Get a puppy now or later?

[Alissa Edwards]

Hi there,
I'm new here. I'm a 32 year old married mom of three littles, a 7-year-old boy with ASD, a 4-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl. We lost our 8-year-old vizsla this summer to blastomycosis and recently purchased a home. I'm considering a double doodle this spring from a breeder I like.
Our life is crazy - not going to lie. I work from home, and my oldest is a real handful. Plus I have a very attached little toddler.
Trying to decide when to add a puppy to our home. There's a litter of double-doodles available early Feb that I could get, and another litter ready in April. My DD will be 2 in July and both my boys will be in school full-time in Fall.
Part of me wants to get a pup ASAP (the early litter has a mom that is a therapy dog, too) and the other part thinks waiting until spring would make potty training easier and would give the puppy a bit of time home with me and baby before the chaos of summertime ensues (and he would be a bit older to take walks and play by the time warm weather arrives). Alternately I could wait until fall when it's just me and baby most of the day and she's down to one nap and boys go to bed earlier because youngest boy won't be napping etc. ACK! Am I overthinking this? 
We're moving into a new house this week. There won't be an electric fence installed until spring. I did buy cesar millans mastering leadership dvds and plan on watching them with my hubby and kids before getting the dog as well as doing obedience classes. 

Any advice you all have is welcome.

 

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/profile/AlissaEdwards#ixzz2pvxTkr9Z

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

It certainly sounds like you have your hands full for sure !!!  Do you really have the time to commit to a puppy?  I know as I get older and my two doodles are 3 1/2 and 4 I would not do the puppy thing again - way too much work for me.  I would certainly go the route of a house broken rescue for sure - but that is me.   I hear of so many, many dogs being surrendered because the family just does not have the time for the dog and did not realize that the dog/puppy required so much work.  You said you had to recently put down your Vizsla this past summer but puppies are so much more work than a older trained dog.   My first doodle was purchased in January and it was not fun going out late at night in the snow and/or freezing cold so she could take care of her business.  My second doodle I got on Labor Day weekend and it was much easier to train him :)   I would wait until the warmer weather, its easier on everyone !!!  Good luck in your decision.

[Alissa Edwards]

Thanks for your reply! We didn't put him down - we fought his illness hard with meds, hand-feeding, iv fluids, etc. until he passed away in our living room one night :( he went from a healthy normal dog to dead in less than 3 weeks from first symptom. devastating.

I think warmer weather is a good idea for sure - april in green bay isn't warm per say - 35-55 degrees - but not bad . And I think puppy won't be the age where it's ready to run and play and go for walks until June or so, which would be perfect.

thanks for the luck -i will need it

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Over-Thinking: Are you over thinking this~ NO.

We certainly hope bringing in a new life into your home you would over-think as much as when you bought your new home. 

A new puppy is family.

Potty training... well it can be done any season. There are pros and cons to all the seasons. This should not be your biggest concern.  

Doodles as a perfect family dog:  These are NOT the great family dogs as advertised.  These dogs are HIGH energy.  They pose a great deal of issues in families with small children; Jumping, nipping, excessive exercise needs, chewing and retrieving every toy in the house,  and training to name a few.   You wont be the first to fall for the " Great Family Dog" marketing. 

Many families are heartbroken to discover that Doodles ( like Poodles) are highly sensitive and don't do well in a loud and busy household.  Many of these dogs are extremely stressed living in this environment and because of this there seems to be many failures. 

Electric Fence:  These are high prey dogs.  They have no problem chasing something out of their yard as instinct overrides any punishment. 

We have a discussion here we all compiled to answer these questions....  Anyone can you link that discussion. I cant find it

[Stephanie and Ragley]

I have to offer a different perspective than you, Joanne, on your opinion of the doodle temperament. I don't know that there is any ONE doodle temperament. Lumping all doodles into a single stereotype in ANY way (good or bad) is incorrect IMO. I think a lot of what you end up with as a dog is a result of how you pick your breeder, parent dogs, and individual puppy.

Granted, my puppy Ragley is only 16 weeks old, but she is extremely calm, has never been a nipper, jumping was a behavior that was easily extinguished in her first few days home, and I have yet to come across anything that has caused her stress (except the pomeranian next door that was feeling bold, came at her yapping, and gave her a bit of a scare one time). After eight weeks of being home, she has yet to destroy anything and training has been easy.

I do not offer this, however, to say that Joanne is incorrect as I know many people who do have high energy, jumping, and chewing doodles. My vet even asked me how I ended up with such a calm doodle so I know what Joanne said is true for many. I say this to point out that doodles are a diverse breed and there is lots of variability so research into choosing the right puppy for YOU is essential. You'll see again and again on here to choose a puppy by temperament not looks and it is so true. Looks are superficial and you will love him or her no matter what the puppy looks like.

