Back at square one ... puppy update!

Well, some of you know through PMing that there’s been a slight change in plans with our pup. Welllllll, to sum up … we were originally in line for the first Blenheim girl from our awesome breeder (two litters were born close to each other). Subsequently, only one girl turned out to not be “show-y” and was unofficially reserved for us. I posted her precious pic the other day.

Anyhoo, as I’ve been talking to our breeder over the last few days, I’m hearing more and more that this little girl is DEFINITELY the most dominant in her litter. Apparently, she is feisty, bossy, aggressive (can puppies even BE aggressive??). My breeder actually used the word “HELLION!” icon_devil :fool: LOLOLOLOL!!!!! :lol: Oooooh my goodness, I don’t know about you guys, but this obviously worries me a bit. Yes yes, I know – it’s nearly impossibly for a Cavalier to have a “bad” personality. I know if we ended up taking the girl that we would love her to death, but I really feel as if we would be better off in the long run if we chose one of the boys, who she says are much more laid-back and sweet. I gave her a list of traits I wanted our dog to have, and she said the 3 boys I could look at have ALL of those awesome qualities (lap dog, friendly, laid-back, affectionate). She is being insanely generous with me to let me have all these choices!!! So lucky here.

The reason I’m having an issue with this is that I’ve always imagined having a female dog at some point icon_whistling (always owned male dogs growing up), and I’m sort of giving that up. But of course I know that the sex is ABSOLUTELY not important … it’s the individual dog, plain and simple!

I wasn’t going to do this, but …. I must share this pic of one of the litters (for a short time only). I may be biased, but I think they are just about the most insanely adorable puppers I’ve ever seen!!!!!!!!



So you guys …what to do, what to do?? ….. I need some honest opinions. Talk me through this. And now here comes the fun part … how on EARTH am I to pick one out from all the cuteness?????? :lotsaluv:

P.S. We visit for the first time the beginning of April … they’ll be 9 weeks. b*n*n*

:w*w: You have got a hard choice I like the one from the right that is sitting down but then I would like all of them----Aileen and the gang (Jazzie---Barney----Sam)

I like the 3 standing up, the 2 sat down and the 1 at the front EASY:lol: :lol:

Anna (Mum of Harvey)

It wouldn't put me off picking a puppy that was lively and a bit bossy after all she is still with her litter mates and its quite normal you will find once she goes off to her new home she will have no litter mates to boss and will settle very fast

i prefer a lively one if your going to show

How about you let the puppy choose you?
When you go for your visit just watch and see who comes to you over and over again, there may be one that you just instantly bond with regardless of the qualities that you require......

I myself like the bossy and feisty ones, the one with all the character...a bit of a challange!

Alison.

Bit of a dilemma you have there. They are all very good looking pups so thats one thing.
I have never had a girl and although a lot of people say there is little or no difference between the two I find the female and male cavaliers that I have come in to contact with there is a difference and so it is hard for me to give you any clever advice.

But..... Harry was by far the most "HELLION" pup in his litter and very pushy, would steal all the food etc etc. I just fell in love with him as everytime I went to see them he would come and sit on my foot, and so against all the advice I ended up getting him (wasn't even looking at the litter for myself or in the market for a dog but thats another story).

Anyway and this is the part that may help you ? whenever I did and do training with the boys whether it be in a class or by myself Harry will excel. All the trainers love him as he picks everything up very quick and I have been told many times he would be well suited to agility, he toilet trained quicker and seems to just get it.
So maybe there are benefits that outway the negatives and maybe the advice of not choosing the dominant puppy is not always true ??

He still does have an attitude and at times will do things (or try) on his terms but with the right training I believe he would do well with anything I took the time to teach him. The only down side is compared to Digby who will cuddle or kiss on command Harry only gives snuggles and kisses when he feels like it and doesn't like to be fussed too much (more independant I guess) but also he has some health issues and I often think his body is probably sore and sensitive at times which is why he may not like to be touched and cuddled at anytime. He is still very loving and cavalier like though.

Hope this helps ?

lady was the dommiant one in the litter, we picked her because she came up to us and we bonded with her more than the other pups. Does that make sense. And as inca said when she got home she camled down a bit. I am really pleased we picked her she's very lively and a pain in the bum to train but with the right treats we are getting there. As she's getting older she's quite happy to sit on our laps all night as long as you hold her rawhide! As she is running round the house like a looney!

they almost all look the same to me! Its gonna be a tough decision. DOes the breeder live clos eenough so you can go see which boy puppy you would like better?

I have to agree with Inca on this one. I think that once the pup is away from the litter situation, things may change. Now having said that, I personally like boys better. Based on my experience with our 3 boys and 9 girls, I have come to believe that old cliche "The girls love you but the boys are in love with you.". Anything can change, of course, since these are living beings, not predictable machines.

As far as showing, I also like a dog with a little spirit in the ring. IMHO, a Cavalier should not stand like a statue, never moving a muscle. When my wife Kris and I first started classes for showing, the instructor (who was also an AKC judge) told us that a dog should go into the ring like he owns it. A dog with a little spirit will do that. Sometimes that dog with a "little" spirit will misbehave in the ring, but that's how the game works

They can certainly change, once away from the litter. teddy was quiet and a fussy eater, to the point of worrying his breeder slightly, but he immediately turned into a turbo food hoover and became very bossy.

choosing by looksalone( not a god idea, as teddy is very handsome but not very nice to know) I like the one with both paws over the crate's bolt. It reminds me of Izzy as a puppy. The one with its chin the highest (ie to the other's right) reminds me of a Teddy photo taken at that age. Is this by any chance the bossy one ?

