The Good, the challenging and the Ugly

[Ronda Businda]

Good evening all!

Hope everyone is staying warm! Well, we brought our new Labradoodle, "Willow" home with us this past Christmas eve - she is now 10 1/2 weeks old!

This is our 1st INDOOR dog and my......what a different way of life! (We were previous owners of 2 golden retrievers who stayed outdoors and were excellent pets! They lived for 12 and 13 years, RIP). 

So - did ALOT of research into the breed of dog, bought 2 great books (and yes, I read them and am STILL devouring them), prepared and 2 weeks into being a new 'mommy' of her royal cuteness, I'm seeing the good....the challenging...and the ugly. Any and ALL input is appreciated!!!!

The Good - well, she's just SO stinking cute! Even when I picked her out of the litter, she was very laid back - almost too laid back but seeing how energetic she is outside, I'm fairly confident she just has a great disposition! She handles really well, even the vet was impressed! (she still has that puppy tendency to nip and bite). She IS very smart! Already 'sitting' and staying 'off' for the most part, she gets LOTS of praise, cuddles and treats for being smart! She's good & WE'RE good w/ distractors when she has something in her mouth that she shouldn't (except poo!) and she'll let me take it out with 'out' and replace it. She took to a bath great, LOVES to be loved and is hilarious when she gets into that frenetic puppy mode! Her being outside so far gives me insight that she'll be AWESOME to hang with when the weather gets warmer! I've never seen a ball of fur run so fast at such a young age!!!

The Challenging - Housebreaking was ok, better once hubby got on the same page w/ a schedule, etc. BUT the recent arctic 'blast' has been no blast for us in Tennessee; though we don't have tons of snow, the weather has held back our exercising her outside (even though she gets activity inside, its not the same!) I've had to cut back on her water as she keeps eating the ice so her bladder has stayed WAY full & then at times I think she just wants to play in the snow, she comes back and pees on the floor! Oh, and now I've noticed she is developing an affinity for other dog's poo! But weather should be back to more tolerable conditions by tomorrow and I'm hoping to get back to a more consistent schedule. Oh, the other challenging thing is - when she plays and barks....MY what a bark! I can't tell if she's playing! Her tail looks to be up and is sometimes wagging but I'm trying not to take her 'energy' wrong. And what IS it when my 7 year old daughter and I are just talking between ourselves, standing and the dog is barking at us like we're about to kill her??? Is she playing or wanting to play? 

The Ugly - the crate. So here's where we are after 2 weeks. Willow does GREAT at night now! Still barks & cries a little but once she senses that everyone else is in bed, she's quiet as well! Pretty much sleeps all through the night as a matter of fact! She does well when we LEAVE the house in her crate, same thing and by the time we get home, she's been quiet but gets all crazy excited once she smells us or hears us. But........BUT.....if she's in her crate while we ARE home...she goes crazy, nuts, separation anxiety psycho!!! I thought it was just the crate but today - felt the need to spend some 1 on 1 time with my 7 year old and left Willow in the kitchen w/ her toys, kong, and water bowl. For 30 minutes you would have thought that someone was pouring scalding water on her, no lie! (Oh, I need to mention, at 3 previous attempts to take her out for her business, she played, ran and did everything BUT empty out). So 30 minutes of hearing this little ball of fur yelp and howl like she's being tortured, I reluctantly go downstairs to bring her up and guess what???? There's a pee pad (I laid for emergencies) that's SOAKED with urine and 5.....FIVE piles of poo in a perfect circle. All from this 10 1/2 week pup! I've read and heard that the dogs just want to be with their pack and I'm cool with that but hey - sometimes my human daughter needs mommy all to herself too! 

In sum, I feel like we're on the right course, that our attitude is right in that we want to raise a great family dog and we are determined. Today I felt was total defeat and was angry (as I felt my daughter was cheated out of 'our' time together, wondering if she's still glad we got the puppy!) , especially after 'doing everything right' as much as I could within inclement weather. Our Willow is beautiful, funny and SOOOO intelligent and I'm pretty sure her day was 'off' too event though she couldn't articulate it. We are looking forward to the summer when we can take her with us in the boat and go swimming with her! 

