Hello all, My family is getting our first lab puppy in the middle of May. (I grew up with family gundogs, including labs, so getting and training a dog isn't all new to me). We had decided on a chocolate male, but yesterday our breeder told me that the chocolate male is very high energy and nippy. She said she has a mellower yellow male. She said this all in passing, not making a recommendation to me, but she just wanted me to know. (This is a great breeder, by the way, we know the parents and both are sweet dogs great with kids). She sent me a video where the puppy was nipping and all over one of his littermates. My kids really want the chocolate, and I am not sure how much the personality of 4-week old dog is set in stone. I want to stay with the chocolate, but I don't want a wild dog that is more difficult to train either. Any advice is very much appreciated. Unfortunately because of covid I can't just go and see the puppies myself at this point, not that I would know more than the breeder even if I could! Thank you!
I guess it’s hard to tell at four weeks old what their personality will end up like. Most lab pups in the early stages are high energy and nippy. There is time for the other one to become similar, but eventually with training they settle down. It a bit of a gamble whichever pup you take. Meg was the calmest of her litter at 8 weeks, by 10 weeks she was a crazy crocopup, by 7 months she was hard work and boisterous, by a year she was settling and now at 6 she is the perfect family dog.
Is it very hard to tell. No matter what puppies are work. Be prepared for biting, nipping, peeing, pooping, whining, barking and boosts of energy. Puppy stages are all of that. No way around it. Breeders are very good at telling. Especially those that have been breeding for a long time. Personally I would go with the breeders choice. She is only suggesting because she knows what you are looking for.
At 4wks, you can't tell much about what a pup's future personality will be like. Is the breeder telling you to choose now? If the pup is still bitey at a later age, then yes - this is a major difficulty for people with young kids, I find. It can cause huge problems for families and a lot of stress... I'd recommend choosing a pup not based on something superficial like colour, but based on meeting your needs in other ways and fitting in with your family.
I question if a breeder can tell anything at 4 weeks. Similar at 8 weeks. If you want chocolate get chocolate otherwise you may we’ll regret. Training is what will make a difference in long run. Enjoy the ride
Thank you, everyone, for your input! We don't have to make a final decision right now about the dog, and your perspectives are helpful to me as our family discusses what our final decision will be.
