How important were your pup's parents?

[Jennifer Tramell]

Okay, I have a 2 part question for discussion. 

 

1) How much did you know about your dog's parents and how important was it?

It was very important to me that I knew about my dog's parents.  I met Webster's parents several times - in fact, they were the first goldendoodles I had actually met and I interacted with them prior to deciding I wanted a goldendoodle.  If I hadn't met them, or if I didn't like them, I might not have had Webster.

When looking for Charlotte, the personality and lifestyle of the parents was high on my list.  I inquired about several puppies but lost interest when I did not get adequate info on the parents.  I wanted to know the parent dogs' personalities and many "breeders" gave vague information - even breeders with nice websites advertising all the health testing.  Charlotte's breeder first told me of the personalities (eg. the mother dog would lay her head on the owners lap while they watched TV) and then sent several pictures which were obviously taken at different times in different locations (out at a lake, backyard, etc). 

 

2) Do you believe that the personality/energy level of the parent dogs is passed to the pups?

I believe it does and that is why I was so interested in knowing the parent dogs.  I am curious to possibly hear from breeders as they would have more "scientific" experience and knowledge but I would also love to hear for owners for personal experiences.

[Adina P]

I think it is ideal to know the parents, obviously if there are major temperament/disposition flaws in the parents...there is a higher chance of puppies having problems.  That said, two doodle parents will rarely if ever produce pups that are identical to them.  Just like with children, they won't resemble BOTH parents exactly.  They may take 3 good qualities and 1 bad from one parent and 2 bad and 3 good from the other. 

 

I didn't meet Rosco's mom until the day I picked him up.  My main memory of her was she was pretty high energy and ball obsessed.  She didn't care that Rosco kept trying to hang off her neck with his teeth...as long as there was a ball about to be thrown or the possibility of a ball about to be thrown.  Rosco's dad was an outside stud, so we didn't get to meet him.  There were 4 pups in Rosco's litter.  The other male was similar to Rosco (happy-go-lucky, even tempered), perhaps not QUITE as mellow as Rosco.  One girl was super high energy and the other girl was very shy (this is what I'm told...I didn't meet the others because we chose Rosco based on described temperament).  I met Rosco's half brother (a poodle) who was about 7 months old and he was a bit more stand-offish.  

 

I guess my point is that while I do believe parental temperament can influence pups, it's not black and white.  A wonderful mellow lap dog won't necessarily produce ALL wonderful mellow lap dogs.  Even organizations that breed dogs specifically for service work admit that only a small percentage of offspring have what it takes to be service dogs--this is out of dogs bred JUST for this quality. 

[Carol Brand]

I think the acorn never falls far from the tree.  I can see that distinct personality traits are passed down from dam/sire to offspring.  I have also observed that similarities in temperament and working style run in lines.    I think that if someone is going to lay down good money for a puppy, they should spend time with at least the dam to see if they like her (sire may be off site). 

 

Even better, I think a buyer should be able to see how the dam functions in public.  These are companion dogs after all.  Have the breeder walk the dam down a busy street.  How well is she trained?  What are her leash manners like?  Is she good with strange dogs and people?  Have the breeder take the dam to the park and throw the ball.  Is the dam reliable off leash?  Is she a good retriever?  If the breeder can't put training on the dam or if the dam is not reliable in public, why would the buyer think that their puppy will be easy to train or reliable in public?

[Adina P]

That's ideal.  I would like to see more breeders heavily invested in obedience.  But they are not and it would be useless to test off leash obedience.  I think most dogs can be trained to be reliable in public unless they have major personality flaws. Obviously it would be nice to see what the parents are capable of.  But really what most people want to see is a dog that is friendly without knocking them over--no signs of shyness or aggression.

[Adina P]

I don't want to sound like I'm wholly disagreeing with you...Im not.  But for the sake of discussion, couldn't a breeder with superb training skills also mask some issues via training?  I know of dogs that are naturally scrappy or dog aggressive and left to their own devices would start trouble.  But because of training they have learned self control and are reliable on and off leash.  However whatever genetics they've got that contributed to their natural inclinations to get scrappy haven't been changed.  Certainly knowing such a background I'd not want a pup from that mating.  Now a good breeder wouldn't breed such a dog but I'm just wondering if a dog that was fully trained could also create a misinterpretation of natural tendencies.

