# What's your vote?



## TxTech (Mar 29, 2008)

Choosing a puppy:

A. Walk in, look around, say hi to the pups, and simply let your <u>puppy</u> pick you. The right puppy will find you. You will know he/she is the one.

B. Walk in with some specifics in mind, study the pups, and decide which one <u>you</u> think is best for you. 

Which one do you vote for?


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Frankly, I'm in favor of

C. Let the breeder pick the pup, based on the much more comprehensive knowledge they have of each pup's personality after living with them for several weeks, and talking with the customer enough to have a solid understanding of the customer's experience, preferences and goals in order to make a good match.

A is NEVER a good idea. B can work IF you really know what you're looking for and have experience being able to identify what that looks like in a young pup, and none of the pups are having an off day so what you see is truly representative of each pup's personality.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

I vote for C.

A & B are both terrible ways to choose a companion for life though B is better than A. Unless you're living with the litter, you couldn't hope to pick correctly because you wouldn't have been observing how they have interacted throughout their short lives. No good breeder will ever let someone pull an A and may allow a B with advice from the breeder provided the breeder knows the buyer is extremely experienced, perhaps has had a dog from similar lines or worked either or the parents.

DF's family chose their pup by option A. He's the hands-down WORST choice for the family and it drives me up the wall. The dog is a dominant a-hole and basically rules the household, the parents being the loyal subjects who jump at his every "bark" and call.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

We did neither. The breeder knew how I handled dogs (I have another GSD from her), she knew what I wanted in my dog and what would fit how I train and live. We played with all the puppies and then the day I went to pick up mine, the breeder made the final pick (FWIW he was the one that gravitated towards me anyway).


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## Ilovealldogs (Nov 17, 2006)

I vote for C also. Unfortunately there are just too many backyard breeders out there that will let you into their barn and select one (lol). Seriously though, most reputable breeders prefer to match up the dog with the RIGHT owner.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

I agree with C unless, like Chris said and the buyer really does know that they are doing. If that is the case I would prefer the breeder to narrow it down to the 1 or 3 or 5 that they think would be a good fit and select from those options.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

If this were a rescue litter or an unusual case where C just wouldn't be much better than B, then I would do this:

Interact with the dam as much as possible and hopefully the sire as well. If neither are present, that makes it a bit more difficult.

Make as detailed a list as possible of characteristics you're looking for and hopefully bring experience that will tell you how those characteristics manifest themselves in a litter of the age you're checking. Take the pups to a location they've never been before such as another room of the house one at a time and conduct a puppy test like the Volhard test. I'd try to do the test before they'd have the chance to wear each other out and see if I could repeat the test on another day, maybe with another person doing it (not someone the litter has previously met), just to see if there was an average. After that, it's luck of the draw. Even the best breeders can have problems picking them, so all these observations and tests would only be marginally better than reaching in and grabbing one blind.

However, if the litter is very inconsistent, with temperament in huge variance (clear nerve bags all the way up to very dominant), I think I would pass.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

My breeder picked mine and he is the best
A K-9 handler wanted him but I got him and he is just plain awesome


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## JeffM (Dec 19, 2005)

We went in and picked our puppy. Total time spent, 5 hours.


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## Sherush (Jan 12, 2008)

We spent 2 different days with the litter, first day studied pups and hung out with them, Jesse seemed to take to us right away and rest of pups didn't. Next day we spent 2 hours with the litter and Jesse still chose us and won our hearts, and we have never regretted it, he has been a great puppy to raise, no complaints from me and now almost 15 months old


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

Redundent as it is, C is my choice. 

Other than a very experienced person who has picked, raised and achieved his goals (in my case titled such a choice to Schh3), I match up the pups to the homes, occassionally allowing someone a choice if 2 pups seem to be a good match.

Lee


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I also vote for "C"!!! I've had _ EXCELLENT _ results in having the breeder select the proper pup for me. I gave him/her my "shopping list" of what I wanted in a dog, and the breeder selected the pup that best matched my list. 

