Hello all, I am new to the forum We are getting our first lab puppy (and first dog!) in a few weeks. We've found a breeder we are really happy with. I went to see the pups when they were just a week old and met both the mum and the dad (the mum is an utter sweetheart!). The breeder said that when the pups are 4 weeks old, we can choose which one we would like and put down a deposit. There are 4 bitches in the litter and we get second choice, so three to choose from. We are going on Saturday to choose. I'm starting to wonder how I go about choosing which one? The breeder says they are all very similar in size and weight. I've heard not to choose the boldest one or the most timid one, but the one in between, does that sound like good advice? If anyone's got any tips then I would be really grateful. We want to get our puppy off to the best start so we're trying really hard to get everything right. Thanks very much
Welcome to the forum How very exciting that you're getting your first puppy. Personally I think that the advice you've got already is good - go for a middle of the road pup. One that seems to play happily with the others, taking it in turns to jump on another pup and be jumped on. One that is happy to approach people and be held but that also doesn't mind being put down again. Having said that, at 4 weeks they might all seem pretty much the same.... So there is nothing wrong with just going for the one you feel an emotional connection to In fact, I think that's pretty important... If you haven't got it already I'd very much recommend buying The Happy Puppy Handbook by Pippa Mattinson. I'm not just saying that because the site owner wrote it, it really is an excellent, clear and realistic how-to guide that'll take you through the whole puppy owning experience. It has a lot of great info on training too, which is essential in helping your pup become a well adjusted member of your family I'd use the time between now and getting your puppy home to learn as much as possible about training using positive modern methods. That book will give you the perfect start
Oh boy! You are in for a lot advice, asking a question like that. I had first choice out of 4 bitches and she chose me. Chepi just climbed onto my lap (sitting on the floor) and went straight to nuzzle my neck. Love at first sight. The others couldn't be bothered with me, so it all fell into place. My breeder reckoned that there's usually one puppy for each owner. My puppy was the smallest in the litter but whatever size was ok as long as we were right for each other. Good luck, enjoy
Hi and welcome to the forum from me and my two loveable rogues, Willow and Shadow. What an exciting time for you! My advice is to just go along, with no expectations and see what happens. We chose ours at six weeks, and ended up with a choice between two; a black bitch or a yellow dog. They had almost identical personalities. We decided on the bitch and brought her home two weeks later. Six weeks after that, we ended up bringing the boy home, too. Now, at 11 months, they are chalk and cheese (and have been since we had them both home). So I think there's only so much stock you can put in the personality of a four-week-old pup. I've heard loads of stories of pups appearing to choose their owner. When my sister went to choose her first puppy, a Staffie, he picked up a toy hammer and deposited it in her lap. That was it, decision made Are they all the same colour? If they're not all black, are there different shades? That would sway some people. Either way, you're going to have a great time choosing, and probably come close to exploding from cuteness overload! Take lots of pictures if you're allowed and share them with us. We love a good puppy picture
A big welcome and Labrador licks from my 7 month old girl Mabel. Nothing to add really pretty sound advice. Mabel actually chose me. There was 11 in the litter, 8 boys, 3 girls. I wanted a girl this time so 3 to choose from. Mabel climbed on my lap licked the underside of my chin had a cuddle and went off to play, then came back later for a snooze on my lap. I'd definitely buy The Happy Puppy Handbook it's super, I'd also get Total Recall by Pippa. I wish I'd bought that before Mabel arrived. I've followed most of the suggestions in both books and my strong incrediblely confident little girl is doing well. Don't forget the pictures and have fun it'll be amazing
Hi and welcome to the forum. I had first choice of girls from Juno's litter so my first choice was whether we wanted a black girl or chocolate girl. Up until the time the puppies were born we had said a black girl, but when I had to respond to the breeder when they were 2 days old we suddenly said "Chocolate". Our next choice was which one of the 3 chocolate girls would be "our" girl. I may be drummed off the forum but we actually chose Juno from photos from the breeder of all the girls (and boys) as we couldn't get to see the puppies in the timescale to allow new owners to choose their puppies. I had discussed with the breeder what we were looking for in our future companion and she agreed that our choice would have been the puppy she would have chosen for us. So the first time we met Juno was the day we went collected her to bring her home, and it was love at first sight and she is everything and more that I could have wished for. So if in doubt chat with the breeder and try to have a clear idea of the personality you would like your future companion to have and the type of lifestyle you will be offering, and the look forward to the day your pup comes home
Thank you all for your advice, it's very helpful. Maybe one will just choose us, that will make it easier! They are all yellow- well, parents are fox red so I expect the pups will be the same. We're not fussed about exact shade really, health and temperament are the main things we are looking for. I've already got The Happy Puppy Handbook, and I agree it is brilliant! It's so clearly set out, I'm learning loads. Although I expect the reality will be a bit of a baptism of fire. I'm all set for some sleepless nights and very early mornings, and cleaning up a few puddles. It'll be like having a baby all over again. Can't wait I will order a copy of Total Recall as well, thanks for the recommendation. Thanks everyone for the warm welcome
Hi and welcome to the forum . When I went to choose my pup I will admit I was overwhelmed. My husband and daughter picked up several of the pups then passed them to me. When I took harley from my daughter I knew - she snuggled into me and fell asleep . Decision made. She is now 23 months old and is also a fox red. she was more yellow when I picked her, but has got redder as she has grown. I definately was chosen and don't regret it. She is my first ever dog/pup so was a big learning curve, but not as bad as I thought. Good luck in your decision
Hi & welcome I think that the breeder should help you with choice - they spend (at least should) a lot of time with pups so know a lot more about them than you'll see during short visit.
