Medium sized doodles

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

We went to see the puppies today...they are aussiedoodles...mini-shepherd and mini-poodle...so the breeder said about max 25lbs....in person the mother dog seemed small to me...I guess I am used to 65+dogs that my friends have?? But I am concerned that the dog we saw will be too small....going to the dog park will it get malled by other bigger dogs or is 25lbs substantial enough to carry her own weight? Right next to the aussiedoodles were goldendoodles....65+....not sure what to make of all this....I don't want a dog that is going to be fragile, but also not take over our whole house.....tough to know whats what here....never had a dog b/4 and really can't wait, but concerned about picking the "right" one.....my kids and husband are happy with their medium size.....does anyone here have a 25 lb dog and is it ok to bring to the dog park? swimming in the sound etc?

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

I think its a nice size. If you want to get an idea of what that size looks like full grown you can see a recent pic of me carrying Abby (all legs) She is presently 26lbs. So this is the size your puppy will end up. Abby will grow bigger (she is 6 months old) but at least you can see what the size is at present.

[Adina P]

In addition to weight you might want to think about height...how tall will the dog be (or at least how tall are the parents?) -- that can make a dog look smaller or larger despite weight.

Have you researched dog parks in your area? Many dog parks have a separate section for small breeds...but unless your dog is the size of a chihuahua it should be fine in the main dog park area.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also take a look at the page of our member "Leslie & Halas"; Halas weighs 25 lbs, and he attends the dog park and doodle romps all the time, with other dogs of all sizes, including my 80# guy.
Even the big dogs can get mauled at the dog parks if they are submissive or the other dogs are untrained & aggressive, etc. And a very pushy, dominant 15 lb dog can take over a house, lol. The size doesn't have all that much to do with it, it's much more the temperament of the dog.

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas is up to a whopping 26.1 now! We go to the small dog side at our local dog park, but we've been at other parks with dogs of all sizes (doodle romp), and he did just fine. Halas spent a lot of time following Jackdoodle around at that doodle romp. Maybe Halas was trying to use him as a body guard in case some of the big dogs tried to start anything., LOL.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Leslie I hope my Lady Peri is just Halas's size!! She is a mini gd and is about 12 pounds now at 14 weeks. Do you remember what Halas weighed at that age?

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas was 9 lbs at 3 months and 13 lbs at 4 months, so it sounds like Lady Peri is right in that range.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Thanks Leslie - it does sound like they are in the same size range. Halas is so pretty.

[Michele Barton]

I couldn't agree more, Karen. My grandparents had a 10 pound dog that was the meanest dog in the world. I was scared to death of him, and I was an adult at the time! My parents had his littermate, and she was the sweetest thing. Size is not the most important thing when considering how dogs will get along.

[Audrey Goldman]

Our offleash dog park has a separate enclosed space for smaller dogs. And, I see all sizes in the dog park sniffing and mingling. Dog owners are protective and if an aggressive dog shows up at the park someone reports it and/or the other owners ask them to leave.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Katie, what did you decide? I have been meaning to respond, but 25ish pounds is how big Lady Peri should be (mini goldendoodle). She is about 12 pounds now and we had a recent play date with a 90 pound LAB! She was great - they wrestled, etc...but then again, labs are so gentle...but all in all, I think 25 pounds is a good size. And they will look larger because they are tall...just my input.