# Personality Types in Litter



## goldenlove7 (May 1, 2017)

I am interested to see if anyone has any breakdown of different personality types to look for when choosing from a litter. I have read that some behaviors signal how the dog's personality might be as they grow older. For instance, a puppy that is dominant over his siblings might grow up to be a bully or too eager, etc. 

We will be picking our pupppy up in about two weeks and want the typical, Golden temperament. Not hyper, but not a couch potato. I am looking for some tips to remember when we are overcome with cuteness and distracted. I believe our breeder will point us in the direction she recommends for us but I want make sure to look at the right things too. Hopefully this makes sense... thank you all!


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

If I were to get a puppy now I would want the breeder to choose the puppy for me. Assuming of course that its a reputable breeder (and having learned a great deal since I joined this forum the next puppy I would get would be from a reputable breeder) they would have a much better idea of the personality of the pups than I would have after seeing photos or meeting the puppies briefly. Since I would probably be looking for a specific type of dog for a specific purpose (my dogs are generally therapy dogs) I don't know that I would trust my judgement after a brief meeting with the puppies since I haven't seen what they have been doing before I arrived. For example, that laid back appearing puppy many just be napping because he had just spent the entire morning chasing the rest of the litter all over the place. Personally I would ask for and rely very heavily of the input of the breeder. They have been with the puppies since day one and have a much better idea of traits and behavior than buyers have after brief meetings.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

Personally, I'd defer entirely to the breeder. There's no way to identify personalities in the short period of time you'll be there. The most rambunctious puppy could be exhausted from playing. The quietest may have just woken from a nap. Your breeder has been watching them for weeks and knows them best. Plus, she has likely had YEARS of experience predicting puppy personalities.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

I echo what the others said about letting the breeder choose. Both my goldens were chosen for me by their breeders, and both turned out, as adults, to be exactly what the breeders said they would be.

Good luck!


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I agree with letting the breeder choose as well. They have spent lots of time with these guys (should have anyway) and know them better than anyone. They have also been matching pups and people for a while and promise this is a science. The breeder wants you to be happy with your puppy as well as wanting the puppy to fit in and be happy with their new home. There will be many personalities and energy levels in one litter and they will know what will work best for your family.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

G-bear said:


> I don't know that I would trust my judgement after a brief meeting with the puppies


I know I wouldn't trust mine. I'd pick based entirely on which one looked best, rather than the one that is a good fit for what I need. I don't need the show puppy because I have no intention of showing. I haven't been let down by a breeder, yet.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I would definitely defer to the breeder, too. If you have been open and honest about what you are looking for in a dog, he or she will be able to make the best match - especially if they get the puppies temperament tested, too. The testing that was done on my pup when she was 6 or 7 weeks old (I can't remember the age off the top of my head) is pretty much exactly what my dog is today. They're very accurate.


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## goldenlove7 (May 1, 2017)

Awesome! Thank you everyone... the pups are still too small for temperament testing but I will defer to the breeder.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

goldenlove7 said:


> Awesome! Thank you everyone... the pups are still too small for temperament testing but I will defer to the breeder.



You need to do your part as well. You don't get to run off free of responsibility either. 
Seriously, you need to sit down and write down in detail the qualities that you're looking for in a dog and convey that information to the breeder. What are your "Must Have's"? What things "Can you live with"? What things are deal breakers that renders the dog "incompatible" with your home? 

This information will go a long way in helping the Breeder select the "right" puppy for you.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I chose my girl because I liked her personality. She was the smallest but made up for that with attitude. (In a good way) I absolutely love her personality! She has a perfect golden temperament. Our obedience game isn't the best but its passable but I think I'm to blame for a lot of that. She loves agility and field work though. 

I chose my boy because he picked me. I was told he acted differently towards me than anyone else. He's only 12 weeks old but he's learning pretty quickly. He would run up to me and sit perfectly in front. We have a while to see how he turns out. He has a great but totally different personality from my girl. 

I guess what I'm saying is their personalities are the biggest reason I picked the one I did.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Swampcollie said:


> .
> 
> This information will go a long way in helping the Breeder select the "right" puppy for you.


Swampcollie, I know you're an old hand at this. I am fascinated by the difference in personality for both dogs and people, how early those difference show themselves and how some individuals are exactly the same as adults and some aren't. Do you get enough feedback from your puppy owners that you've been able to see that your puppies typically do turn out the way you thought they way would - or that there are times when a pup grows to be different that you'd anticipated? I'd love to know your thoughts on this, I'm a big believer in having an experienced breeder help match the puppy.


