Please help - Page 2

On basis of their pedigrees alone, there really isn't any significant differences between the two litters--and no matter which pup you select from which litter, there's always going to be a chance that the one you choose isn't what you were anticipating it would be...that's the nature of living things. 

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of dogs that hide behind their owners and bark at people; I prefer to see more confidence in a dog--but I also don't know if the dog was taught to stay behind the owner in greeting situations like that or not, as some owners will intentionally train the dog to retreat back behind them once the owner has arrived on the scene. As Chela appears to have had three previous litters, it would be worthwhile to inquire if the breeder could put you in touch with the owners of those offspring and arrange it so you could meet her older offspring and see what their temperaments are like.  Perhaps you could also find out about the soundness of the hips and elbows of those offspring as well--if she's produced several dysplastic pups already, that would give you fair warning that she could very well do so in this litter as well...or not.

In the end, it's going to come down to mother you like best, and which of the puppies you like best between the two litters. There's no magic method for deciding, unfortunately.

 

 

I gather this pup is a gift, a choice for which litter, but not a choice of which pup? If that's the case, then I think all the "pre-purchase" stuff is equivalent to "looking a gift horse in the mouth". Jmo.

On the other hand, I WOULD look a 'gift horse in the mouth'....probably why I never had a "Free Horse". I prefer to pay for what get, that way nobody gets insulted:-)

joanro, I get your meaning...but if I'm going to be living with this being for 12+ years, gift horse or not, I believe it's up to me to perform some due diligence to assess what type of temperament to expect--after all, I'll be paying the bills to care for the dog, and I'll also be the one whose homeowner's insurance would be hit up should I wind up with a nervous dog that nails someone as a result of that uncertainty. The younger bitch doesn't have anything on the ground prior to this litter to serve as an example, but the older one does, and if they seem nervous around a friendly stranger, I would lean toward the litter from the younger female on that basis alone.

JMO.

Right, hexe, that's why I said I WOULD look a gift horse in the mouth:-)

joanro, our posts crossed...LOL, I didn't figure you'd be shy about looking at that horse's mouth, either.  Let's face it--it costs more to provide for the wrong dog than it does for the right one, in the long run.

All other things equal, the litter that is being raised by the female with the better, more secure temperament should be the one you look to for a pup.