Doodles and small children

[Dayna Chung]

I have been researching English Golden Doodles for a while.  I live in the bay area, so was excited to see so many have been happy with their puppies from Almond Blossom Doodles.  I am wondering if anyone can share their experience relative to small children?  I have a 2 year old and 4 year old.  All that I've read seems to suggest that they are wonderful family dogs.  If anyone can share their personal experience - esp with an Almond Blossom Doodle - that would be great!  

[Joyce,David"Mochi,Latte,Popcorn"]

I was hoping Mochi would be about 30lb, but he turns out to be 45lb now and probably will be about 50lb when he's fully grown. One of his same litter brother is not even 30lb now.
I also think medium is a great size. Small dogs are usually yelpy and nippy, I cannot stand those.
If you are still interested in getting a AB doodle, you could hold you spot for next litter, usually the next litter comes 6 months ~ 12 months, one good advantage if you make a early deposit is that you can be the first one to pick your puppy, like Joane, she has been on the waiting list for an year!

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

If you decide to go with ABD that would be a great idea. If you're not ready when the next litter arrives you can always wait for the following. And I agree with Joyce...you will have the first pick.

[Mikol & Omni]

Hi there! So, I just got an AB pup this past week and have an active 16 month old son. The pup is small (only 5.5 lbs right now and probably not going to get bigger than 25lbs). The first day we brought him home I thought "What was I thinking????" when the pup did all his "business" in the house and my son freaked out because he got nipped a little. I was so used to my older Lab (who died when the baby was 1) who was really chill, obviously already trained, etc. and I was like, wow, I forgot how much work puppies are! But honestly, we've had this pup for just 5 days now, and he's only having a couple of accidents in the house each day and already knows how to ring the bells and goes outside to do his thing! They are so smart. We're still teaching them both to respect each other (To my son, please don't kick the pup or throw things at him - he's not a ball or a toy; To the pup, don't bite!) but they are already having so much fun together, running back and forth across the house chasing and playing! The puppy is very tolerant of toddler even when he hits and I think they both recognize that they are both babies and are working it out. I think it's going to be AWESOME watching them grow up being best friends and I am really happy with my decision to get Omni now. It will be work for a few months, getting him to be a good doggie citizen, but he learns really fast! Impressive really. And so far, all the scattered toys aren't a problem - puppy chews on them and I say no and give him one of his toys and vice versa when Seph won't share the puppy toys with the puppy. I work from home right now, so that will help a lot, because I am able to discipline puppy and be vigilant about the potty training. And Seph can't really say Omni, so he calls him "Happy" which is his version of "puppy". I think it would be awesome for a 2 and 4 year old to have one of their pups and I think it really helps that AB has three kids, so the pups are used to kids from the start. And Julie did a great job of letting us know which ones of the pups she thought were too timid to deal with a rambunctious loud household. That's my $0.04. I'll update you if you want, as time goes on.

[Dayna Chung]

hi! thanks so much for sharing your $0.04! i'm encouraged to hear your story! i'll hope to see on DK any future updates, re: how your family continues to adjust to life with a puppy!

dayna

[Liza, Halle and Finn]

I'm not sure about the issues being germane only to a male AB puppy, as opposed to a female AB puppy. Maybe Alma's mom or one of the other female AB doodle owners can answer this question better than I. But we certainly only had these issues with Kachi. Halle, at 7 months, has never been nippy, and never challenged us., and I can see her being fine with tiny people, except that she would possibly lick them to death!! (The only person(?) she asserts herself with is Kachi, and she's always trying to boss him around, and she's about 1/2 his size!!)
But after Kachi turned a year old, he began to mellow, and by the time we brought home the new puppy (Halle), he was positively delightful. He was about a year and half by then! It really seemed for us, that the months, like 6 - 12, were probably the worse, then it started getting better. It's really hard to remember because he is such a calm, chill, dude now!!
But even as a puppy, even though he had moments that were challenging, he was still really fun, and really worth it! Just a lot of work, like Carla said. And for me, I just never would have been able to feel comfortable leaving my small children (if I had them at the time) alone with him, because Kachi would get too excited, and too aggressive in his play!
And even though Halle is so easy, we still crate her when we are gone (Kachi has free roam of the house). The reason being: Halle's seems to find things to amuse herself that Kachi never dreamed of- Like grabbing the toilet paper and running away with the end of it in her mouth so that the whole roll unravels...which is great fun for Kachi because he will then eat the whole thing,-cardboard roll and all!!

