Hello.

I have been in contact with this breeder since late November regarding a puppy. The dogs were not born by the time I first talked to him. Nevertheless, the bitch was pregnant at the time and was due late December/early January. He told me that if I wanted to make sure there was a puppy available for me, that he needed a $150 deposit. The total cost of the dog is $600.

So we talked a few times in the meantime and I sent him the deposit before the dogs were even born. He got the deposit and then informed me that the dogs were born. I wanted a male dog, and three of them were born (6 total).

Originally I wanted to take a plane to look for the puppy, and he was ok with this, but moneywise it wasn't the best option, so I informed him that I had changed my mind. He was ok with this and told me he had shipped dogs before and it was no biggie.

Then, after a couple of days, he sent an email with a couple of pictures "of my dog". The dog was adorable, nevertheless I was a little discontent with the fact that he selected the dog for me. We never agreed that I was going to choose one puppy out of the three, but I thought this was kind of obvious from my conversations with him about me making the trip.

Is this ok? Should I ask him politely about it and tell him I was hoping I could choose among the three, or two dogs? This dog will not be a working dog, just a pet dog (parents are show dog as well).

Richard, since you're buying a new puppy from the breeder and are planning to care for it for the rest of its life, you have the right to ask anything you want about it.

Obviously the breeder will know the pups best, but only you can decide what characteristics you're looking for. His job is to help match a puppy as closely to your needs as possible.
With all things equal in terms of the pup's temperament, if you decide that you prefer the looks/colouring of one pup over another, that's your choice.
Just make sure the breeder knows exactly what you're looking for.

It's a huge investment on your behalf (taking on a dog for the next 10-15 years) and you shouldn't worry about discussing any of it with the breeder. Good breeders will be happy to take the time to listen to you and to understand what you want from a pup. If you feel that this breeder won't take the time to hear you out and is trying to rush through the whole thing, maybe you should look elsewhere.

Good luck and congratulations on the new pup!
Don't commit to anything if you have doubts about the pup. Remember that you're the customer and the breeder owes it to you to take your concerns seriously and to answer whatever questions you may have. Don't be shy about it, it'll be worth it in the end when you end up with the perfect pup

I dont think its uncommon for a breeder to "chose a dog for you" based on your goals and desires. Ultimately I guess it boils down to the contract you signed for the dog when you placed a deposit.

If your not going to travel to see the pups, how did you plan on picking a dog?

 Quote: Richard Pryor

Is this ok? Should I ask him politely about it and tell him I was hoping I could choose among the three, or two dogs? This dog will not be a working dog, just a pet dog (parents are show dog as well).

I'm not a breeder but I think that it's a pretty common, if not, preferred way of doing things for the breeder. They know their puppies and want to put them into the right household.

I know my showline GSD's breeder interviewed me twice on the phone and refuses to sell anyone her pups without meeting the entire family. We happily made two trips to her...one to meet us and the 2nd to pick up the pup (if she was willing to sell us one ).

I had no problem with this because she obviously cared about where her pups ended up. I also didn't care about her picking the pup because she knew every pup's personality and what dog would suit our needs best and vice versa.

Many breeders have potential puppy buyers fill out an application form that consists of MANY questions. The whole goal is for the breeder to get to know you , your family, your circumstances, goals, hopes, dreams etc for the pup/dog. Once I get this back I have more conversations with the potential puppy buyers. I tell them about my dogs, what I breed for, what is important to me, traits I want to see in my pups/dogs, thier lines, drives etc. I want the buyer to know and understand the breed, the different lines, etc.

At times I may let them know that my pups/dogs/lines may not be the 'best' choice for them depending on what they are looking for/wanting etc.

If I think that they would be a good owner and what I have is well suited to them and thier situation we then talk about male/female /preferences as far as color and so on. Buyers know up front that I will do my 'best' to give them what they are 'wanting' BUT....I will also be choosing the 'best' match temperament/drive wise for thier situation. This may mean that they will get no choice in the pup that will be available or they may get a choice between several pups. No new potential owner comes and picks the pup they want out of a litter. Not unless they are very knowledgable and are able to see the different characteristics in each pup etc. Even then people need to listen to the breeder (assuming they are knowlegable) on what they have noticed with each pup, what they are seeing and what they feel is a good choice for them for thier situation.

I do not mind potential buyers coming to visit the litter (it is encouraged) but I again make it clear to them that what they see at that moment might not be the best choice later. I discuss with them what I am seeing with each pup etc.

I then do puppy testing at 7 wks. This testing often confirms what I have been seeing all along with the pups/litter. Sometimes I will get a 'surprise' but often I am pretty accurate about my assessments.

I want my pups to go to forever homes and for the new owners to be happy with thier new addition. This does often mean a good match with them temperament and drive wise. I also want to give them thier 'desires' as much as possible. Most buyers are very comfortable with this process as they also want the best match for them. There will never be a 100% this IS the right pup for you but I almost always know when a pup will NOT be the right choice for someone!

Richard, it probably works out in your favor for the breeder to pick the puppy for you. This is a very common procedure among most reputable breeders. They know the lines, & have the advantage of watching the pups from birth to the day they decide who gets who. Just don't forget all puppies are a crap shoot, but that is part of the charm!

Ask him why he choose that pup for you, what made him pick that one as suppose to the others.Simple.Breeders do pick pups for buyers I personaly like to pick my own unless it's from a reputable breeder and someone that has trained and competed with his dogs.Then he'll know what to pick for me.They have never been wrong yet,at least that has been my experience.

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If your not going to travel to see the pups, how did you plan on picking a dog?

To be honest, I kind of hoped he would tape the pups playing or something, or at the very least take some pictures of *all* the puppies together when they were about 6 weeks old. I didn't expect him to chose the dog for me when I haven't told him anything about what I want in a dog, even more so when the dogs are not even 3 weeks old.

As far as my "needs" are concerned, I was just looking for a male dog to be my pet. My 2 dogs (mom & son) died one after the other (son-cancer mom-depression/age 2 weeks after). Two years have passed and think I'm ready for a new friend.

Since then I have learned about raw food, dog "psychology" (although I'm pretty sure I was their pack leader without knowing the term even existed) and most of that I owe it to this site.

What bothered me about the decision was the fact that the puppies are not even 3 weeks old, so he's not doing it either a) because he thinks the puppy is best suited for my needs (cause I haven't even told him what my needs are) or b) because the puppy is not a potential show dog (I don't think you can tell that young?).

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Ask him why he choose that pup for you, what made him pick that one as suppose to the others.Simple.

Sounds good. I'll do that and express my concerns. I'll wait for any other input regarding this post before I do, though

Regarding being a "reputable" breeder, well he has a web page (lol) and the puppies pedigree is very impressive (multiple BIS/BISS etc). This is just a pet dog btw. I say this because the whole show/working dog issue is pretty touchy.

When I made the decision to get a pup I looked at several breeders before choosing the one I was going to buy from. I was able to make the decision on gender, but after that my breeder decided which pup was going where. They were 7 weeks old when that decision was made, and I couldn't be happier with the choice she made. It worked out great for all and I would have no hesitation to buy another pup from the same breeder this way. I'd probably be a little concerned about that decision being made at 2 or 3 weeks, however....that seems pretty early to make that call. (Admittedly, I'm no expert--just my opinion!)

The other thing to consider is you may not have been the 1st to contact this breeder with regards tothis litter, you may have 3rd pick male. If that is the case, I wouldn't worry. Rarely does the "pick" turn out to be superior or even very different from the rest of the litter. This is because there is a lot of uniformity in a good litter.