Zumie05
Well-known member
I have a dilemma I would really appreciate some opinions on!
I am currently on a mad quest to find a Cavalier, be it a 10 week old puppy, teenage pup, or adult. I don't care what color at this point (I used to want a b&t however it is very hard to find a breeder to standard who has these in a breeding program) and am focusing on the personality of the dog.
I have emailed and chatted with several beeders in my area, and have met 2. Today I met a breeder who had a 5 month old male, that both my fiance and I felt pretty good about. He was so calm, sweet, friendly, non mouthy, didn't try to jump all over us, etc you get the point. We really loved his personality and the fact that he already knows how to use a doggy door, is very quiet, and is over the whole puppy biting phase.
However, the breeder has him because she was going to keep him, and ended up choosing another pup to keep which is why he is now available. We do have 3 concerns having to do with him being over his socialization period.. at 5 months old.
1) He has never been in a crate
2) He has never been home alone without another dog
3) He has never been off of his property before (hasn't gone out and about)
Otherwise, we LOVE him and would really like to take him home. The first thing the breeder did when we got there was go over all of the paperwork showing us the health clearances of the parents and explaining the pedigree.
My fear is, if we take him home that he will not be confident in new situations. I am reading Dr. Ian Dunbar's "After You Get Your Puppy" which really emphasizes getting LOTS of socialization within 8 - 12 weeks of age for your dog, so getting an older puppy who has not had much experience realyl worries me. However, this pup was comfortable around us, not shy, however he didn't run up and jump all over us either.
Part of me wants to wait for a younger puppy so that we can socialize it by taking it out and starting puppy classes at 12 weeks old.
Any thoughts?
I am currently on a mad quest to find a Cavalier, be it a 10 week old puppy, teenage pup, or adult. I don't care what color at this point (I used to want a b&t however it is very hard to find a breeder to standard who has these in a breeding program) and am focusing on the personality of the dog.
I have emailed and chatted with several beeders in my area, and have met 2. Today I met a breeder who had a 5 month old male, that both my fiance and I felt pretty good about. He was so calm, sweet, friendly, non mouthy, didn't try to jump all over us, etc you get the point. We really loved his personality and the fact that he already knows how to use a doggy door, is very quiet, and is over the whole puppy biting phase.
However, the breeder has him because she was going to keep him, and ended up choosing another pup to keep which is why he is now available. We do have 3 concerns having to do with him being over his socialization period.. at 5 months old.
1) He has never been in a crate
2) He has never been home alone without another dog
3) He has never been off of his property before (hasn't gone out and about)
Otherwise, we LOVE him and would really like to take him home. The first thing the breeder did when we got there was go over all of the paperwork showing us the health clearances of the parents and explaining the pedigree.
My fear is, if we take him home that he will not be confident in new situations. I am reading Dr. Ian Dunbar's "After You Get Your Puppy" which really emphasizes getting LOTS of socialization within 8 - 12 weeks of age for your dog, so getting an older puppy who has not had much experience realyl worries me. However, this pup was comfortable around us, not shy, however he didn't run up and jump all over us either.
Part of me wants to wait for a younger puppy so that we can socialize it by taking it out and starting puppy classes at 12 weeks old.
Any thoughts?