People coming tomorrow to see my 2 last girls and I STILL haven't decided which to keep.  How can you ever decide.  It's so difficult. 

What about a second opinion from the studs owner. 

Have you tried setting them up and photographing them, then looking at the pics?  It can put a different perspective on things.

if they are bothh equally nice why not let other owners choose?

> How can you ever decide

I'm asked this question all the time and my answer.... keep them both until one 'tells you' it's time for it to go.
I'll explain: If you intend to show your puppy and you think that they are both good specimens, then time will tell.
As they grow and develop, things will become evident that you either prefer or dislike and eventually one will seem the better of the two..
Mouths can go wrong...one may have a better tail carriage etc etc
Of course that means you have to explain to the potential owner that they will have to wait 'til you have chosen.
Hopefully you bred this litter for YOU and not to sell ...so make sure you get the one you planned for.
Some people panic about selling an older puppy ......but so what, if you don't get as much money for the older pup then you can be happy in the knowledge that you have got a 'pick of litter'....something not always so easy to just go out and buy!

A friend of mine that has done VERY well in the show ring always kept the last puppy left after everyone had chosen, for as long as she bred. :)

Do you know what I think my problem is?  If I'm going to be totally honest I think the one I want to keep is the third one (the one that's reserved).  I am really starting to think I've made a mistake :(

My breeder(s) chose the puppy I could have!
First time I was after a certain colour bitch......I was 'allowed' the dog. it was a different colour.
This last time same breeder partnership, I was waiting for a bitch.... we did get one, but we were chosen the one we could have.
It worked out well.
I certainly had no problems in fact I am sure the breeder could tell which way around was best and we were more than happy.

Karen  ;)

I had just this dilemma, wanted to keep the best bitch for showing, but they were both lovely, hardly anything between them, same colour too ;)  Breeder friends came to look, half liked one and half of them the other :-) so no help there ;)

I photographed them and studied the photos for aaages, not a lot in it, apart from the one being a little smaller.  One had a slightly prettier face, the other looked a bit plainer (we're splitting hairs here tho, people who came to see the pups couldn't tell them apart.  OH couldn't, but I could ;) )

In the end, I chose the one that was less 'pretty' and had the right personality, one was bolshy and pushy, but would hesitate when something new presented itself, the other one was less pushy, but wouldn't hesitate to investigate new things :) 

Stud owner came to look at the pups, and by then I had some idea, but wondered which he'd go for.  He chose the same one as me after watching them etc.  :-D

I didn't want to run two on as I wouldn't be able to part with one once we'd had them for a few months ;)

The people who were having a bitch pup were quite happy to wait until I'd chosen mine before they knew which one they'd have.  With practically identical pups they said they wouldn't have known if they'd got the same one they chose anyway LOL

If u wanted the 3rd one why did u let someone book it?
I never have any puppies chosen until I have chosen mine my last litter I kept back 3 puppies. Then one of those I allowed to be reserved but the other 2 stayed. At 5 months old I had been looking at the pups and decided one was to go. Unfortunately they were both as good in my eyes, one had better tail set but the other in my opinion had a better head. Other breeders didn't help as they just didn't like them! Interesting the one I let go was probably the better pup BUT I have something about the one I have kept. I have liked her since she was very young although everyone has said she is no good.
She is now over 6 months old and getting better and better she is everything I wanted and a spitting image of her mum who has done very well in the ring. Time will tell but I think she is very nice and will hold her own in the ring.
So whichever you decide others would have picked another one...............one of my litters stud dog owner was choosing 1st pick puppy problem was there was only 2 bitches! One I liked the other the head was wrong for what I wanted. The stud dog owner is extremely well known in the breed and she came to look at them and took the one I didn't like. She prefered the head!!! That said she has now mated her to a dog who will improve the head! The one I kept has a beautiful head. LOL So u see everyone likes different.
I don't know your breed but could you not keep the 3rd one and tell the family they can have the other one?

These 2 have very different personalities too - one is very forward and bitey, the other is much quieter and more calm.  I imagine the forward one to be naughty, but then she has the bigger character.  God, I haven't slept a wink lol.

