As the title suggests, this is our babies leaving weekend.  I'm waiting for the next owner to arrive and feeling very teary.  I was OK at the first few but as it's wearing on, I'm getting more and more depressed.  We are keeping a little girl from the litter so it's not all bad, but my very favourite(male) will be the last to leave and I think I may hang onto his paw!!!boohoo.  I really don't want my funny little man to go.  Why are the best pups always males?
On the plus side, one of the new owners hand-made a hanging basket holder for me with a silloutte of my breed on top.  Fabulous! I was so chuffed!  Lovely owners they all have but just not with me:((
Anyone else feeling the same this weekend?

no but i cryed as every1 of the pups from our last litter (coming up to 18moths) left ,and your so right he best pup we wanted to keep was a male ,and itwas very hard to say goodby to him (hugs) for this weekend x

I know how you feel, mine left a few weeks ago now but it was very hard to say goodbye!  Everyone has kept in touch though and it's lovely to see photos of them in their new homes and to hear how happy their new owners are with them :)

Mine are only 2 and a half weeks old,and I really am dreading letting them go in 6 weeks time,the thought of it makes me want to cry already!!

I'm pretty lucky as not only are we keeping one but the last two are not going until 29th July and 1st Aug, and the rest between 15th July and then, so nicely spread out.  Basically only loosing two a week.

I feel for you all , its one of many reasons why I couldnt breed but thank goodness you guys do or I wouldnt have my furry family :)

So nice to know I'm not alone (or crazy!lol).  My last 2 are off home this morning and then it'll be a quiet house again!  We had them all running about the house last night and it was so funny to watch as their are just 3 of them now, much easier to control.  Oh well, I suppose this is why we do this.

>Why are the best pups always males?

The first ever litter that I bred, had a boy that I fell in love with.  He was never going to stay, but his personality tugged at my heartstrings.  When he was collected, I was sobbing before they reversed off the drive. 

Even though I miss them all, it is a boy that gets me every time.  I have always tried to only allow one collection a day.  Once it was unavoidable to let 2 pups go on the same day, and I felt bereft.

I have only bred twice and, although I have never managed it as everyone's timetable is different, in theory I would prefer if they could all go on the same weekend otherwise it prolongs the agony for me (bit like taking sticking plaster off verrry slowly, would rather it was done dead quick lol).

Oh no poor Mum if they all disappear at once.

Also there is so much paperwork and explaining etc with the new owners I couldn't deal with more than two on same day max.

Oh no poor Mum if they all disappear at once.

Also there is so much paperwork and explaining etc with the new owners I couldn't deal with more than two on same day max.

I thought I would be broken-hearted but I was actually pretty relieved and happy for them when they left, the families were so awesome and I only really twinged at the last pup because he'd been with us until 12 weeks. Relieved because they were hard work by the time they got to 8 weeks, and happy because I couldn't stop thinking of how much love just one little puppy could generate.

>Also there is so much paperwork and explaining etc with the new owners

I agree Barbara, collection isn't just collection is it?  I always remind people that it won't be a quick in and out.  And, yes, it takes too long to have them all go quite closely.  I do know what you mean about mum though, I think it's a bit of a shock to consider removing all the bitches pups close together.

yes i do agree with you there too. my girls would of been heart broken if all pups went in 1 day too and me lol....i do it over 5 days sometimes abit longer if new family need us to old on for longer.

"Oh no poor Mum if they all disappear at once.

Also there is so much paperwork and explaining etc with the new owners I couldn't deal with more than two on same day max."#

Mum wouldn't have been worried at all as she is so worky all she wanted to do was get back into her normal routine (and that applied to both my bitches, 13 years apart). Also, I spent ages going over things with the puppy owners long before they collected their pups, including emailing advance copies of the contracts so they would have time to look things over and digest the information.

Mine all went 2 each day.  All the paperwork was ready and given in advance as, one the day, no-one is thinking or looking at paperwork!! so all my owners needed to collect was puppy and a vetbed.
I'm so lucky as I've recieved e-mails allready letting me know how they are settling in:)
And as for mum?? She is soooo happy her duty is over.  She slept like a log on our bed last night and got to lie in instead of wandering about checking on pups and fretting when they cried.  She is so relaxed!lol.  TART!hahaha.  Aww, I'm glad for her, she done such a fabulous job while they were here.
Puppies?  If each take a little piece of heart, I'd better not have another litter as I've not much left!!

