Wanting to find an adult Doodle for my family

[Julia]

Hi, I am new here and would love some of your wisdom!

 I have a young family (2 boys, 4 & 7) and we know we want a doodle . My husband and I both grew up with dogs, but haven't owned any as adults and as our family is still quite young, we feel that we would be better suited to a dog that has already been housetrained and is past the puppy stage. ( I know we would have to still train an older dog,etc.) 

I have been searching Petfinder for months and nothing is coming up, plus, as much as I love the idea of rescuing a dog, I'm not sure that would be the best fit with my young kids.

 So... the couple of options I have found have been adopting a retiring breeder, or becoming a part of a guardian program and I would love to hear your opinions on these two options. I have found a retiring breeder from

 (what looks like) a reputable breeder. She has told me quite a bit about the dog (a male) and thinks we would be a good fit. (Large fenced property, stay at home Mom, kids.), but the problem is that we wouldn't be able to meet the dog before adopting him as he is on the other side of the country.

The other option is becoming a guardian family to a 2 yr old breeding female. Obviously we could meet her beforehand to see if we are a good match, but there are a lot of things to consider starting a relationship with a breeder like that.

I would just love to hear from some more experienced doodle owners. Thanks in advance!

[Julia]

I hear what you are saying, but breeders ship puppies all the time, don't they? I feel that every website I've been on says they will ship a puppy(.This is an honest inquirey, I hope I don't sound defensive.) This breeder is a member of this site and does all the health testing that is recommended. She also says that this dog lives with the family inside the house (as all their dogs do) and that she has turned down other families wanting to adopt him because she wants specific things for him-like a stay at home parent and kids to play with.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

That makes sense as he will be used to people and other animals always being around. And yes, breeders ship puppies all the time. I never saw Cooper before we got her, even though the breeder (also here on DK) only lived 8 hours away - we didnt have a car at the time. Actually, Cooper was the first doodle I ever saw "in person". The fact that the breeder is here on DK is a good sign - "creep" her page and read posts, discussions and blogs to get to "know" her better!

[Julia]

Sorry for the ignorance, but how do I creep her page? I only know that she's here because her website says she is, I haven't actually found her here, yet.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Just do a search in the members.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

That's all true, also if the breeder is here and active on DK good chance that she is a good one. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Julia, then the situation may be wonderful for everyone and doodle also.  Adult dogs can be a wonderful addition without the puppy problems.  There will still be a settling in and learning curve for you and the dog, but that is easily doable.  Good luck and can't wait to see your post and pictures about getting this guy.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Julia, We have many people on here that have gotten their dogs shipped to them. Personally, I hate the thought of shipping a dog. That is my opinion, nothing more. I have seen what the airport does to luggage and I would never put my dog in that situation. That being said, I drove 600 miles one way to pick up Fudge and almost 400 one way to pick up our Vern. I had never met them before I picked them up and only had a picture of them. Both were puppies when I got them and both are as different as night and day.

One reason I would prefer to go through a Doodle rescue organization is that they foster the dogs up for adoption and screen them closely.  They tell you if they get along with dogs, cats, adults, kids, etc., however it sounds like this breeder has told you some of that information too.

You are smart to be asking all these questions and trying to make the best educated guess for your family. This breeder should welcome your questions, because if she is a good breeder, she wants the best for you and this dog.  Good luck in your search.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Has anyone directed you to the bottom of the main page where you can find the Doodles that are in need of homes from the Doodle Rescues?

Doodles In Need of Homes from DRC & IDOG

[Julia]

Thanks, I will check that out.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

If she health tests, then you can assume that the dog is in as good of health as possible...obviously that is all you can do regarding health.  I would possibly ask to see pictures or even a video sent to you so you can get an idea of the surroundings of the background & see what he looks like.  You could even ask for a reference of people who bought puppies fathered by this dog - particularly if they visited the premises - to see what the dog was like during their visit.  I would want to make SURE (of course hoping she's honest) that the dog was socialized with the family in the house and that he is potty trained.  If all sounds good, personally, I'd go for it!  Good luck.  No matter what - you'd have a doodle (and they're ALL adorable) that you will LOVE!

[Julia]

Oh, I never thought to ask for references from people whose puppies he sired. That's a very good idea!

I really get the feeling she's honest. She responds to my emails very quickly and with lots of detail. (More than any other breeder I've contacted.) She is also very active on this site. She has also been very clear that the dog lives in her house with the family, uncrated and even sleeps on her bed.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Wow...IF the dog sleeps on her bed, then I would assume she is quite close to him.  If that is the case, I would say she probably will miss the dog a lot.  Which means, like Laurie said, the breeder should be asking you as many questions as you are asking her because she wants him to go to a good home.  That would be another clue that this is a good match for you all!  Keep us updated!  Getting a new dog is so exciting (but it was hard for me to not get over-excited; I wanted to make a sound choice too...since you know you will love the dog no matter what, you want it to be the right fit)!