Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
My wife and I currently have a multi-generational Australian Labradoodle who is our life. She is 10 months old tomorrow and goes everywhere with us, does everything with us, and loves to be active and play all of our favorite games...Frisbee, catch, find the toy/treat, controlled tug of war, etc... When we went to pick Georgia up from the breeder we got to meet Georgia's mother, Zoie. Zoie was the sweetest, most gentle dog Mindy and I have ever met. Needless to say we immediately fell in love with her. We would like to adopt her after she is retired, which will be this December, and we have the opportunity to 'test' her out in our house to see her temperament and how she gets along with Georgia and with what we like to do.
My questions are, does anyone else have experience taking a retired breeding dog into their home at around 5 years old? Is there anything we need to be aware of having a retired breeding dog, i.e. additional vet visits, additional testing for cancer, changes in temperament after being spayed?
I guess we're unsure as to whether to get Zoie or just start again with a puppy around a year from now. We've already been through the puppy raising process and, although awful, it did give us the opportunity to mold our dog into a very well behaved canine citizen. I worry that, short of Cesar Millan himself, that Zoie won't be able to be rehabilitated to being a 'normal' dog again that likes to do everything we do(she was always in the house before and didn't get to go on trips anywhere). I wish to try so badly because I believe she's paid her dues and deserves to have the best and most full life now.
What do you guys think? Take on an older retired breeding dog which could be a burden or a walk in the park(unlikely), or the definite short burden but definite reward of raising a puppy? Any insight would be very appreciated.
HAPPY DOODLEWEEN!
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Hey guys!
I'm not sure how many of you are still following this post, but I thought I'd give you an update on Zoie!
We brought her home on Saturday(December 7), and a lot of changing has occurred in that short amount of time. To begin, we noticed that Zoie(now Coral) has a lot of the same nervous tendencies that Georgia began with...like mother like daughter! Coral seems to be exactly like Georgia, if Georgia wasn't pulled out of her shell by us at a young age.
We had a 5 hour drive home, in which Coral looked out the windshield in the middle console the majority of the time. She kept her tail tucked for a good portion of the evening and stayed away from us, she was very nervous-submissive. We obliged to let her keep to herself and didn't overwhelm her with any attention or affection. It took about a day before her tail went to normal and even up to wag at Georgia. She didn't like riding in the car, being in the crate, or really being around us. Something interesting, though, is that on the first night she jumped into bed with us and slept sound through the night. It's interesting because the breeder said she never would sleep on the bed when offered, she just slept on the floor next to it.
She has only peed in the house twice and that was perfectly on the puppy pad. She has jumped into the car for the first time today, now falls asleep in the crate, and is wagging her tail and chewing on chew toys! She never had a problem walking and leash, and even when off leash still heels perfectly. She is a very sweet, gentle dog...now we're just trying to pull her out of her nervous nelly shell a little bit each day. It's amazing how far she's come in just a few short days! My wife takes her and Georgia to work with her every day, and she has already acclimated to that environment.
When we stop to think about it we couldn't ever believe that a dog could change so quickly and so drastically. She really has become a pure joy to have around the house. She is learning how to be a member of our pack from Georgia, and she is teaching Georgia how to be a dog. If this is how far she's come in less than a week, we can't even imagine how much farther she's going to go in the weeks, months, and years to come!
If you guys ever hear of anyone coming on here with a similar situation to mine, please refer them to me. I'd love to share my story with Coral and how we've helped acclimate her to this environment. Labradoodle's are really amazing dogs!
I'll continue to give updates as they come! Thank you to EVERYONE who gave advise and encouragement! This is truly a wonderful group to be a part of.
Alex, Mindy, Georgia, and Coral
That is just so awesome! How nice that she will get to be with her forever family for Christmas. You will not regret your decision. I am just amazed at how much Lucy has changed since we brought her home. She is so precious to us and I can imagine that Coral will become more and more precious as you go along. Merry Christmas to all of you!!!
Love Cora's name! I am glad that things are off to such a great start.
Duh! Coral - slip of the finger!
Love this story! Alex and Mindy, you have given Coral a great new life, and I'm sure she'll repay you many times over. Sounds like she's really coming into her own now.
I love the story and the name Coral, too! Lots of Holiday magic in your house!
I can't say definitively, but Georgia did act differently when introduced to Coral than with any other dog, it was almost a calm knowing...and she's met a lot of other dogs in a lot of different places. Coral also played with toys for the first time today and Georgia and her played tug of war! We were sure to monitor closely to control intensity, but it never got to a bad level. We couldn't believe it! Georgia has never played tug of war with another dog, and Coral didn't play with toys at all at the breeders house.
This is one of those feel-good stories with what is sure to be a happily-ever-after ending. Thanks for sharing your tale, and I hope that you love having two doodles in your family as much as I do.
I wanted to post of picture of Coral. Obviously, there will be PLENTY of more pictures to come, but this will have to suffice for now.
Well isn't she adorable! Thanks for this great update.
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