Out of the 13 GSDs I've owned:

Eight were selected by the breeder. 

I selected 2 pups.

One pup selected me. 

One was a pup who stayed with me a lot, she fit in my home, got along with the other Hooligans, and her owner gave her to me. 

A friend's 5 year old dog needed a home and I became his caretaker. When when he was 12 years old I wanted to own him when he went to the Bridge so I bought him.

I've also owned three other dogs. I won my Cocker in a contest at a Safeway grocery store in Portland, OR. The breeder helped me select my OES (she was the second choice, the pup I originally bought died of distemper before he left the breeder's house). I adopted a mutt from a shelter in South Florida.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

I'm a B&C type. I want a voice in selecting my pup, but I value a savvy breeder's guidance & would defer to her judgment if there was a difference of opinion as to the *best* pup for me.

I was more concerned with picking my breeder than choosing my pup. In working with her, I let her know very specifically what I was most concerned with in my pup. I prefer LC sables...Djibouti is a stock coat B&T. I'm thrilled. My physical preferences were at the bottom of my list & my coat/color preferences are mild.

There were a couple of gorgeous LC pups I could have had but they weren't an ideal match for me or my bumptious household. There was a pup I liked almost as much as Djibouti, but she'd determined he was somewhat noise reactive. Djibouti was both my 1st choice & in her opinion my best match. (It was a consistent litter. He's pluper-perfect<jk>, but I think I'd have been almost as happy with any of 'em)

In guiding & approving my choice, it was clear that she'd paid close attention to what I'd told her & truly understood my concerns & what I wanted in my pup. When I'm ready to add more GSDs I'll trust her judgment even more.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

"C" 

Most of my dogs have been chosen by the breeder except for Nike and, obviously, the pups I kept back from my own litters.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

C~I am in this process now, and trust the breeder that I have chosen. I believe the breeder knows what I want and will do the best to give both pup and my family the right future. This is my first time in the process. Kacie was a rescue/spur of the moment adoption and Onyx was a "Christmas surprise" that my DH sprung on us. He knew very little other than a co-workers niece had GSD pups and while she was knowledgable, it was her first litter-titled thru 4-H w/ her daughter-no health testing proof at the time. We got the last available female, she was holding Onyx back due to her temperament and my DH convinced her we could handle her attitude. Told her we had a male GSD in the past and were familar w/ the breed. I love Onyx and she is beautiful, but not steady in her nerves and not to standard. "Breeder" never should have sold DH the pup w/out talking to me first. When I went there to pick up pup/my first Q was hip-elbow check on parents, and she was very nice, but I could tell that she should have waited to do the breeding til all her "ducks were in a row"...no papers because sire's owner and "breeder" had a falling out before whelping time. This was totally sires owners fault, but "breeder" should have been more selective in choosing a stud dog. She did get her bitch OFA'd and has titles thru 4-H only, bred her again to a stud dog she bought but has decided to not breed her again due to pedigree paperwork not coming thru.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

with a reputable breeder A or B could work. how bad or how much of a mismatch is it going to be if you go with A. am i correct in saying you don't know that much about GSD's? if i am will B work for you? so lets say the breeder picks for you. how much time do you have to spend with a breeder for the breeder to know what dog is a match for you?

i put a deposit on my puppy before the litter was born. i only saw the parents online. i don't know alot about GSD's. i knew the way i bought my dog was the worst way to buy. my dog was flown to me at 9 weeks old.

my dog is now 19 months old. he's well trained and hansome. when we go to dog shows the pros are always complimenting him and asking me where i got him. an owner of one of the top dogs in the country saw my dog. after talking to me he couldn't believe how i bought my dog. he told me "whoever sold you this dog did you a favor". did they do me a favor or does the breeder just have nice dogs?

you're asking these questions about which way to choose a puppy.
i know which way you're going choose. make sure you're buying from a reputable breeder. the breeder you pick, post their name on the forum so the members can take a look at them. this way you'll know if the breeder is reputable and the dogs are sound.