[Carol Brand]

Yes, good training could mask temperament flaws, but at least you would know that the dog was capable of being trained.  There are plenty who are very difficult to train.  I'm willing to concede the off-leash component with the idea that not every breeder can train a dog.   However, a  breeder should be able to take one of their dogs out on leash. 

 

I do think taking a dog out into a crowded public area is very telling.  Temperament issues come to the surface very quickly.  Is the dog confident or does it shy at loud noise and quick movements?  Is the dog focused on its handler or is it easily distracted by everything that goes by?  Does the dog seem friendly or does it bark aggressively at other dogs and growl at strange people?  Does the dog seem well settled or is it overly exuberant and lunging constantly trying to jump on people. 

 

Here are things I would look for if I were buying a puppy:

 

Are the dam and sire friendly in the home?  Do they shy away from strangers and take a long time to warm up?  Are they overly exuberant or pushy?  Can I take toys/food away from them or are they resource guarders?  Do they seem to follow directions given by their owner.

 

These are coated dogs so I would want to see them up on a table for grooming.  Do they have good manners on the table?  Are they compliant or to they put up a fight?

 

Finally, I'd like to see them in public to see their manners out in the real world.

[Jennifer Tramell]

I keep thinking of the part in "Marley and Me" where they meet the litter with the mellow, laid-back mom but the breeder is hesitant to say much about the dad.  As the couple starts to leave, this giant yellow lab roars out of the woods and races them down the driveway.  The conclusion is that Marley takes after his dad :-)

[Jeanne, Tura and Dolly]

Years ago, I got a Golden puppy and I was so excited, it never occurred to me to observe the parents.  The mother was sweet but pretty pooped with ten puppies hanging all over her.  But the big tip off that I conveniently ignored was the father of the litter greeted us by jumping up onto the hood of the car and all over us until the breeder put him in the house.  I loved my puppy but he never grew out of the puppy stage and was wild and crazy his whole life.

[Adina P]

I know!  I was thinking of that too :)  That's why I would NOT knowingly choose a pup when either parent was obviously extreme in temperament that way.  At the same time I also think that Marley's owners weren't very good at training...or had bad luck choosing trainers.  He was a handful but they didn't crate him early on and kind of made a ton of newbie mistakes too.  But yeah if I had any inkling one parent was that crazy or super shy or whatever extreme...Id pick from a different litter/breeder.

[Jennifer Tramell]

I completely agree and I'm committed to training my dogs, however, I'm a very lazy person and prefer an "easy train" :-)  My first 2 dogs were rescue/pound puppies and I didn't have a chance to see the parents.  With Webster and Charlotte, our family dynamics had changed and being a mom with 2 kids would make my puppy training lower on the priority list.  Knowing the parents personalities gave me a higher chance at the personality I wanted for my family dogs.

[Pat and Traveler]

I saw both of Trav's parents, but not for long enough to come to any conclusions about personality traits.  They were well-behaved during the short period of time I was introduced to each dog, although the mom snarled at Trav.  (Don't blame her--the pups had been weaned and he was excited to see her and decided to try to grab a milk snack.  She was through with nursing pups and let him know.)  His mom was described as very athletic, and I think that trait was passed on to Trav.  I think it's great to meet the parents, but that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, if I trusted the breeder and had photos and descriptions of the parents.   

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I am getting my Puppy in June and the personality of both parents has been very high on my list of wishes.  My breeder owns both parents and based on what she has told me about both of them I am hopeful.  They are both calm, friendly and laid back mid energy dogs  I'm wondering Jennifer if you feel it has made a difference and if your two dogs are in any way like their parents?  I'm hoping so.

[Jennifer Tramell]

Webster is a good mix of both his mom and dad (although bigger and curlier than either parent!).  Both of his parents are extremely devoted to their owners, smart, good natured, and medium energy.  Webster is a little more laidback then either parent (but I could see that from his puppy energy level) and he has the same devotion, affection, and general pleasant disposition that they displayed.  I didn't meet Charlotte's parents but I was very secure in what I knew of them.  She is only 9 months old but she is exactly what I wanted - loving, devoted, and a little more assertive then Webster. 

I did visit Webster's litter several times and could see differences in the puppies but none seemed overly hyper or overly passive.  Webster was the most passive of the 10 pups.

I'd say you have a great chance at getting the puppy you want.  I did - twice :-)