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## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

First, a list of must haves and deal breakers, BEFORE you pick the breeder AND the litter (you can pick a great breeder who may be able to help). Second, trust your breeder. If you have a great breeder, they will tell you that they have a great breeding come up or even forward you to someone else who has something better, and they will make sure that the puppies are all going to be a great fit. 

I think some litters are incredibly similar and a breeder will know what those lines produce and whether or not it is a litter you can't go wrong with. That said, for lines that are a little more complicated, there are nuances, for sure and again, the breeder should be able to help. 

For my first puppy (I've had rescues before him) the breeder just sort of picked him for me and he was one of those puppies that could have gone anywhere and fit in just fine, unless the person wanted a high drive dog (in which case she was the wrong breeder). He was the perfect pet. For my second puppy, I did some temperament testing and I didn't pick from littermates. There was one puppy left in each litter so I chose between the two (different breeders, about an hour apart). The puppies were the same age, same sex, same color (black Labs) and were very different. I picked the one who, when I dropped my keys, ran toward them out of curiosity and played with them over the one that ran away and then became afraid of me and did not bounce back. In my opinion, that was a dramatic difference. However, it could have meant nothing, too. Finally, my third puppy was chosen for me. He pretty much slept the entire time I was there. If I had been picking the puppies I would not have chosen him because he didn't show any personality since he was out like a light. I would have really missed out had I not trusted her decision.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I am fortunate that I work very closely with breeders and often watch my puppies grow up -- indeed often help them grow  as a co-breeder and also since I am often at the breeders home playing with puppies.

That said, I completely agree with SwampCollie -- you need to be fully honest with your breeder and if you chose her/him, trust their decisions. 

Complete disclosure of what you are looking for is needed. Do not say you plan on say agility or obedience or hunt tests if you have no such intention or find the time commitment is too great -- that is not the way to choose your perfect puppy. Contrarily do not say you want a companion or even an active companion if you want an agility prospect - your breeder will have watched these puppies as they develop in a safe and secure environment, so will have a good basis in matching which puppy will best meet which home -- most of the litters I have seen tested are remarkably uniform -- within the litter -- it is the insider knowledge that can truly place the right puppy in the right home WHEN the potential buyer is upfront & honest -- yes, you may be steered to a different litter or breeder and perhaps have to wait longer but please know the breeder has the best interests of both the puppy and the to-be owner at heart.

We (as breeders) truly have our puppies best interests at heart and will cry with sad news and rejoice when things work out ... these puppies we bring into the world remain in our hearts forever. So be fully honest


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## ellisda1 (Jul 24, 2013)

Ask your breeder to do the Volhard temperament testing. Tests should be done at 7 weeks by a tester unknown to the puppy. Many breeders do this and will give you the scores of the 10 tests. See Volhard Dog Training and Nutrition: Behavior and Training: Behavior


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## goldenlove7 (May 1, 2017)

Swampcollie said:


> You need to do your part as well. You don't get to run off free of responsibility either.
> Seriously, you need to sit down and write down in detail the qualities that you're looking for in a dog and convey that information to the breeder. What are your "Must Have's"? What things "Can you live with"? What things are deal breakers that renders the dog "incompatible" with your home?
> 
> This information will go a long way in helping the Breeder select the "right" puppy for you.


I appreciate the reply but I do not think I implied that I wanted to run free of responsibility. We have given the breeder many, many qualities we desire. We have put years of research into this and what we are looking for in our Golden. I am simply fascinated by the psychology of how personality remains the same or changes over time. Also, although we will defer to the breeder choosing for us, they are open to our opinion or concerns when the dog is chosen for us so hearing tips of what others have seen as their dogs grow is fascinating.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

goldenlove7 said:


> I appreciate the reply but I do not think I implied that I wanted to run free of responsibility. We have given the breeder many, many qualities we desire. We have put years of research into this and what we are looking for in our Golden. *I am simply fascinated by the psychology of how personality remains the same or changes over time.* Also, although we will defer to the breeder choosing for us, they are open to our opinion or concerns when the dog is chosen for us so hearing tips of what others have seen as their dogs grow is fascinating.


I am, too! I was just floored when I saw my dog's temperament test. I think I asked my breeder if she still had it when my dog was 18-24 months old? I can't remember when it occurred to me to ask her. The test was done when my dog was 7 weeks old, I think. It was SO cool how accurate a picture it painted of the dog I had raised and loved. Her core personality was the same at 2 years old as it was at 7 weeks old. 

