Exercise and the Older Doodle Owner

[F, Calla & Luca]

Part of the reason I got a second doodle was to give Luca more exercise than I can. The two doodles do keep each other fit, I hope. This was especially good lately since  I my knee has been acting up. Any though on exercising doodles as we age?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Little does he know.Two are usually, not always easier than one.

[Liza, Halle and Finn]

Two doodles are better in every way, except one...the barking! When my two get to playing chase, Kachi, who can't keep up w/ Halle, barks, barks, barks!! The barking order gets reversed when Kachi swims, because Halle thinks she needs to bark, bark, bark, while he swims! It's just like when my kids were little, and would run around the house, screaming and playing!! Luckily, the doodles wear themselves out pretty quickly!
Also, my husband wasn't too sold on the idea of a second doodle either, but now that we have Halle, and he sees what great companions they are (to us and to each other), he's a believer!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Funny, my two never bark when they're play fighting or chasing eac other. If one barks at a possible fearsome intruder, a not infrequent event, the other may or may not join in.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I don't think individually any of my four would bark much, but put them together and whatever one barks at the others join in. Times that by 4 and Yuck!

[Lauria Orr]

I think Melody could run almost all day...the little energizer bunny! We do walk her every day and she loves that. We also do the chasing with her every day and try to get her to fetch. (not so good at that part..) We will get another mini doodle and that will be great. I love the term "zoomies", as that is exactly it! Melody also gets her second wind at 9:00 PM or so. Fun for her, not necessarily for us! I do think she likes exercise and affection more than anything, which is different than the Beagles that we had, which were chow hounds! She is not food oriented or treat oriented. My husband is not as convinced that we need a second dog as I am. I saw how great that worked for the 2 Beagles. I think they were excellent chasing pals and would snuggle together when we were at work.

[Chuck & Carol]

Hello
Being that my wife and I are well over 50 (58 & 60) and are the proud owners of Becca, a 19 month old golden doodle, This may be the group for us.

Exercise is a big part of our life with Becca. We do the walks and dog parks but it really was not enough to get her a good work out. Plus it gets a little boring.

I've been dog scootering for several months and I have to say its really worked out well for us.

Dog scootering is kind of like sled dog racing but using a wheeled vehicle instead of a sled. Its a kick scooter, like a bicycle but without pedels or seat.

Becca is attached to the scooter using an Xback harness and an eight foot tug line. I can work as hard as I want or just let her pull me along.

This is not an activity for sissies. I have had a couple crashes. Helmets are a good idea. But its loads of fun for both of us.

This mornings run was just under 3 miles, it took about 25 minutes with Becca averaging about 7 MPH. (top speed today was 14mph, pesky rabbits).

It is a great interaction between dog and owner. The dog learns verbal commands for stops starts and turns. Although the scooter does have brakes and steering.

There is a lot more to consider. The dogs health being most important. Do some reading before you try it. Any dog that likes to run and is average or bigger in size can do it. Always be mindful of your dogs health, monitor water intake and don't run if its too hot outside. Don't overdo it.

My whole rig cost less than 250.00. We run city sidewalks and parks. Lots of info online start at dogscooter.com and other sites.

Like I said there is a lot more to this activity and it may not be for everyone but I sure am enjoying the whole process.

Thanks for reading
Chuck S.
Allen Park Michigan

[F, Calla & Luca]

Wow, This does sound like fun. I don't think it's for me because I am glad I have mastered walking the two doodles. I never was one for bikes and things. Enjoy!

[DeeDee and Sheila]

Oh my gosh.  What a genius idea.  I used to use my regular bike for my labs, but not until they were older and very reliable.  Now I have plantars fasciitis and have had 4 operations on arms elbows from all the hunting dogs I walked, ran, got pulled by.  And I lugged my deaf girl in my arms until age 6 so she could lip read me and learn to talk.  So now Im a mess physically, but still love dogs.  So along comes Sheila, a mini ALD, who has bundles of energy and I can't keep up. 

I'm on the runway for a second doodle, litter just born.  Scared to death.  Hmmm.

[Lauria Orr]

Well, I am very excited, as it looks like my husband has finally agreed to a second Doodle. The cost of the dogs has been a real issue for him, and he hasn't been convinced that Melody needs a play mate. After all, she has us. We walk her daily and play chase in the backyard. We do that to the best of our abilities, but we both are slowing down a bit, thanks to things like sciatica. The scooter that Chuck wrote about sounds good. The only thing is...if a crash would occur, sciatica issues could be exacerbated, which neither of us needs. There is a possibility of a doodle of similar size and an outgoing friendly personality that is 5 months old and has started training. She comes from the breeder we got Melody from, and we may get a little bit of a price break. Melody is a F1B Goldendoodle. The new one would be an F1B Labradoodle. They are 6 months apart in age, so energy levels will likely be similar. That 9 PM energy boost, or the 50 times a day zooming that goes on around our back yard could be better shared by 2 Doods. I am hopeful and excited.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Congratulations. Also I would recommend Robin McKenzie's books. He is a PT from NZ or Australia, and has exercises he recommends for sciatica and things. Very good recommendations.

[Lauria Orr]

Thank you for the recommendation. I will check into Robin McKenzie. My MD recommends P.T., but there is quite a walk involved, and then my toes go numb and my sciatica hits the calf, and it is generally unpleasant. I have stalled on going!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I went a number of years ago for my back, same sort of thing. The second time was really helpful, pull ups seem to be the best but now I just lie on my stomach for a little while before I go to sleep. I learned a lot of helpful things from that therapist. Now it's only other parts that are a problem : )