OK All Breeders Out There--This One Is For You!!!

anns5 · Junior Member Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 28

I grew up hearing things about which puppy to choose, or not choose, from any given litter. One of the things I recall was being told to avoid the runt in case they were not as healthy, wouldn't thrive as well, etc. I am not saying I have bought into any one piece of advice, including that one, but with that idea in mind, I have a question. Our breeder shares the puppies' weight gains with us from week to week prior to our choosing. Should there be anything from this information that I should use when considering my puppy? Is there a pattern I should see? Should I be concerned if one puppy consistently gains less than the others, or could one just assume it is genetically destined to be a smaller dog than its' littermates? At a month, can you assume that the biggest pup in the litter is going to always be bigger than the smallest pup in the litter, even as adults?

Thanks for your expertise as always!

Maureen · Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:07 am Post subject:

hey, I'll jump in on this one with my blunt-as-usual answer: WHY or HOW is this info helpful?
In one litter we had, the biggest puppy was a girl; she was first and foremost in the food dish at feeding time, and EVERY one of her brothers now is bigger than her, and weighs more than her by 10-15 lbs or more. I know that this looks like a male vs. female issue at maturity, but howcome it wasn't an issue at 6wks old? The RUNT of the litter outweighs her, and is taller than her!

I think your questioning will serve you well in choosing your puppy. I would be curious why your breeder reports on the weights? For me I weigh puppies in the first week or so to track that all are eating and gaining, but otherwise, I'm stumped why a puppy-family would need to know the weights and how they change from week to week.

_________________
~Maureen
LabradoodleRanch@aol.com
www.LabradoodleRanch.com

anns5 · Junior Member Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 28

I speculated that they weighed the pups each week to check progress, and that they just shared it with us because they had the information and they figured why not share it? Perhaps it gives some clients piece of mind that the pups are indeed thriving/progressing as one would hope, and confirms that this is being watched? I have no idea since I am not a breeder. I am obviously analytical so I thought, as I often do, that I would use any piece of information available to me if it was valid. Your example helps me understand that my line of questioning isn't really valid in any way, and that like in humans, mother nature works in mysterious ways! Thanks for your input. (I happen to like blunt people, by the way!)

gracielou · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 7:55 am Post subject:

In my opinion I would be asking questions like which pup is the most outgoing or most laidback depending on what you and your family wants. What are their coats like fleecy or hair coat, are they more labby built or poodle looking. I will have people ask me which one is the largest or smallest but most are concerned with the temperaments and coats and build. Hope this helps. I do weigh my pups and sometimes post with pictures on my site but only so buyers can see who is the largest or smallest mainly.
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Linda & Gracielou
Valley Center, KS
http://www.4pawspuppies.com

Maureen · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:23 am Post subject:

Hi, I think I need to clarify. I think your question as to why would you want/need to know your puppy's weight is a GREAT question! But I agree with Linda, that is way down the list of what I think is important, so I don't know why breeders track the weight past the first couple weeks. And I guess if you want to know the answer you'll ask your breeder why she sends that in her reports.

I guess I'm watching our puppies close enough that I don't weigh them after their eyes are open to determine their progress, and I'm terrible with paperwork, so I don't have that as part of our progress reports. Rolling Eyes

But that's just me, knowing my limits.

_________________
~Maureen
LabradoodleRanch@aol.com
www.LabradoodleRanch.com

dixiedi · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 10:27 pm Post subject:

I like posting the weights of my puppies along with their weekly picture simply because my buyers love it. A lot of my buyers do the puppy scrapbook and this is the kind of info they love to get on their puppies weekly progress. The best thing to do when picking a puppy is to give your breeder a description of what you are looking for, the breeder is the one that is with your puppy every day for 8 wks and is best suited to match you up with the right puppy Smile

What generation Labradoodle are you getting? I bet you can't wait for the next 4 wks to pass. This is a fun time, ENJOY!!!!
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Di & Archie

If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy...

anns5 · Junior Member Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 28

Thanks to everyone for weighing in--no pun intended! (groan...)
Wonderful advice from everyone as always. I definitely expressed to my breeder our priorities as being 1) temperament/personality-I described our family's lifestyle 2)coat type-no allergies here, would prefer curly coat though if available (I've already been researching the groomers out our way! and 3)gender as being least important

I was just wondering if growth patterns meant anything health-wise, or if there was any predicting that could be done, but size is not a main concern.

We can't wait to find out which one is ours!! Yes, the next few weeks are exciting. We began looking into labradoodles a year ago and have done a lot of reading (especially on this site!) and feel as ready as will ever be. With that said, I know I will be writing in quite a bit for more advice. Thank you again to all of you for your time in helping us new doodle owners out here. I'll let you know when we get him or her!

keywee · Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 11:01 am Post subject:

I am NOT a breeder, but wanted to add my 2 cents.

One thing our breeder did was insist that she have the final say on who takes which pup. Since she has observed them since birth and she knows the personalities of each pup in the litter best. We told her about our family and exactly what we were looking for, but ultimately we had to trust her to select the perfect puppy for us, and I am very glad to say that she did and Sawyer is a perfect fit for our family. For me, the color was not as important as the temperament. Besides, they are all so cute, I would want to take them all home!
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Susana, Sawyer and Huck