(Oh, and I think Swampcollie was just answering in general - not a dig at you at all. Just pointing out, as others of us have how important it is to be honest with yourself and your breeder about what you want in a dog. I hope your search goes well! Please let us know! We love follow up and photos!)


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## NothingbutGold (Apr 2, 2017)

I agree with G-Bear. I recently got a puppy and the breeder selected the perfect puppy for me out of a litter of 10 pups.


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## rosegold (Nov 9, 2016)

Sweet Girl said:


> I am, too! I was just floored when I saw my dog's temperament test. I think I asked my breeder if she still had it when my dog was 18-24 months old? I can't remember when it occurred to me to ask her. The test was done when my dog was 7 weeks old, I think. It was SO cool how accurate a picture it painted of the dog I had raised and loved. Her core personality was the same at 2 years old as it was at 7 weeks old.
> 
> (Oh, and I think Swampcollie was just answering in general - not a dig at you at all. Just pointing out, as others of us have how important it is to be honest with yourself and your breeder about what you want in a dog. I hope your search goes well! Please let us know! We love follow up and photos!)




Sweet Girl, that is so neat! What kind of things did your dog's temperament test say or predict?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

rosegold said:


> Sweet Girl, that is so neat! What kind of things did your dog's temperament test say or predict?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I will pull it out later on today and get back to you! :smile2:


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## Warren (Jun 18, 2017)

I'm glad this question was asked. The books I've read tell you what to look out for and how to choose a puppy but I agree with the sentiment that it would be pretty hard to do that unless you spent a good amount of time with the puppies.


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## goldenlove7 (May 1, 2017)

Sweet Girl, you are probably right. I didn't mean to be overly defensive. I love this forum but have noticed some posters can be condescending and rude. After reading too many posts where it is implied that as new puppy owners, we must be ignorant and lacking responsibility, I jumped to stand up for myself. 

Back to temperament. Yes, so many puppy and dog books discuss what to look for in temperament which is actually what prompted me to post this. Of course, those books assume you are picking the puppy and not the breeder. I actually meant to post it in the puppy forum to see how individual puppies personalities grew over time. Regardless, super fun topic and really appeals to my psych degree.  So excited to see which dog we will end up with!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

All good - and I have not forgotten my promise about the temperament test. I haven't been able to put my hands on it yet. I will!!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

So I had to ask my very kind breeder to resend me Shala's test - which she did! 

So, much of it is about the pup's response to certain stimulation (sight, sound, etc), being touched, following, retrieving a thrown object, reacting to being held up, etc. All of Shala's responses at 7 weeks are what they would be today. She was noted to be a confident, higher energy pup, high drive, very birdy. Check, check, check, and check to all four of those when Shala was 12-18 months old (or whenever I first saw the test) and at 4 years old today. She also cuddled up to the tester, and was a licker, rather than a biter. That was totally her when I brought her home and she has remained a big cuddly kisser - she was really never a bitey puppy (unlike my first Golden puppy, so I've definitely been there!). I know when I filled out my questionnaire for my breeder, probably top of my list was higher energy and trainability. I wanted a dog who would want to play ball for hours, have a rest, and be ready to go again a few hours later. That is exactly what I got - with tons of bonus cuddliness to boot!

All in all, there was just nothing surprising to me in the test. Which to me was really cool! Shala's reaction to a new thing today (the temperament test uses an umbrella) is exactly what it was at 7 weeks. Same with her reaction to a new sound, or a new person.


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## rosegold (Nov 9, 2016)

Sweet Girl, that is fascinating. Thanks to you and to Shala's breeder for digging that up. 

Your post definitely illustrates to me how both nature and nurture come into play when determining temperament. And how important it is to get a pup from an experienced breeder who tries to breed good temperament into the genes and also develop it through the newborn pups' environments. It is so great that your breeder took the information from the temperament test and your questionnaire to place Shala in a home where she'd thrive! I saw your dock-diving post and it sounds like she is just flourishing - congrats again!



