# Getting a Puppy Saturday and Nervous



## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

I am getting a female puppy from a reputable breeder on Saturday and am a bit nervous. I was given very little information about the puppy chosen for me and inquired about how she knew this dog would be a good fit for us. The only answer I was given was that the puppy was sweet. I did ask for a companion dog which had good nerves, inquisitive and not a couch potato. The breeder does her own temperament testing and did ask me if I was going to breed my dog which was no. I am a bit disappointed that she didn't ask more than that or give me more information since she knows her puppies. 

For the past year, I have watched lots of videos and read lots of books on how important it is to get a dog that is the right fit for the home it's going to. I realize that every dog is a product of its environment and training to make the dog what you want it to be. Purebreds are expensive and am afraid that I will not get what I expected to receive. My husband thinks I am overly concerned and just get the one that was chosen for us because it's a crap shoot with every puppy. 

How do you know you are getting what you asked for when the puppy is only 8 weeks old? What should I be looking for when I go to pick her up? All the puppies are reserved.


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## Biscuit (Mar 24, 2020)

Why don't you ring your breeder and ask these questions? 

I do think companion dog sums up a lot for a breeder - stable, off switch, low-med drive, etc. 

Best of luck with the puppy - nerves are very normal before you bring then home. Keep us updated!


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

I will ask all these questions when I see her on Saturday. I want to be well informed before going so I know what the correct answers should be.


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## Biscuit (Mar 24, 2020)

I really haven't any experience at seeing what a puppy is like at 8 weeks, but I know some people really have an eye for that stuff. 

I would want to see a confident puppy. Willing to approach you and check you out. Not shy. I would want to see what the pups food drive is like, so I'd want to feed it some food. I'd push it away from the food and see how much drive it has to get the food. I'd bring a toy (a rag or sock even) and see is the puppy willing to chase it. I may even drop something loud and see how it reacts, have the puppy walk on different surfaces etc. Ask questions on how the pup interacts with its litter mates.


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## Chuuyas_Wine_Glass (4 mo ago)

With my breeder, she did an excellent job steering me towards the right one. I asked for energy and a more dominant pup, basically I said I love the dad, one that's a lot like him lol. She knew I do a lot of activity with my dogs and I got the feistiest stinker of the bunch, puppy hood was horrible but she was there when I needed her to encourage and help and now I have my dream dog. Still a work in progress, but exactly what I was thinking of and the perfect fit. Just make sure you're very clear about what you're looking for, and I personally would ask to see the results of the temperament test and have them explain what it means and what aspect of those tests make them think it's the right fit, just to get a clearer idea of what they look for and what to expect.


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

What if there are no notes on the temperament test?


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

Depends on what you asked for. At the end of the day, the right puppy at 8 weeks is a lot of luck of the draw.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

I think you are overly concerned. From my own experience, I got the most info (pictures on FB of every day of puppy’s life, videos, testing, stellar on paper etc) on the puppy that turned out to be a total mismatch. The problem was that even though the breeder was very good, the female was co-owned and the other owner was not very experienced in evaluating,I guess, despite all the professional photography and being a dog trainer.

Other dogs were chosen based on initial conversations with very experienced breeders and turned out simply the best. No daily updates, no long discussion, I trusted their expertise, they trusted wewould make a good home, and it worked well.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I would expect a lot more than "sweet" when I ask about temperament. Did you ask what her temperament testing involves? And what other observations she can tell you about the puppy selected for you and how it compares to others in the litter? Did she send you any videos? I'd like to see how "my" puppy interacts with its littermates and with people, how it approaches new things.

Cava came to us sight unseen from out of state. I'd never met her, the breeder, or the parents of the litter. But we had extensive FB conversations where I was very specific about what I did and did not want, what our lifestyle was like, what my plans for her were, etc. And she told me about the temperament of the dam in great detail, (including that she was very athletic and the fastest GSD she'd ever seen). I knew that the dam was her ideal and that this breeding was to produce her next competition dog.

I asked questions about the things that were most important to me (high engagement was something I asked about specifically). She posted videos of the enrichment area she'd set up for the puppies, and pictures of them going to the river (Cava was the only pup that went in the water), and at the vet. She sent me videos of Cava retrieving balls when she was just a tiny ball of fluff, and tossing a tug for her to bring back and play with. I could see a lot of her personality that way, even though I was thousands of miles away. Cava was the smallest of the 4 pups and one of the videos she posted was them climbing up a log pile. She struggled to keep up at first because of her smaller size, but she kept at it and finally made it all the way to the top, standing there like she owned the world, lol. It was adorable and showed her determination to overcome obstacles. What also showed very clearly was her sweet, happy, social personality, which was also important to me, a dog we could take anywhere, and do.