Has anyone been in the position of having one reserved and then deciding you want to keep it?  I guess it's tough luck really isn't it?  A reservation is a spoken agreement :-(

You bred the litter for u if u want the 3rd puppy then in my eyes you should have it. Offer the family the other one. They can walk away with their deposit if they want to.

I had this problem 6 years ago. There were only 2 bitches in the litter and I didn't like either of them so I looked at the boys. There were 7 of those ;-) I narrowed it down to 5 :-D A family came to look at them and liked one of those 5. As I hadn't really made my mind up I said ok, they could book him. I didn't really like his head. In the end I kept the one that kept giving me the 'look' :-) He didn't want to go...... I met his brother regularly (the one with the head) and he turned out better than the one I kept. But only just. Anyone seeing the 2 of them together couldn't have seen the difference at first. It takes a few minutes to tell them apart. Even we, the owners, had to really look, they are that similar. And this is a breed that has different markings on each dog - not these two :-) The only difference is the other one has a slightly whiter ruff. Oh, and my dog went Best in Show at the Breed's Championship Show this year, so I hate to think what would have happened if they'd come :-D I don't regret keeping my lovely boy. He chose me, not the other way round. :-D :-D :-D

I really find it difficult to understand the notion that; after going through the rearing of the bitch, choosing the stud dog,whelping the litter....I should be worried what puppy buyers think. The last thing I concern myself with is buyers.
I've read several posts concerning what buyers would think...taking deposits....letting others choose the best puppy  etc....I'm afraid I just cant understand it at all.
In any litter I breed ...they are my puppies...no-one elses, just mine. I hate being hassled-up by buyers ansd consequently I dont tell anyone they can have a puppy until I've made up my mind.
I also don't think twice if I have any reason (however small) to change my mind and that includes last minute worries about a puppies new home.Primarily I breed dogs for me.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

They came and were lovely, and totally fine with the whole thing.  I told them I had 90% decided which I was keeping, and funnily enough the other one 'chose' them - I have never seen her so into anyone.  This is the quieter one who usually sits back, but this time she was all over them.  They are quite happy to have the other one should I have a change of heart, but to be honest I think I will take this as another sign that the other one is for me.  I still don't feel totally sure, but there are 2 weeks til the 2 girls go, so if by then I have decided on one of the others (either one) I will just say.  You're right Tooolz - they are my dogs and I will decide ultimately who goes where :-)

when I had my litter I was undecided, I didnt go for what I thought was the best bitch, because although I did want to show I at the end of the day had to live with the pup for the rest of its life so I went for personallity, I went for the quitest pup that did remind me of her mum, as I say not the prettiest but in my mind the best, but she has actually turned out to be mor breed type than the one that I thought the best at the time. 

i had this problem when breeding i wanted a bitch puppy my girl had 1 bitch 3 dogs 2 by c-section that we did not think would make it but they did i had difficulty as my hubby wanted the boy from the c-section and fell in love with him immediately he was the largest and caused the c- section, the girl IMO was not good enough she was also c-section i wanted the quiet cuddly boy that ended up going to Ireland, the family let me chose which dog was best for them which i found very difficult. we kept the big boy who was the only one that stayed in the corner of the whelping box on his own he was very independent and brave he was very snappy at 6-10 wks old and now are 12 wks is turning into a lovely lad only time will tell if he will be good in the show ring but i have great hopes for him.

the girl i turned down many homes and at 7 wks decided that i could not let her go she now lives with the stud dog owner so only 2 pups sold and have just about covered cost but at the end of the day money is not important the well being of the pups are.

i am very happy with the homes i have found and sleep well at night knowing they will all be happy and well looked after.

I really find it difficult to understand the notion that; after going through the rearing of the bitch, choosing the stud dog,whelping the litter....I should be worried what puppy buyers think. The last thing I concern myself with is buyers.
I've read several posts concerning what buyers would think...taking deposits....letting others choose the best puppy  etc....I'm afraid I just cant understand it at all.


