# Picking a puppy from a litter



## Discoverer

There is lots of techniques and methods of how to make a selection. Would be interesting to know how you choose your puppy. We are getting close to the pick up day and any advices from the personal experience will be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you.


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## goldensrbest

Usually ,the breeder has picks, for you to choice from, what will suit you best, you pick from them.


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## Lilliam

Our breeder picked, and she picked the absolutely perfect puppy for us, although I must say that Max picked us when we met the litter!

If you are able to pick out of the litter, go for the middle puppy. Don't go for the first to come to you nor the one that lags behind. Hold him like a baby in your arms, belly up, and see if he accepts that quietly and relaxes. Throw a set of keys behind him and see if he looks at them with curiosity but doesn't shy away. Clap your hands and see if he looks with curiosity but doesn't slink away. If you have room, move away from the litter and see their positions when they follow you, pick the second or third puppy.

If you want a pet, you want the middle puppy, confident but not dominant, calm, curious and not shy, you don't want him to resent noises and you want one who will accept being on his back without fussing. Not that you will dominate over a puppy in training but you do want his personality to accept leadership.

When faced with a litter and I got to choose, this is what I look for, and it always worked for me. I still did this with Max even though I knew I wouldn't pick, and he was the perfect middle puppy, although the entire litter was an absolute dream. He turned out to be the perfect golden for us.


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## Rainheart

Maybe ask your breeder if they can guide you in the right direction as well.


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## Ljilly28

I have certain things that I just require to be happy( like my opinion of a beautiful head/expression, nice angles, good prosternum, decent tail set) and certain things I can compromise on ( color/ bite/ hocks/coat within reason). I'd rather take a puppy with excellent overall balance, and a few flaws, than one with an outstanding feature or two. I have studied and studied to be able to see with my eye what is not enough leg and what is too much leg, what is too long in the body etc. Nonetheless, I think it comes down to a temperament / activity level that fits right most importantly. A pup who is friendly, food and/or toy motivated is much easier to train than one who is either very independent or already fearful. The breeder is much more able to say who is who in terms of personality.


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## paula bedard

Congrats on your new pup. When we brought home our first pup, he was the only pup still available....and thank goodness for that! Sam became my canine soul mate and constant companion. He was meant to be mine. When time came to pick Ike, we were 2nd pick male, Ike made the decision for us. He parked himself in my hubby's lap and stayed there. Still a bit uncertain with so many pups to choose from (8 males), I asked the Breeder who she thought had the temperament and traits we were looking for and she pointed right to Ike. Lightening struck twice! Ike is perfect also. =)


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## Jige

I asked my breeder to pick for me. I want a pup with drive that isnt afraid of new things. I want to do hunt, tracking, agility and therapy work with my dog and my breeder knows all of this so she can watch them and see which will work best ofr me. 

Have you talked to your breeder do they know what you want in a dog? I am sure that if you express all of your desires they will help you pick the perfect dog for your family.


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## scottie

Charlie's breeder had 2 pups left from a litter of 10, when we went to see them, they all looked the same!!
The breeder picked out the 2 available pups and to be honest there wasn't much to tell them apart, but Charlie just looked at me and that was it 
I think you can look for the health tests, listen to the breeder, handle the pup but somehow a little voice inside guides you to your pup (not very scientific, but has always worked out well for me ).
Good luck


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## wyldeflower

When i bought my last retriever Connor i was second choice after the breeder ..so when i went to collect mine they were all their on display and i got to take the one i wanted .
I think thats a fair way to do it you pay your money and take it in turn of who paid first. I dont think its a fair system that some breeders use.


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## sterregold

Since you are looking for a performance prospect, I would go with your breeder's selection. They have seen those little fuzzballs every day for 8 weeks and know their most consistent attitudes and temperament. What you see on any given visit can be a one-off behaviour wise. They will know who seems to have the best combination of strong structure, biddability, and smarts for what you want to do.

I do not let my puppy people choose their pups. They can chose sex, and then I ask them to give me a pretty detailed description of what they are looking for, whether they want show/performance/companion, family situation (kids, other pets), experience with dogs, and I match the pups to them. I take note of who they interact with well on their visits, and most often the pup I match to them is one of the couple of pups they have been loving!