Sweet Girl said:


> So I had to ask my very kind breeder to resend me Shala's test - which she did!
> 
> So, much of it is about the pup's response to certain stimulation (sight, sound, etc), being touched, following, retrieving a thrown object, reacting to being held up, etc. All of Shala's responses at 7 weeks are what they would be today. She was noted to be a confident, higher energy pup, high drive, very birdy. Check, check, check, and check to all four of those when Shala was 12-18 months old (or whenever I first saw the test) and at 4 years old today. She also cuddled up to the tester, and was a licker, rather than a biter. That was totally her when I brought her home and she has remained a big cuddly kisser - she was really never a bitey puppy (unlike my first Golden puppy, so I've definitely been there!). I know when I filled out my questionnaire for my breeder, probably top of my list was higher energy and trainability. I wanted a dog who would want to play ball for hours, have a rest, and be ready to go again a few hours later. That is exactly what I got - with tons of bonus cuddliness to boot!
> 
> All in all, there was just nothing surprising to me in the test. Which to me was really cool! Shala's reaction to a new thing today (the temperament test uses an umbrella) is exactly what it was at 7 weeks. Same with her reaction to a new sound, or a new person.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Sweet Girl said:


> So I had to ask my very kind breeder to resend me Shala's test - which she did!
> 
> So, much of it is about the pup's response to certain stimulation (sight, sound, etc), being touched, following, retrieving a thrown object, reacting to being held up, etc. All of Shala's responses at 7 weeks are what they would be today. She was noted to be a confident, higher energy pup, high drive, very birdy. Check, check, check, and check to all four of those when Shala was 12-18 months old (or whenever I first saw the test) and at 4 years old today. She also cuddled up to the tester, and was a licker, rather than a biter. That was totally her when I brought her home and she has remained a big cuddly kisser - she was really never a bitey puppy (unlike my first Golden puppy, so I've definitely been there!). I know when I filled out my questionnaire for my breeder, probably top of my list was higher energy and trainability. I wanted a dog who would want to play ball for hours, have a rest, and be ready to go again a few hours later. That is exactly what I got - with tons of bonus cuddliness to boot!
> 
> All in all, there was just nothing surprising to me in the test. Which to me was really cool! Shala's reaction to a new thing today (the temperament test uses an umbrella) is exactly what it was at 7 weeks. Same with her reaction to a new sound, or a new person.


This is exactly what I've been wondering about. I think this is fascinating. Thank you so much for doing this.


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## WI12345 (Dec 31, 2016)

We didn't pick our current puppy, the breeder did. He definitely has a different personality than our last Golden. There are some here that don't believe there is such a thing as the Alpha Dog, but I strongly disagree. Ours is definitely the Alpha Dog, which the breeder confirmed was the case when he was with her. He was the largest in the litter. He is very smart and VERY determined. That actually works well for training purposes. But he can be exasperating as far as coming when he is called, etc. When we open his crate in the morning he just lays there as if to say "I'll get out when I decide to get out." It's like a game with him. He'll act like he's ready to get out, till we open the door. All in all, it's not a big deal ... he's pretty good for just under 6 months. I do believe that he will be more protective of me than our last Golden. He was very submissive and unless an intruder was allergic to dog drool, he was not going to hurt them. I get the feeling that this one will protect me with his life ... which is good since my husband travels quite a bit. So I guess the breeder (who knew what my home life was like), picked the right pup!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

nolefan said:


> Swampcollie, I know you're an old hand at this. I am fascinated by the difference in personality for both dogs and people, how early those difference show themselves and how some individuals are exactly the same as adults and some aren't. Do you get enough feedback from your puppy owners that you've been able to see that your puppies typically do turn out the way you thought they way would - or that there are times when a pup grows to be different that you'd anticipated? I'd love to know your thoughts on this, I'm a big believer in having an experienced breeder help match the puppy.


Once in a while you get an exception or two but for the most part the pups turn out just as I expected they would. The "puppy tests" are surprisingly accurate. 

The owners on the other hand are more often a different story. Most of them overstate their experience when it comes to raising and training a dog. The vast majority have a complete inability to read a dog or puppy. (Reading a dog refers to the body language, posture, sounds, movement and actions that a dog exhibits.) 

Some folks get hung up in political correctness when it comes to talking about canine behavior. They really bristle when someone tosses out a word like "Alpha". The thing you have to remember is that every single litter has a "pecking order" that is in constant motion. Very early on in the litters development a "Top dog" will emerge, as will a "Wallflower". There will be ongoing action with the rest of the litter as they compete for position or rank in the litter. This competition never stops as long as the litter is together. 

What most pet owners have a hard time grasping is the variability that exists between litters. All "Top Dog's" are not equal across differing litters. 

The thing to keep in mind is that while we're talking about Golden Retrievers, they are still dogs, and basic canine behavior inherent in all dogs still applies. 
Never forget that.


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