Just learned of our place on the waitlist

[Anita Lee]

The breeder just let us know we'll be 8th out of 12 spots so we will have five to choose from.

The breeder guides the choosing but it's ultimately up to the families. It's our first dog and we want a dog that's mellow (so I can bring to work) and is naturally great at obedience work. And, as a big bonus, a dark apricot color.

Pics of the litter at 1 week below.. How many of these will be apricot (either light/dark)? I'd also love to hear everyone's thoughts on the likelihood of getting the perfect puppy with our place in the waitlist.. I'm sure they are all great but don't know how many mellow dogs you can have in a litter! We're definitely somewhat worried about getting a dog that is hard to train or unruly.

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Well it was either me or my super tall brother for him to come over to so looking back on it my brother and I are pretty sure Loki was just avoiding him hahaha. I pretty much knew it would be a challenge when my brother and I brought him home and he seemed very reserved about meeting anyone and didn't even want to eat/drink water without someone walking over to the bowls with him- that was very short lived but still, the phrase "proceed with caution" describes him in a nutshell lol. He is very smart and picked up all of his "tricks" and commands very well, we are still working on a few things, he's only 15months old. The challenge was more in socialization and dealing with a little bit of anxiety. Daycare and dog parks have helped a lot and he does much better now but is still skiddish and hesitant to meet new people.

I do agree with BG though, Loki did get into somethings and I did not trust him at all, for example, I got caught up in a work phone call and Loki attempted to eat the paint off of the wall and did do a good job defacing part of it -_- not cool! Lol, but being that Loki would rather be right by me it was easier to keep an eye on him. even now he just wants to snuggle where as Moose who is nine weeks is like the energizer bunny on steroids and more or less just cares that he can do what he wants! I don't think I realized how much less I had to follow Loki around as a puppy until Moose came home and I was following him everywhere vs Loki following me everywhere!

What your saying makes perfect sense though! I think when your looking at the traits you want in a dog it might be a good idea to think of the negative traits that commonly follow those positive traits- think people you know! all puppies have their negative things so it's something to consider. It is hard to tell when they are little! I think that's one of the important things about having a great breeder that really understands what you want. With Loki I needed a calm and quiet dog and I wanted a snuggle buddy and shy didn't bother me- compared to super high energy. With Moose I thought it would be nice to have a little bit of a more out going pup and more confident, not Alpha though. Hope this helps :)

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Here they are by the way :)

[Three Doodle Life]

Love this picture! So cute!

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Thank you!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Puppies are like toddlers.  They do get into things. But with supervision, training, consistency --and LOTS of exercise, they grow up just fine.  It just takes time.  But love every minute of it.  They don't stay puppies forever.

[Christy&Riley]

Riley was the last one of 12 left when we found her. A good sign for us was the mother's awesome temperament and that Riley let me hold her in my arms on her back which is a submissive position. I didn't know about the more official tests at that time. Thankfully, I think they saved the best for last...and we got her! :-). We also wanted an apricot doodle which she was initially. Now she is much lighter. Her personality definitely trumps color for us now...although we still think she is cute. Just like a person...their personality makes them so much of what you love. Best wishes!

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

When we picked out Winnie, that was exactly what we were looking for, too- confident but mellow, and easy to train. There were only 2 females in the litter, and another lady picked the smaller of the two. So, we got Winnie by default, per se. The breeder thought that she would be a good match for us anyway. I would  say she was mellow for about 2 days. :-)  She then turned into a wild puppy banshee that was part crocodile. Incredibly mouthy, she bit hands, arms, pant legs, skirts- basically anything that moved. She dragged rugs out of the bathroom, turned hand towels into toys, wanted nothing to do with walking and was too busy to even think about cuddling. Having had a hyper dog in the past that never settled down even at age 12, I was really upset. I was devastated- I was pretty sure that we had made a very bad decision and that we were doomed to life of madness. :-) 

Then I remembered that those were all normal puppy behaviors. And, it didn't necessarily mean that she was going to be hyper all of the time.  With guidance and consistency, she slowly learned right from wrong. We learned how to get rid of her puppy energy so that she could learn how to control herself. Now, at 15 months, she is really settling down and is super mellow around the house. Having learned all of the basic obedience commands when she was very young, it's now fun to teach her "tricks" because she is so much more attentive. She still gets very excited when she meets new people, and thinks that everyone is her BFF. But, I guess I'd rather have her "overly social" than fearful or mean to people.

So, I guess my point is, like other's have said, it is really hard to tell their personalities when they are little. And, above all, don't panic if your pup drives you crazy the first several months. :-) 

[Anita Lee]

Sounds like she is a lovely dog! It's good to know you had a similar wishlist but ended up very happy with the last pick. I'm really looking forward to the training, so it sounds like as long as we put in the time we'll have a loveable little cuddle bug.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

They almost seem kind of taupe colored. Just beautiful! I'm sure you can get a wonderful puppy with 5 to choose from, esp if the parent dogs have a good temperment. We wanted mellow in Yogi and got it. Maci is my silly girl, is mellow most of the time, but can be just "entertaining". I enjoy both. They were both meant for us. I think with training, most any doodle will be a good companion. Have fun planning!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Congrats!  People have shared excellent information with you. Having a dog behave so that you can take it to work it part personality and tons and tons of training. The obedience only comes with hundreds and hundreds of hours put in by those who the dog needs to mind.

The pups look beige and cream to me but perhaps that is the camera's eye.  One looks like it might develop into super curly.  With Labradoodles they almost always fade some. With Goldendoodles, they often darken as they mature.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

is not it

[Ginny Nightingale]

Please read lori and Winnie's reply very carefully, she has hit the nail on the head. I raise and sell puppies and wish I had a nickel for every time some one asked for a "calm, confident" puppy--they are babies! Are you the same person you were at 2 months old? You can't really place an order for a puppy the way you would order dinner at a restaurant--sure, you can tell something about color--light or dark--but after that, you need to get a well-socialized, hand and home raised puppy who has come from good stock with thorough health testing--that is all the breeder can assure you of...then you do the rest. Lots of socializing, training, etc--and you will have a great pet--

Training is hard work and the more time you put in, the greater the reward--but even then, you have to be prepared for normal puppy stuff. You are not going to know how great the puppy is at obedience work until the puppy can stop being distracted by everything that goes by! ;)

And, by the way, there are no truly mellow pups in a litter--if the dog is quiet and well behaved, it might be ill! And please try not to look for "perfect"--that is a tall order for a tiny pup--I do tell everyone who is stressing over which pup to pick that the minute they leave my driveway, they will be in love with their puppy and will forget about the others--and everyone tells me later that that is exactly what happens...

So, good luck and enjoy the ride! The grow up fast!