Hi, I've been researching Cavaliers for awhile and read a lot of websites. I have found a breeder who does all the tests including DNA and MRI. Along the way, I've met some extremely rude and unethical breeders and almost gave up. I'm so glad I stuck it out; this site helped me stay on the right track.
After talking to a lot of breeders, reading Dunbar's book, Moffat's book and Coile's book, I've arrived at the conclusion that I should pursue an older puppy. I have no puppy experience and also have a child under 5.
My breeder, who I click with and like in every way, disagrees. She says her 12 week old puppies are 90% potty trained when they leave because they start before 4 weeks, and are crate trained for a week before going home and most sleep thru the night by the time they go home.
I trust her, and I'm sure she's not trying to mislead me. I just think she's speaking as someone with tons of experience and maybe doesn't remember what it was like with her very first puppy.
So, my 2 questions:
1) Do you think, based on your experiences, that the difference between a lazy breeder's untrained puppies and a dedicated breeder's puppies is so huge that the dedicated breeder's puppies could be at the point that they are nearly housetrained and crate trained at 12 weeks? I'm also concerned about dealing with the chewing/nipping/teething stages and with an older puppy, I wouldn't need to deal with that.
2) How can I explain to her that I don't feel prepared to deal with a young puppy without coming off as the worst potential dog owner on earth? I want it to go well for the puppy but don't necessarily feel 100% confident that I won't screw it up.
Thank you all!
After talking to a lot of breeders, reading Dunbar's book, Moffat's book and Coile's book, I've arrived at the conclusion that I should pursue an older puppy. I have no puppy experience and also have a child under 5.
My breeder, who I click with and like in every way, disagrees. She says her 12 week old puppies are 90% potty trained when they leave because they start before 4 weeks, and are crate trained for a week before going home and most sleep thru the night by the time they go home.
I trust her, and I'm sure she's not trying to mislead me. I just think she's speaking as someone with tons of experience and maybe doesn't remember what it was like with her very first puppy.
So, my 2 questions:
1) Do you think, based on your experiences, that the difference between a lazy breeder's untrained puppies and a dedicated breeder's puppies is so huge that the dedicated breeder's puppies could be at the point that they are nearly housetrained and crate trained at 12 weeks? I'm also concerned about dealing with the chewing/nipping/teething stages and with an older puppy, I wouldn't need to deal with that.
2) How can I explain to her that I don't feel prepared to deal with a young puppy without coming off as the worst potential dog owner on earth? I want it to go well for the puppy but don't necessarily feel 100% confident that I won't screw it up.
Thank you all!