Adopting a Labradoodle

[Julie Knapp]

Hello, We met a sweet 4 year old boy labradoodle today and considering adopting. He seemed very high energy which I know they are. We are an active family. We have three kids -- ages 11, 9, 7.We will exercise him etc.... Just hoping he can be trained which he doesn't seem to have been -- not good on leash, jumps, etc.  Anyone have words of wisdom? Thanks in advance!   

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The problem is not with getting them from Craig's List; DRC sends letters responding to ads for doodles on CL, to try to prevent the dogs from ending up in the wrong hands, and sometimes the owner will decide to rehome through the rescue rather than privately. It's what the rescue does with the dog after they get him that is important. Typically, they should be keeping them in foster care for at least two weeks to observe and evaluate the dog, so that they can learn what type of home would be best for him and are able to give the adopter some good information about him. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

I am surprised he hasn't been snapped up yet. Are you even sure he is still available?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You'd be surprised how many people don't want to adopt a dog over the age of two. :( 

[Julie Knapp]

They had him for the two weeks

[Amy and Annabelle]

That's sad. Maybe DRC should take over and find him the perfect family.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Very few private rescues will relinquish a dog to another rescue group. Especially when they are as popular as doodles. :) 

[Julie Knapp]

Thanks everyone for your responses!! After sleeping on it, my husband and I did decide that he may just be too much dog for our family,,, We don't have a fenced in yard and he is not great on a leash yet and I'm worried even if I work with him maybe he won't ever get there.... I don't mind walking a dog for exercise (for both of us!) but I don't want to be walked by the dog... Plus I'd like my 12 year old daughter be able to walk to the dog.... We'll keep our eye out for others. Thanks again everyone!

[Amy and Annabelle]

You were smart to think it over first. It would have been hard on both of you if you had to give him up. So many people don't do that. I think the rescues that match up the dog with the new owners is the way to go. I would bet they have a zero failure rate. The right one is out there for you.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not zero, but close. :) 

[Rebecca, Kandy & Murphy]

Looks like you have made a decision already, but I'll add my 2 cents in case someone else is also considering this.  We are the second home for Murphy.  We know why he was re-homed and we got him from the breeder who took him back.  We knew when we got him that he had zero training, never walked on a leash, never socialized with dogs or people and was super active.  We've had him 2 years now.  He is certainly trainable, but we haven't done as good a job as we should have due to limited time.  We have not been able to overcome his inability to relate to other dogs nicely, nor can we trust his reaction to teen boys (a problem since my teen son likes to have friends over).  These are issue he brought with him that I doubt will ever go away.  He failed out of group obedience classes because he couldn't interact withe the other dogs nicely.  He is still hyper as anything, even with 1-2 walks per day, a fenced 1/2 acre yard and our other dog to run with.  He can turn the house upside down in 2 seconds flat when he gets going.  He has definitely been a handful and more than I expected.  On the other hand, he is incredibly loving and affectionate and I wouldn't trade him for the world.  I think its a matter of knowing what to expect and what your tolerance level for chaos is.  We already had a doodle, so we knew how smart and active he was likely to be, though our older dog is much, much mellower in general.  We knew when we said yes that this dog would be a stretch for us but I am so glad he found a forever home with us.