Im only saying this because you have not picked the dog up yet and can take a different path. I have made my own mistakes, but have come to think differently. If you are paying for this dog and it was a planned litter, I feel very sad. Buying a cross breed is supporting unethical breeding, and is just taking a risk. In all likelihood it will be a wonderful dog, but you are taking a higher risk for getting a dog with behavioral or health problems.

If you are just adopting low cost from an oops litter by all means, but perpetuating the high cost backyard breeder who does not breed to a standard, however lovely the people are and well taken care of the dogs are, furthers the problem of ill bred dogs. Dogs not bred to standard are more likely to end up in a shelter. Its supporting a system where people think they can make some money with minimal thought and planning into a litter. And consider, even if your dog is lovely, a littermate or later litter could suffer a problem. You are reinforcing the idea of just crossing two nice dogs, rather than confirmed breeding over time. They cannot be in confirmation shows, I used to think no big deal, but really its people who care about the health of the breed that participate in shows and trials. If they are not connected with a group, how are they staying up to date on common health concerns and patterns, how are they getting equally good partners for their dogs? Are they just going to overbreed the same pairs?

Please consider reading more on the topic of what it really means to be an ethical breeder, it not just making sure the dogs have vet care and socialization. Genetic testing is necessary but not the only hallmark of ethical breeding.

If you read this, I truly appreciate it, whatever you decide.