> Originally Posted By: HBHChoosing a puppy:
> 
> A. Walk in, look around, say hi to the pups, and simply let your <u>puppy</u> pick you. The right puppy will find you. You will know he/she is the one.
> 
> ...


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

> Quote:with a reputable breeder A or B could work. how bad or how much of a mismatch is it going to be if you go with A.


VERY bad! Say you're looking for a GSD and you find a local breeder who does breed dogs for schutzhund and working. Overall a very good breeder who is known for producing dogs that excel in the sport. The price is right. You're looking for a family pet that's a little more active than most so you can take it on hikes and jogs and such and maybe dabble in agility. You go to pick a puppy, and one of them sees you and does a flying leap for your lap and crawls all over you and instigates a play session with you. You choose this pup without knowing that this guy is the litter SOB and probably would work better patrolling the streets as a PSD. As the pup grows, it's all too clear you're in over your head when the pup takes over the entire household. Now he starts to growl and snap and your family is in danger because you've bitten off more than you can chew. The dog is promptly returned to the breeder who is able to salvage the dog and match him with a canine unit where he excels in taking down crooks. 

Had you gone with C, the breeder would have told you about the parents, what was expected with the litter, and would have let you meet the quieter bunch of the litter, not the more drivey and intense ones. The quiet types are still VERY active little furgators and you take your match home, the one the breeder chose, and while raising a pup like this is trying at times, it is a match made in heaven, you couldn't be happier, and you now have a jogging partner that has opened you up to the world of agility competitions. 



> Quote: knew the way i bought my dog was the worst way to buy. my dog was flown to me at 9 weeks old.


This is the worst way to buy? This is how it's very often done. This logic sounds flawed to me. I would trust several breeders on this board to read what I'd like in a puppy and send me a pup that matches what I am looking for, sight unseen. I won't argue that the BEST way is to watch the parents work and if it's a repeat litter, dogs from the first litter, but since this country is so spread out it can be very hard to do that. Your best match could be 1500 miles away.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: doggiedadwith a reputable breeder A or B could work. how bad or how much of a mismatch is it going to be if you go with A.


The problem with A is that it is based on the romantic (and very flawed) idea of dogs and humans just being meant for one another and somehow a 7-8 week old puppy will just *know*. It just doesn't work that way. If a particular puppy shows a great amount of attraction to a person it is because that pup is very social, or feeling very social that day, or because the person has an interesting smell on their clothing or any number of other reasons. But it's not because they're soul mates. And on a different day, it's likely to be a different puppy who acts that way.

The problem with B is that unless the owner is VERY experienced at selecting puppies and knowing how to interpret puppy behavior as it relates to the pup's inherent temperament AND has spent enough time with the pups to get a comprehensive read on every pup's temperament, it doesn't work. Pups vary from day to day in how they act. They have off days and good days. The one lying in the corner sleeping may be doing that because he's very laid back, or he may be doing it because he's exhausted from spending the last 2 hours destroying everything in his path and beating the snot out of his littermates. If you just show up for an hour or so to see the pups and all he does is snooze in the corner, how do you know why he's snoozing or what is more normal behavior for him? You don't! Spend a hour with the litter one day, and then an hour with them the next day or next week, and you will see totally different behaviors. Picking a family member based on extremely limited, incomplete information which may or may not accurately represent the pup's true temperament.

The breeder spends hours a day, day after day, for several weeks with the pups. They know what constitutes "normal" behavior for each individual pup, and what constitutes and "off day" or "sleeping now because he was trying to take over the world earlier". When evaluating pups it is never good to just go by a snapshot in time. You need to look for regualar behavioral patterns that are consistent over long periods of time. This is something that no customer or visitor can do. Only the breeder because the breeder is in a position to be able to observe and interact with the pups on a regular basis, every day, for weeks on end.