Thanks for the input, for letting me vent - I'm soaking in all the discussions that are relevant! And right now - all is quiet in my house so THAT makes me happy!!!! Stay safe and warm!!!

Ronda

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

She sounds like a perfectly normal puppy to me, and so cute too!

[Ronda Businda]

Yeay! I'll take it - thank you!!!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Sounds like the normal, albeit chaotic life , of a puppy owner!

LOL...every puppy needs a tiara! Enzo will be sooooo jealous! ;)

[Ronda Businda]

Yes, my daughter placed one of her doll's tiara's on Willow's head when she took a nap! It was adorable! 

[Julie and Max]

I love the tiara! Adorable puppy. Sounds pretty normal especially without being able to go outside too much I think the little guys get a bit crazy. :(

I think separation is hard for them especially when they know you're home, and I know you want to spend time one on one with your daughter, just try to be patient and realize that your puppy is much like a two year old in that she thinks everything is all about her. It's too bad about the weather because one on one daughter time might be easier if you could tire the puppy out in the yard playing ball or other puppy games. 

[Jennifer Tramell]

Where are you in Tennessee?  I'm in the Nashville area!  Your puppy experience sounds normal, but I'm sure it feels foreign to you.  Even if your Goldens were inside dogs, if it's been 10 years without a puppy, it's all new.  I have 3 goldendoodles, my most recent addition is 8 months old.  It was only 3 years since my last doodle was a pup and it still took me a while to get in the groove of puppyhood.  I puppysat for my friend's goldendoodle a couple weeks ago and, even though I just got through puppyhood, I STILL had to turn on the "puppy" part of my brain!

 

It will take you a while to get to know your pup.  Dogs are like kids, they all have different personalities, different things that work for them, and different learning curves.  My girl dogs are more finicky about going potty.  If it is cold, rainy, or might mess up their hair :-) they try to avoid going outside.  If I don't make sure they go out and go potty (and sometimes it takes a couple attempts), I might find a puddle in an out-of-the-way place (bad doggy!).

 

Your pup is probably barking at you because she wants attention.  She likely sees herself as just "one of the kids" so if you are interacting with your daughter, the pup is being a rude sibling who wants to be involved. "Mom! Mom! MOMMMY!"  It is probably a good idea to have your daughter put the pup through some commands.  It will help establish the hierarchy of the family (puppy's on the bottom).

 

Some of this stuff is just puppy stuff and she'll probably outgrow it.  As far as her barking when you leave her in the kitchen, maybe this exercise would help.  I would have a very enticing treat for her to chew on - not something she'll just gobble up.  I would give her the treat and leave for a VERY short time, maybe 10 seconds, then come back into her area and take away the bone.  Go on with washing the dishes, whatever, for a couple minutes then repeat, this time maybe 30 seconds.  Repeat, staying in the area long enough to "reset" the exercise and leaving for maybe 1 minute.  You want to come back into the area, say hello to her, take away the treat each time BEFORE she gets agitated (if you need to, hide around the corner and listen) .  You will be teaching her that alone time is okay, she gets a treat, and you always come back.  What you don't want to teach is that barking brings you back :-)

 

Hope this helps - from one Tennessean to another!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Wonderful response, Jennifer. I want to come stay with you. 3 darling doodles and such good training advice. ;o)

[Ronda Businda]

Hey Jennifer - I suppose I should say, "neighbor"!!!

I'm east of Nashville in Lebanon!!! Had a MUCH better day and will elaborate on it in a post! Thank you so much for the input - it's all so encouraging! Thought I had a good handle on it, then yesterday stank - felt like a new puppy owner loser and its been great to read that my experience is in the norm!!!! 

Thank you so much, again!!!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

adorable puppy-being a puppy!  hang it there and keep to your routines. 

oh and hopefully she only likes frozen poo!  

[Bonnie and Kona]

Your puppy and daughter are adorable! I have never had an outside dog but inside dogs are wonderful! You will have this bundle of energy to deal with for awhile but with training and patience she will be a terrific companion for you and your daughter. No advice here, but this too shall pass!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Sounds like she's a healthy normal puppy. She is so adorable, enjoy this time as crazy as it may seem! You will miss the puppy stage (sort of) when it's done! :-)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sounds like you are off to a great start.  What an adorable pup.  I LOVE the picture with the tiara.