Puppy meet & greet

[Carol and Truffle]

So, our breeder has set the weekend that families can come (in 2-hour slots) to meet the puppies & pick.

For my husband & I it will be a 7 hour-drive one-way to go the the breeder. She has offered Facetime sessions for the out-of-towners.

I am struggling with whether there is really much that we would be able to tell from a 2-hour in-person visitation vs Facetime & relying on the breeder's experience.

One thing a friend has suggested is that we would be able to see better whether any puppy is fearful of strangers & perhaps better see how the puppies actually react to the breeder.

On the other hand, can we really tell much from a 2 hour interaction window as to how the puppy will be in 2, 3, 5 years from now?

The other thing is that she is having us indicate our #1, 2, 3 selections so that if we cannot get to her in the order that we will actually pick, then we are not 'penalized'. But it seems to me that if I indicate my first 3 choices, then get to the location & instead fall in love with #4 or 5, then it won't really matter if I see the pups in person.

Any thoughts are welcome. VERY EXCITING THOUGH - puppy will be with us before we know it!

[Amy and Annabelle]

I would go. Not only will you see the puppies, you will meet the breeder, see the home and setup for the dogs.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

We have three different stories:

Sedona (who passed over the Rainbow Bridge two years ago) - We were last on the selection list, but went to the Meet & Greet anyway. We could list our top three choices. During the hour, I kept having my husband reorder the list, moving the puppy currently in my lap to the top of the list. During the last five minutes, little “puppy #2”, who had been sleeping by the edge of the X-pen for most of the morning, woke, sauntered my way, and settled into my lap. She went to the top of our list. We figured being last on the selection list we’d have no chance of getting any of our top three choices, but I guess little #2 had slept through ALL of the visits and got overlooked, as #2 became our Sedona.

Desi - After Sedona died, we knew we needed another doodle. This time around we wanted two - and I really wanted a parti. The breeder we’d selected had a parti-potential litter coming up in 6 or 7 months, so we put our names on the waitlist. I mentioned our plans to add a second doodle sometime later. She said she had a current litter of chocolates and that one person had just that day dropped off the list. That pup was ours if we wanted it. No choice whatsoever - we’d get the”leftover”. We went to the Meet & Greet anyway, just to get our puppy fix (even though it was a 5 hour drive).

Cori - Desi’s half-sister and the aforementioned parti. This time around we were first on the first on the list. I’ve never felt so much pressure! We watched the pups on the Puppy Cam the breeder had set up and played with the pups at the Meet & Greet. After much deliberation, we settled on “Pink Girl”.

BOTTOM LINE: first on the list, last on the list - it didn’t matter! Within moments of walking away from the breeder’s home, that puppy was ours, the puppy that was meant to be!

Good luck and enjoy these next few months!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If it was me, I'd go.  I'd want to see the physical set-up my puppy was raised in.  I'd want to meet the parents - or at least the mom.  I don't understand the choosing beforehand and then going but perhaps I just didn't understand what you wrote. Perhaps you could make it a special overnight trip?

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

This sounds like a rather complicated process.  But I would never miss out on chance to meet the breeder and see the physical set up.  Count on your instincts.  Just this January we flew to Indiana to pick up Murphy and it was totally worth it.  Breeder picked her for us.  She did a marvelous job with raising her and choosing her for us.  You are going to live with this dog for up to 15 years if you are lucky, make the drive and listen to your gut.

[Carol and Truffle]

Oh, I'll definitely be going to pick up our pup for going home day. It's just the meet-and-greet part I'm debating about. Sounds like you didn't go to meet & greet & just had discussions with the breeder - which is what I'm contemplating.

I have clarified a mistaken impression I had earlier. I misunderstood he 1-2-3 pick thing: we do meet & greet & then make a list of our 1-2-3 choice to be applied to our actual pick order. We know we are getting a male & will have first pick of the 5 males in the litter.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks for clarifying, Carol. I probably didn’t interpret it correctly. 

[Carol and Truffle]

No, you didn't misunderstand - I misunderstood the breeder's instructions LOL!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Whatever happens for your choosing you will end up with a loving family addition. Keep us updated in your process. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Can you have phone conversations with the breeder to discuss the various personalities of the boy puppies as well as what your family is looking for in a puppy in terms of temperament? Then, based on your discussions and your viewing of any videos that the breeder can provide, you could make your 1,2, 3 ranking. One of our breeders did the choosing for us, and the other let us pick, but we lived too far away to meet any of the pups beforehand. Both dogs ended up being perfect!

[Carol and Truffle]

See ... this is what I expect would happen - no matter what we do, the puppy will be perfect!

And I'm still vascillating as to whether to go over or not. LOL

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

In person, though, you might notice some physical characteristics that the breeder might "forget" to mention. Some of these might not even matter to you, but my daughter's labradoodle puppy had an issue with his lower canine teeth that required dental attention and a friend's doodle has a curly tail that she did not expect. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

To add to Laurie’s reply, there might be puppies who don’t and won’t have facial furnishings or the fluffy coat in the litter. If you are looking for a more retrieverish puppy you can choose that and if you want a more traditional doodle looking puppy, you can not choose that one.