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## Lilliam

Some breeders breed multi purpose dogs, show dogs, and working dogs. It would not be a good idea to have someone select a show puppy if the intention is not to show. Similarly a puppy with a high drive (suited for field) would not be a good match for a pet home or a home with adults who lead more sedentary lives.
The breeder, through knowledge of the lines and what each puppy displays, would be best suited to know who should go to which home. From there, I suppose there can be a choice. 
Our breeder picked for us and she picked the perfect pup. Lucky for us, it was the same puppy who had picked us!!!


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## Shalva

sterregold said:


> I do not let my puppy people choose their pups. They can chose sex, and then I ask them to give me a pretty detailed description of what they are looking for, whether they want show/performance/companion, family situation (kids, other pets), experience with dogs, and I match the pups to them. I take note of who they interact with well on their visits, and most often the pup I match to them is one of the couple of pups they have been loving!


this is exactly what I do. there is no... well I paid my money and in what order they paid... nope that is just not how it works and everyone knows that from the start. They all get the pick puppy for them. I match pups with people and its really interesting because they almost always get the pup that they have wanted and the puppies totally know which person is theirs. But no nobody picks and I would rely on your breeder. If your breeder is not helpful and doesn't know then that is something that you might want to think about before you bring your puppy home... is this the breeder that you want? because when you are buying a puppy you are also getting a breeder.


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## sterregold

Shalva said:


> They all get the pick puppy for them.


This is a good way of stating it!

In my most recent litter that just went home, there was one boy that was just hell on wheels compared to his siblings. Pushy!! With some of my quieter families he was trying to take toys and pushing other pups aside. He would have walked all over them! But with the folks I matched him to, he has to behave; they are very experienced Golden owners, and will do agility, dock diving and lots of stuff with him so he will have a focused outlet for that energy!


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## Loisiana

Well I can tell you what I looked for and picked at puppy testing and then warn you that 99.98 percent of people should run (and run fast!) from the what I was looking for. I picked the pushy puppy. The one that was scared of nothing - didn't even hesitate when the umbrella popped open, just charged at it and started playing with it. I picked the one who when put on his back said "hey you can't make me do that!" and threw a bit of a tantrum about it, because I wanted a pup with some fight in him.

Definately not the way to go with most people, but he's great for me


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## Shalva

Loisana 

I had two folks over the years that were allowed to pick their puppy they wanted to show AND do performance events and were highly experienced... high powered obedience and agility folks... they both chose the pushiest, bossiest puppy in the litter..and those pups worked out great for them....


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## Titan1

Shalva said:


> Loisana
> 
> I had two folks over the years that were allowed to pick their puppy they wanted to show AND do performance events and were highly experienced... high powered obedience and agility folks... they both chose the pushiest, bossiest puppy in the litter..and those pups worked out great for them....


Give me those naughty pushy boys any day! Titan was exactly what I described I wanted to the breeder. She picked him and he was perfect!


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## SterlingValleyGoldens

Lilliam said:


> Our breeder picked, and she picked the absolutely perfect puppy for us, although I must say that Max picked us when we met the litter!
> 
> If you are able to pick out of the litter, go for the middle puppy. Don't go for the first to come to you nor the one that lags behind. Hold him like a baby in your arms, belly up, and see if he accepts that quietly and relaxes. Throw a set of keys behind him and see if he looks at them with curiosity but doesn't shy away. Clap your hands and see if he looks with curiosity but doesn't slink away. If you have room, move away from the litter and see their positions when they follow you, pick the second or third puppy.
> 
> If you want a pet, you want the middle puppy, confident but not dominant, calm, curious and not shy, you don't want him to resent noises and you want one who will accept being on his back without fussing. Not that you will dominate over a puppy in training but you do want his personality to accept leadership.
> 
> When faced with a litter and I got to choose, this is what I look for, and it always worked for me. I still did this with Max even though I knew I wouldn't pick, and he was the perfect middle puppy, although the entire litter was an absolute dream. He turned out to be the perfect golden for us.


i'll ditto everything you said! Great advice.


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## Braccarius

*My Guide To Picking the Perfect Puppy*

1.) Find a reputable Golden Retriever breeder that does all clearances and is transparent.
2.) Walk into the middle of a group of said Golden Retriever Puppies.
3.) Bend at the knee's (not the waist)
4.) Pick up any and all puppies in your vicinity.
5.) Success... get icecream.