I hope you are able to find the right path for you and your family!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Yep, there are all different kinds.  Like individual people, doodles are individual also but if you look at the history, you are certainly in the minority with your pup. Good for you.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna didn't chew anything in the house until 7-8 months old ;)  She then had a Tazmanian devil phase that lasted about 4-5 months.  She is now a very mellow dog and pretty much leaves our stuff alone. 

I agree that it may be best to wait a bit until your littlest one is a bit older.  That way it will be easier to explain to her what she should/should not do with the puppy and can help with training.

If' you're dead set on getting a puppy I would wait until Spring at the earliest.  That way you'll have your fence to make one less headache. The older kids will also be around more over the Summer to help with the pup's training.  

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Here is the discussion I wanted you to read. It was compiled from a list of previous and experienced dog owners and their advice/opinion on Doodles.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/considering-a-doodle-crowd...

[Carol and Banjo]

DH and I are semi-retired couple with a very quiet household.   When we got Banjo at 10 weeks old, I clearly remember thinking to myself (daily for many, many months) how in the world would we do this with children in the mix?    Bringing a puppy into a family of any size is a LOT of work….I lost 5 pounds in the first couple of weeks…just from all the "potty runs".   

I really feel that it's much like bringing an infant home.   If you can imagine having another new baby, this may help you make a decision.

[Carol and Banjo]

I'd like to add too, that last Saturday my 15 month old grandson came to visit for 4 hours while his momma and daddy went cross country skiing.    I spent a good deal of time chasing Banjo around to get the baby's dropped toys out of his mouth.    

Thinking again to myself……oh, kids and dogs…..YIKES!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Wait as long as humanly possible. This is like having another baby, I kid you not. A lot of work, exhaustion during potty training, nipping, jumping and needing lots and lots of exercise. I also think some of us are fooled when we read that a breeder or person has a therapy dog. We get lulled into thinking these dogs are easy. Each of those Therapy dog certs were earned through hours and hours of training by their owners. All it means is that the puppy had the right temperament to become a certified therapy dog and of course temperament is one of the most important criteria when picking a puppy. I'm not trying to put you off completely but do ask yourself if you have the resources and time needed. Puppy socialization classes, puppy training classes etc etc etc. If you do, then go ahead, if not now then wait a while until you are absolutely sure.

[BG and Gavin]

The short answer is that I would wait until fall.  The long answer is that you should make sure that you have done adequate research to be certain that a doodle is the right fit for your family at this time.  From what I heard on here, my doodle is fairly typical.  He is 80lbs, sheds lighty, has a fantastic temperament, medium energy and is as smart as he needs to be,  However, he requires a great deal of exercise (3-5 miles per day on leash, plus at least 1/2 hour off leash), He was mouthy as all get out as a puppy (he had his mouth on everything and bit my husband alot - hard - and it hurt) and my husband had a hard time handling that even though he is a 220 lb grown adult with more than average patience).  As a puppy he was big and he jumped up..alot and could knock people down..children would not have a chance.  We would NOT have been able to leave Gavin unsupervised for a second with children.  I invested a great deal of time and money into training and did four different levels obedience plus practiced daily (and still do) at home.  Gavin is a model canine citizen and a certified therapy dog now, but raising a doodle puppy was ALOT of work.  For us it was totally worth it, but back then we did not even realize what we were in for.  I know there are people on here that have children that have done it (but personally I don't know how, lol).  Hopefully they will chime in.  And others that have high energy (more difficult dogs) should chime in too.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I have a 15 month old daughter.  I can't imagine having a puppy right now. We have a 10 year old Chihuahua and a 5 year old goldendoodle, so they had certainly settled down and major training was complete (well, it's never really over!) before baby came.  I would just be certain that you are ready to have a baby around - look, it's not like having an infant. When I had my daughter and she had colic, I never thought I would live another day or ever consider #2.  With Peri, our goldendoodle, I remember the first 6-12 months - they were hard (but not like colic human baby...lol). And I trained her constantly - and didn't have human kids around to take more time away from her....   I would just really consider how much time you will be able ot spend to ensure the puppy is trained, etc...  I think i would wait longer...if it were me. 

Personally, i have already thought about what I would do when something happens to Peri and Tacky.  They will likely not be here in 8-10 years (maybe sooner, but I pray they live unrealistically looooong lives).  I will still have kids in the home.  Not sure if a puppy will be the right fit - even if human kids are indeed older.  But I never want to NOT have a dog, so I think I would find a way to make it work.  But I am an extremely dedicated, TYPE A, animal lover and my dogs have really remained a priority in my life even after having a baby.  I am not the norm.  I've already started thinking that we will limit daughter to 1 activity/week because how the heck would we be able to ever have time at home to care for dogs????   We cannot overload the schedule - whatever happened to outside play???

So just really think about how much the puppy could be a priority in your hectic life!  Good luck in whatever you decide and stay committed to the puppy if and when you get him/her!