>All the paperwork was ready and given in advance as, one the day, no-one is thinking or looking at paperwork!!

Surely you go through all the paperwork on the day, reading through the contract out loud (even though you've already sent the new owner a copy) so that when you both sign and date the contracts there's no way they can query it later? Then there's insurance to activate on the day - it all takes time.

Their insurance came as part of their microchip package and it had to be activated by the owners themselves, which I checked they did (it didn't need to be done on the day but obviously told owners they would be wise to do it asap so cover could start straight away). Why would I need to read through the contract with them again when they had already received it by email and we had discussed it on the phone, and during numerous puppy visits, so they already knew what it would contain before they got it? I then checked they were happy with the endorsements before they signed on the day. I had 8 puppies and to have them go over a weekend - 48 hours - is not rushing the paperwork by any means. I think you can overcomplicate things sometimes. Anyway, as I said, this is what I would have liked to happen but the pedantic will be relieved to hear that the pups went over a period of two weeks or so, so no one got rushed.

i do the same go over all paper work when visiting pups , but i use kc insur so i do it on that day as each pup goes inless its a sunday il do it sat morn or fri before as it can be done before they go but would do that just incase dates change .....every one will do things different and everyone knows their own dogs and whats right for them :) x

Mine went over a 4 day period so like a long weekend. I thought I would be teary but actually I was shattered so felt relieved! I set up a facebook group for the new owners and all but two owners are members (one of those two is considering joining facebook though just to keep in touch with us) and all but one of the members of the group regularly post vidoes, photos and little snippets of news which is lovely. There has been one reunion walk so far and another due this Saturday. Only 3 pups came to the first walk and 3 are coming this weekend (only 1 of the originals) so I will have seen 5 of the pups by then. I think keeping in touch in this way helps ease the pain of parting, and knowing we would keep in touch was important. It was a puppy owners suggestion to have the reunion walks which was lovely. Strangely neither my bitch nor the puppies seem to recognise each other 6 weeks on, but by the end the pups were playing so well together it was lovely. 3 of the pups now live too far away to join the walks unfortunately.

Do you have plans to keep in touch? Anyone else have reunions? I'd probably not have suggested the walks had an owner not asked for them though.

The 2 I sold are too far apart to have regular visits or reunions alas, but I've been over to visit a couple of times each in the nearly 5 years since they went, and I get texts, emails and pics, so I know they're doing ok. :-)

My rough collie's breeder was fairly local and a good friend for a long time.  She would kennel when we were away and we would go up to hers for a walk out with the dogs quite regularly, not sure if anyone else did the same.  The first time we went back at about 4 months old my collie certainly recognised mum but mum was totally puzzled about what this fluffy rude baby was following her for lol
Must say reunion walks are a great idea for the pups, some socialisation with dogs the same age and older who are all healthy and such

Two of my pups come to me for holidays, the rest are too far away.

Been off camping.  Yorkshire(DON'T ASK)!!
Anyway.  My new owners are new friends and I have allready run through the ins and outs of the contract with them before hand.  This is also all signed and read by the owners before hand too as I feel their is enough going on at leaving day.  Who's going to be reading contracts when they are so excited and have such nonsense to watch??
Also, the puppy insurance can be started up to 7 days in advance now, which I do, and then send to the owner so they have it with them all signed and dated before the pup arrives. 
Means we can sort any mistakes or questions before the pup leaves.

>Who's going to be reading contracts when they are so excited and have such nonsense to watch??

I do, and so did the breeder I got my latest pup from. It's too important to assume it's thoroughly understood.

I went through the contract with my breeder when I first viewed my pup and signed it when I collected her, I'd had it at home to peruse at leisure in the meantime.

Different side of the coin - I'm beginning to feel really guilty about taking my pup, and everyone else taking theirs, because of how had it will be on the breeder. Obviously I need to take him and sh can't keep them all but it feels a bit wrong to be so happy when you're making someone so sad!!! I don't know how breeders do it. :(

My breeder stood and cried at her front door as I was leaving :(  I felt so sad for her, although I was crying too as I was so delighted to have my new puppy, we were a mess.  Our husbands looked on with raised eyebrows!! 

i did the same i stud crying at the door when our pups where leaving such a sad time :( but happy for the new onwers too ,its the best feeling knowing youve done your best for the litter and know they going to wonderful home that will carry on with what youve done :)