A good breeder will hopefully be honest with you. If your family is a quiet, low energy one and you’ve chosen a high energy puppy, they should let you know and suggest a different puppy. Or if you have a bunch of rowdy kids, a low energy/laid back puppy may not be the right fit. Be open to waiting for just the right puppy. This is a living being and not a stuffed animal. Choose a breeder that does temperament testing and gives you the results for each puppy. YOU should choose the puppy right for you and your family.
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Let’s be honest, all puppies are cute! But after you get past your initial impression, what do you have?
Well, you could have a laid back puppy, a wild, high energy puppy, a fearful puppy or a timid puppy. Or, you could have a middle of the road puppy (best case scenario).
When choosing a puppy, please look past the looks or size. Temperament is the most important (after health). Looks change..a lot, as puppies become adults. But a puppy’s temperament is for life.
While training can help with many negative temperament traits, and enhance the positive ones, some are just who they are. For example:
A puppy who barks a lot and whines a lot while with its litter will tend to be needy. This typically carries over after they go home. It can make training a challenge. Having a dog who demands attention with barking and whining tends to have separation anxiety as well. Dogs need to have time on their own. It’s not healthy for a dog to have constant attention. With covid, this has become a huge issue with families that need to home school or even worse, those that are starting to leave the home.
A timid puppy will need to be handled with care and patience. This type of temperament is not a good match for a family with children. It takes time for a timid puppy to gain confidence. Some take anywhere from a few weeks to months. Some will always be timid. It all depends on the individual dog. Most times, having another dog helps with the process.
Most owners think that the puppy who comes running up to them and “chooses” them is the perfect dog. That’s not always the case. That could be an overly exuberant puppy or needy puppy. Watching how the puppy interacts with its siblings, their breeder and strangers will give you a better gage for the puppy’s temperament.
Some breeders will tell you that puppies are puppies and all are great or they are all friendly and happy. After all, they are trying to sell their puppies. But the reality is, they all have their own personalities. Take a room of toddlers. You can see many different personalities, even at a young age. Most are just toddlers being toddlers but underneath, you can see subtle differences.
Every breed is different as well. Read up on the breed or parent breed if a mixed breed. Keep in mind, the smaller the breed, typically the shorter attention span and higher the energy. This is why most service dogs are standard size.
No puppy litter has all of the exact same temperaments. There are always differences. Puppy personalities start to show around the 4/5 week mark but more as each week passes. Never choose a puppy at birth. If a breeder requires this, run! With the high cost of puppies these days, you want to have more information before making your decision. A breeder should do videos of the litter interactions and with people. Typically, the negatives show before the positive.
Some breeders do temperament tests at the 7 week mark under the guidance of a trainer or from experience. I’ve seen quite a few and some are very good and some are worthless. I saw one breeder do the testing the day the puppies had their first vaccine. Of course every puppy was calm and easy going. They were wiped out from the vaccine!
If you are a special needs family, be sure to have a trainer select your puppy. Be as detailed as possible about your situation with both the breeder and the trainer. Not all dogs are suitable for therapy, ESA or service work.
Ultimately, the decision should be yours. Choose carefully!