I agree that you need to ask the breeder about their personalities - we chose Murphy at 4 weeks old, and we had 4 boys to choose from. At that age they all 'seemed' very similar - they were all quite sleepy when we went to see them - but the breeder said that Murphy was very socialble but not as loud as 2 of the other boys, she said they were more vocal and demanding, Murphy was inbetween and then the other male was very quiet - after she explained this I picked Murphy up, looked into his eyes and was sold! So I got their advice first as they know them. At nearly 9 weeks when we fetched him (having visited 3 times in between) the breeders instincts were bang on - one of the males she'd said were more demanding was totally the top dog, pushiest, dominated all his litter mates and the naughtiest (in her words) - he was alo the most excitable around our children and mouthy! Everyone that has met Murphy over the last couple of weeks have said how calm his is for a puppy - and he is very trainable and affectionate - I cant thank our breeder enough, for us she found our perfect puppy!
I guess you are fortunate to be able to choose. Both times I got a Lab Puppy, the Breeder chose for me! For our Maggie, I was looking online at Pet Finder. I didn't care if I got a pure bred or not, just wanted a female with some Black Lab in her. A nice man from North Dakota who was a small family owned, hobby Breeder contacted me. We lived in Massachusetts at the time. He sent me pictures of the litter, the Mom and the Dad and we spoke on the phone and he shipped me our beautiful pure bred Black Lab, Maggie. She was a love. She also was more of an Alfa type dog too, but oh so sweet! Everyone loved Maggie and she loved everyone back! We lost her a few months back at almost 13 years of age ..... taking a piece of our hearts with her. Although it was too soon, I began looking for the same type of breeder since I knew these things take time. Again, online I found the same type of Breeder. We communicated online, spoke on the phone and she sent pictures, etc., much the same as before. My husband was NOT onboard with all of this for quite some time. The Breeder and I bonded I think because in reading her blog, I found that she lost one of her dogs the same day as I lost our Maggie. During our time communicating she told me that she would hold a Black Female for me as long as she could, until someone inquired because she just felt in her gut that this dog belonged with our family. So, about a month before we actually picked up our Maui, she emailed me that someone wanted this last Female so I needed to make a decision. Thankfully, my husband agreed. A few weeks later we drove from Georgia, where we live now to Indiana to pick her up. Maui is just over 13 weeks old now and another sweet love! She's more mellow than our Maggie was .... although she can be an imp! She's training well and we are very happy with her. Because we were so far away and also because my husband wasn't 'onboard' the full time after the litter came, we never went to the visits she had with the owners ... I only saw pictures and knew what she told me about Maui. She did say she was one of the first ones to come to the gate when visitors came, so was very friendly, had a lot of energy, but was also very cuddly. That's about all I knew of her till we got her. I actually felt bad taking her when we went to get her as both the Breeder and her husband kept saying how special she was and how much they would miss her. She was the next to the last to go out of the litter of 11 healthy pups. I still keep in touch with them and send pictures and emails on Maui's progress. So, both times, even though I didn't actually choose, we were very happy with the beautiful fur babies we got! Good luck to you! In thinking about it, I actually don't know how I would choose. So, I guess I wasn't much help ... but that's all I have to offer! Keep us posted!
How exciting!!!! We are getting our pup (first one) in a few weeks too, and we are meeting him for the first time (5 weeks old) on Saturday! We have a pup chosen specifically for us so I have no advice, but it sounds like Saturday will be a great day for us!!
I love the "let the puppy choose you" idea. Makes it feel like its meant to be. Enjoy the puppy picking day it is always the start to a wonderful relationship for both puppy and family.
I must admit i didnt choose my dog at all, he chose us. We were there with another family viewing the pups and my boy stuck near us the whole time. We were very tempted with his sister however after i picked him up and he licked my face that did me in, plus he was falling asleep when my mom held him.
Thank you all again I will definitely ask the breeder for help choosing. I've spoken to him a lot about our lifestyle and what sort of activities we want to do with the dog so he should have a good idea of what will suit us. Lucy (in Cornwall! Lucky you!), good luck meeting your boy on Saturday. Are you as excited as me? It'd be great to have someone in the same boat as me for virtual hand holding, and high-fiving when we get house training cracked. Take lots of photos!
Hello, welcome and how exciting! Good luck picking your puppy. It's such a happy time. Glad you have found a good breeder too - have you seen all the health tests?
Hi there, Welcome to the Forum,we have Dexter who is nearly 3 and our first dog. Enjoy your puppy preparations and come on by if you need any help,with anything. Best wishes Angela x
I didn't get to choose either of my dogs although we could have had a yellow boy rather than Riley but my OH was adamant he wanted a black lab. Obi was one of only two boys and I definitely wanted another boy, the breeder had first choice as he was keeping a boy so I got the leftovers except as we were walking round Obi kept picking things up to carry and the breeder was agonising over if he'd made the right choice.............so even the experts struggle sometimes. I'm quite fatalistic about it all as a result and am sure it will work out just fine! I love both my boys immensely. Enjoy your puppy cuddles
I don't think there's such a thing as a wrong choice, anyway. You'll love your puppy whichever one you choose and you won't know if it would have worked out any different with one of the others. You'll have your share of hair-pulling moments with any of them!
We chose Lola when we first saw her litter at 2 weeks, though it wasn't much of a choice really - we knew we wanted a chocolate girl, of which there were two, so we had the pick between them, but at 2 weeks there really wasn't much to go on! Lola was a slightly darker colour (which we liked) and when I picked her up she started licking my hands and arms, which got me Hope you have a great time on Saturday, don't worry about it too much and enjoy it!