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Liza...the toilet paper cracks me up. I had a mini-poodle growing up that used to do that too. Grab the roll and run. I put waste baskets with lids and foot pedals in all the bathrooms...well Lucca figured out that he could open the top with his nose..lol. Now, we have to keep the front to the wall so he can't get them open. I kept finding him with kleenex and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Problem solved!!! These Doods are smart!!

[Azure & Muppet]

Dayna, researchers (and experienced breeders) have found dominance is more related to the temperament of the dog than it is to gender. Females can be equally as alpha as males, it just depends on the nature of the individual dog. I think late grade school (10-12 yrs) is a great age for children to get a puppy, but that would be a long time to wait in your situation, so maybe when the kids are old enough to be in school (for your own sanity). As for how long the most difficult period lasts, I would say the first 6 months are the most exhausting (potty training, teething, chewing, socializing, etc), followed by a very challenging adolescent period that typically occurs between 6-12 months old. So in total, you can expect the entire first year to be difficult. After that, things really start to get better.

[Dayna Chung]

Thanks for all the advice! The tips and personal experiences are really helpful! As you say, 10-12 is a long ways off! But, I think we will probably push the pause button on our efforts to get a puppy - perhaps, for another year or two. We definitely want to do this right and not rush in!

We're leaving for a trip on Thursday, so if I don't see any other posts or responses, it's b/c I don't have access to email/computer. But, again, many, many thanks to all who have posted comments/experiences! It has helped so much!

[Azure & Muppet]

If you can do it when you'll be able to devote the right time and attention to the dog, it'll pay off in the long run. The work you invest into the dog in the beginning will create a better companion for your family for all the years that follow.

[Diane and Alma]

I totally agree. We spend lots of time with Alma (playing and training) and know that it will pay off.

[Diane and Alma]

I just saw your post and thought I'd add some comments. We have Alma, a 10 month old female from Tula and Micah (sister to Mochi, Muppet, Sydney, Cooper, Bode). We also have two kids, ages 9 and 11. We waited until they were older to get a puppy. Also, we had a male cat that was very territorial. It would have been too stressful to have him and a dog. He passed away a few years ago (we still have a female cat who is very mellow).

Alma is a great dog. She is very gentle and friendly. She does have her "alpha" moments. She will growl at my kids if they get too rough with her. And sometimes when she is lying down and they go to hug her she will growl. I think it's her way of saying "leave me alone." She has never growled at my husband or me. We are training the kids how to treat her with respect. They also walk her, feed her (by hand when she was a puppy) and teach her tricks. She knows that they are above her in the pack. She obeys them when they give a command.

I walk/jog her for an hour in the morning (when my kids are at school) and again for 1/2 hour in the afternoon (we walk to school to pick them up). She has gotten very sick after going to the dog park so we avoid going there. We have a park across the street and lots of friends with dogs so she is very socialized and great with other dogs. The dog walking/dog park thing might be something to consider since you have young kids who would have to go with you.

We have a gate in our upstairs hallway. It keeps Alma out of our laundry room where all those great smelling socks are and also out of the cat litter box. The kids can also play with their lego's and toys and not worry about the dog getting at their stuff. Alma is really good about not eating anything she shouldn't. She knows somehow that anything on the coffee table is off limits. But if a toy is on the floor, she will find it and chew on it - not eat it, we just find the pieces lying around. With small kids you will need to be careful about toys lying around.

Alma is a great addition to our family. I'm glad that we waited until the kids were older. They really help out a lot. Lots of families have dogs and younger children too. Good luck with your decision.

[Jodi Wilkins]

Sorry for responding so late but I thought I would put in my two cents. We have Bode from AB and he is 11 months now and 45 pounds. He is considered a mini but we consider him medium. We have two boys who are 7 and 9. We love Bode very much and can't imagine a life without him now but I have to say he has been a lot of work. He is a very dominant aggressive boy. (this does not match his tempermant assessment by the way). We asked for the most mellow boy and we were pick number 2. Bode showed signs of aggression almost right away when we brought him home. He has been through some pretty serious training sessions and is finally getting a bit better. But if he has something of yours he really wants, like food off the counter, he will bite you to keep it. Our trainer also has trained another AB male who also had some dominance issues. If I were you I would wait long enough for your children to be able to handle a dog. Our 9 year old is pretty good with him but our 7 year is not. He is just not big enough or strong enough to control Bode. Bode views our 7 year old as a litter mate and trys to dominate him by humping on him, mouthing him, etc. The other thing about Golden Doodles that I have found is during the first year at least they want and need a lot of attention. We have found that we need to walk Bode at least 4-5 times a day if not more. If we do not he chews things he shouldn't, he barks for attention etc. But I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, I think maybe in another year he will be the best darn dog there is and the cutest that is for sure. Hope it helps and good luck to you!