A City of two Tails

[Melanie and Girls]

I was online last night and stumbled upon a support page of people who were having problems with their goldendoodles. Across the board, it seemed like people were experiencing similar "puppy behaviour" problems.

One person posted "my golden retriever NEVER acted like this. What have I gotten myself into with this goldendoodle?!?" This got me thinking about a puppy training class I was in. One particular class we were in was much like a play that would make Dickens proud. There was a wonderful spectrum of players, including two rival boys - one soft and gentle - and one that would make your heart pound, palms get sweaty, and have you running for the hills.

The first boy was Charlie*.(*names have been changed to protect the innocent) His breed was unknown. He entered the room with his back legs quivering. Though his confidence grew through the classes, one thing that never changed was his easy surrender and willingness to obey. I personally had never know this in a dog as all retrievers and labs are a bit too confident for behavior like this. All his owner had to do was look at him, and he would tuck his tail between his legs and obey.

What of the other boy you ask.. His name was Billy*. Oh Billy... There was NOTHING his owner could do to get him to obey. Even the trainer herself would work with him weekly making the rest of us feel like our dogs were perfect. He made MARLEY look like a dream dog. Billy made sure that No one would think they were better than him! The family of Billy took him for two 3 Hour walks every day. Energy was not the issue. He was an Alpha dog plain and simple, and they had their hands full!!

The best part of this is that Billy was a Golden Retriever. Yep. Good old faithful.

I felt like responding to that poster last night. I thought of pointing out that dogs are still dogs. I wondered if he had forgotten what his golden retriever was like as a puppy. I wondered if he knew that his doodle was one of the most intelligent breeds out there. Or that they can have strong personalities. That the ones that make you 'earn your stripes' as an owner end up being the most well-behaved, obedient dogs once they're full grown. I wondered if he knew that just like our best friends in the people world, the things we love the most in our dogs can sometimes drive us crazy.

Did he rise to the challenge? Did he show his beloved Doodle that he was worthy of her respect? Maybe he had a Billy on his hands. Maybe he chose the puppy that called to his heart. Maybe his Billy is representative of something he's looking for in himself. His little boy waiting to get out.

I hope he goes for a hike in the woods with his doodle. I hope they run through the trees. I hope they splash in puddles and that they don't stop playing until they're completely exhausted. I hope his doodle helps him to meet his life head-on with all the exuberance he can muster.

And when they just can't run anymore, they will head for home. It's here I'm sure his golden retriever will be waiting for them lovingly by the fire when they get there.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Well said!  Maybe you should just copy and paste this onto the other site.  And then invite them to DK!