Puppy Personality -- Watchful or In the Mix

[Anonymous]

We went and looked at puppies today and are decideing between two from the same litter (8 weeks old) -- one is more reserved, watchful but very sweet. The other is more snuggly, in the mix kind of dog -- immediately warms up. The more watchful one will likely be a little bigger which is appealing.

Thoughts? Will the watchful one get more adventurous or is a personality a personality?

[Anonymous]

You want the friendly one, always.

[Anonymous]

We have an in the mix and she's a wild-child! Sometimes she's too much to handle even after training!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have an in the mix and she's a wild-child! Sometimes she's too much to handle even after training!

First PP again. Right, but that's an energy and/or obedience issue - either your dog has more energy than you can burn off, or you're not consistent with rules, or both.

A dog can be friendly and have a medium or low level of energy.
What you do not want is the reserved, shy puppy, because aggression comes more easily out of fear than from any other emotion, and therefore these dogs may require expert handling. Or not... the thing is, you don't know, so it's best not to take the risk.

Whatever you choose, OP, training your puppy will be crucial. Like toddlers, they need constant reinforcement of rules, and immediate action when naughty. You will be able to train your puppy not to pull on the leash, to heel automatically, to always come when called (not just 50% of the time), etc... which is so much more difficult to implement when adopting older dogs.

Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Why is larger size more appealing in a dog? To me that means it eats more and has bigger poop which is no & no for me. I have a small fog and I rarely have to buy food, the vet bills are cheaper, and the cleanup is easier.

But anyways op, good luck with your new puppy, puppies are awesome! I got my dog at 8 weeks and it has been so awesome having her since those early days and watching her grow up.

[Anonymous]

Reserved, watchful, but sweet sounds good to me if you are describing a dog who plays with you and likes to be petted but is also submissive and has a low or moderate energy level.

Snuggly and "in the mix" can be over-exuberant and way too much, especially with kids.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks everyone. The one is who is watchful isn't really shy -- just more submissive. I can see if we have a bunch of kids over, he might watch before jumping into the games. But I think that might be better for us than having a dog that jumps on everyone. And I should add both dogs are going to be smaller anyway (under 20 lbs).

I really appreciate the puppy insights!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is larger size more appealing in a dog? To me that means it eats more and has bigger poop which is no & no for me. I have a small fog and I rarely have to buy food, the vet bills are cheaper, and the cleanup is easier.

But anyways op, good luck with your new puppy, puppies are awesome! I got my dog at 8 weeks and it has been so awesome having her since those early days and watching her grow up.

I have a Great Dane and a mastiff. Some people just prefer large animals.