How to pick a puppy from a litter

When do you pick your puppy?

At 4 to 5 weeks. Reservations by gender and color open on the day a litter arrives, and the choice itself waits a few weeks, because by then temperament, eye color and coat are much easier to read.

A newborn puppy is mostly appetite and naps, and personality needs a little time to show. By pick time the bold ones and the quiet ones have started to sort themselves out, and your puppy still has until 9 weeks with its mama and littermates before it comes home with you.

We keep the right to hold the first pick of a litter back for breeding.

Can you tell a puppy's personality this young?

Only roughly, and puppy temperament tests are less help than their reputation. They can't reliably tell you how the grown dog will behave. In one study, puppies tested at 40 to 50 days old didn't match their own results at one and a half to 2 years, and in another, tests at 7 weeks couldn't predict how the same puppies acted at 16 weeks.

What helps more is the judgment of people who have watched those puppies grow since the day they were born. That's why we talk through your household and the dog you're hoping for before you choose, and it's why our application asks about your home and routine. The more you tell us, the better the match we can suggest.

What should you ask about the parents?

Ask to meet at least one of them, and ask about their health checks. Meet the mama or the papa if you can, and notice whether the breeder's own dogs come up friendly and outgoing or hang back. Ask to see any health certificates the parents have.

On our site, each puppy's page links to both of its parents. We are working toward health testing all of our mamas and papas, and the certificates we have are posted on each parent's page.

It's also fair to ask a breeder how long they've been at it. Our answer is 37 years, going back to 1989.

Should you choose by color?

If you love a particular color, reserve by it, and let temperament make the final call. Our pairings are planned, and where we have DNA results for a mama and papa, they help us plan the colors a litter may carry.

Color reads better at 4 to 5 weeks than at birth, which is one more reason the final choice waits. In some breeds one color is asked for more than the rest, so if a color matters to you, say so on the application, where there's room to describe your dream puppy. Our Miniature Schnauzer, Shih Tzu and Cavalier colors guides go through what each breed comes in.

What happens when you visit?

Come by here in Syracuse, Indiana, during our hours, or ask about another time or a video call if the drive is too long. Either way, bring your questions, from how big the dog will get and how much grooming it needs to how it does with children and other pets, and our breed guides answer most of those for the breeds we raise.

Don't be put off if a breeder limits handling of very young puppies. A careful breeder may take precautions on a first visit, even asking for gloves or protective clothing, to keep illness away from a litter too young to have finished its shots.

When you've found the one, how it works walks through the deposit and go-home day.