Owning a doodle

[Jeff]

Hi,

My wife and I are thinking about getting a mini golden doodle.  We both work full time and live in a large apartment.  We are pretty active and at the moment we have no kids.  Also, neither of us have ever been pet owners before. 

 

Given our current living conditions and work schedules, my thoughts are to find a slightly older pup around 4-6 months. We would definitely enroll in obedience training for both ourselves and the pup.

 

My greatest concern is the time the doodle would spend alone.  A typical weekday would be to spend 15-20 minutes with it prior to work then it would be left alone for 3-4 hours.  We would hire a dog walker to come during the day.  The dog walker we have in mind takes 5-8 dogs on a pack walk or off leash run.  They are usually gone from the house for 2-3 hours.  When the doodle is dropped off it would then be by itself for another 3-4 hours until one of us came home.  In the evenings we would spend more time with it training and excercising. 

 

Would this regime be okay?  I was thinking that a pack walk would provide socialization and excercise during the day when we are not there. 

 

We both realize that undertaking a pet is a huge responsibility and we want to make sure we know what we are getting into.  We also want to succeed and put our best foot forward.  If a doodle is not the breed for us then that is okay too.  Any feedback from current doodle owners would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks Jeff

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I think you are making the necessary preparations, and it sounds like you will be great doodle owners! 

 

3-4 hours is not very long for a pup to be alone, although for the first few weeks the pup may have to pee or poop while you are gone, so you will have to prepare an area for that purpose.  My partner and I both work and Luna has been alone for up to ~8 hours by herself starting from a few days after we brought her home.  She was a bit rambunctious after being alone that long, but nothing a nice long walk, play session and lots of cuddles can't fix!

 

The dog walker is a great idea, and will definitely break up the time for your dog.  After a pack walk, he/she will probably be so tired they will sleep most of the remaining 3-4 hours.

 

A few things we have done or still do:

 

- Housebreak as soon as possible!  If you are getting an older pup, that will probably already be done, but you may have some "Re-training" to do in a new home. 

- Keep the pup confined to a pen (this is what we do) or small room with a comfy spot to sleep and a toilet area while you are gone.  We also leave one meal's worth of food (depending on the time of day we'll be gone) and a full water bowl for Luna.  Now - at 7 months, Luna can be alone for ~6-7 hours and does not pee in her pen, she mostly just shreds the newspaper that's in her pen for entertainment ;)  Make sure there are no choking hazards, wires or things you don't want destroyed within reach!  We use a metal pen with only her crate, toilet area, toys and food/water dishes inside.  It's boring for her, but it's safe.

- Buy Kong toys or another stuffable, safe toy that you can stuff with yummy treats to keep the puppy occupied while you are gone.  We use Puppy-sized Kongs stuffed with a little bit of healthy treats (usually freeze-dried chicken or a piece of frozen banana) and a bit of peanut butter.  Be careful with the peanut butter though - some dogs are allergic.  Test it out when you are home first.

[Jess & Stewart]

I have heard many different things about giving and leaving stuffed Kongs for puppies. I feel that if I left a puppy alone with a stuffed Kong in their crate or ex-pen, that it is basically giving them something that they will later eliminate when I'm not there and I will come home to pee or poop. I feel like it would only prolong housebreaking. Why would I leave a puppy alone with a source of food and/or water?? 

Unless, in my mind I am thinking that it would be enough of an amount for a puppy to want to pee/poop and in reality you all are talking about a small amount that will not make them want to eliminate. 

Any advice you all could give would be helpful!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I'm talking about maybe a teaspoon of peanut butter in the Kong and a slice of frozen banana.  Some dogs will also refuse to eat - I'm sure mine wouldn't but she doesn't have separation anxiety.  She also gets to go out and have a morning poop before we leave, so the likelihood of her needing to do another one while we're gone is low.  Dogs (and people) can also delay having a #2 almost indefinitely. 

