Choosing a pup

[Danni and Freya]

Have just had the news that the litter I am choosing from has been born. This will be the first time I have ever chosen a puppy as Freya was the only bitch in the litter and I knew I wanted a bitch. I am hoping you have some tips and advice when selecting a pup, there are three dogs, of which I have first choice. I am getting him from the same breeder, so I know and trust them, they are raised in the home with children. I just have no idea how I will select one out of the three  I guess a lot of it will come down to gut feeling on the day but if anyone has some advice please share 

[spanielcrazy]

Think about what you want in an adult and choose accordingly  If you want a laid back adult, pick a laid back puppy. If you can handle a more active pup then take the one who is in your face.  Don't take the litter bully if you don't want Freya bullied.

Its not totally foolproof, sometimes a smaller quieter littermate will blossom in his own home away from the litter "politics"  but most of the time it works well. Your breeder can assist with this also.

Then of course there is the "love at first sight" factor.....

[Danni and Freya]

Bullying is a key concern as Freya is a very submissive, though also confident pup. Should I therefore go for a very calm pup? Then I worry would it be a nervous dog and hard to socialise? 

[spanielcrazy]

Should I therefore go for a very calm pup?

Key word is calm  Calm but confident, have the breeder keep an eye out for one like that. Shouldn't grow up to be nervous at all 

[black taz]

When i choose Kira, i did it by elimination rather than selection.  There were 3 bitches, the first one rejected was podgier that the other two and seemed content to just sit there - bearing in mind Taz is very active, i didnt think they would blend.  The choice out of the last two was more difficult as they were very similar in looks and personality, but Kira had the softer/glossier coat, which i preferred.  never regretted my decision, although OH still thinks we should have gone for the quiet one!

[Coco]

What age do you have to pick at and how many times do you get to see them? They really change by the week and just one visit can be deceptive. I'd tell the breeder what you want so they can look out for it as Spanielcrazy says and then, i'm a big believer, it comes down to gut instinct 

[supergirl]

I was the same as you when I got my first cocker, I wanted a girl and there was only one available, so it made choosing easy.  Then when I lost Indie and 6 months later was looking for another pup, I was the first to view the litter.  Again wanted another girl and there were 5 to choose from, all the same colour - to be fair I went to see them at 3 weeks and it was too early really, pups were just eating and sleeping so there wasn't an awful lot to to tell them apart.  I could never be sure that I got the pup that I selected, but it doesn't matter, I'm so happy to have Misha.  However, when it came to choosing Roly, I had reserved a blue roan and tan boy, but when I met him at 5 weeks I knew that he wasn't for us.  There were two other boys available, a liver roan and tan and tri-colour (Roly).  Roly was the only one out of the 3 that really was happy to be handled and really wanted the attention, loved to be cuddled and he just won my heart.  He was the most forward and the other two seemed quite grumpy by comparison.  I was torn really if I had gone by colour alone I would have chosen the liver roan and tan.

[Linz13]

With my 1st dog, the gorgeous Murphy, he was chosen the night he was born the only white one in the letter.  A few weeks on and he was terrorising all the other pups, keeping them awake.  He's a total pudding and I love him.

Maddi was the only bitch left, but fate chose well 

[Danni and Freya]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I feel a bit more prepared now. I like the process of elimination idea. I have asked the breeder when I need to have taken my pick by, as I understand he will then need to advertise the other two dogs. I was worried about going too early as it would be hard to judge character while they were tiny. Freya was four weeks when I met her and that seemed a good age as they were running round and showing thier personalities. Im really looking forward to it, I am already biased on colour as there is a black with a white bib like Freya, so I will be leaning towards that one! The main thing is I want one who won't be too much for Freya to handle, as she is fairly submissive. She loves other dogs though so i'm not too worried  cant wait