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## Bknmaizey (Sep 16, 2019)

A lot of thoughts come to mind for me reading your post. First, if the breeder is reputable, I don't know that the temperament testing will tell you much because the breeder will say the dog is perfect and the testing will have gone fine - and as an inexperienced owner, you won't know the difference. That was my experience and I was there for our temperament testing. Our breeder gave us sheets to score for ourselves and helped us understand what to look for. But all the dogs were "perfect". I video'd the females and I knew one was a better fit for us personality wise... and ended up choosing the other because the better personality one was too large and that would cause issues for my wife who is tentative around dogs. To be clear, our girl (now 16 months) is great, but she's just been a handful and I still believe that the other female would have been a better family dog out of the gate. Oh well. Also, what do I know and that other one could have been exactly the same (a handful) and just larger! LOL

But, as you said, environment makes up for a lot here and, boy, did I screw up the first 4-5 months we had her. This is my second GSD but it might as well have been the first because I'd forgotten everything. Between her being a handful and my re-inexperience, it was a disaster until we did a (second) board and train over the holidays when she was 6-7 months. Then a corner was turned and I got a reset from having a break and it's been all uphill since. As hard as I want to be on myself, though, and as much as I wonder about the other female being the "perfect" family dog and a piece of cake, anyone who spends 5 minutes on this site should know the first year of having a GSD is ultra difficult for almost everyone.

Watching videos and reading books is good prep, but nothing like the real thing. If you did your homework on the breeder and the breeder truly is reputable, then the puppy should be good. Whether it's a great fit out of the gate for your situation is hard to say, but GSDs are maybe the most adaptable breed you're going to find. You can make it work, but it's hard and takes time, patience and persistence. Every week should be easier than the one before even if some days feel like going backwards. I would also invest in a good trainer or at least find some puppy classes where you can have support for yourself. The biggest mistake about trainers/classes that people make is thinking it's for the dog. It's not. It's for you. The trainer *trains you* to train your dog. The classes *teach you* how to teach the dog. It's just an extension of the videos you've watched and books you've read, but in-person and in real-time.

In any case, treat Saturday like the start of the best adventure and don't agonize over it like it's an ordeal. You will do fine, your pup will be an amazing companion and potentially one of the great loves of your life. You probably can't screw it up worse than I did (and many others here probably feel the same) and we survived.

Good luck!


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## ctu24 (Oct 1, 2006)

When I was picking a puppy, our trainer gave me the advice to pet the puppies and see which ones come back to me on their own for more social interaction (presumably indicating ones more suitable for companionship) and to avoid the ones that seemed disinterested. I don’t know if that helps you or not but thought I’d share.


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

I'll give you all an update after I get the dog. I have never read on this forum a new owner's experience while picking up their new puppy so maybe what I go through will help somebody else. I remember everything quite clearly about my previous dog and there were red flags there and I ignored them.


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## SMcN (Feb 12, 2021)

Personally, I had several concerns regarding your description of how the breeder responded to your questions. With our GSD pup, that would have sent me walking away. But we got a similar attitude as you described from the breeder of our Corgi pup and we went with her anyway. In our minds, the GSD had higher criteria to match for our experience level and lifestyle. 

With our GSD breeder, we talked with her ad-nauseum for MONTHS prior to the litter being born. Were on a wait list we didn't even think we would quality for (time wise). There were some personal concerns (mine, not my husband's) with a WL GSD but the breeder made it clear to us she was there to answer any and all questions and if we wanted to train with her there was a discount for her puppy owners. We jumped at that opportunity. Ilita has turned out to be exactly what the breeder stated as fact or speculation and she has fit into our lives wonderfully.

With the Corgi pup, we had to select a puppy at 2 days old. Seriously! There is NO WAY you can tell ANYTHING at 2 days. But if I hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten a pup from this litter. I liked the parents and other than that, went with sex for 1st criteria and color for 2nd. Had a selection of one, count them one. The breeder, while a nice person, was not as conscientious or experienced as our GSD breeder. But we lucked out again. Little Rusty is absolutely everything I wanted in a personal companion dog. Easy to train (he is a sponge), loving, feisty, and gets along GREAT with our GSD pup. 

I am with the crowd who states there is very little you can reliably tell with an 8 week puppy. It is still a crapshoot. And that has been said by some very experienced, powerful breeders/trainers in the industry.


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