About water - I would rather leave the dog with a water source and come back to a pee puddle than have a dehydrated puppy.  She only peed for maybe the first couple months we had her, then she could hold it all day.  She never once pooped in her ex-pen and was housebroken (apart from peeing in the ex-pen while we were gone) within a few weeks of taking her home.

Most dogs also figure out REALLY quickly that going in the expen means you'll be gone for a while (the "signal" of the stuffed Kong that ONLY comes when you leave is a good cue too).  Luna doesn't drink at ALL (as far as I can tell) when we're gone so she doesn't have to pee as badly.

[Jess & Stewart]

Oh, ok! I guess I was thinking of it being a portion of food and they would pee or poop while I am gone. I live in an apt very close to work, around the corner, actually but it's not pet friendly. I found a great place that's not even a 5 minute walk that I'm hoping to get into once my current lease is up. Pet friendly, hardwood floors and a outdoor play area! I'm reading a lot about leaving a puppy alone while at work, just so I have enough info and feel prepared.

Also, I get a lot of time off and will be saving up days to use. If I got my puppy on Saturday (all selection days are Saturdays for my breeder) and then took off a week (M-F) and then M-W of the following week, which is 11 days, so basically 2 weeks, would that be sufficient time to get a dog started house training and used to a crate, before I go back to work? I would also be able to come home every day for a hour for lunch. I have flexible scheduling, so I can take longer lunches and even my hours out throughout the week.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We got Luna on a Thursday, then we had Fri-Mon off to get her started on getting settled in and started on training.  I think almost 2 weeks should be plenty, that sounds nice!

[Adina P]

My main suggestion is that you be sure the breeder you work with, IF they happen to have a 4-6 month old pup, has done A LOT of socialization and work with that puppy.  I would want to know the pup has been crate trained and house-broken (by 6 months for sure!) and has been on a leash, has not been allowed to begin bad habits and hasn't just been cooped up in their house or in a kennel that whole time. 

 

I would want to know that the pup had been exposed to lots of men and women, kids, places, situations and has taken them all in stride.  Not all breeders have time to do this with pups that haven't found homes.  Occasionally a breeder will have a pup returned for one reason or another...again I'd want to know this pup was really well socialized.  There's a critical developmental period between 7 and 12 weeks where pups need to meet a lot of different people, meet other dogs, experience different places, sights, sounds (and in a non-scary way) to help them be well-balanced dogs later. 

 

I think if you're committed to the task, you can do fine.  But keep in mind that it is NOT uncommon for people to bring home a pup or young dog and after a while to decide "Hmmmm...I just don't think we have time for this dog" and they give it up to rescue or a shelter.  So be ready to make it work. 

 

I think the 2-3 hours of a pack walk would wear out just about any puppy so that last 3-4 hours would go by in a flash as he slept the day away.  It seems like a LONG time to walk for a 4-6 month old, though.  Might be pushing it to start such a long exercise session right away.  I think a walk in a pack sound great...   But I, personally, would NOT let anyone else walk my pup off leash.  Not saying it can't work and they don't have a successful time of it.  But that makes me super nervous.  I would choose the pack walk over the off leash walk ANY DAY.

[Sally]

i brought duncan home at 3 months and had to slowly adjust him to time alone. He HATED his crate. He also needed lots of potty breaks. So until 6 months he really was only in it for about an hour at a time. I was lucky to work from home and had the flexibility for lots of outside breaks. We worked up to 2 hours, then 3 and then 4. Now at 2 years of age (and no more crate) I have left him at times up to 6 hours but usually i plan dog walks for him if i know i'll be gone more than 4-5 hours. So your plan for a mid day pack walk or dog run outting sounds like a great plan once the pup is a little older. But I would think though from 4 months to about a year you might do better having multiple shorter dog walks. 

 

Good luck! I can say that miniature doodles (i have a mini LD) do well with less exercise than larger doodles. Duncan enjoys a nice 20 min walk in the morning. then usually another 20 min walk at lunchtime, 5ish and sometimes an hour at the dog park in the eves. But he adapts well on days where the weather doesn't cooperate and we are inside. I do also play fetch and tug with him in the house to tire him out as well.