Ditto Toolz, find it incredible really after all the work, effort, sleepless nights and last of all expense.. I had a litter with 4 in it at the beginning of the year. I still have 3. I had one wanted to keep one maybe two but I like all three and can't part with them :-)  and 3 is hard work with all the training..     It is rare anyone gets a pick from me. Not that I breed very often.  Any litter is first and foremost 100% for me. 

when I had a litter I couldn't choose a bitch as I had 4 to choose from, anyway i took pics and asked very experience people in my breed to help me choose all 3 picked the same pup so that was the one i kept.
anyway she has been doing well in open shows,so experience was the key for me. The new owners had to wait untili was ready , but i was lucky i had a waiting list for my pups

im not a breeder but i have been very lucky in the fact that in each case i have had first pick of the dogs.
I found it really hard when faced with lots of dogs about the same to chose which one i wanted.
I did ask for the breeders help.
Its nice to know that sometimes even the breeders stuggle to chose it makes me feel much better!

anyway i took pics and asked very experience people in my breed to help me choose all 3 picked the same pup so that was the one i kept.


Well funny you should say that as I would strongly advise never picking from photos.

I sent 4 photos to a whole bunch of folks even my good champdog freinds, they all picked the same photo BUT hadn't realised the 4 photos were of the same puppy , it was just the one I was keeping :-D

i was not just one pic of each pup it was many from different angles, but when all he pups get back together she is best one to breed standard.
Hey but a total pain in the arse,

I'm in such a horrible situation.  I really don't know what to do.  I just can't choose.  I gave it another week thinking it would become clear but it just hasn't.  All 3 have good points and bad points (well, not bad, but you know what I mean).

Sometimes I think I should go with fate and keep the one that hasn't been chosen.  She is the most into us, she is the most fun, playful, person-orientated BUT she is very naughty.  She mouthes more than the others, she's one of those pups who just wants to clamp her teeth round your ankles and not let go.  She also barks and yowls when she is shut in.

The other 2 are quieter, but lovely too.  One is prettier (very slightly) - she's darker.  BUT she is smaller, shorter coated and not as stocky as the other 2.

Then there is the 3rd one, who is quiet too, but has a very sweet temperament.  Very easy going, doesn't bark or whine when penned at all.  BUT she isn't very person-orientated, she's the kind of dog who wanders off and is happy on her own.

I am totally confused.  I just don't know how to decide.  I love them all the same.  Yesterday I thought I'd decided on number 3, but number 1 is so much more attached to me and has started training really well, but she's just so naughty and loud.

HELP!!!

Why not choose the one who has chosen you?
Yes, she may be naughtier and louder, but, as you said, she is training well. Think of her as being full of character :-D

The others, being quieter, less bitey etc, may be more suited to going to new homes, new owners and less likely to be returned as too much of a handful. Just a suggestion :)

What are you wanting to keep the puppy for (showing,working,pet, all 3 ) as that will have a bearing on which I would keep as by the sound of it they all have very different personalities? Have your buyers expressed a preference what are their circumstances? (1st time owners,experienced,family, young/older couple) as this will also have a bearing on which pup would be the best match for them (important if you want your puppies to have permanent homes) If you really cant decide and cant keep and run on all 3 then perhaps you should let them decide (within reason as above right home :Right puppy).
When I had my litter I knew I needed to keep a bitch and chose the one I gelled with as as good a puppy is as a show prospect etc you need to live with them and if someone else can offer a better home for that particular dogs needs then you should let them go. In my litter the dog was pick but I felt he would do better as a only dog (I have 4 others) and he was sold to a great home as an only dog and is doing great.It was heartbreaking at the time though and he would have been a great show prospect BUT I don't know how he would have fared as 1 in a pack of 5.
Good Luck
Angela

I am keeping her as a pet primarily, and will possibly breed from her in the future. 

As far as looks go, they are all as good as each other really.

The one who has 'chosen me' is definitely the naughty cheeky one. 

One of the new homes is a family - they chose number 3 - the laid back one.  I think the cheeky one would be a bit much for them to be honest - I think she would be too stimulated with all their kids, and I think they might find the biting and barking difficult.

The other home is a man on his own.  I think he would probably be ok with any of them - he is experienced in the breed.  He chose number 2, but doesn't mind if he gets one of the others!

I think I am more drawn to the naughty one, and she is more drawn to me, but it does worry me.  She bites and chews everything - I know this is normal puppy behaviour, but in some dogs it can be very hard work to get them out of, can't it?  Also I think when we go out and she is left she will upset the neighbours.  Also I'm not sure she is the best idea for breeding from because she does seem a bit highly strung.

