I sure am glad to have found you guys. I'm getting a black lab puppy in the next 5 weeks. I haven't had a puppy in my home for years! I typically adopt adult dogs. I have been working remotely for over a year and will remain so, so I have wanted to bring another dog into my home for a while now, but for whatever reason, the time didn't feel right. Back in August a friend who had been on a waiting list for a lab puppy told me the breeder just had a litter of puppies and she was next in line for one of them. Unfortunately due to Covid her financial situation had changed and she no longer had the means to buy one. She asked if I would be interested and I said maybe and before I knew it I was being sent pictures of the sweetest puppies ever. I'm excited and nervous and excited! I hope this is the beginning of a long and happy relationship. Two other people have first and second pick of the pups. One family wants a yellow one and the other a black one. I won't know which ones will be available until then. Is this normal? Anyway, glad to meet you all!
Hi Belka, welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your new puppy - it was clearly meant to be Breeders all have their own way of doing things - some take charge of allocating puppies to families, based on what they know about each puppy's temperament so far, and any special requests from the families (eg. color, sex). Others let their new families choose - usually on a first come, first serve basis. In that case, they might start reserving individual puppies from the time they're a few weeks old, or they might simply ask the family with first priority to collect first, and pick from the litter on the day they take their puppy home. Either way, if you get a chance to choose, you can ask the breeder for help matching you with a puppy if you like. But puppy temperament isn't a very accurate predictor of adult temperament, so you can pick based on something else if you like! Quite a few of our members have had their own litters, hopefully one of them will come along and tell you their system and give you tips Let us know how you get on!
Assuming that the parents are fully health tested; hips, elbows, eyes and DNA then you are on to a winner regardless of which pup you get. I know I drone on and on about the importance of health testing, but I have seen 2 posts on here today about pups with hip/elbow displasia and it break my heart. It is so unnecessary. I try to match puppies to their prospective families based on temperament and what sort of lifestyle the new family has. The naughtiest, most astute go to working homes, the sweeter, more laid back go to pet homes. That said, I have picked out of my own litters that I have spent all day every day with for 8 weeks and still got it wrong If it's just for a pet, then let the breeder know that you are looking for a quieter type, but other than that, you'll be fine with whichever you choose/is left over/is chosen for you x
Thank you for the welcome! My friend sent me all kinds of paperwork about the parents of these puppies, but to be honest I haven't paid too much attention to it. I have spoken to the breeder twice now and we zoom a few times a week. She asked me about my current living arrangement, how active we are, my current pets and what my expectations for this puppy will be. Based on what I told her she thinks she has one of the black puppies in mind that she feels would be a nice fit. But she did say 1 of the yellows and 1 of the black ones were reserved prior to the litter being born and they won't pick until the puppies are 6 weeks. Honestly, temperament and personality are most important to me. Buying from a breeder is all new to me so I appreciate your help!
Please do have a good look through this paperwork and make sure they are hip and elbow scored before you fall for these puppies. Temperament and personality are indeed important, but heath is paramount x
