New Member Saying Hi!

[Sebastian and Chester's Mom]

Hi, everyone! I am so excited to have found this forum!

I live in the Dallas, Texas area with Sebastian, my five year old Saint Bernard/Great Pyrenees/Anatolian mix, and Chester, my Lab/Pitbull/anybody's guess as to what else mix. His vet thinks he has some Shar Pei in there, his Behaviorist thinks maybe some Rottie. He's his own special blend!

So, wait. No doodles? What am I even doing here? My Mom is starting to get serious about bringing a dog into her life again, and is starting to research breeds and breeders. We had Standard Poodles when I was growing up, so she knows that she and the right Standard Poodle would be a good match. My sister has a wonderful nine year old Goldendoodle whom we all adore, so my Mom is interested in learning more about them, as well. What I learned from my my Sebastian's puppyhood (I was not at all prepared for his Livestock Guardian side at first) is that the best way to learn about a breed is to talk to those who share their lives with the breed. I am looking forward to getting to know you all, and thank you in advance for any advice and insight you have to share!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi S & C's Mom, welcome to DK! 

Please pass the following link on to your mom. It's a collaborative effort on the part of the members of this site designed for this exact reason: to give prospective doodle owners a detailed overview of what these dogs are all about and what they should be prepared for. 

Considering a Doodle?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And one more excellent link: 
Is a Doodle For You?

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

Welcome.  I love my doodles...one is laid back and one is full of energy.  We went through puppyhood with Skadi and the months were certainly challenging.  Lots of training, socialization, and educating myself through sites like DoodleKisses.  I think they are a great breed, but still a dog...and dogs are animals that need to learn to get along with their humans and that takes MEGA patience, love and time...lots and lots of time.  Good luck finding that furry bundle of love.

[F, Calla & Luca]

You have an interesting pair of dogs. Doodles are great but puppyhood is hard in all breeds. My doodles were not and are not particularly demanding as adults and they are wonderful companions. The right older doodle may be just what your mom needs.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Welcome to you and to your mom.  As a general rule, doodles are very smart, need lots of human attention, are quick learners - of both good and bad habits. They tend to be sweet and loving. As puppies they are  active dogs.  They are from hunting dog stock - mine could not live with a bird or chickens - well, the bird or chickens could not live with them.... :-}

Your sister's doodle may fit the above description - or not.  They are mutts.  :-}   I have two 9 year old doodles too and I have totally forgotten how much work puppies are - Oh my gosh! 

My son has a poodle who just turned one, and I am totally in love with her.  Guaranteed non-shedding, predictable size, wonderful temperament. I wouldn't want her to rule out a poodle.

If she gets a puppy - any puppy, any breed, she really needs to go to a reputable breeder who does health testing.

Good luck to both of you in your research, search.

[Sebastian and Chester's Mom]

Thank you all so much for such great information!

She is ready to bring home an older puppy or an adult dog now. She would like to go through a breeder, so we are prepared to do very careful research. My sister's doodle was a "free to good home" retired brood bitch from a breeder who had a good reputation. She was filthy, matted, underweight, depressed, and terrified when my sister brought her home. That was six and a half years ago, and she is still coming out of her shell, and learning to trust. Meeting the dam (and the sire, if possible), is a must, as is being able to see where the puppies were whelped and are being raised.

OFA and generic testing are also very important to us. One of our poodles developed inoperable cataracts very young, and was blind by the age of four. We lost her to osteosarcoma at the age of seven. Our other dog from the same breeder had hip displaysia. She didn't seem to suffer a lot of physical pain, but it did make jumping difficult for her.

Our first Poodle was rehomed to us when she was eight. Her family was having troubles and could no longer keep her. She was beautifully trained, and had impeccable manners. We lost her at age 12 to Osteosarcoma (we lost all three to Osteosarcoma, in fact). Her beautiful manners inspired us to do obedience training with the next two. They both earned their CD title. Mattie, the older one (with the cataracts) was very shy and reserved, and didn't love the chaotic atmosphere of obedience trials, which is why we stopped at CD with her. Mamie, the younger one, was boisterous and outgoing, but unfortunately, her hip displaysia cut her obedience career short. My Mom is very interested in training this prospective dog. She is hoping to do CGC at the very least, but possibly more if the dog enjoys the work. I am working on putting together a training and behavior reading list for her now, as the last time she shared a home with young, mischievous dogs, the most popular books were from Barbara Woodhouse and the Monks of New Skete. A whole lot has changed since then! I've already turned her on to Patricia McConnel, and am in the process of reading How to Behave so your Dog Behaves by Dr. Sophia Yin, to see if that's one I'll recommend to her. So far, so good!

