Picking our puppy

[Mindy and Tim and Cody]

We are going to the breeder's this weekend and will finally get to pick our goldendoodle puppy; we are, of course, very excited.  Does anyone have any tips/suggestions/advice?  I think this is going to be a very difficult decision!

[Lee Seidman]

Not a problem, your puppy will pick you....you will know instantly!

[Adina P]

I think temperament is most important so ask the breeder about what she thinks about their individual personalities.  Which would she choose for you and consider her answer because she should know them very well.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I agree, tell the breeder what you are looking for, temperament and coat wise, and they should be able to help you make a good choice!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned picked us. He charmed my husband by climbing in the water bucket.

[Diane and Alma]

My kids picked our puppy and then my husband and I agreed that she was the right one. As the kids were playing with all the puppies, we asked the breeder about their temperments (she had them tested at 4 weeks with something similar to : http://landofpuregold.com/puptest.htm) and she knew the puppies well. She knew which one's were more timid and more active. The minute we held Alma she licked each one of us - maybe a good thing because she has ALWAYS been gentle with her mouth.

My best advice is to go and watch all the puppies as they interact with one another. Then take each one aside individually and play with them. We chose on temperment, not on looks. We ended up with the biggest, straight furred female. In my minds eye, I thought I would want the smallest, curliest, female. I am sooooo glad with our pick.

Having said that - I noticed that when all the puppies fell asleep, Alma didn't need to be on the pile. To this day, she will sleep on her own at night or in the middle of the day. This is fine with me because our cat already sleeps on the bed and I don't need another furry friend at my feet.

Also, I think that females tend to be more independant and loyal whereas males are more affectionate and playful - my opinion. I have had both and wanted a female this time.

Good luck and let me know how you choose.

[Melissa, Samson & Shelby]

I would advise you to think carefully about what type of dog would fit in well with your family. Do you want a laid back dog? One that is more on the hyper side? One that is calm? Or one that is more agressive or stubborn? We considered carefully what type of puppy would fit well with our family each time. Then we questioned the breeder before going to pick out the puppy. We had pretty much decided based on temperament before we arrived. We just confirmed our choice when we were there. I would suggest that you listen closely to your breeder. They are experienced and know they puppies well. You could be seeing the puppies after a busy play session, when they're extra tired or extra excited. It's almost impossible to get an accurate read on temperament in a short time. The breeder has interacted with them daily and tested the puppies temperament. I would advise to try to not let emotions rule your decisision totally, this is a very important decision for your family. Have fun!! It's so exciting!

My male is more independent than my female. My female is more affectionate and would love to be a 60 lb lap dog.

[Leslie J]

If you have children, I would make sure to bring them along, and stay with the puppies for quite a while. I watched the puppies around my kids (especially my 5 year old twins) and watched how they responded. After about 20 - 30 minutes I noticed which puppies seemed to feel comfortable around all of the activity and which ones were moving away from us (some of the puppies seemed uncomfortable with all the kids around). Cocoa was still out visiting and hanging around one of my 5 year olds and didn't seem phased in the least - she seemed to enjoy the commotion. She was calm and confident- just what I wanted.

Of course, puppies are like toddlers- even the sweetest ones may be tired or hungry when you are visiting and not put their best faces forward. We talked with our breeder about our wishes too. The breeder confirmed Cocoa's temperament and assured me that she would make sure her boys (she had 4 sons) continued to play with her until we could bring her home. We couldn't be happier with Cocoa's calm but playful personality.

One thing I would remember- focus more on temperament then looks... doodles change quite a bit as they mature, and you want the personality that fits with your family, not necessarily the cutest puppy!

[Robyn, Greg and Snickers]

Definitely ask the breeder about temperament we had one puppy that sort of picked us out but he was full of vim, vigor and you know what. We also really like Snickers because he was playful and curious. So we asked the breeder whY he thought. He said the really active would probably be happiest in a home with young children so he could be super active. that sealed the deal for us since we don't have kids. Snickers was the eight one for our lifestyle.

[Debbie and Thomas]

Our breeder grabbed two males out of the pen they were in. We told her we wanted a thick fluffy/curly coat and a squarer jawline and a male. So she grabbed the two that fit that bill and the one we chose was the big tank guy ...our Thomas cause he licked my sone in the face...pluse he was redder in colourl I WANTED BOTH OF THEM though but became rational and just went home with Thomas.