# Breeder reserving puppies by gender?



## mbshaw88 (Mar 1, 2016)

My breeder has an upcoming litter due mid May and she is taking reservations for puppies for males and females separately. By that I mean there was one person ahead of us who reserved first pick male, then we put our deposit down for second pick male, and the next deposit came in for first pick female. I don't have nearly the experience to know if this is normal for breeders to separate their reservations. I feel like it would be simpler to have 1st puppy pick, 2nd puppy pick, and so on without committing to a gender. 

Is this how other breeders do it as well?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Why not? If I want a male, I don't want to reserve a female. IME, it's very normal procedure


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## mbshaw88 (Mar 1, 2016)

I'm sure there are plenty of people who are dead set on a certain gender and in that case, I can see why you would want 100% certainty on reserving your pick for that gender. I reserved a male because that is what I'm looking for. However I would prefer to have a female over a long haired male or worse no puppy at all (in a female heavy litter or small litter). I guess an instance where someone might get screwed over is if someone ahead of you changed their mind on a gender last minute.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

A good breeder is going to match with the people. I wanted a sport dog and have 2 females in the house already. So no more females. If there wasn't a male available, I would have to wait. It's not a matter of getting screwed.  It's a matter of getting the right puppy for you at the right time.

And no, if I requested a male and then changed my mind at the last minute then I would go to the end of the line if there was no match for my requirements.


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## mbshaw88 (Mar 1, 2016)

Gotcha, thank for the input! I was just curious since this is all new to me


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## Ripple (Mar 25, 2016)

It is very common to reserve based on gender. Each breeder will have their on way of doing things, but generally show/breeding/sport homes take top priority regardless of when deposit was accepted.


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

normal.

Especially if people are looking to start a breeding program and want a certain gender, or if their pack dynamics at home allow for one gender to be a better idea than the other.

Ex - I have a female who I personally would not want to add a second female with, so I reserved only for a male and if they didn't produce what I wanted I was prepared to move on or wait a whole new litter


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## Lark (Jan 27, 2014)

My breeder reserved by gender, but didn't do first pick etc. Once the pups came and it was time for them to go home she pulled out ones that she wanted to go to working/showing homes, and then the ones for pet homes were open for people wanting a pet. So when I went to pick mine up I had a choice between a few different males. She had information about their personality for us. Everybody seems pretty happy with the puppy they ended up with from what I've heard.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Lark said:


> My breeder reserved by gender, but didn't do first pick etc. Once the pups came and it was time for them to go home she pulled out ones that she wanted to go to working/showing homes, and then the ones for pet homes were open for people wanting a pet. So when I went to pick mine up I had a choice between a few different males. She had information about their personality for us. Everybody seems pretty happy with the puppy they ended up with from what I've heard.


I had no idea which puppy was mine until I was there to pick him up. I told my breeder what I wanted. Told her about my lifestyle and my intent for the dog. She matched the puppy in temperament and drives. She put exactly the right puppy in my house.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Pretty normal. 
My breeder knew I had a female in the house who gets along with other dogs very well but that I was dead set on NOT getting another female due to personal preference. Told her what I was looking for in a male, including color desires though made it clear that was further down on the list of desires. She already knew what I was looking for in terms of temperament but we discussed it several times to cement it. Having two kids at home as well as smaller animals (cats), I need a dog who would mesh well along with having a high potential to do what I was wanting to do, which is a can try it all dog. 
Matched very well and look forward to when I can bring another pup home.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Sounds normal to me. People have preferences and/or needs for one or the other. I really wanted a female, but I told my breeder that I wanted a good match for us and if the best match was a male, we'd take him and love him. 

Next dog, if we still have this one, I wouldn't budge on a male because I won't have two females. I don't think I could manage that well. I actually want a male next time anyway. But it would become a must - and I'd wait for a later litter if necessary - if we still had a female living with us.


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## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

I told my breeder for my next pup that I definitely want a male, because I simply prefer the boys! As far as which pup, I told my breeder everything I could think of about my wants and needs - I will let her choose the pup for me! I am impatient to get a pup, but I know I will not be prepared to get one for six months to a year.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

I don't like that first pick , second pick , chosen in order of the person committing to buy.

That is lazy .

Each and every potential owner , and each and every pup deserve to be chosen specifically for each other .


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

I don't buy the concept of first, second third etc pick....

what is pick for one buyer is not pick for another...it is simple....the person with the 3 year old is not going to want the same pup as the person doing SAR...

Most of the more serious - ie less commercially oriented - breeders evaluate pups and allocate them as closely to the people's goals as possible....

As far as sex - if a buyer has a dog presently, I will advise that they get the opposite sex....if they have a preference, try to meet it...I had a buyer who wanted a male. I did not have pups at the time, and after alot of conversation, sent her to a friend who had a top notch competition prospect that is a female....she is very happy with that pup and will do well with her...it is often more the individual than the sex 

Lee


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## CarolinaRose (Jun 21, 2014)

I've seen lots of breeders reserve specifically for males vs females, and I've seen a lot of them do it by "picks". But I didn't really care for the use of the word "pick". Picked for what? Typically, I believe the term "pick" originated and was reserved for the Breeder's pick, the pup that would be held back to continue the breeding program. But in terms of pet homes, as someone else said, what's "pick" for one person would not necessarily be "pick" for someone else. 

I'm also not crazy about locking myself into a certain gender. For example, at this moment I'm pretty sure when I go puppy shopping that I want to bring home a boy. But I'm going to be pretty particular about the traits that I'm looking for in my pup. If a pup comes along and hits all the marks EXCEPT that the dog is female, I'm not going to want to miss out on her just because she wasn't originally my preferred gender. 

I do agree with and like pups being placed in order of deposits received (with breeding/working/sport taking priority). After all, if one pup matches what two or more buyers are looking for, how else do you decide who gets the pup?

I feel like rather than taking 6 (8?) reservations and splitting them down the middle by gender, specify whether a buys merely prefers a gender, or is firm on one? How common is it for litters to be perfectly split down the middle anyway?


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

carmspack said:


> I don't like that first pick , second pick , chosen in order of the person committing to buy.
> 
> That is lazy .
> 
> Each and every potential owner , and each and every pup deserve to be chosen specifically for each other .


Agreed; however, if there are two equally suitable homes for a given pup, it seems fair to go with the person who had their deposit in first. It shouldn't be the first factor, but it's a reasonable tiebreaker.


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## mnm (Jan 9, 2006)

Not knowing what will be born, until birth, and people wanting a specific gender, then yes, they go on the list in the order that I receive their deposit. I also list whether they are a companion or working prospect. When selecting their puppy for them, I will test the puppies and take everything in to consideration. First on the list for a gender if working, then I will choose the one most suited for that, and so on down the list. I don't want to place a working prospect into a pet home or visa versa.


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