# Last pick of the litter



## Glass (Jun 9, 2013)

I found a couple of breeders one in MA and another further north. I like them both. I have a concern, there was one male pup left and he was nice but when I met the parents the mother was petrified of me. Her ears were laid back and she coward behind the breeder. Even offering her treats, she would take it from me but kept staring in my eyes and cowering back to the breeder. I chose to pass on the last pup from this litter out of concern that the fearfulness could be in the pup. They have another litter that is available in four weeks. I met both parents and they were great , friendly and welcoming. My concern here is that deposits are on all of them except one so I would be getting the last pick. No refund if I do not like the pup or if he does not like me and non transferable to another litter.. Is last pick an issue? I am considering this breeder over the other because she is a 30 min drive from me and I would like to have a good relationship with whatever breeder we choose and they are close by. The other is 3 hours away. I appreciate any input.


----------



## Sibze (Jan 30, 2013)

My deposit was non-refundable however, it was sure transferable. I wouldn't feel comfortable with non-transferable. 

The last pick could be GREAT but it may also be a miss with you. This pup is going to be with you for a long time. I wouldn't want to be forced into choosing something I wasn't 100% happy with.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I don't necessarily think last pick is an issue. However, if you are looking to get say, a certain gender, what if it's the opposite? 

I am not thrilled with a non transferable deposit. It sounds like if you don't either take this male or take the one not spoken for that will be ready in 4 weeks, you are 'out' your deposit. 

With that, you have three options, take the male they have, wait it out for the next ones, or lose your deposit.

Honestly, I would most likely wait it out, if the next one isn't for you, chalk it up to losing your deposit and move on.


----------



## Chip Blasiole (May 3, 2013)

If you are thinking of getting a pup from a "breeder" who breeds stock of such poor temperament, I would suggest looking elsewhere. Also, I would only go with first pick, but you have to know what you want and what to look for in the pup. These sound like BYB's.


----------



## Glass (Jun 9, 2013)

That is how I feel, the breeders reply to this was that their litters are bred for consistency among other things. All the pups for this litter are uniform. They stressed that people pick for reasons that sometimes do not make sense or for reasons different than mine and the last pup does not mean that it is a bad pup.


----------



## Glass (Jun 9, 2013)

Chip, it is not a BYB. I don't want to mention a name in public. The other dogs I met were confident. Any ideas why the dog acted this way? Was it because I had pet their new cat which this dog dislikes?


----------



## Glass (Jun 9, 2013)

I also want to say that the breeder was genuinely shocked at her dogs behavior. She couldn't believe the dogs reaction. I asked her if that was a flaw and she said that it was and she would not breed the dog or want a dog that had this temperament. She said she had never seen this from this dog and I am trusting that I was the first person this happened to with this dog. It loved my girlfriend.


----------



## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I agree with Chip. I am not saying the breeder is a BYB (I hate that term, btw), but I question the ethics of someone breeding a bitch with such a weak temperament. Find another breeder.


----------



## Chip Blasiole (May 3, 2013)

How does she evaluate her dogs to determine if they are breed worthy?


----------



## Sibze (Jan 30, 2013)

I don't really mind the mother being shy. Dogs are like us, they can have off days. To me, the bigger issue is that you cannot transfer your deposit. What if you and the puppy just don't "click".

The breeder can say all they want about "consistency" but again not every dog is going to be the same... Human brothers and sisters can be complete opposites. Is that a bad thing? No...

If you feel comfortable go for it but I would just be worried


----------



## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

For me, "last pick" would not be an issue in and of itself because I would expect the breeder to choose the pup for me, or at least narrow it down to a couple of suitable pups, and to do the same for the other puppy buyers too. I'm not worried about first pup or last pup; I just want the _right_ pup.

