Doodle Adoption

[Robin]

One week ago we adopted a 21/2 year old black mini labradoodle we named Lexi. She is adorable and our labradoodle Riley loves her. She gets very nervous when she meets people. Any advice on the best way to help her with this would be helpful.

[Adina P]

She's lovely, just saw her photo =)

My advice is to begin obedience training with her as soon as a good class opens up. Obedience training gives dogs a chance to bond with you, builds a two-way relationship of trust, and builds confidence in a dog.

[Kyoko]

I totally agree!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree. You have a cute doodle. Calla was/is a bit shy. but since I take her all over and people are always coming up to us, she has become much less fearful of meeting people. My sister, who was visiting, could not believe our experience at a small strip mall near me. About 40 people came up to the doodles with questions and comments. One person even said she is on DK but I didn't get her name.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Speaking from the Foster perspective, only being one week in, it is really possible that she may come out of this. It takes them a while to adjust. I have never felt that I start to see the "real" dog until a minimum of 2 weeks in and I think it probably even keeps changing from then as well. I would like others have suggested, get into some training classes, start (slowly) introducing her to new people and then places. I would start with family, allowing them to give her treats and just slowly coax her over to their side. It won't happen over night, but slowly with love and time it will. And, BTW, she is absolutely beautiful! Love the coal black color.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, we always tell new adopters that they will not really know who the dog is until they've had her for about a month. Dogs need two things more than anything else in the world: to know what is expected from them, and to know what they can expect from you. This little girl has been through a lot of changes, and she just needs some time and some structure to adjust and start to feel secure. You would be very nervous too if you had lost your home and everyone you know at least twice in a relatively short period of time. She has no idea how she got to where she is and when the next change might come. She needs as few changes as possible now, a calm, routine that varies very little from day to day, and a chance to feel safe and learn what she can expect from people in this new life.
And I agree, training would be the next step in creating a bond and helping her learn what you expect from her.

[Kyoko]

I have to remember this..." What's expected of them, and what they can expect from you..." This sentence tells it all. This is sooo important for ANY relationships......

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I have no advice but I just wanted to say what a beautiful girl Lexi is and what a very sweet face she has! Congratulations!! hope things smooth out for her soon!

[BG and Gavin]

+1

[Joe R.]

She is definately a beautiful girl. Such a sweet face. Do you know any of her history that could shed some light on her nervousness. Our Lily was the same way when we first adopted her, but we knew her past. I think everyone has given you great advice, so let time work and take things slowly with her.

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

Kirby was very nervous when we got him and was not trusting. It took him awhile, but the first step was to get him to really trust us. I agree with the training. Both a class and working in your home should help.

Once he trusted us, he started also being more trusting of people we introduced him to. We tried to take him in public as much as possible (Petsmart/Petco are good places because the people there generally like dogs). Kirby is not totally attached to us and loves strangers/visitors (he wouldn't leave my mom's side on Thanksgiving) but it did take some time to get here.

Good luck :)