Tips in Picking out a Puppy

[Aaron Love]

Hey Everyone,

My wife and I are going to pick out our first goldendoodle in 2 weeks.  We have already used this site for a ton of information.

There are many posts on "what will my doodle look like?" on here - but I wanted to know if there were any tips on picking out a doodle.  Obviously, temperament will be our first criteria - but we would ideally like a wavy coat as opposed to a curlier coat.  We actually get to pick from two different litters born a week apart - so there will be 15+ pups to chose from (no idea how we will choose!).   They are F1B and range from cream to red.  Since they are only 3.5 weeks old now, I know it is hard to get a true understanding of their coats, and while some definitely show waves in their coat now while others are fairly straight - I was wondering if you could help me with signs to look for that might indicate a coat when it is older?  

Thanks!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think the ones with clear waves, like ridges, on their heads at this age turn out curly. No guarantees though :-)

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Good luck with choosing - they will probably all be so cute!  I suspect you have a preference in coat color, but that too may change as you are looking at 15 puppies.We did not chose either of our ALDs - the breeder picked the best family for each puppy.  I was thrilled with her selection for us.  However, years ago when we were looking for a standard poodle, we went to the breeder's property to chose. First the breeder brought in 3 puppies and left us in the room with the puppies for about 10 minutes, and then she came back and asked if we had a favorite.  Then she left the one we thought we liked the best and she brought in 3 more, then two more.  In the end we chose a male we liked from the first three puppies.  It is difficult to chose, but he came right to me and wanted to be close.  Looking back, our male turned out to look very much like his father.  Is it always nice if the breeding pair is on site Looking forwarding to seeing photos of your new family member!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Hi there--i raise LD pups and I can tell you that your head is going to spin if you have to choose from 15+! It can get very confusing---But i always tell people that as soon as they drive out with their pup they will fall in love and forget about the rest...wrinkles in the coat, even at this age, means curly later--not necessarily wooly, like a poodle, but not wavy either..this is a three week old pup that now has a curly coat. Here is 3 weeks and 8 weeks--and one year.

Now, if they have a smoother coat with a few waves and waves on the ears, you are looking at a wavy fleece....see the difference?

3 weeks and 8 weeks again

Here is the last one as an adult:

It is a bit hard to tell here, but her curls are looser--Also, wear black on the day you visit and check to see if the pup is going to be a shedder--YES, labradoodles do shed sometimes! Gently pull on the hair at the tail end and if you get just a few hairs, you are OK--8-10 means shedder. And check the black clothing after handling each pup!

[Aaron Love]

Thank you for the info!  It really helps to see dog's progressions in pictures.  I know every pup is different, but I think looking at as many pictures as possible will help me get some ideas on how coats progress.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

If you go to the Group "From Pup to Adult" you should see a lot of discussions with photos on how they mature looks wise.

[Amy and Annabelle]

Wow, that first one sure looks like Annabelle.

[Erin]

You're the best, Ginny!

[Sharon & Monty]

Well I wanted my puppy big time.  I wanted to do everything right this time for a lifetime of reasons, Always had dogs, I was ready to pick up my puppy.  She was the last pick of the litter, no matter, I wanted a girl, I wanted a puppy from this litter.  When I took my best friend with me, (it was a long drive) the girl puppy was terrific.  But they had a boy left from another litter the same age. That girl puppy was all over me, loved her!  but my gf said watch this boy leftover from the other litter.  And when I did, I knew I had to change my mind.  I wanted a slow, calm dog and that was exactly what he was.  I was overlooking him, as I had always been told that the one that jumps up and down on you and licks your face is the one.  Not necessarily true.  I chose him and he is the best dog for me.  Quiet, slow, calm.  I would never trade him. He continues to be calm, slow, half lazy. :)

[Adina P]

I wanted a female pup too ... but my litter only had 4 pups.  One girl was super shy (red flag for me), and one was super hyper.  Of course I didn't meet them in advance because they were too far away, but listened to and trusted my breeder.  The two males were middle of the road, calmer.  There was ONE male, though, that was huge and red and looked curly...he was so different and old wise man looking I had to choose him.  Never regretted it (except for maybe his first year when he pretended he was JAWS) and 10 years later he's still a big hunk of love.