What would you do? Puppy Selection

[Tanya & Piper]

I am in the process of getting a female Goldendoodle puppy. Our breeder has recently offered me a puppy born a few days ago (only female, so no choice from different puppies) OR to wait for the next litter, expected in 2 weeks (possibility of greater choice between puppies, depending on the number of females in the litter--or no choice if there are no females or only one female in the litter).
Of course, the photo of the newborn that was sent to me is so sweet!
What should we do? Accept the newborn female or wait to see what the next litter brings? Thanks in advance for any helpful advice!

[Amy and Annabelle]

They obviously aren't the same mothers, but if she is everything you want, then I would go for it. If it you can go meet her, that would be even better. Is there an obvious reason why she wasn't chosen by anyone? Even if she is the runt that wouldn't mean too much since she is the only female.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Not sure I am much help, as I don't seem to understand the question/  Why do you want a choice?  If this little girl puppy has no obvious reason not to  adopt her why would you wait? 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

A bird  puppy in the hand is worth two in the bush litter. Seems to me its an easy choice, if there is no choice to make among several females. And who knows if the next litter will produce one or more females like you said.

So basically, why wait?  

Only possible reason could be the temperment testing shows her to be agressive, over active, or over anxios or some other concern. You could ask to reserve your choice until the next litter is born. I can't see how 2 weeks will be that big a deal to her and then you know if you have choices and can base your decision on the temperment tests. 

Personally, temperment means more to me than sex and if you have certain traits you'd really like in a pup, maybe a male might just fit the bill too. Good luck.

[Tanya & Piper]

I've read about new owners/breeders selecting puppies based on temperament around 6 weeks of age--as a newborn, there is no way to determine temperament. Others have said that, based on this breed, variances in temperament are not an issue: essentially, any healthy goldendoodle is a good goldendoodle. I don't see anything "wrong" with this newborn at all--I'm just unsure if I should accept her without knowing her temperament or if I should take my chances by waiting for the next litter, where the opportunity for more puppies to select from MIGHT be present (depending on the number of females born).

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yes, it would be around 6 weeks before the temperment testing in done. Ask if you can take this little girl, pending temperment testing and decide then? Again, I don't see how waiting 2 weeks for the second litter should make that big a deal for the breeder. Just ask for first choice between these two litters? Not sure if that is being unrealistic, or she has a huge waiting list, or needs committments from potential buyer ASAP.... not sure how breeders work it all out really. My breeder was very accomodating so I wouldn't be uncomfortable asking her about these options. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I don't see why you have to decide now.  Normally puppy selection is at 6 weeks.  So if this little girl was just born you should be able to know how many girls are in the next liter before you have to decide.  If the breeder is pressuring you to decide now you might want to look for a new breeder.  The breeder should be interested in getting the best home for all the puppies so waiting to see the temperaments etc should be in their interest as well.  That being said, I feel that how a puppy turns out has more to do with how it is raised than a temperament at 6 weeks.  In other words a high energy puppy at 6 weeks placed into a dog savey home that gets lots of training, exercise and attention is going to be a completely different puppy than a high energy puppy at 6 weeks that is put into a home that spends 8 hours a day in a crate and gets no training, exercise and attention.  So, not sure it really matters.  If everything else is equal to what you want (size, color, parents etc) go for what ever feels right to you.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I would first be sure that I was very comfortable with the breeder and how she is "raising" her puppies.  I'm a bit surprised that there is a new litter with another one expected in two weeks....that seems awfully soon and a lot to manage.  If I had confidence in the breeder (how she selected her breeding dogs) and felt that the puppies were getting all the right attention during those critical early weeks, I think I'd be fine with any of the puppies and I would see no real advantage in waiting for the next litter.

[Ginny Nightingale]

When my breeder sells a litter before the birth, she limits the number of reservations so that no one is disappointed. Then, when it is born, if there are more pups than the number of people on the list, she offers the extra pups to the people who are on the next litter list. In addition, she often hears from people on the list that they now have a personal issue that prevents them from getting the puppy and they request a delay.So, this might just be a case of you being the next in line for a pup and she is offering her to you first. If that is the case, I see no reason to be concerned--especially if this breeder assigns pups early (a lot of them do) and you would not have much choice with the next litter either as far as temperament goes.

By the way, the breeder I know has two friends (I am one of them) who help raise litters, so that each litter is home raised by one person. So she can have two or three litters at a time occasionally and each litter is getting personal attention. 

[Tanya & Piper]

Thank you so much for your helpful advice!

[Carrie king]

I can tell you this, our late Chester was the only male in his litter, giving us no choice in the matter. He ended up being an unbelievably amazing dog. We always thought it was a bit of kismet. Like he was just made for us. Either way, no matter which you choose, it will be a wonderful ride. Enjoy it!

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Gracie was the only female in the litter. We wanted a female. When we went to check her out, she was pretty active and interested in the people in the room.
When we got her, we thought we might have gotten the rowdiest of the bunch. She has come a long way (8 months). She's not a cuddle bug, but she's close to 70 lbs so the lap dog idea is more like a lap moose! She has her own ways of affection like nibbling us and such. Or just half climbing on the couch and putting her head as close to us as she can.
She is very smart - if we can brag. Smarter than we have had with other dogs. Or maybe it's just that we've spent so much time with her?
Anyway, if we had had a choice, then it would have been a long tedious process for us to make up our minds. Lol. In some ways, I'm glad that we didn't have a choice - I guess we sort of did as we could have chosen a boy. But, Gracie is our girl and she fits in really well with our family. I think the nurture part has a lot to do with it. ;)

[Christy&Riley]

In case it helps, we got the last of a litter of 9. She has the absolute best temperament ever! I think God held her back for us! I would vote for a visit before any commitment. That helped us decide. Best wishes!