# Puppy body language (non-Poodle)



## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Hard to tell anything about personality from a photo. I have several dogs that act like the camera is going to eat them. Perfectly happy dogs until a camera comes out, then I get the cringing, slinking, lip licking, miserable looking dogs. 

4.5 weeks is a bit early to determine temperament on a baby as well. If this is a trusted/reputable breeder, they should be able to access personality at about 7 ish weeks taking into account the previous behavior and temperament testing. Prior to 7+ weeks, it's almost impossible to judge.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I agree with BorderKelpie that it is hard to assess a 4.5 week old puppy and I too have one dog (Lily) who is very camera shy and therefore looks pretty miserable in most pictures. The first picture does look nervous, but the others mostly just look a little sleepy. Evaluating a puppy's personality is much better done when they are at least 5 weeks old and real temperament testing (Volhard) is best done at 7 weeks. Ideally your friend should ask to meet the puppies and mom (at least) sometime after they reach five weeks old. What kind of puppy is it?


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## Mish17 (Jun 30, 2016)

Lagotto. In subsequent videos, the pups looked okay, even though they’re a little pudgier than a lot of puppies I’ve ever seen.


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

I had the same gut reaction too, Mish, and based on the one photo alone, would have taken a pass. It looks scared and joyless.

However, the pup could have had _a dozen reasons_ for not looking any other way; I mean, a couple photos are just a snapshot in time. It' might have needed to poop or been hungry when the photos were taken. 

And as others said, it is incredibly young. Some of my favorite photos of myself and my kids are with Santa Claus: the disaster ones where I looked like I was going to pass out in one, or another where my my daughter was a year or two old and crying "get me off this guy!" Real life, ya know?

I'd check back in when it's six or seven weeks if it's still available and try to meet the little guy in person. 

I read up on them here, which is worth the read to see if it would fit in with the family.


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## Mish17 (Jun 30, 2016)

Thanks. I posted about a friend who lost a deposit on a Lagotto but now she’s on this list. She is on a dog forum but she said the members are kind of nasty, so I told her I’d ask here, in the off-topic section. I’m not around puppies and neither is she but we both had the same reaction.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

I'd be very careful about choosing a breeder in the US, in a breed so new to the AKC. Note I'm not saying a new breed altogether, of course. Often in the US, this situation is seen as ripe by disreputable breeders, including those who may breed lookalike mixes.

I'd get referrals from board members at the national club Lagotto Romagnolo Club of America - Home over any others at this stage.

AKC link here https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/lagotto-romagnolo/, but be careful. The AKC marketplace is NOT where anyone wants to look for a breeder. In any breed.


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