Official "Pick" of the Litter Discussion

[Jess & Stewart]

Hi Everyone!

 

I was just looking through the introductions discussion and Whitney inspired me to make an "official" pick of the litter discussion.

 

I'm in a total pickle of a situation; I'm on various lists for litters (F1 & F1B goldendoodles) from my breeder. One female (F1 goldendoodle, so F1B doodle pups) is currently in heat and they'll begin breeding this week, so estimated timeframe is born October, ready just before Christmas. If I pass on this litter, I'll be waiting a long time for this female's next heat (she cycles every 9-10 months, instead of every 6 and the breeder might skip the next heat). Both litters will be the same breeding pair, which I adore. I'm currently #5 on both litters, all 4 individuals above me are on both litters as well, so if they pass on the current litter for any reason, I move up, but stay #5 for next litter. Same scenario if I pass and they take puppies from this litter, I'll move up for the next litter.

 

SO, after that lengthy discussion (hope you all are still with me and not asleep!), my question is about getting to be the first pick. I'm the first to admit I'm a total Aspie and I know what type of personality and look I'm looking for (Shaggy, not too curly goldendoodle, my mother jokes it's because I'm from NJ and we're all concerned about hair!), and I'm very stuck on that, so in all honesty I would like to be as close to the top pick. I am open to gender, but secretly am hoping to find a male with these characteristics, as I've always wanted a male dog and have had "his" name picked out since I knew what a dog was.

 

Any suggestions as to this dilemma over litters and which "pick" I am. Any of you either first or last, that could share any advice?

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

 I am not sure what to advice you on this decision.  I know about the list system but I have some issues with it.   When I was planning to get a puppy I loved the look of both parents and waited a year for Riley but IMO there is nothing more important than temperament and unless you are observing over several visits and know about puppy behavior then I'm not sure that it's that easy to pick from a litter of beautiful puppies.  I had to rely on my breeder as I was only able to travel the distance to collect Riley as I live in a different country.  The breeder described his personality to me and told me he was very people focused( he was her favorite) and middle of the pack, not apha, not timid, but balanced.  That describes him to a tee and he is now 16 months old.  All of the puppies were gorgeous but once I knew he was mine from the photo's that's it,  I was in love. Riley was (I think) six weeks old when she made her decision.  I would definitely do it the same way if I was getting another puppy. 

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

Couple of questions first:

1) Have you seen pictures from past litters?

2) How big of a litter does she usually have?

3) How many of those pups (if you've seen pictures) meet the criteria of what you are looking for?

4) How many curly goldendoodles have you seen? (The majority I have seen are "shaggy" the way you like.)

4) Just out of curiosity, what name do you have picked out?  I ask this because really, you can name a girl OR boy dog whatever you so desire.  I had a girl dog named Axel, a girl cat named Norman (long story), a girl cat names Ickybod (don't ask), and the list goes on and on.  Besides, I'm nosey like that. 

 

I ask these questions because if the dog normally throws a big litter OR if she tends to have curly-coated pups my answer may vary.  Hope I didn't offend.

[Stephanie]

HI,

I totally understand the "pickiness" of it all!  It's so easy to do it when there's so many doodle mom & dads to pick from!  I had my heart set on a red male...  from a specific mom & dad. Long story short...   breeding DID NOT work...  NO puppies.  When our breeder informed us, we scrambled , not wanting to wait til next heat..  also many many months away.  Unfortunately, this breeder's list fills up many months ahead and we stood NO chance of even being on a standby list :(  we contacted the recommended breeder of the original breeder and saw where she had one "curly female" available.  Not the gender, or EXACT color we preferred- and we had to break our neck to get ready because she was ready in 7 days!!!!  We Scrambled to get a crate, chew toys, dog bed, leash, collar, etc...    This was approximately 3 months ahead of what we had planned with the original litter!   I was SOO  upset originally,  we were so fortunate to have a local breeder;  we had gone and met the Mom & dad to be,  my son could visit  his puppy as it was growing, come see the litter and pick his puppy.  That all went down the drain w/ a heartbreaking phone call....    when we opened ourselves up to the flexibility of choosing another puppy, 2 states away... we scored a Spring break SURPRISE trip to pick up a puppy for my son!

