UPDATE: Has anyone had the runt of the litter?

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

Could you please give me some insight? Later today we will know if we get OUR first pick or not. If we don't get our first pick that would mean we would be left with the runt of the litter. The runt is about half the size of her litter mates and full of spunk! lol... she isn't sickly or anything like that. Thanks for the help!!

UPDATE: "OUR" pick was picked today by another family. Such a bummer :( the "runt" that was left is curly hair more like a poodle coat :) one of the people after me has bad allergies and would love to have her, so we passed her up. This litter had one boy left but we decided to wait and go with the breeders other litter, that litter will be standard Goldendoodles. Sad moment ( because our pick was picked) but also a very exciting time :) Now time to learn and prepare for our male standard GOLDENDOODLE!!! We will have two Goldendoodles, one is a mini/medium size female and the other will be a standard size male. Tips and insight are welcomed!! Thanks everyone :)

[Kyoko]

Charlie was a runt of the litter. She is still on the smaller side with 43 lb ( 4 years old.)

Rather than that, she is perfectly healthy and smart!

[Moe]

We got the runt of the litter. She had to have surgery to correct an inguinal hernia. We picked her out very early on and then the breeder let us know she needed surgery. She was not feeding well and had to be bottle fed for a while. The breeder said we could pick another pup or get our money back and wait for a future litter. My kids had already fallen in love with her and one actually said - would you not want us if we got sick? When we got her at 8 wks she was a frail looking 3.5 lbs, her litter mates were all 9+ pounds. The parents were 55 and 65 pounds. Charlie topped out at 40. I think whatever size your dog reaches it will be perfect. I have no regrets. She is the perfect dog.

[Debbie]

Our Mila was the smallest in the litter,, she is a wonderful doodle,, no concerns

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I see that you passed on the 'runt' and the last male.  Best wishes with your next pick.  Oh, the wait......

[Ginny Nightingale]

Oh, boy--long wait ahead of you--so sorry it didn't work out--but patience will pay off--this could be a big dog you know--some standards end up being surprisingly big, as in 80-90 pounds--do you know the size of the parents? You must have an early pick for this litter though, right? 

[Ginny Nightingale]

sounds perfect then!

[Adrienne]

Sorry that things did not work out with your first choice, but it sounds like things will work out for the better.  Do you have an estimated birth date yet?  Please keep us posted.

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

That is disappointing, but best to wait and to get what you want. It's a big commitment as you know. I have two standards and they are right at 60#. Each. I think they are perfect ofcourse. I think my Murphy was the runt too, but I'd have to ask again, it really never mattered to me. However he is the smallest of all the siblings that I know of. Some are over 100 pds.

[Sally S Miles]

According to the page where they were all weighed in, etc - mine is the runt and I don't give a hoot.  Gave no real reason to mark her as runt - there was a smaller pup, but this one has the poodle shaped head instead of wider retriever head - so they gave her a title.  Apparently that vet thinks there is a runt in every litter.   I don't care - I'm a runt.   She was the last one to go also, she was waiting for me.    Largest from litter weighs in now at 80lbs - my girl not quite forty and she's awesome.

I wanted a male. I didn't care about size. I didn't want black because I have some shadow vision issues.  I don't care if she sheds or not, or if her hair is 'just so'.   I finally decided that all I wanted was the right dog for me, no matter how long it took to find and she was it.  Absolutely she is my dog. 

 

I've seen lists on how to choose a puppy - - advice on temperament,  size and so on - so my question is - if everyone is looking for the same dog where do the others go?   Nobody wants the last one? Or the runt......   My runt is the smartest most mellow dog I've ever had! She has the most even disposition and has an intuition that usually takes a while to develop.    We all can't have the same darn dog - we are all different.  I choose a dog based on gut, not checklists - maybe I rescued too many over the years, rehoming precious imperfections. Maybe I know that no matter the coat, the size, they are all sentient beings with soul.   I don't fault wanting a healthy animal, but perhaps it's too easy to get caught up in the wish list of perfection.  I refused to let someone else choose my dog and I refuse to get on a wait list. We all have to go with what we can live with and I am very happy with my girl.