I had the same thing happen to me. Not that the girl was bossy. There were four in the litter and only one girl. I wanted a girl but so did my breeder. (She recently sold the girl when her teeth were not perfect for show).

Anyway I asked the same question here as you and was advised mostly that boys are more loving. In the end my Dylan was the most affectionate of the litter and that's what I went for.

I think you can't judge the final personality of the pup till you have it at home but you can only go on what you see and are told. If this pup is a handful, maybe she will stay like this. I'd go for the boy. :flwr:

I have gone for both in my experiences. I got the sweet boy in Spencer and the dominant super strong girl in Izzy. I will say that while Izzy can be very strong willed, she still knows who is in charge and when it is time to cool it.

Good luck! In my opinion, you can't go wrong with either! :flwr: :flwr: :flwr:

I enjoy both obviously, but I prefer boys in cavaliers myself. I'd have a house of all boys if it wouldn't probably cause issues. :lol:

You know, some of you brought up the GREAT point that the little lady will probably be VERY different once she's home, but I also believe that her personality will probably always have that distinctiveness about it. I have to admit that at first when the breeder brought up that she was BOSSY and feisty ... it didn't worry me one single bit. Once I got 2 or 3 consecutive emails from her going into GREAT detail about how she thinks I should take a boy due to this one's dominance... well, at some point you need to trust your breeder!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: I started to uh, get the hint!

Here's the little lady if you haven't seen her before. She isn't in the above pic b/c she is from a different litter (tris and blens).



Oh, and I forgot to mention ... the girl is the smallest in her litter (always has been) which appealed to me. To me, it looks like some of them are gonna be big boys!

Oh, and BTW: The boys are all of them except for far right, and 3rd from right.

How about you let the puppy choose you?
When you go for your visit just watch and see who comes to you over and over again, there may be one that you just instantly bond with regardless of the qualities that you require......

Click to expand...

I love this advice! Of course, you might just find yourself back at square one if you have several who seem to love you!

What a decision!!!! They're just too adorable.

When we went to the breeder's house to look at ruby puppies, my DH fell in love with a B/T older 14 wk. pup. He loved the pup's adventerous spirit. He was climbing up ramps and taking flying leaps off into the air and generally just getting into everything! So our Casey came home with us that day. He is VERY high energy and at almost 2 is still the trouble maker of our group. He doesn't take NO to mean NO. Yesterday, he pulled the blinds off one of the windows. And he is still my DH's favorite. He is smart and goofy and bossy and funny. But he is a handful. I love him but no more alpha pups for me! :badgrin: :badgrin:

inca: Good point. All is different when you take them home.

Alison: I think that may be what we end up doing ... how in the world can I decide??

luvzcavs: Thanks for the advice. You brought up some great points I hadn't thought about ... i.e. training.

Bruce: Our breeder says the same ... she actually prefers the boys personalities better in general. I like a bit of spirit, too. While I want a lovebug, I also don't want a timid, shy dog, either. Fine line I suppose.

Barbara: I agree - that one is a total cutie. He sort of jumps out at you.

Pauline: Dylan is adorable, btw. I always melt when I see his face.

Lindsay: I know, I really can't go wrong! It's all about what's best for our little family. :lol:

Karlin: I think there a lot of people who agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment, including my breeder.

When I say that I want a pup who isn't dominant and bossy, it doesn't mean that I want a "shy" dog. I'm just hoping to hit some sort of happy medium. The "middle of the road" pup.

I must say, I am getting my puppy nose just a wee bit out of joint here. Boys, boys, boys. Hunh...

I am Star the Wonder Dog, I am Boss of the World (or at least of the squirrel who lives in my house), and I am a GIRL. So what if I brought in a rabbit's paw (pity, I don't know where the rest of it was), part of a bird wing, and discovered cat poop all within a 24-hour period? icon_whistling

And Grandpa Bruce, what a betrayal. First you say in another post that dumb ol' Halfmask was your favorite puppy in MY litter, and now you say you like boy puppies better than girl puppies. :yikes But do they write you notes and send you pictures like me??? I am getting a serious complex here...

By the way, pick the puppy you like and who likes you. That's what my owners did, and they think I'm the pick of the litter (take that, Grandpa...).

Star

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Oh Julie, I love being in this confusing boat with you.

#1 though is you have to meet the puppies.
Everything you thought about this puppy and the others may change once you have done that.

A few points to consider:

I too had my heart set on a girl, I think I always will a little bit BUT I guess you have to let a few of the smaller things go so you can make a good decision.
I'm sure you have to sign a spay/nuter contract correct?
So as my hubby says after that the dog isn't male or female anymore anyway! :lol:

You really do sound like me, you want a sweetheart. Not to say girls can't be sweetie pies but your breeder has expressed some concerns about this puppy in that department.

If you take male/female out of the equation like I did and just pick the puppy that you just fall in love with and can't stop thinking about.
That is when you know that puppy is for you.

There was a really rowdy little boy in Charlie and Charlotte's litter too, he was cracking me up! He was bitting the zipper on my hoodie and the rivits on our jeans. He was such a ham and I just thought that little one is gonna
be a handful! Not bad, just not what I was looking for in a puppy this time around.

ANYWAY....to sum up follow your heart, and like the others have said before me "Your puppy will choose you, not the other way around." :flwr:

Oh Barb (whoops, I meant STAR!) - you are such a sweet but feisty li'l gal. I agree - how could ANYONE not like you "best"??? I know I sure do! :badgrin: You are such a kick in the pants!

Bronte, yes - I'm so glad I "met" you so we can commisserate with each other about all this puppy-choosing drama. :roll: Too funny, it really seems as if we are in the exact same situation! I have a funny li'l feeling that we'll end up with little man. icon_whistling