New Puppy - am concerned

[Andi, Lilly and Levi]

I have always had golden retrievers, I currently have a 9 year old female - Maggie and I just lost my 15 1/2 year old golden Max.  After reading a lot of the discussions I am concerned regarding the behavior of the golden doodle.  I have a 3 year old grandson that lives with me and I want to make sure this puppy is a good expereince for him and does not create a fear of animals.  His other grandmother has a pug - Sadie that he absolutely adores and the pug loves him and is protective of him.  Am I over reacting or should I be concerned. 

[Andi, Lilly and Levi]

I forgot to say in the above post that I get my puppy in two weeks.

[Bonnie and Kona]

We have two Goldendoodles and three grandchildren. The baby is only 3 weeks old, the others are now 6 and 4. Maddie was 5 months old when we got Kona. He has been the most gentile, loving dog imaginable. We got Owen when the kiddos were 4 and 2. He is a silly, romping, knock-the-kids-over kind of guy. They adore him. He obeys Maddie better than he obeys us because he is madly in love with her. 

I have had dogs that are uncomfortable around kids. I know the worry. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee by breed. I am just saying that our two Goldendoodles love children and are very good with our grandchildren. 

[Andi, Lilly and Levi]

Thanks Bonnie. 

[Tait & Finn]

I have a 3.5 month old Goldendoodle and he is my first. He's a crazy puppy at times but aren't all puppies? If you train your pup properly he'll be a lovely member of your family. Everyone I have spoken to about doodles says the same thing ... They are awesome!!

[Bridget and Lupin]

I have a 3.5 yr old son and 2 weeks ago we brought home our F1b labradoodle puppy.  It. Is. Hard.  And honestly, the boy is the bigger "problem".  He runs, skips, walks jiggly and does all manner of things to get Lupin's attention, especially if she's being chill and resting.  This has the predictable effect of winding her up and then she gets nippy and things spiral out of control from there.  I just stitched up a pair of his pants tonight b/c of it.  Lupin is a really good dog and quite mellow for a puppy, but she's still a puppy!  It took us a bit to realize that the real source of stress was the kid!  Luckily he always wants to "help", so we're starting to frame our behavior requests as how he can "help" us train the puppy.  We'll see....

Anyway, if I had it to do over, I honestly think I'd wait until he was 5.  Sorry....thats probably not what you wanted to hear. 

[Debi and Monty Moose]

Hi Andi!  I also have always had Golden Retrievers and thought I would go for something a little different this time around.  I currently have a female Golden.... Mackenzie, who is about to turn 9 and added Monty, my Golden Doodle back in January.  I also have two Grandkids that are at our house many times during the week.  Both Mac and Monty LOVE the Grandkids, but because Monty is almost 7 months ...and already 60 lbs, I have to really watch him.  The Grandkids are only 15 months and 1 year old, so he tends to knock them down easily out of typical puppy excitement.  The only other problem is that Monty thinks their toys are his toys.  But, I see nothing in the future except that Monty Moose will be best buds with both the kids.  They Love him as well and are not the least afraid of his size.  Both kids can even crawl over the top of him and he doesn't budge.  You will have the advantage of starting out earlier than I was able to with your puppy and your 3 year old Grandchild.  I think having them grow together from the beginning will be much easier.  The Golden Doodle's personality is so childlike that they keep you laughing all day long...not to mention a wonderful family dog.  I know there are no guarantees, like Bonnie said, but all I know is mine is wonderful with the Grandkids and everybody he meets.  I am looking forward to seeing pictures of your new little one when you get him/her.  I know you must be sooooo excited!  Keep us updated.

[Puppy Love]

Lots of socializing is key all ages, shapes and backgrounds. A trainer challenged me to intruduce my puppy to 100 different people. I wslked to local school bus stop. Stopped and met gardeners mail delivery people. It was easy, people always want to meet a doodle. I Have a 2 yr old niece who I adore. When I brought my Jackson home I made sure she came over often to interact with my new puppy. My niece lost interest fast but in encouraged interaction. Almost 1 year later Jackson and my niece are best buds. My niece can use jackson as a pillow when watching tv, she picks up his huge paws and examines them. She gives him hugs and kisses. But I have to remember he's a very big puppy and thinks he still weighs 12pds. We had one incident, we were playing catch in yard and my niece held the ball over her head and before I could scream throw the ball he jumped on her. Luckly she didn't get hurt. I was sad and so concerned she develop a fear of dogs but the following weekend they were best friends again. The only person to blame was auntie for underestimating the speed and power of her Marmaduke puppy.

[Renee Hacker]

I have a 3 year old (as well as a 5 year old & a 7 year old) and I have to say that Lily is absolutely fantastic with them all!  She is 7 months now, so out of the nipping stage thankfully, but even as a younger pup she was never bad about it.  She takes all sorts of (friendly) abuse from the kids.  They love to wrestle with her and try to get her to lay on them and they run from one end of the house to the other and try to get her to chase them.  She is always, always gentle with them.  She's big...50+ lbs already, so she has knocked them over before out of excitement, but never once has she hurt them intentionally.  My oldest was fearful of dogs because he was never exposed to them and that was one of our reasons for getting Lily.  She has totally won him over.  The only issue we've had with regards to the kids and the dog is that they leave toys on the floor and she chews them.  But any puppy would do that and they're quickly learning that if it's important to them it better not be on the floor.  :)

[Suzanne Newman]

Hi Andi!

Although I do not have small children, we have them in our neighborhood.  I have watched our 3 month old goldendoodle interact with the small toddlers, (2-3 year olds), as well as the kids who are a bit older and she absolutely LOVES being with them!  Doodles are people oriented, and extremely loving!

I now get my door knocked on regularly to ask- "Can Whidbey come out and play with us?"  

Please do not worry.  I think you will be more than thrilled with your new baby!!  

Suzanne

[Andi, Lilly and Levi]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement.