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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on March 21, 2008 at 10:18am

Welcome Bridget. In my experience, it has a lot to do with the puppy's personality itself. some puppies are magnets / shadow type that just will not leave your sight. Others are more independent, adventurous. So when you go and pick out a pup, think about what your lifestyle would be, will you be active? what kind of companion would you like?

In my case, we wanted the middle of the pack, kinda independent, but not clingy. so we didn't choose the first one that fight for our attention or the one that didn't even come to us when calling.

My girl Vienna is a beta dog, all bark and no bite, she is the first one that yell foul in situations :) but she is very sweet, loyal. I can walk her without leash and she will remain 5-6 feet with me, she is attentive, always keep an eye on me and waiting for command.

My boy Mocha is the true alpha dog, nothing rattles him, when serious situation arise, he will then spring into action. He is more independent, prefer to chill, watch the world goes around. He is easy to walk, extremely friendly towards strangers, kids and other dogs.

So don't feel like you need to rush and must pick out one out of the pack, when you see a perfect one, you'll know :)

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Permalink Reply by Bridget on March 21, 2008 at 1:33pm

Thanks Sam for your input. I appreciated the insight. We now have several very long weeks to wait until they are old enough to see much of a personality developing . But the time will fly, I am sure!

Did you use a soft sided carrier or a hard plastic crate or a wire cage for your crates?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on March 21, 2008 at 3:37pm

I actually have soft sided and wire cage as well. At home i think a wire cage is best, at least for beginners, since they're going to have accidents. if you want one for the car, soft sided is great for portability, but the fabric tend to trap scents and you may not be able to wash it well.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy, Curtis and Triley on March 21, 2008 at 11:03am

Hi Bridget!

We also heard that boys are a little less aggressive than the girls, so we decided to get a male puppy. When we got to the breeders we had a few boys to choose from. We narrowed it down to two, and then realized that one of the pups would just sit in our laps and lick us, while the other one was very independent, running all over and (playfully) biting us. We both really wanted a sweet little dog that would (somewhat) obey us...

So, we went with the little guy who liked our laps! To this day Triley (even though he is almost full grown) still spends considerable amounts of time in our laps and is always licking. Of course, we carried him around all the time as a pup, bring him up on the bed to snuggle with us on cold mornings and generally encourage his cuddly behavior.

That isn't to say that Triley doesn't play and isn't independent when he wants to be - he runs all over the house with his toys, is great with fetch, growls at his toys to show them who's boss and sleeps on "his" couch when he wants space, barks when he is excited, etc - which is great!

I agree that you should meet the pups and see which one fits your personality and lifestyle. Since Curtis and I are such pushovers, we knew we couldn't get a girl because she would rule the house... and yet, I'm pretty sure Triley is king of the castle anyways... ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on March 21, 2008 at 12:01pm

While I believe there are general personality male/female differences, the bottom line does depend on the personality of the individual dog, Also some breeders may breed for more confident, independent genetics and other breeders breed for a bit softer personality in their dogs.

You should be able to rely quite a bit on your breeder in selecting the puppy that is the best match for your personality and lifestyle. He/she will be observing and touching the puppies daily for at least their first 8 weeks, and will know which puppies are bolder, softer, cuddlier, more or less active, etc. If you can be very descriptive of your lifestyle and what personality traits you'd prefer in your pup, the breeder can be quite valuable in matching you up.

Congrats on the upcoming puppy! You're in for a lot of fun and smiles. : - )

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Permalink Reply by Sam on March 21, 2008 at 6:57pm

I do think girls are a bit more moody and pushy then the boys generally speaking. Choosing a middle of the pack kind of personality often makes good sense. Girls usually like to be "on" you where boys generally are happy to be with you. In my crew I find the boys to be much more "happy go lucky" and tolerant.

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