 

[Jeff]

Thanks for the responses.  Really great suggestions and feedback.

 

From my understanding the walks themselves are one hour. However, the dog walker must makes rounds and pick up other dogs that live in the area so they estimate that the dog will be away from the home for about 2-3 hours.

 

Also, would a dog walker be necessary 5 days a week? Could I get away with have a dog walker 2-3 times per week.  I was thinking on the non-dog walker days that I could pop home at lunch and go for a brisk 15-30 minute walk.  The reason I ask is because I live close to work and its very easy for me to go home at lunch.

 

On a side note should we consider an older rescue dog?

 

 

[Sally]

i had considered an older rescue when i was looking for a dog. But as a first time dog owner with no experience a lot of organizations didn't feel i was a good candidate. I ended up going with a breeder but now i feel pretty confident that i can go the rescue route the next time.

 

If you can get home at lunch i would totally do that. a mini side doodle at 4,5 or 6 months really would benefit just fine from a nice brisk 30 minute walk/potty break. But as they get older i think they'll benefit more from the longer dog walker walks. And every dog is different. You sort of have to get to know the dog to see how they handle things. Some dogs are more laid back than others...But of course DO think about the added costs of owning a dog (walks can get expensive and food, toys vet visits etc.) That is the most important. Dogs are pack animals so being left alone is not natural for them. So think about that as well. I know people who leave their dog home all day (way too many hours) and are fine with that. I couldn't do that. They want to be involved. not just be a piece of furniture. Hope that helps. Sounds like just the fact that you are gathering info before making a decision is already a good guage that you'll make some great choices....

[Adina P]

I think it would be okay to have a dog walker only 2-3 times per week.

I also think it's good to consider a rescue--but depending on the dog a rescue might want someone who is home more.  But worth at least looking into.  The two main rescues you want to consider are:

 

DoodleRescueInc.com and IDOG.biz

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Hi Jeff, I just brought home a labradoodle (standard) puppy last week. It took me a really long time to make the decision for similar reasons to yours. I did a lot of research before I got Sophie. I am single and live alone and so was worried about leaving her alone during the day. I too looked for an adult doodle dog from a shelter but actually couldn't find one in my area. I also have never owned a pet before so for that reason I was leary of a shelter dog that may have issues that I do not have the experience to deal with. I still checked out all the local shelters and they all said that they have never seen doodles (or Portuguese Water Dogs, a breed I was also considering) come through their shelter. They were guessing it's because they are so well loved, and also expensive so it's not something people tend to rush into. So in the end I decided to go with a puppy and I found a great breeder. 

 

I have taken three weeks off work to bond with her, start her house training and slowly get her used to being in her crate for a few hours at a time. I recommend you do the same. I am dreading going back to work though because I am having so much fun! I have been reassured that with plenty of breaks (me coming home once a day and an afternoon dog walker) she will be just fine. Eventually she will graduate to one visit a day. Are you considering crate training? I am working with her to stay in the crate but it breaks my heart to leave her in there.

 

Some puppies have to go out to pee really often. I find that Sophie can go 6-7 hours at night and about 2.5-3.5 hours during the day, give or take, but from what I'm reading that is not common for a puppy of her age. I guess I lucked out.

 

I have to say that I am so gald I decided to get a puppy. Puppies are absolutely amazing little things and you will not regret a second of the sacrafice, cost and effort you have to put in to making sure she is well taken care of. Good luck with your decision. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Cooper is left alone from 9am to 6.30 pm and is fine! Actually, on days off, she will quite happily sleep most of the day if i dont engage her in activities so im pretty sure she sleeps for most of the day while we are gone. She is now almost 2 years old, but has always been good at being left alone. We did leave her in an ex-pen rather than her crate so she had more space, til she was about1 yr 5 months. We were home with her for the first few months so we had time to train her and acclimatize her to being left alone for long periods.