Placing a non-refundable deposite without really knowing pups
 

Hey! So I was curious....I myself been pretty freaked out about placing a deposit on a puppy because I have an ideal personality I am looking for. I was afraid to put a deposit on a puppy and it end up being not what I am looking for in terms of personality....only, by then it will be too late because most deposits are non-refundable. How do you guys deal with this? I am pretty much crossing my fingers that this pup will be what I am looking for. If not I may end up wasting quite a bit of money :[ Also for those of you who have a specific look you want in a pup but have to place a non-refunable deposit on a puppy really early on (first few weeks) how do you go deal with that also?

I get that you can judge by parents but you never really know what you will get.

P.s if you're curious, I want a laid back, mellow, docile personality. Don't know if I will get it, but praying! :hands:

Is this even possible with yorkies? :eyetearss

Sorry but I had to giggle on the laid back, mellow, docile personality. Are you sure you want a yorkie? :D

As for the deposit I can understand your concern. I too accepted a deposit on one of my males and wondered if "he" would be like what the new owners would want. I would hate for them not to love him because he wasn't what they wanted in the long run.

Very good question. I wonder if maybe you should post this question in the breeders section. I too would like to know what they would do. Return the deposit or maybe keep a portion because there would be more time and money invested in the puppy. I will keep up with this post.

Layla is a beauty. I was lucky because that is Buster's personality. I am thinking of getting another as a companion for him and I am concerned about him being overwhelmed by the personallity of the new puppy. I will be interested in hearing what others say.
PS I forgot to say he also has those moments when he is a terrorier!

lol! I have definitely met a mellow yorkie before.

I mean I guess I just assumed I wouldn't get my money back and would end up with no puppy. I didn't ask, ironically. I asked almost everything else. :facepalm:

If I wanted a certain personality, I would look to adopt an adult rescue from a group that keeps their pups long enough to evaluate them.

I don't see how anyone can guarantee the personality of a puppy. I could be wrong on that, but each puppy I have had has turned out to be quite different as adults. There again, I have only dealt with a few puppies.

I believe you will fall in love with your pup no matter what, and I believe the way you raise a pup can influence personality to a certain extent by modifying behavior.

I agree with LadyJane that the closest you can get to a guarantee on personality and looks is to adopt an adult, or, I would add, a pup close to being an adult. My second, Teddy, was almost 8 months old when I brought him home and his breeder described his personality and habits perfectly.

One way to possibly get the pup you want is to deal with a breeder that temperament tests their dogs.

I never accept a deposit on a pup until the possible owners come and see the pup. However, by that time I have a feel for the families personalities.

I will only get an older puppy/adult as I want a certain look. I have seen so many that are being rehomed that I know if I waited I would get what I was looking for.

I don't know if any yorkie breeders do this because yorkie tend to not have a little that looks all alike but when I bought my Standard Poodle years ago the breeder didn't let anyone pick out their dog. She said she watches them grow up and knows their personality. She said she knows which one would be a good watch dog because they run to the door first and bark. She said she knows which one is the first to jump on the other dogs and start wrestling. She said she knows which one lets all the other dogs eat and then eats last. I told her I wanted a non-dominate female and she said Cassie would let the other puppies eat first and then eat and she was the exact personality I was asking for. BUT that said her dog all pretty much looked exactly the same and so did the mom and the dad. They were the exact same color, etc. so you wouldn't see one and say you wanted one over the other. She said she found when she let people come over and pick them out they would say "oh that one came over to me first" or "that one looked at me" and she said that's not a way to pick a dog.

I thought it was a brillant way to put the right dog with the right family.

I think the personality of the puppy can be greatly shaped by the owner and how the puppy is raised. I too wanted a puppy with a more mellow kind of personality so I have worked very hard on trying to mold him that way. I believe if you raise a dog in a calm environment, no voice raising, certainly no hitting for discipline along with obedience training at a young age to acheive behaviors like not bolting out the door, jumping on people, etc you should be okay. Memphis is 8 months old, I take him out with me to see customers (I am in sales) and he will sit calmly in his travel crate while I work, sometimes for 3 hours at a stretch and never make a peep. I can then take him out for a walk and he's not running around like a nut job but walking in the fashion in which he's been trained. My customers always point out how well behaved he is which I believe is 90% training and 10% the personality the dog was born with. In a nutshell, I you will get the personality you are looking for if you put the work in to it.

My first time ever accepting a deposit is when the owners came to meet him first. But, I would like to ask, if a breeder puts the puppy for sale when they are young and not ready to leave the litter and they go through this change in personality and appearance and then the potential new owners are not satisfied with them what would you do? Give the deposit back or force them to take the puppy? Give a portion of the deposit back because there will be additional cost to keep them or what? I am just wondering and curious if there is a stipulation in anyone's deposit contracts on here covering this.

I was thinking the same thing. Sophia has a very laid back, mellow and SWEET personality. I was really hoping for a similar personality when I got Peyton.

The first Peyton's breeder had him and his sister. I actually went to visit and probably purchase the girl, but she was such a little spitfire, I knew she would not mesh with Sophia. I was right. I am in contact with her owner and they said she is even more so now....bosses all the other dogs around! Lol!

I also think how the dogs in the breeders home behave sets the stage at least early on. At my breeders home there were 5 adult Yorkies. They were all sweet and well behaved. Not a single bark from any of them, and I was there for about two hours!

The second time I visited Peyton was when I took him home. He was a little shy of 12 weeks. The other two boys were a lot more wild and playful than he
was. He was cuddly and a little shy. I just knew I had the right baby boy for our family. Of course he is all puppy and plays and growls, but his genuine disposition is calm and sweet.

If you are dealing with a really understanding breeder, then I think they would let you place a deposit and perhaps transfer it to a different pup if needed.

The best advice is getting one that is older. Then you can e so much more sure of personality. Best of luck to you.

Thanks everyone :)

I always thought you could judge how a puppy's personality would turn out... I noticed that those that are very very playful turn out to be more wild. Those who are reserved and shy end up being more calm. That's just what I thought. I am hoping if worse comes to worse that my breeder will understand. Only time will tell, I guess.

I agree with Ladyjane and Maximo. If you are looking for a certain personality, you need to get a Yorkie that is older. Many reputable breeders hold show potential puppies until they are "teenagers", but place them as pets of their bite goes off, they are too laid back for the ring, etc.

Rescue is also a perfect place to adopt a Yorkie. Their personalities are carefully evaluated before they are placed to make sure they are a perfect match with their new home.