The good news is that if you’ve found a good breeder, then you can reasonably expect that all the puppies in her litter will be equally healthy and well-adjusted, regardless of which puppy you choose. The process of selecting your puppy, therefore, really began when you first set about selecting a good and trusted Goldendoodle breeder.
But how do you go about selecting the Goldendoodle puppy that is the right one for you? This is mostly a personal choice, of course, and may depend largely on what you are looking for. Perhaps you will base your selection on the puppy’s color, size, coat texture, or some other physical factor. If you isolated Goldendoodles as a breed because of their touted hypoallergenic coats, then you might ask for a hair sample to test out with whoever in your family has allergies before finalizing your choice and bringing the puppy home. Remember that not all Goldendoodles will have hypo-allergenic coats. Some do, but the only real way to find out which one does is to test their actual coats or hair.
If you don’t have any preference, however, and want only a reasonably healthy puppy, then here are a few tips to guide you as you select your future canine family member:
- You want a puppy who is active, playful, attentive and curious. This allows you to isolate a puppy with fully functioning reflexes and the mental capacity to be curious about the things around him. A friendly temperament or disposition is also ideal.
- The well-socialized puppy will not hide from or shy away from you when you approach them. He will instead be curious about you, and will be quite docile if handled. This means that he has had sufficient human contact to provide the good beginnings of proper socialization skills.
- Some owners choose the puppies who push forward to meet them, thinking that this means that it is the puppies who choose them. Be careful about this, however, because it can also mean that you are getting a puppy with a pushy temperament. While this can be quite adorable among puppies, remember that these puppies will eventually grow up, too. Do you really want to be sharing living space with a dog that might be temperamentally predisposed to being pushy or demanding of attention?
- Pay attention to how the puppy deals with the breeder, his mother, and his littermates. Again, this pertains more to the socialization skills that have already been conditioned into the puppy’s temperamental makeup. Ideally, the puppy should be playful but not too aggressive, friendly, but also confident.
- Physically, examine the puppy carefully for possible signs of illness. The coat should be clean and soft, the body full and plump, and the eyes and nose clear of discharges. His eyes should actively follow movement – which you can test by holding out a finger a short distance away from his face and slowly moving it from side to side. Examine their feet, their ears, and even beneath their tail to have a good idea of their state of cleanliness and physical condition.
Author and long-time animal lover. Sharing knowledge on pet care through experience and the written word. 