10/19/2026
“Why can’t I have total control and pick my own puppy?”
Because choosing a puppy is about a whole lot more than which one catches your eye, runs up to you first, or crawls into your lap during a 10 minute visit at 8 weeks old. 🤷🏻♀️
I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I will never understand why people think they should have complete control over puppy selection when they are purchasing a dog from someone who has dedicated their life to raising, evaluating, and understanding these animals.
I am the one who spends 24/7 with these puppies. I am the one who observes their personalities, their temperaments, their confidence, their drives, their resilience, their social interactions, and the little nuances in their behavior that most people would never even notice. I am the one who has raised numerous litters, produced working dogs, and trained countless dogs across different disciplines and lifestyles.
And yet, somehow, people believe that spending a few minutes playing with a litter automatically qualifies them to determine which puppy is the best fit for their home.
Your favorite puppy isn’t necessarily your best puppy.
The puppy that runs to you first isn’t automatically the puppy you should take home. The puppy that seems the sweetest during a short visit isn’t necessarily the one whose temperament, energy level, drives, or overall personality will best complement your lifestyle.
There is SO much more that goes into choosing the right puppy than what you see during a brief interaction.
Do you have children? Other animals? What does your daily life look like? What are your expectations for this dog? Do you want a sport prospect, a working dog, an active companion, or a family pet? How much experience do you have? What kind of temperament will thrive in your environment? What traits will complement your lifestyle, and what traits might create challenges down the road?
These are the things I have to consider. These are the questions I have to ask. These are the details I have to evaluate when deciding which puppy is most likely to succeed in a particular home.
Because I am not just matching you with a puppy you like. I am matching a puppy with a home where it has the best opportunity to thrive.
And that responsibility goes BOTH ways.
My job isn’t simply to sell you a puppy and send you on your way. My responsibility is to the dogs I’ve brought into this world, and that means making thoughtful, informed decisions about where they go and which homes they are placed in.
I take temperament testing and puppy evaluations seriously because I want these dogs to succeed. I want my puppies to grow into dogs their owners can enjoy, train, live with, and be proud of for years to come. I want to make placements that make sense beyond the excitement of bringing home a cute puppy.
Can you develop a preference for a particular puppy? Absolutely. I’m happy to hear what you like, what you’re looking for, and what you’re hoping to get out of your dog. Your input matters, and your goals are an important part of the process.
But there is a difference between having input and expecting complete control over the selection process.
You bring me your lifestyle, your experience, your expectations, and your goals. I bring you my experience, my observations, and my understanding of the puppies. Together, we make the best possible match.
If you’re looking for a breeder who will let you walk into a litter, pick whichever puppy you find the cutest, and hand it over without considering whether it’s actually the right fit for you, I may not be the breeder for you.
And that’s okay!
But if you’re looking for a breeder who puts thought, experience, and intention into every placement, who knows their puppies as individuals, and who genuinely cares about setting both the puppy and the owner up for success, then trust the process.
You are trusting me to bring a dog into your life that you may spend the next 10–15 years with. Please understand that I take that responsibility seriously.
Puppy matchmaking isn’t about taking away your choice. It’s about using my experience to help ensure you’re making the RIGHT choice.
And before anyone takes this to mean that every match will be absolutely perfect, let’s be realistic. Dogs are living, developing individuals, and sometimes they mature a little differently than we anticipated. A puppy’s temperament and personality can evolve as they grow, and occasionally, a dog may develop traits that weren’t apparent during early evaluations. No breeder, no matter how experienced, can predict every single aspect of how a puppy will mature. And realistically, you wouldn’t have been able to predict those changes yourself by spending 10 minutes with an 8-week-old puppy, either.
That said, my success rate with puppy placements is very high. I’ve had only a couple of dogs that simply didn’t work out as expected, and I think that speaks for itself. I don’t claim to be perfect, and I don’t claim to have a crystal ball. What I do claim is that I put a tremendous amount of thought, experience, and effort into making the best possible matches for my puppies and their families.
The goal isn’t to guarantee that nothing will ever go differently than expected. The goal is to make the most informed decision possible from the start, rather than choosing a puppy based on a brief interaction and hoping for the best.
Okay, rant over. 🤪
-Credit for the rant: Vom Lamarca German Shepherds
