Potential Doodle Owner

[Sarah]

Hello everyone,

I am new here and would love to hear your opinions. I am thinking about getting a two-month old goldendoodle. However, since I have never owned dogs before, I would like to get your opinion on what doodle-ownership is like. I plan to get a puppy from a reputable breeder who does all of the required health testing. Does it take a long time to train the puppy? Will I need to supervise it constantly, will I have time to do my school work? I am a college student. Please give me any information that you may have on your experiences. I thank you in advance because each of your answers will help me get an idea if dog ownership is for me.

[Adina P]

What a great question to ask.  Too many people skip asking this question early on.  You will get excellent feedback here.
But first, tell us why you are considering a dog at all--what attracts you to dog ownership?  And what about the goldendoodle, in particular, interests you?

[Sarah]

Thank you so much for replying! I thought it would be best to ask before I actually get the puppy, so that I would know what to expect. I have wanted a dog since I was four years old. My family had always been scared of them, and the timing was off ( we lived in a tiny apartment), and so we decided to delay getting a puppy. I'm interested in the goldendoodle because of the way they look. Also, I absolutely love golden retrievers, but am not very fond of the heavy shedding. I know that there is never any guarantee that goldendoodles will all be non-shedders, but I am hoping that they shed less than golden retrievers. Also, I heard very good things about their temperaments. So I decided to get a dog this summer, but I also want to provide the best possible environment for the puppy.

[Adina P]

Since you asked such a good question, I'm going to press you a bit more on the 'why a dog' question. WHY do you want a dog? (Don't worry you don't have to have some philanthropic answer, but I just want to get a feel for what dog means to you, what you want out of a dog, what you want to do with a dog, and all that jazz).

[Sarah]

I guess I've always wanted a dog for companionship. I'm an only child, and when I was growing up I wanted to grow up with a dog. Now, I want to be able to raise him from puppyhood to adulthood. I'd love to take long walks with him, and I read an article about the health benefits that dogs bring. I have a family member who has high cholesterol/blood pressure, and I thought that getting a dog would be a stress reducer for him. He would also be able to walk the dog, which would be a form of exercise that he lacks.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Just be prepared as especially the first year can bring added stress ...... you will find some posts on here from puppy moms that were just at the end of the line. They didn't know what else to do! Yes, little sweet puppy breath and holding them and cuddling with them lowers the blood pressure and makes you feel all warm inside, but when it is 1 in the morning and you are exhausted and just getting ready to head to bed and they pee all over the floor and you then have to mop the floor before going to bed, or those puppy teeth that are razor sharp for the first 4-5 months, chewing up the favorite rug, chewing a hole in the new carpeting, eating the wood work, chewing the knobs on the cabinets, (well, you get the picture) all these things can bring a lot of added stress into your life. Once you are through the puppy stage, and complete your training, if you follow through with all of it, then you have a wonderful loving obedient puppy! So yes, getting out and walking the puppy is great exercise, and an enjoyable experience once the puppy learns to politely walk on a leash, but teach many puppies to properly heel and walk on a loose leash is one of the biggest challenges many of us faced. Bottom line, it isn't all fun and games. The payoffs are huge, but there is a lot of work getting to that point.

[Adina P]

That's reasonable. But yes, despite how good for you dogs can be, they CAN be a lot of work too until they are way past puppyhood and trained. And in college it's hard to know exactly what is coming in the next 15 years. I really like what Lucy and Sophie's mom said in their lengthy response.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Welcome to DoodleKisses, Sarah. It is a great site for checking out everything about doodles. I can give you a little information about doodle ownership as I have two doodles - a 7-yr-old labradoodle and a 4-yr-old goldendoodle. My husband and I are both retired, but very active. He is a bicyclist and rides his mountain bike three days a week and I usually walk the dogs at Ft. Ord while he is riding. He also rides his road bike about once a week and sometimes I take the dogs and meet him at the end of the road. I am a swimmer and sometimes my husband walks the dogs while I am in the pool (at the local junior college). So, they are out for a walk just about every day. This week we had a birthday party at Carmel Beach where the dogs can be off leash.
So, my questions for you. First of all, where do you live? Where will the dog be able to go to the bathroom? That is an important part of training. Where do you do your school work? At home, in the library, other place? Doodles do require a lot of exercise, and that may be good for you also. You need to make the time to be with your dog outside. At least while the dog is a puppy he will need to be supervised constantly. Summer may be a good time for a student to be training their puppy. Who is available to be with the puppy when you are not there? It is a big decision and one that will be with you for ten years or so. I am glad you are thinking it all out before you make the leap.

[Sarah]

I live in a house with a large enough backyard that the dog will be able to run and play in. I know that they aren't supposed to take walks until they're 16 weeks old, so I plan on using our backyard for his bathroom needs. I do all of my work at home after my classes end. My mom will usually be home on the days that I will be in school, but she works two days a week. During the first weeks/months that the puppy is home, could we just place him in a pet pen with all of his toys while doing our own work? The pen will be right in front of us so that we will be able to keep an eye on him. Are there any other methods that we can try to make sure the puppy/our home is safe?

[Leslie J]

I think that raising a puppy does require a great deal of time. A puppy is a little like a child- puppyhood experience affects the dog throughout its life. Since puppyhood only lasts about a year or so, one needs to commit a lot of energy to "doing things right" if they want a fantastic dog.

Now that Cocoa is 9 months old, she requires less supervision, but she is losing her puppy coat and requires at least 2 hours a week of grooming to comb out the puppy hair and get all the mats out (in addition to taking her to the groomer every six weeks). I adore my Cocoa, but I think that doodles are definitely "high maintenance" dogs.

Doodles are also very intelligent and need mental stimulation such as training, walking and playing to focus their energy in a positive way. The good news is they are such sweet, adorable dogs... the fact that so many people are communicating about their doodles here is a testament to how much pleasure they bring us!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Regarding temperament, that depends very heavily on the temperaments of the parents. There are certainly breed tendencies, but there are also unstable dogs of all breeds and even-tempered dogs of all breeds. Since doodles are mixes, it is even harder to make generalizations about their temperaments than it is about purebreds. The environment in which the puppy is raised before he comes to you will also play a role. It's best to meet the parents of any puppy, of any breed, if possible, before making a purchase decision.

[Sarah]

Is there anything that I can do to prevent maximum damage to the house? I understand that puppies will be puppies- they will chew, but I would like to do what I can to prevent them from getting hurt accidentally swallowing something that they shouldn't swallow.

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

Doggie toys, chew toys, meaty bones, kongs stuffed with treats, and lots of exercise. My doodle did not chew anything but the toys I gave him. Based on what I have read, I think I was lucky. I believe, in general, a tired puppy is a happy puppy. The first year I would recommend you be involved in training classes. I know you are a student, and that might be difficult, but I really think the classes, the practicing, and the bonding from doing the work that first year, pays off in a huge way when the dog is older. I am so impressed that you are thinking about these issues now. I think that first year is like having a toddler in the house. Ask your Mom what that was like :-)
Good luck and let us know what happens.