 

Needless to say...    If I HAD BEEN first on the list / top pick -  I'm not sure that I could have picked a better DOODLE as we have now!!!    Her color is gorgeous  culy caramel....   she is the SWEETEST girl  EVER.  I have never once heard her growl and honestly her personality and  "laidback" attitude is fantastic. I just don't think I couldn't have spotted that -  I can only IMAGINE how overwhleming it would be & tempting it is to go with the "cutest"  when surrounded  by 10 or 12  beautful doodle puppies!   I know breeders can help discern personalities etc... but I just can't imagine some other doodle than Perry! So...  be flexible and still discerning about high priority issues, such as a healthy breeder, temperment, etc..  and if you are flexible with the rest...  the right DOODLE will find you!

 

Our Perry was meant for us... she was the last one in the litter  who no one had "picked" yet!  They lost out!!  So...  I guess what I'm trying to say , is that months from now,  when you have your "buddy" and it's the RIGHT pup for you....  I think all those list / order of picking  details we so easily obsess over while waiting...  fall by the wayside!

 

* on a side note,  I saw where you mentioned that one would be ready to come home around Christmas...     there's honestly no way I could have stayed SANE through the holidays AND managed a new  puppy!  I am sure MANY have done it and succeeded...  but there's no way I coulda made it, I'm tellin ya!  Potty training in the cold... No thanks!   Plus,  honestly, it was stressful... not that we love her any LESS -  but coordinating potty training, vet shots, those lovely little puppy teeth wounds...  and a multitude of other puppyness wonders -  I just couldn't have made it through December!   LoL!  

[Stephanie]

**  We didn't compromise on important issues "just" to get the puppy.  We had been somewhat flexible on color, gender etc...  we just had "prefrences" but nothing mandatory. I had originally picked based on health & temperament of mom & dad.

what we did not compromise on was health of puppy / breeder  AND temperament.   The breeder had descibed her and  sent over her temperament findings before we finalized our decision. She also described the mom & dad as well.  If her temperament HAD been alpha, or dominant, or high energy - then we would have waited.  But since her temperament fell into our  requirements...  the other details like color, gender  were flexible.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Wow.  I never realized how complicated it could be picking a puppy out of a litter.  Our experience was entirely different.  We filled out a questionnaire which included such things as: how many living in the household, any children, what size are we interested in, what coat type, sex, color, personality, what percent of time would the dog be outside and inside, would the dog be alone a lot or are we home a lot, etc.  But the most critical, in my opinion, was our the make-up of our household.    The breeder selected a puppy for us based on the information we submitted, and the different personalities of the litter puppies and she did a perfect job.  Had there not been a puppy in that particular litter that met our criteria and that she felt would be perfect for us, we would have been on the list for a puppy in the next litter provided she felt there was a dog just right.   So we didn't go through the experience of physically picking out puppy from a littler.

I will be curious to hear about your experience when you select your puppy.  

[Adina P]

My experience more than advice.
I had '1st pick' and criteria:
-a very light cream
-female
-middle of the road temperament so I could do therapy
-NOT curly

Litter had 4 pups:
-two darker cream females. One quite shy, one very hyper.
-one cream male with middle of the road temperament.
-huge, curly, red male with middle of the road temperament, possibly slightly more mellow

There was just something unique about the big red curly one and I needed a good temperament...so I picked him despite how CUTE the shy girl was.

Never regretted it. My personality just does better with a mellow, lower energy dog. I like the idea of a high energy dog...but living with one can wear me out some days. (Still love ya, Boca!)

[Adina P]

Rosco looked curly early on but he really isn't a curly dog...more shaggy except for his curly thighs. See him on my page: gorgeous! (labradoodle not GD)

[Jess & Stewart]

Marnie- I've seen pictures from past litters, the last 2 had 6 & 7 pups. I've also met mom and dad, along with all the other breeders dogs and liked the temperment of this pair the best, I've seen health records as well. The litters have been a pretty good mix of very curly, wavy and some pretty flat (which surprised me since it's F1B pups!).

