Am I the only one who has walked away from a litter?????

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

I was anxiously awaiting picking day. I was pick 7 out of 10 so I really thought I would like at least 1 of the 4 puppies left. Unfortunately, I did not make a connection with any after being there an hour. I hope I was not going too much on looks but all the puppies looked exactly like poodles to me. Poodles are gorgeous but I was expecting more of a unique goldendoodle look. Do f1b puppies look like poodles? Maybe I don't know enough about what to look for????? Today I feel so down because I had been anxiously awaiting this moment for months. Anyone else leave without a puppy????

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, considering that F1Bs are 3/4 Poodle, the puppies do look similar when they are very young. But also, very young pups don't yet have the coats and facial furnishings that you see on either an adult Goldendoodle or Poodle, so it's pretty hard to tell. If you were expecting to see shaggy faces, that doesn't happen until much later. And there really isn't any one "goldendoodle look", since as mixed breed dogs, they all look different, even within the same litter. If you are set a particular "look", your best bet is to find a litter from parents who have been bred before, and there are photos of the previous pups at older ages, so you can get a better idea of what they will look like. 

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

Thank you so much! Your explanation helps me so much! I think my expectations were way off.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

You might also go to the Group on DK for "Pup to Adult" and look at some of the coat changes as the puppy grows.

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

That is a great idea! Thanks.....I will definitely do that!

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

My dog was the least poodly looking pup in the litter. Yet some people today think she is a poodle. You can check out my page as I have some early pictures with dates. She is an f1b. Every time I got used to what I thought she would look like it changed. I was more concerned with personality than looks.
The thing about this breed is that there is no guarantee.
If you are really concerned about looks you might want to consider a multigenerational.
I agree with the other comments about previous litters. The breeder could give you more guidance as well.

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

I will definitely look into the multigenerational type. I am starting to understand more about these dogs thanks to this group! Thanks for your help!

[Ginny Nightingale]

First of all, I disagree with putting people in an order to choose--the breeder should be matching the pups to the owners and their lifestyles based on the pup's energy level and temperament--to expect someone to know which pup is right for them after a brief encounter is silly--then there is the coat type--yes, it is possible that they could all look poodle-y and again, they will change A LOT as they get older--but the breeder should be able to tell you more from their experience as to how the coat will develop---maybe not 100%, but some idea.

So, I am sad that you have to start over, but keep this in mind next time--find a breeder who will help you match a puppy to YOU, instead of having you come and blindly find a pup that "connect" with you. Puppies can go from sleepy and quiet to wild and raucous in a heartbeat so seeing them briefly tells you nothing, in my opinion.

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

This is really great advice!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I've always wondered about the breeders that say they match a puppy based on what the customer is looking for personality wise and how they end up matching everyone that has put a deposit down.  If everyone wants a laid back, lower energy puppy, how do they meet those needs for everyone if half the puppies are full of energy.  Just doesn't seem like it would work out.  Just always been curious about that?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I've had those same thoughts! 

[Stella]

I know of a Labrador breeder that matches pups to people, and will refund you or list for another litter if there isn't a pup to suit the people :)

[EJ & Dante]

For the breeder we used for Dante, no one picks until after temperament testing at 7.5 weeks of age.  All on the list are given all the puppy's tests along with health clearances and notes about each puppy.  Then, you pick based on where you are on the list  (1st, second, etc) when they are 8 weeks old.  I have no idea how you could possibly pick based off a younger puppy.   We had some specific needs for our puppy, so even though I was first pick, I was prepared to wait for a different litter if the puppy we needed wasn't there.  What the puppy looked like really didn't matter to us.  Also, each person can be on 2 lists at the same time.  I chose my two lists based off the parents and prior puppies (I was on two F1B lists, one born in December and the other was due in February with two different sets of parents).  So it is not uncommon that someone, especially with a further down the list pick, will chose to wait for their  second litter list that they are on to get a puppy better suited to them.  You can continue to move lists as many times as you need to.