All Blog Posts (6,243)

When I picked Watson up from the breeder, I knew I had chosen a pup that was a little timid. He loved people but would need to be coaxed to new environments and situations. I knew he would need to be socialized well. I went online and found checklists of things to socialize him with, took him to puppy classes, puppy play hours and really tried to expose him to as much as I could (while being careful before he had all his shots).

From 12 weeks old, we have walked the same neighborhood…

Ludo has been home for just a little over a week.  He has settled in beautifully and he seems to have really bonded to me. I know I've bonded to him. We had quite a busy week and we fared splendidly. I discovered later in the week that he's a total lazy bones!  I found out about six weeks ago that I have autoimmune hypothyroidism which historically has made me really tired and…

If I browse pictures on Facebook, and listen to the experiences of my grooming customers and the owners that participate in my Labradoodle self grooming workshops, it's undeniable that most people wait too long before they visit the groomer.

The result: tangles, felt and a bare-shaven Doodle a few times a year, whilst looking like a Bearded Collie the rest of the year.

I know, most dog owners love a long coat.

The longer, the better, right?

Well,…

To say that I'm bubbling with excitement does not even cover it.

Ludo got home late last night and he is an absolute dream.  I am somewhat hesitant to mention this on DK out of some (hopefully) irrational fear of being judged, but Ludo was shipped here on United Airlines PetSafe program. I know that shipping puppies (though I can't find a lot on DK about it) is…

The other day I posted a blog about the calming influence Fudge has had on me since I found out we were moving, but today I have to rescind the entire thing.  I think tonight I will have nightmares.  I have been super busy and the dogs are great inside the house, but as soon as I go out to work in the garage, all hell breaks loose.  I have found that the more I work in the garage, the more trouble they seem to find. Usually, I will start to hear stones landing on pavement and come out of the…

We are moving.  The last time we moved, all the way from Maryland to Pennsylvania, I swore that was the last time.  John and I did the entire move ourselves, except for a few pieces of furniture that I just could not lift.  Our kids were no help and seemed to have the incredible ability to have plans on the days we could have used some help. Megan and a boyfriend broke up right before the move and to this day I find the timing suspect.  I believe I mentioned that I hoped he could help and…

I've said it before: the white coats of Labradoodles require the most maintenance.

That is, if they're curly or curly fleece coats (which they usually are).

Not just because white Labradoodles love nothing more than to roll around in puddles, mud, sand, etc.

But rather, because white hair is porous, and tangles more easily than brown or black hair.

If this type of coat gets wet and dries by air (or central heating), it’s very susceptible to…

Good news, fellow doodlers! I am now a new parent to two nutty Labradoodles, named Elouise and Dudley (Lou and Duds for short). Yup, life is looking up. I still miss my late doodle, Beasley  but these two are keeping me busy. Life with a puppy is all coming back to me now and double the trouble this time too! Originally, I had planned to get one smaller doodle type but emotions got the better of me and here we are, sibling syndrome or not!

Thought I'd address the issue of sibling…

How exciting that Harley started Doggy Day Care this week. And he loved it. Six hours of playing with 10-15 other dogs.

He comes home exhausted but extremely happy and he was even crowned Homecoming King!

My first blog under this title immediately covers what I find to be the very essence: the purity and authenticity of Doodles.

Why do we have Doodles in our lives? And how come that we humans get along so well with them? We don't share

that much in common, in fact, evolution has removed many of the capacities that we once shared.

Could it be to remind us of who we really are? Of how we're supposed to be? To inspire us to BE more, like them?

I had a remarkable…

SEE HOW COOKIE LOVES HER NEW MOBILITY....

https://youtu.be/c4KCJmqK6VM

Maltese Rescue California - Cookies' Got Wheels. Cookie is one of our recent rescues who is paralyzed in the rear legs. Until now Cookie has been only able to scoot around on her bottom or sometimes her hind legs. With her great attitude, she is full of love and life. With contributions from supporters we were able to purchase Cookie a wheel chair to…

Bridget would have been 16. She died at almost 14. Chloe the eternal puppy, healthy as could be...energetic, well. Funny, fun, died suddenly at age 9, of an aneurysm. Other doodles are aging...I can't be the only one who has lost their babies...as some are older now...I am not trying to be a downer, but who else has gone through this horror?BTW I  adopted a beautiful Bella, a black F2 labradoodle this week.

I have been away for years, but Riley and I are still bouncing  around.  Or at least Riley.  Hard to believe he is 6 1/2 years old now. It will take me some time, but will try and update my page with current info and pictures.  Had an email change while back, so corrected that.  Was able to snag Joanne last night, but took me awhile not used to the newer mobile format and all..  Well, any of my ol' pen-pals still around give my a holler.

Hi All,

So he's officially a Therapy Dog now or as my brother keeps saying "he's legit!". It was the day of his final observation and he did so well today, we had a great time. I'm not sure how many people reading this have therapy dogs themselves, but we are certified through TD Inc. now, ATD and I am curious as to if the evaluation process seems similar for other organizations or if everyone has had different styles of evaluation. His test was very similar to the information…

No, not together!  Individually, both of these substances seem to have beneficial properties...

This is just an idea...  Please don't take my word for this, do some Internet investigation on your own...

Honey, dissolved in warm water with a splash of lemon juice is said to be helpful for the cough of bortadella or kennel cough.  I use honey and lemon when I have a cough or sore throat.  This doesn't cure the bortadella, it simply soothes the through and reduces…

You guys, I am so excited. As I wrote about in my earlier blog posts, I was struggling a bit with selecting which puppy I wanted. I was deciding between two boys.  One was front and center, always doing goofy things and, I swear, always had a smile on his little face.  The breeder even called him the "happy happy puppy" and noted that if he had been a girl, he'd have kept him.

The other boy was sweet but also quite…

Hello to all,

So today was one of those magical days were the lighting was PERFECT for taking pictures. For those who have black/dark chocolate doodles you understand  the pain, blood, sweat and tears that go into taking a picture of a dark colored dog. And then we have to get them to pose! Any ways the lighting was perfect and I actually got some great images of the boys that I think do a pretty good job of show casing their personalities. There really is no point to this…

 hello (again),

I was not going to post these last four of the boys but decided I had to. :)

 It's crazy to me how Moose at 6 months is almost the size of Loki. This is good for them though because they both play so rough together. 

I love this one of Loki because it's usually so hard to see his eyes hiding in the fluff and then factoring in the wind, movement, light- it's a lot. It's interesting to me too because when I see Loki in…