Stephanie- I've definitely been mulling over the Christmas aspect. I am planning to take time off work and wouldn't be able to take a big chunk around Christmas. Ditto on house breaking, my luck we would have tons of snow in Philly this winter. Also, both parents are red! Dad is a very deep red, almost Irish Setter, so most pups have been red, which I love so that takes away choosing a color! I actually love the blond too, but I like red more. The names are Dodger or Rand for a male and Dagny for a female.

I was also born on Christmas eve, so a puppy, which I was never allowed when I was a kid, would be the best present ever! Interestingly, I went away to college and my sister was having friend troubles (nothing like my total loner status throughout all my school years, but as I said Aspie), so my mom & stepdad (who sworn for years he was allergic) got my sister a companion. So at this point, I've been waiting almost a year since moving on my own and being able/deciding to get a dog, so I'm getting frustrating and really anxious!!

Adina- Rosco is gorgeous!

[Bonne Bouche]

Excellent points by everyone. My only thing to add is I recall being told not to pick the WILDIST or the meekest of the litter, and to get one thats somewhat toward the middle. We had pick of the litter with BB, and there were nearly a dozen (from two litters) that were running around, and I had no idea how we would pick. One was cuter than the other. My husband went with me and never had a dog before, and was NOT a dog person. I wanted it to be a dog he would grow to love. I had my eye on one doodle, but this black doodle with a white splotch kept parading around with a green puppy kong, and bringing it to DH and me. DH thought it was adorable, and "picked him". He told me that he was bringing me presents to make sure that I picked him to take him home with us, over the other doodle. So I agreed, and home he came with us. To this day, when he greets us after we get home from an outing, he "brings us presents". towels, toys, or whatever you have in your hand. He'll carry around and do a little parade and show it off to you. It is the sweetest thing in the world, and I love him for it. 

My only suggestion is go with your heart! You'll know him/her when you meet her!

[Helen & Kirby]

Relax

You will know when you see the pups if the "one" is there for you.

Everyone 'ahead' of you on the list is looking for their own list of criteria, so don't worry about them.  Try and see the puppies at different points in their development.  I made the 6 hour drive several times to see the litter and play with the puppies.  Then on decision day, they found out that the puppy I picked had a heart murmer and advised me to get a different dog.  I picked her anyway, and thankfully she grew out of it and do longer has a heart murmer.  Also their coat changes so much as they grow.  My wavy haired puppy turned into a very curly and super soft coat.

[Stephanie]

I remember when we were getting our German Shepherd I knew I wanted a long coat male.  When I went to meet the pups I ended up coming home with a short coated female.  It was the puppy that seemed to pick me.  I'm really glad I went with that instinct instead of just based on looks..she's the perfect dog!  I really couldn't have made a better choice.  I sat down with all the pups and went with the one that seemed to interact with me, made good eye contact, etc... 

As far as my doodle I really wanted a fluffy curly faced cream doodle.  I was told by the breeder that the one she picked for me she felt was the better choice and the better puppy.  So, I went with her instinct!  He really is a good pup like she said!  He was potty trained with ease, listens well, learns quickly, he's confident and very sure of himself.  I know he will make a fantastic pet.

Who knows what I would have ended up with if I went based on looks alone.

[Emily & Wispa]

I had second pick of the litter I went to see, but I wasn't told which puppy had already been chosen. If I had said I wanted him, the breeder would have told me then, but she said she really wanted me to get to know all the puppies and come to the decision without me thinking I'd missed out on the 'pick of the litter'. She must have set aside puppies after a while, especially when only 2 or 3 were left, but I liked feeling like I could have any of the puppies.

That being said, I don't know if it's possible to say which puppy you'll want until you meet them. What if the personalities of the shaggy boys are rubbish and there's a wavy girl you crawls into your lap and you fall in love? I think the puppy picks the owner, but maybe that was just my experience. I went in knowing that I wanted a girl, and I chose a girl, but I wasn't dead set on it, and I didn't know wispa was a girl when she first crawled into my lap and fell asleep, and I'd have taken her even if she was a boy at that point!!