> Originally Posted By: doggiedad
> how much time do you have to spend with a breeder for the breeder to know what dog is a match for you?


IF the customer is open and upfront and honest and detailed about their experience, knowledge, lifestyle, personality, preferences and goals, figuring out what sort of pup is the best match for the customer is actually very easy.

Figuring out which pup in the litter has the temperament traits to BE that match is the hard part. This is where the breeder's experience with the pups pays off.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

I vote for C.

I have always used C to get my pups. The breeder knows the pups and will make the best choice. That said, you may still encounter issues as no pup is perfect and they do change a bit as they mature. But your best bet for a good match is C


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

I've done B and C. Jade I picked out as well as my own that I've held back, I've also had pups shipped based off what I wanted.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: lhczth"C"
> 
> Most of my dogs have been chosen by the breeder except for Nike and, obviously, the pups I kept back from my own litters.


Pups you have kept back from your litters HAVE been chosen by the BREEDER.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

LOL True.


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## emjworks05 (May 30, 2008)

I vote for "C" too, I let my breeder know what I want in a puppy, and she will be picking my pup for me.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

When the activity has died down on this thread it would make a good sticky with a subject change to something like "who chooses the pup"


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## TxTech (Mar 29, 2008)

Oops...guess I should have lumped "C" in with "B". I think the essential meaning behind "A" is "going with your heart" and the meaning behind "B" is "going by the book". A lot of people prefer to follow their heart rather than the book. So applying it to selecting a puppy, I just wondered what everyone's opinions were.

I like a combo of "B" and "C". =)


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

i follow my heart. but both my dogs were also young rescues and what i saw was what i got!


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## mnm (Jan 9, 2006)

1st dog: Only one remaining from litter, thought he was great, bought him as a breeding and show prospect which didn't happen, still training him trying to get that SchH1 title and he's now 5 years old. Good boy, just not up to the standard that we wanted.

2nd dog: Purchased through a broker. Knew the owner of the mother, although the female was still in Europe and was bred for a litter while there. Told the broker exactly what I was looking for, what I wanted to do and my goals for the dog. He picked the puppy out and she came to us at 9 weeks of age. Super girl, exactly what I wanted. Very happy with the broker and I just love her.

3rd dog: Three littermates were purchased and imported from Germany at 8 weeks old. I picked her out of the three from the pictures at 6 weeks old. After they arrived, she was still the one, and I guess you could say that she also picked me. She's going to be titled soon, and I'm very happy with her.

4th dog: I purchased at 14 weeks of age. I bought him due to his bloodlines and his potential abilities. The breeder wouldn't have sold him to me if they didn't think he was the right dog for me. He's a super dog, very strong willed and he's going to be a challenge to train, but also fun.

I think that a good breeder will try to select the right puppy for you, if you are honest with them about your abilities and your goals. They usually do a really good job of matching the pup to the owner.


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

i tell the breeder what i am looking for and they do the rest of the work.


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## WinitheGSD (Sep 21, 2008)

I vote for C. But with both wini and buddy(my dogs) we weren't able to see the litter and pick. Because with buddy some one had bought her and then returned her to the breeder, because they didn't know that a dof required attention and time. They didn't realize a GSD needed exercise and shedded a lot! And with wini she was the breeder's pick from the litter to keep for showing but she ended up selling her so we got her!


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## Mr. Spock (Feb 19, 2009)

A is the only way to go.


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## Calember (Jan 11, 2009)

I agree that I like the combo of B and C. I have had the breeder pick 2 or 3 pups that she thought would fit my needs based upon our discussions. The breeder has the knowledge of the pups and what they are like. I then spent time with those pups and ultimately make the final decision. 

Each pup will never be perfect in every way so that is why I like to pick for myself the things that I must have vs the things that I can live with that may or may not be there. It has worked for me every time.


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