[1male1n1f]

Hi. This is a great forum. I have decided to add a second poodle and want her to be compatible with Norman. The breeder's dog are in great demand. In fact I find well bred toy white female poodle puppy are scarce. Breeder used to wait until they were at least 8 weeks old and knew and would advise as to a puppy's temperament. This breeder wants me to pick between two girls that are only 2 weeks old or 2 newborns. Is this how breeders do it now? I would like to have a sense of the puppy's personality and energy level before adopting it. (Also,does anyone know of any other breeders who may have toy white female puppies for sale - preferably with Syntifny Piece of the Rock bloodlines?)

 

[lily cd re]

There is no meaningful way to choose a puppy based on the most important criterion you should have, temperament and any age younger than five weeks and more ideally older age.

 

[Raindrops]

I would not be comfortable with this. I would seek a breeder that picks later. Clearly this breeder is not interested in holding back any pups for their own program, so they must only be breeding for profit.

 

[Starla]

I have used 2 different breeders in the past year. With Starla’s breeder, I had first pick black female, and I could pick when I wanted any time prior to pickup. I chose at 7 weeks. With Phoebe’s breeder, I also lucked into first pick female, and I think I’m picking when I pick her up. On one hand, I can’t imagine choosing blind like that, on the other hand, I’ve had many dogs, adopted at many ages, with many different personalities and they’ve all worked out.

 

[Eclipse]

No matter how much I wanted a puppy, I would absolutely not work with one that was forcing me to choose from either newborns or 2-week olds. Responsible breeders temperament test to select which puppy is best for which home. I just brought home a new performance prospect Standard puppy that was selected for me in consultation with the breeder after temperament testing at 7 weeks and conformation evaluation at 8 weeks. I suggest you reach out to the appropriate Poodle Club of America breeder referral contact based on your location and get a list of responsible breeders to work with depending on what you are looking for in your puppy - family pet, performance or show prospect, etc. PCA National Breeder Referral - The Poodle Club of America

 

[TeamHellhound]

There really isn't any way to know if you are picking the right puppy at that age. A good breeder should be matching puppies to buyers based on observing the litter as they grow, and probably do standard temperament tests at appropriate ages.

The litter my pup is coming from had five boys, one phantom, one sable, and three blues. I had my heart set on the phantom (I've wanted one for decades), but as he got older, he became unhappy about people raising their voice, and showed a strong aversion to a (fake) temper tantrum in his temperament testing at seven weeks. He's going to a quieter home, and I'm getting one of the blues who wanted to play with the person having the "tantrum".

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I’m sorry. This must be terribly frustrating. They should want to set their puppies up for success. What would you even base your decision on at such a young age?

Peggy’s breeder does selections at 4 weeks, which is still far too early. But they reserve the right to make last minute changes to owner’s picks, if they don’t feel a home is going to be the right fit.

 

[Misteline]

Much too early to pick. Especially given that you have an existing dog who's needs and personality need to be considered. Your instincts are saying this is wrong for you and you should trust them.

 

[dogsavvy]

Let me preface what I'm about to say by telling you I can say this from a breeder's perspective. I understand that some of them get under a LOT of pressure. Once upon a time I was a breeder of working dogs (different breed than Poodles). I had a very long wait list. I had people making demands. I had people pleading, offering me bribes (double & triple puppy price) to bump the line, skip the line, choose their puppy before everyone else. I fully understand the temptations to allow the buyer to drive the bus... here's the thing. Before I bought my first dog with the intention of breeding (believe me I put the time & effort in prior to embarking on that journey) I made up my mind that my dogs & my puppies came first & I would not allow $ to drive me into doing anything wrong. So what does that mean? I wanted to set up not only the puppies for success but the owners/families who ended up with my puppies. Keep in mind I had working dogs who protected human life by force when necessary & some of those dogs lived in homes with infants, toddlers, elderly people, etc... so that meant extreme care in the selection & placements of puppies. When you have working dogs there is always a guy who wants the biggest, bst, toughest, alpha-est pup in the litter. And with maybe 1 exception in my years, these are generally the men who can not handle the biggest, baddest, toughest, alpha-est pup unless they abuse the pup & turn him into a monster or break him into a scared dog which is actually more dangerous. Part of a breeder's responsibilities is to protect buyers from themselves. They don't live with the puppies, I did. I knew my puppies intimately. I spent hours sitting, observing my litters. I knew the dominant pups, the mild pups. I knew which pup was going to be a little difficult when it came to male/male or female/female encounters with other dogs.

You can NOT do this at 2 days old or 2 weeks old. Can...NOT...be...done unless God himself is telling you so. Puppies' personalities develop & even 6 weeks can be debatable. I've had pups that I thought, "Okay that's the pup for the family with 3 sweet little kids" but by week 7, I'm telling them..."nope, I thought I had the pup but he's going to be a bit much. I do however have a female who would be perfect. They didn't want a female (which was okay by me, as I would refund their deposit, this was NOT their fault) but the family wanted to meet the little female & it was love at first sight. She went straight to their daughter & lay on her back like a baby. She licked the little girl's face & any time she would get approached by another puppy, she would get up & run her sibling off. This was HER kid. While the parents debated, the little female ended up wearing a doll bonnet on her head & a ribbon around her neck & she pranced around with her new puppy-wear like she had been named Queen of the world. She was a perfect little lady with everyone else & they later told me she was the best dog they've ever had. THIS is why you don't allow or force people to choose puppies based on color or based on an early look. Had I allowed the "lock in" of this male pup for them that was everything they wanted except temperament & personality... totally wrong for this family. Their kids were the sort who read to the dog, who played hide & go seek with her, who were just gentle gentle children. On the flip side, the male they thought they wanted went to live with a household of rough & tumble boys, who spoke his language & he was a champion football thief. The parents told me they never had such tired boys because Hercules would steal the football & make them chase him & by the time it was showers, homework, & then bedtime... they were all pooped (boys & dogs). MUCH better fit.

I would not put money, time, or faith in a breeder who was insisting I make a choice like that at 2 days or 2 weeks on a dog who would become my family member for the next 10+ years. I understand being pressured by new puppy owners who want to know which pup is theirs but doing the right thing for everyone involved is far greater than what happens when you allow this & you end up with pups in the pound, being euthanized, & your reputation is in shreds because you allowed this. I've been on both sides... this is my opinion

 

[Starvt]

I agree with dog-savvy, I breed a guardian breed and there is absolutely no way I allow people to choose before 7 weeks.
On the other hand, I do know a very conscientious poodle breeder, she says that her lines are so consistent that the puppies are all very close in temperament. She says that in her opinion, any of her families for a specific litter would be a good match for any of the puppies, so she does picks at 3 weeks I think.
(Earlier is just asking for trouble, you would want to make sure they all survive the fragile first few weeks)