Do We or Don't We

[Pat McShane]

Well my wife and I are sure we want one doodle, have identified and met with a great breeder who has a wonderful litter of standard sized multigen australian labradoodles and two brothers are available.  We are both 60, kids have gone off on their own lives, live on 20 fenced acres in the country. 

Since we will both have work lives away from the home for another five years, and we do like to cycle and travel, we are attracted to the idea of adopting both brothers.  We had a 12 year old lab that we had to put down a month ago and miss having a dog so we know what is involved with one dog, but are trying to work through the decision to have two, litter mates.  Any advise?

 

 

 

[DeeDee and Sheila]

My husband and I are just a little younger than you and also lost a beloved lab. We had not had a puppy for many years. I was utterly SHOCKED at the work and exhaustion factor since we were in our early 30's when we got our lab pup. AND I had two kids, one of whom was (is) deaf. I thought it was hard then . . .

But now, wowie zowie. And puppies can't stay all day by themselves. They require alot of attention. I am just now contemplating a second and Sheila will be a year old in Nov. My breeder just had a couple return BOTH doodle siblings because they worked and had no idea what they were getting into. And I know she doesn't recommend getting two together unless the couple is very experienced, has alot of time and knows what they are getting into.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, maybe you guys will be the exception to the rule.

Are they going to work w/ you? Dog walker?

[Pat McShane]

to everyone that contributed their thoughts. After careful consideration, we decided to focus on one pup at a time. The consensus amongst posters and some trainers and breeders that we talked to was that while raising two pups can be done, you raise the chances that problems may arise. So we decided to focus on this guy:

[Sally loves Maple & Lucky]

Congratulations on your new addition. What a handsome boy!

[Melissa & Porter]

He is adorable! Congrats on your decision.

Maybe in your area there are some dog owners who meet regularly for off-leash walking and playing. You could give "lime collar boy" :-) a social life even without a packmate for now. I think dogs who play with other dogs learn quite a bit, and yet, you don't have to bring the other dogs home with you!

[Lynda Kamrath]

He is absolutely darling! I'm sure you will have a lot of joy with him. Looks like he will have a pretty heavy coat, which may come in handy during the cold weather. We also have a new puppy, but an older goldendoodle to keep him company. He still manages to get in plenty of trouble. Enjoy.

[Patty, Roxy & Spencer]

Congrats on your new little guy. He's really cute. You're going to love having a doodle around the house! I think you made a wise choice to start with one. We ultimately made the choice to try one pup first too.. It was certainly enough to keep us on the move with just the one. When we added Spencer when Roxy was 11 mos. old (he was 17 wks) we had a much better idea what was coming our way. The wait for two was worth it. The time we spent with Roxy and her training really prepared us for Spencer. They are such a joy to have with us and I'm glad we chose to start with one pup first and add the second later. What's your new guys name?

[Kyoko]

OMG!! He is soooo cute!!!!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

My goodness he is adorable! I think you have made a good decision. Can't wait to see more photos of your sweet puppy!