOT of time to photograph the pups and everyone is probably asking for pictures. They rarely hold still and I probably get one good picture and ten blurry ones. I need an second person to hold them if I want a really good picture. That said, one of my puppies sat still in the corner of the crate the other day and I snapped the picture quickly--isn't he adorable? His family meets him Saturday--they will be very happy to see how cute he is. He and his brother go home in three weeks and I will have my life back!

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

ALL of our questions were answered! It seems kind of rude and not good for her reputation. She should know how exciting this is for you and be willing to share in it. If she soesn't have time to take calls or questions, surely she could blog about the litters?? I feel bad that she's raining on your parade. I only hope it gets better.

[2m42srv7vi6sq]

As a former breeder, I can tell you that I would talk for hours, if you let me, on the wonderful traits of each of my puppies.

My opinion is that she is either uninformed or has something to hide.

There is something worng with a breeder that will not answer questions about a puppy that she/he has bred.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I might have been in a different situation because I lived about 20 minutes from Peri's breeder, so I was able to visit weekly and have long conversations about the litter.  I agree with others in that it depends how many other litters they have and how busy they are.  Heck, some breeders can't keep up with a photo update a week. 

I think if your breeder health tests, provides a good warranty, etc...and you have really done your homework, I would not worry too much.  THese feelings will go away as soon as Hattie comes home :)

Peri's breeder now blogs about each of her litters to keep folks on the waiting list informed about their health, temperament, etc..... I wish she had that 2 years ago!