Kathy's daughter posted more pictures of the puppies today. She said that the darker faced puppy is really shy but is starting to play a little. The white faced one, and I quote "is a brat".

Who would you pick and why? We need all the help we can get.

What does she mean shy? A shy puppy can be an insecure one and might have issues later if not rooted out, or maybe it is just lazy and could care less about the other litter mates. A "brat" sounds like it can be more work for you and probably more destructive. If you go visit the pups again before choosing I would look at the two personalities for yourself.

Between shy and outgoing, I would want a more secure, confident and outgoing personality over one that is insecure, shy, or potentially fearful.

It really depends on you and how your lifestyle is. Nova was "Shy" with his litter but has since come out of his shell and is the social bird.

Are you able to meet both puppies before you pick? Personally I would go there and see which one plays with you more. We weren't able to do that with Nova (he was last one and no one wanted him). Both have cute markings from the picture.

If the breeder is really working with the puppies every day a seemingly more shy puppy can overcome it's fears and be a very confident puppy with the proper nurturing.

Also - a puppy born in a litter may appear "shy" but it could also just be the environment and the littermates.

Niraya wrote:

Also - a puppy born in a litter may appear "shy" but it could also just be the environment and the littermates.

That is true, how big is the litter?
(Side note: Nova's was part of 9 pup litter. And the breeder has a lot of dogs on her property too. = shy pup)

I have a question, have you met these puppies yet, or are you planning to pick and take home the same day? The reason I ask is that it may be a good idea to go visit and play with them awhile. Then go home and decide. It's gonna be tough if you have to decide in one day and then take him/her home that same day.

That being said, I would always pick the outgoing puppy. But its a personal preference. Frankly all puppies are brats lol. I try for well-balanced puppies, hard to pick I know. But just because a puppy is shy around his littermates, doesn't always mean he'll end up shy. It is sometimes possible to help a shy pup overcome his fears.

It is so tough to choose, I had pick of the litter out of 7 pups, it was hard. Good luck! They are both adorable!

I would go with the outgoing personality. We were told Alki was really shy. We've had him since January and he is still scared of strangers. :/.

Our breeder had a puppy that she described as having "alpha dog behavior". I loved her (and had really gone to get her), but I did not really want that battle. Naughty behavior is not the same as a belligerent alpha. I would not pick the shy dog. I like confidence with a little bit of spunkiness even if that does make training just a tad harder.

I'll try to answer all the questions with quoting everyone. No, I have not met the puppies yet. We will be going this coming Saturday (March 2nd) to meet and pick out one. There were only 2 puppies in the litter. Kathy is a wonderful lady, she has one teenage daughter at home and the other comes home on the weekends to help. The puppies are getting a lot of attention and are being played with.

She did say that one one with the darker face is shy but is starting to come around and play more. I did notice in the pictures she sent the other (white face) was the one running the show, chewing on everything, climbing on top of the other one and so on.

The lady that will be buying the other puppy is going to be there at 11am Saturday and Kathy said we could come as early as we wanted. We plan to be there about 9am. She said if that wasn't enough time for us to decide that she would call Melissa and ask her to wait so we have time to pick just the right puppy.

Here is a new picture.

Ahh ok didn't realize they were the only two in the litter. They sure are cute. I had a truly alpha Greyhound. She was really really alpha, including over my kids, or so she thought. It took a lot of time and effort on my part to get her to understand that though she may be alpha over my male greyhound, she was NOT alpha over any human in the household lol. It did work, and she quickly became my heartdog. When she had to be put down it broke my heart.

Since there are only two, it makes it hard to determine whether white face puppy is being alpha, or just being normal puppy bratty. Do you have other pets?

Can I ask how old the pups are? If 8 weeks you will be picking and bringing her home right away? If the black face pup is starting to play more, it could be she is a bit overwhelmed by her more boisterous sister. Plan on taking your time when you go, really play with them, let them come to you. You'll know which one to pick! Good luck, they are so darn cute how could you go wrong either way lol!

The puppies are 7 weeks now, will be 8 weeks when we go pick her out (bringing her home the same day). We are planning to go over a couple hours before the other lady arrives. Kathy said we could have more time if we needed it. I'm leaning toward the dark face puppy, have been from day one, but that could change as soon as we meet them.

I wouldn't base how the puppy acts with the litter mate on picking them...see how they act with you. I would pick the puppy that was more interested in me than anything else.

I tried to talk my husband into letting me have them both, that got me a big fat no. If the other puppy wasn't already sold I would whine until my husband said yes. lol!

I agree with Roxy, see how they interact with your family. HAHA my husband said yes immediately to getting another, since Balon is his buddy. He could do without the lab lol, but she is my girl!

cinnamonbits wrote:

I wouldn't base how the puppy acts with the litter mate on picking them...see how they act with you. I would pick the puppy that was more interested in me than anything else.

Thanks! I'm hoping at least one of the 2 like us. lol

Play with both puppues together then both alone. The "shy" one could just be overwhelmed like was already said. I try to go for the middle of the road puppy, but with two extremes, i would always take the confident one! Good luck!