I'm working on a list of very specific questions, and I'm wondering if it would be best to post them in this thread, or start a new thread?

Again, I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to welcome me and give me such great information and advice. I hope I don't drive you all too crazy with all of the questions. I'm a senior member of a Livestock Guardian Breed forum, and have seen the heartbreak that can come when people don't do thorough research before bringing a dog into their lives. I just want to make sure that whatever decision my Mom makes is the right one for both her and the dog she decides to share her life with!

[F, Calla & Luca]

It sounds like you have it all under control.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It is so refreshing to me to see a new member here who is familiar with obedience titles, has actually put them on her dogs, lol, and has goals to do the same in the future. Training is key to living happily with any dog, as you know, and statistically, only 5% of all dog owners do any kind of formal or on-going training, which may have something to do with the number of dogs being relinquished to rescues and shelters. That includes doodles. I'm a co-founder of a nationwide rescue devoted to doodles, Doodle Rescue Collective. Here's a link to our website: http://doodlerescue.org/

It may be a good resource for your mom. 

(I've also been surprised by all of the changes in training philosophy since I trained my first (as an adult) dog back in 1977.)

Please join our DK Training Group, I think you would have a lot to contribute! http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/trainingmindsets

[Sebastian and Chester's Mom]

Karen, thank you so much! I did join the training group, as well as the one devoted to anxiety issues. Chester has been undergoing treatment for his anxiety for two years, now. He sees a vet who specializes in behavioral issues (in addition to his regular vet) and we have worked with a CAAB. We are very fortunate to live in an area where we have access to such wonderful behavioral resources.

I adopted Sebastian from a wonderful Saint Bernard rescue, and Chester was a street rescue who was essentially fed but feral when he came to live with us. Abby was in such bad physical and emotional shape when my sister brought her home that we consider her to be a rescue, as well. We have definitely had thevtescue discussion. My Mom is in a townhouse in a small (8-unit) complex, and has a small fenced-in area in back. She is in a fairly urban part of Dallas. It’s not Manhattan urban, but it’s not a quiet, residential neighborhood, either. Leash walking will be a must, which I can imagine would be traumatic for a rescue dog who has never lived in that kind of environment before. I know Abby was petrified the first time she spent the night at my Mom’s house.

I’m going to spend some time reading the training threads as well as some of the anxiety threads. One of the questions I was planning to ask was what behavioral issues you tend to see most often on the forum, and now I can see that for myself! Thank you so much!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Welcome and hello to Sebastian and Chester!  It's wonderful to see someone doing their research and it looks like you've found the links you need. Doodles are awesome -- they are almost human.  Since you've had poodles, you know what I'm talking about. But puppyhood is not for the faint of heart. Exercise, training, exercise, interactive games, exercise, snuggles, exercise... Once my doodle passed the 18 month mark, he settled down and is easy to live with --a delightful companion.  He was well socialized, passed his CGC, and passed his therapy dog test -- but I believe he fancies himself a service dog because he is so tightly bonded to me (much more than any other dog I've ever had) and is my ever-present shadow.   I mention this because I am an empty nester and it's just Finn and I most of the time -- like it might be for your mom.   I'm ok with it but it might drive some people a little crazy. He loves to be with other people and dogs (as long as I am there), no anxiety issues when I leave him home alone, but severe depression when I leave him with friends if I have to travel.  I don't know if that's common or if it's just Finn.     

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Has anyone posted this guide to finding a breeder for you?  http://www.doodlekisses.com/notes/What_To_Look_for_In_a_Breeder  This may help you in your search for a reputable breeder.  Another thing I do when helping friends find a breeder is google earth the breeder's address - sometimes it takes you to an empty field or a warehouse - lets you know they aren't reputable right off the bat.