It is upsetting me now and I'm on the verge of keeping none because I am so torn.

Would no 1 the 'naughty' one be more suited to the experienced man on his own as she sounds like she needs a lot of input!! I agree it sounds like No 3 would be best for the family.
Puppies do grow out of the nippiness with time and hard work. The bitch I kept from my litter is very outgoing but she fits in with my circumstances. She is very demanding and was very naughty but I was in a position to cope with it. Its awful deciding but you need to make a decision and stick to it (or it will be so much harder:-(). It maybe that you are drawn to her more as she demands more of your attention and so you are unable to see more of the positives of the other 2 :-)
Sounds like you have narrowed it down to no 1 or 2, if you have doubts though about no 1 maybe you should go with your head and not your heart.
Dont envy your position
Angela

Yes, you're right - I think it is between 1 and 2.  1 is naughty but might calm down - probably will with training.  2 has got the sweeter temperamant - she is more cuddly but she's quieter, verging on nervous.  1 is totally the other way - fearless.  2 is smaller, a bit skinny, but will probably fill out.  She has a prettier face but 1 is bigger and I prefer her coat.  It's awful isn't it?  I just want to cry :-(

This decision is obviously important to you but maybe you are overthinking this.  One of my dogs is a bit naughty and very cheeky but I think that's just what you get with the bigger personalities.  Is this pups personality too big for you? Will you feel overpowered and not enjoy her company?  I think the question I would ask myself is which one would I regret not having in my life.

'verging on nervous' in what way? is she afraid or is it just she takes a back seat whilst her bolshier sister investigates first? My dog puppy was always the nosey one, his bigger and quieter brother sat back and 'observed' LOL but he isn't nervous just more of a thinker than a doer. He is a very steady dog at 12months and a great companion for my 3 tear old nephew.

Yes, nervous was too strong - I meant nervous compared to the cheeky one, but then anything would seem nervous next to her!! 

Maybe the cuter quieter one is more for me - I'm not sure my nerves could take the other one - have just had them out the pen and she just wants to chew everything in sight - the quieter one is more of an observer like you say - she does get involved, but it's hard when she has the other one leaping on her every 10 seconds!!

But the cheekier one is so lovely - a real character.

Do I want cuddles or do I want fun?  The thing is, it could all change anyway once they are on their own without their litter-mates, couldnt' it?

It could and prob will! Sounds just like the boys in my litter but cuddles & fun will come with whichever you decide (eventually!). Whichever you decide hopefully the new owners will stay in touch and all will thrive in their new homes. Be ready for the heartbreak when they leave though (OH whos not generally 'into' the dogs cried when each left) but its a great feeling when you see how much joy they bring. (soppy I know!) My litter is 12 months old in 2 weeks and we are planning a party can't wait!!  An experienced breeder said when they go its a relief but I hope I never feel like that (maybe due to the fact my breed have 4 average not the 10/11 some have LOL)

Did you ever decide which one you are keeping lol.:)

Yes lol, I decided to keep the quieter one and am very happy with my decision (at last).  The other one is a real handful and Mum started picking on her - having the 2 of them together would be a recipe for disaster I think, so the quieter one it is :-)

glad to hear u got there in the end lol ,im keeping one of ours when thay finaly arrive lol i will be the ame as u ,just not know to start with x

Good luck - it is sooooo hard - much worse than I thought it would be.  Like having 3 kids and having to choose one lol.  Impossible.

Thats Good then, I am sure you have made the right choice, NOt an easy choice.
Good Luck!!

Glad to hear you have been able to decide which to keep. Sounds like you have made the right choice :-)
Angela

Glad you've made the decision, sounds like a good one. 

Can identify with choosing the one to fit in ;)   I bred to keep one for showing, but still needed to keep one that would fit in :)

Very true Dill, you do need to be able to live with them even if best show prospect.:-)

Its a bit like choosing a pup,I went for the one that seemed independant and brave at 4 weeks, at 5 weeks I was sure he was the best and bigger than his peers taking him home at 8 weeks was fantastic we hadn't had a pup in 12 years. Choose another BC pup for OH with the same characteristics and we have two confident boys. The Cocker holds his own and more with the BC who is really sweet natured as well.