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## SterlingValleyGoldens

Braccarius said:


> *My Guide To Picking the Perfect Puppy*
> 
> 1.) Find a reputable Golden Retriever breeder that does all clearances and is transparent.
> 2.) Walk into the middle of a group of said Golden Retriever Puppies.
> 3.) Bend at the knee's (not the waist)
> 4.) Pick up any and all puppies in your vicinity.
> 5.) Success... get icecream.


 
Love #4 and #5! Muahaha


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## Sally's Mom

Actually, my favorite is when a potential puppy owner has read a book that focuses on dominance... then proceeds to attempt the "techniques" on my puppies... I would ask the breeder's advice on what they think will mesh with the future you see with your puppy.


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## Discoverer

Braccarius said:


> *My Guide To Picking the Perfect Puppy*
> 
> 1.) Find a reputable Golden Retriever breeder that does all clearances and is transparent.
> 2.) Walk into the middle of a group of said Golden Retriever Puppies.
> 3.) Bend at the knee's (not the waist)
> 4.) Pick up any and all puppies in your vicinity.
> 5.) Success... get icecream.


It's a best guide I've ever seen and I bet it works


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## lyssie

i agree w/ Lilliam's post !!!

when Mum & Dad brought home Jack (i never saw him/knew they were getting him so it was a big surprise for myself & Clyde) the breeders told them that Jack was the smallest of the litter but he was first at EVERYTHING !!!!! if the other puppies had a toy, HE would get it. Jack won every battle over toys. he never gave up until the toy was his. 

well... this part of his nature never left him until the day he left us. Jack had to have EVERYTHING FIRST !!!

so i guess what you see as a pup pretty much stays with them i think ...

when we were looking at pups recently i wanted the 'orange' one because he reminded me so much of Jack and i missed him so much. He was first at everything, into everything and had never ending energy !! He was already taken so i opted for 'pale blue' which is now 'Yogi' and he fell into the brakets described in Lillian's post. and i'm so happy it worked out that way because i love Yogi.

My dad has always picked our goldies in the past as he has had them for years. He looks a lot at the parents and the parents nature, colour, conformation, temperment too. It's funny because he's not into pale goldies at all and Clydie was almost white as a puppy and we got him because he was the last male left. and Dad said he would normally never pick him, his eye colour wasn't 'traditional' etc. but he turned out to be the bestest dog we've (and my Dad) has ever had !!!


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## Sophie_Mom

Our breeder picked both times for us. There were only 2 pups, both girls, left the first time around. Mac thought "little blue girl" would be perfect for us. He was so right. Sophie was our perfect, angelic, obedient, pleasing first Golden. She was so easy, we decided to do it all over again! 

With Sawyer's litter, I wanted a puppy to challenge Sophie a little bit and have enough confidence left over for her to borrow some from. Mac knew Sophie, he knew us, and he knew our family. I know I drove him nuts, because I was trying to pick favorites the whole time. Eventually, they chose 2 puppies for me to choose from, but because I really DID trust them to make the right choice for us, I asked them to pick. Turns out it was little orange boy, the one I had loved all along! He has been perfect for us. Trust your breeder, they know those puppies better than anyone else. When we have another dog come live with us, I'll trust Mac to know who will work with us.


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## jenlaur

We wanted a girl and had a choice between 2 in the litter. We spent about and hour playing with them both. In the end we chose the one that was not chewing on the baseboards. Best dog we've ever had


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## Florabora22

I asked Flora's breeder to help me since I didn't know how to go about it and he shrugged his shoulders and said all the dogs would be the same. So I just sat on the floor and watched the dogs play for a while.

I initially had chosen out a dog I really liked but the breeder insinuated that his wife "really liked" that particular puppy, so I put that puppy down and just kept observing. Finally, Flora came up to me and wandered into my lap and proceeded to bite me and my shoelaces. : I figured what the heck, I'll take the bitey one!


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## cory

Our breeder picked Dakota for us. I told her that we had two children (ages 4 & 5) and an 11 year old dog so we needed a dog that could just merge into our family. She picked the perfect puppy for us. I would definitely do it the same way again.


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