I fail to see the difference between a purebred or a mongrel litter? The same rules apply.

And it is obvious from your post that YOU chose your dogs rather than waiting for them to choose you I would have thought, but perhaps I am being particularly dense?

Gender most definitely. I prefer bitches and if possible, will only have them from now on.

Colour of a dog is completely irrelevant to me. I like anything, including "boring" black.

I was responding to your comment in message #15 where you said:

My response was that my dogs did not pick me. I picked them. Therefore your comment was not correct.

Why have you changed from being amused at someone saying "the dog picked me" to trying to appear dense because I said I chose my dogs not that they chose me?

Generally gender first, but if I wanted a bitch and the only available bitch was an undesirable colour I would look at the dogs.

I've been planning to keep a bitch from Rio's litter but my head keeps coming back to wanting to keep a dog - no idea why. Will just have to see what happens.

The above confuses me a little because for me after the health, socialised, etc etc. gender comes first due to having a current male. I couldn't really take out the fact that I have a male at home to choose colour instead

So I'm not quite sure what you mean by that?

When I got Loui I didnt have a dog at home and planned to get a bitch all along until the litter were old enough to be viewed, then I changed my mind and had pick from the 3 males. There were some cracking bitches in the litter but I'd decided then, that it was a male...The reason I changed my mind was that it had always been males before..they may come with their down sides but at least I knew them, compared to bitches, who just seemed "different" and I have always sort of preferred male dogs tbh.

The next dog has to be a female, due to having a male dog at home. So this comes before colour, however not too far before. If a rescue that's suitable comes up, then brown or black. If a puppy, black and rust, is most likely, full stop.

Edit; It will be interesting to have a bitch in some ways too though. Just generally I like male dogs, no seasons, "stronger" heads, slightly bigger...and I dont know how to describe it, just "different"

I said that because, I was looking for which people would choose because of what is most important to them... rather than what they HAVE to choose, because of their current dogs.

I am asking in general terms, not to do with peoples EXACT situations just now... Just what, given the choice, would come first to them.

I would say gender would come before colour, although I would not choose a colour, markings or a type of coat I was not attracted to. I think it is all aspects of the puppy/dog that I look at and, of course, temperament has to be number one on the list.
The gender I choose seems to depend on the breed of dog I want. This is just my preference, but with a flatcoated retriever and some other breeds I prefer the males, but when I decided on a golden retriever I deliberately looked for a female pup. I can't rationally explain why, but I would probably do the same again. With both these breeds colour didn't come into into it. A golden is a blondie and a flatcoat is black or liver (but black is beautiful and the dominant shade in the breed).

I was not aware that I was TRYING to appear dense, secondly I cannot see why my post was "incorrect"?

Well I suppose like most things I dont HAVE to pick a female, stricly speaking, but feel I would be giving myself, my current and my new dog a lot more work if I went for a male. When I didnt have another dog to consider I went for a male for the reasons I stated.

However to ask in 'general terms' is completely subjective, so I still dont get the point, if you know what I mean. It will be different for everyone and their circumstances. Everyone is in an EXACT situation just now, whatever the situation may be, thats all I'm saying. So thats probably whats going to influence their decision, at least for most people anyway.

Like I said, if I went to a breeder (bearing in mind your talking about a grand here) I want a black and rust female. So thats what Id buy.

Colour.
Louie was almost his little sister. The litter was all choc with white flashes. Adie picked the one with the biggest flash.

I have said that our next one would be a girl - mainly because I have 2 boys already and I don't think Benjie would take kindly to a 3rd. (And I want a girly!) So it'll be a girl but it'll have to have nice markings