How Can Doodles Be So Different?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

The Doodle "breed" has always fascinated me for many reasons. I think what has intrigued me most is how different they all look and how varied their personalities are. With my past dogs there were some basic "breed specific" traits, although they each had their distinctive personalities. Now that I have two Doodles...both ALD's, I'm completely amazed by how different they are in just about every way. I really see nothing that I would consider "breed specific" traits. Most of you already know Guinness. He's joined at the hip with me, and follows me everywhere. If I don't let him into the bathroom, he'll just wait by the door until I come out. When I'm working, he's by my feet every minute, preferably touching me. His favorite time of day is evening when we get into bed and he cuddles right next to me. He would stay there forever. I swear he knows what I'm thinking even before I think it. He's excitable and "dances around" whenever we have any guests. He doesn't really need much sleep....he's too busy watching and following me. He's incredibly graceful and loves agility. So, now we have our new Dood, and he is a polar opposite. He is a "big lug" of a guy. There isn't a graceful bone in his body. He trips and falls over his own feet all the time. He likes to be on the same "floor" in the house as me, but could care less if he's in the same room. He can't cuddle for more than a few minutes without getting hot and panting, which limits his cuddle time completely (Guinness is so happy about that). He jumps off the bed and heads for the cool bathroom floor. Murphy will greet guests calmly and then goes somewhere to take a nap. Guinness would walk with me forever...Murphy gets exhausted after half a block and "is done with it" ( I know he's only a puppy). Training the two requires completely different strategies. Guinness wanted to please me and so he would do well to get my praise and "hugs". Murphy just wants treats...the more the better. He'll do anything for that treat. Oh, and if I let Murph smell it first, before giving the command, it's a sure thing. To look at them you could never imagine they were both the same breed, even recognizing that Guinness is a mini and Murphy is a Medium/Large. Their faces are totally different, their body types are totally different, their coats are totally different. As I said, so intriguing. I can't wait to watch Murphy grow up, but I already know that he will be a completely different dog than his brother. The awesome thing is that they compliment each other, and I love their individuality. Have others seen such drastic differences in their Doodles? I'm thinking that what makes Doodles unique is that they are all so different.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Oh duh.... sorry was chasing a dog and pressed enter.

Starlit on the other hand will not play with toys but she plans sneak attacks on food. That is the extent of her busy day. She goes outside to " potty " and lays down. Where ever she goes she is looking for the best place to take a nap :) Yes, doods are so different!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Spud has the agility, strength, and endurance better than any dog I know. He can jump over 5 feet without effort, he can seek out and plan where the frisbee will land. His precision is perfect. .............. I can go on and on.

Before 6 months he feel over when you pet him. He ran into walls and tripped on his own paws--serious. He was NOT cuddly, almost too busy to pay attention to what the humans were doing. We chased and followed him around, he did not follow us. Too much to do, to much to see. He would pass up a cookie for a toy or a stranger.

Oh how things change. :) Enjoy. He sounds adorable.

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

I have to laugh Murphy sounds so much like Hunter! Hunter is a total clumsey goof, she constantly trips on herself going up and down steps - she will be running around the yard with my girls and she will run right into things - its hilarious! I have a friend with a labradoddle and she is doing agility with hers and it cracks me up to even THINK about Hunter trying it - I think she would end up at the vet with a broken bone! Another thing that she does is burp at such funny times - my older daughter always says everytime they are having a tender sweet moment together Hunter burps in her face! She does facinate me because its like you can see the wheels spinning in their heads - totally entertaining. Way more than any dog or breed I have ever been around before :-)

[Camilla and Darwin]

Murphy sounds just like Darwin as far as the clumsiness factor goes. It's adorable, but confusing. Aren't both Golden Retrievers and Poodles good at agility? Not Darwin!

I would think that owning two dogs is so amazing because you really get to love and appreciate each dog's individuality. It's something I am looking forward to experiencing. I suppose they are just like kids in that way, different needs, personalities, and quirks.