A few of the other things you mentioned do give me pause, though. I would be a little concerned because (a) one of the mothers you met appeared to have a fearful temperament (and, after my experience with Pongu, I'm personally hyper-skittish of ending up with another fearful dog -- doing that once is enough, thanks!); (b) if I'm reading this correctly, all four(?) of the parents are owned by the same breeder, which seems to be somewhat at odds with the most commonly advocated practices; (c) there are two litters on the ground within four weeks of each other; and (d) a non-transferable deposit would cause me some concern.

The first three things aren't necessarily _huge_ red flags, but the last one would cause me to reconsider. Sometimes there just isn't a good match, or not enough good matches to go around. If I put down a deposit expecting a performance puppy, and the only one left was better suited to life as a pet dog (or vice versa), and the deposit wasn't at least transferable to another litter, I'd be pretty disappointed.

Maybe it's different in this case because the puppies are all born so you can kinda-sorta meet them and get a sense of what your options are, but even then, if you're only interested in puppies A, B, and C, and other buyers choose them all first and you're left with puppy Z who isn't a great fit for you, then that doesn't seem entirely fair.

So, personally, if I did not absolutely love ALL the puppies in the litter to the point where I would be completely thrilled to take home any one of them, I'd pass.


----------



## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

Limiting your purchase to someone close to home severely limits the quality available...I have no clue where you are so that is NOT a reflection on any breeder in your area.

I do not believe that a dog who shows that shy behavior has never shown it before...sorry - too convenient! Aloof is one thing, dogs who could care less about being social...but timid is not somthing that just happens.

On the other litter - right off - if the breeder lets people walk in and choose pups, I would pass...buyers have no clue about the pups temperament - a 10 minute - even an couple of hours worth of interaction will not tell a buyer much about the pups unless they are very very very experienced! 

Find a breeder who matches pups....in this type of breeder, there is no "pick" puppy - the puppy who best seems to meet the needs of the buyer IS the pick pup for that person! 

While deposits are generally non-refundable, they should be transferable with good reason....I believe that if the sex of the pup you desire is not available, then it should be refundable personally....but not everyone does even that....

Look around more, go a bit further afield to find someone experienced and accomplished - a good breeder maintains (or at least tries to!) relationships to those who have their pups, close or far away.


Lee


----------



## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

I doubt that this is the first time this adult female exhibited that behavior. The fact that the deposit is not transferable would make it 2 strikes against the breeder. Find yourself a good breeder, even if you have to ship the puppy. A good breeder will pick the right puppy for you. You wouldn't be stuck with the last puppy in the litter if it didn't meet your needs. What if it was a hyper, high drive dog suited for sport work and you want a more laid back dog? Would the breeder expect you to take the dog and if you don't you lose your deposit? 

I would pass on this breeder all together. There are too many good breeders around to risk purchasing the wrong dog from the wrong breeder.


----------



## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

a person who has a certified hospital visitation dog says that her dog will take a strong aversion to a person with a colostomy bag , or a person drenched in perfume or cigarette stench . She just passes , goes to the next room and one of the other visiting dogs will visit - but they too show a desire to finish and leave .
I wouldn't choose either one .


----------



## weberhaus (Jan 2, 2008)

I hope things work out for you and that you find what you will be happy with.
But on a side note just wanted to share with you that this happened to me a few weeks ago.
I had a nice Man and his Girlfriend come and meet my female who was due to have her puppies in 2 weeks. Normally she is a very outgoing and social female and nothing bothers her. However she really liked the Girlfriend and not so much the Guy just ignored him and her ears were pined back also. This dog is 5 years old and I have never seen this from her but this day I was like wow really. This was to be her last litter anyways. Funny this was she had her puppies a week early. That day she seemed very off to me But maybe a female who is closer to having puppies will be a bit more stand offish. I had a nice family come out and visit one week after the puppies were born and met with mom and dad as even looked in on her puppies and she greeted them with happy butt wags and a ball just like she always does everyone elce. So maybe her hormones are all out of whack. I wish you all the luck in your puppy search.


----------



## Mrs.P (Nov 19, 2012)

Sent you a pm


----------

