Newbie has questions

[Sara]

Hello. I've been reading this site for weeks and have learned SO much! We live in southern Illinois and have two small children and, currently, one non-Doodle dog named Pete. We also have cattle, peacocks, chickens, etc. We don't get to pick up our new family member until mid-January, but I have some questions that I can't find the answers to on the forum (I've looked all over the puppy/training groups, I promise I'm not trying to be a "lazy" researcher). :)

1. I want to buy one of the harnesses for our Doodle. But do you have to buy two? One for the puppy stage, one for when they are older? Or do you train the puppy on the harness and then only need a leash for him when he's older ( and therefore "trained" not to pull)?

2. The amount of health issues discussed on the site REALLY concern me. I'll be honest, I've had dogs my whole life ( primarily rescue dogs that we refer to as "multi-breed" since mutt is such an ugly word!), but they've all been healthy, robust dogs that just seem to eat and drink whatever they want and are fine. We are hobby farmers and our dogs just run the acreage, so it's not unusual for our dogs to run around and drink disgusting water and eat whatever carcasses they may come across....but now I'm worried that we are adopting a snowflake!? Is it "normal" to have allergy/digestive/thyroid problems in the Doodles? Or is it just a case of reading a forum about health issues makes the issues sound more common than they are? I'm worried that we are getting a dog that might be too "fancy" for us?! :(

3. Chew toys---I was looking online at Chewy to buy some toys before the Dood comes home. But what size do I get?! I know it shouldn't be too big (can't fit his mouth around it) and it can't be too small (choking hazard).... so whattya buy? For example, the Chuckit balls come in sizes...but what size is "right"?


Ok....I'll stop now. Sorry. Admittedly, I get over- questiony over minute details. ;) Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think there is a bias here towards health issues since we don't write about happy, healthy doodles. I have too. Grooming is time or money intensive but otherwise they are wonderful dogs in general. I have two doodles with no major health or behavioral issues.no guarantees though. All dogs take some work as you already know.
I like Bionic toys.

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

Hi neighbor, we are also southern Illinois, right up against the Wabash river.  We also have two doodles and they are quite healthy.  Soft toys don't work in our house, our dogs chew right through them and I worry about them swallowing and getting their insides messed up.  We give them a soft toy occasionally but we keep them insight and take it away once they start tearing it up.  Ours have mostly balls and antlers.  Tennis balls don't last but a couple of hours here so go to chuck it balls, all sizes, orbee balls and my oldest loves a jolly ball (actually designed to keep a horse from boredom), hers is the large one and she likes us to play soccer with her.

[Lynda Kamrath]

All great questions and I am happy to put in my "two cents". We are definitely doodle/poodle people and have had many dogs.  Currently, we have an ALD and a rescue little mutt that we think is a Jackapoo.  Take a look at the many photos on my page to meet my dogs.  So here are my ideas:

1.  Buy one harness to start with and they are usually adjustable, but you will need a larger one later on.  Harnesses are really necessary for walking a young dog and useful in many situations later on.  We find that collars with identification are needed all the time, but harnesses for any time there is some pulling involved (like on the BTL - bike tow leash).  I would be taking Groucho Too for a ride with the BTL and he would be pulling so hard that he would be coughing like an old steam engine.  Good luck training your dog not to pull - I have never got that one down.

2.  My first two doodles had health problems and I spent a lot of money on vet bills.  The first one died of liver disease and the second one of cancer (7 and 8 years old).  Most people here on DK recommend health insurance, but I do not have it on my dogs and will not get it.  I am strange but do not like the insurance industry.  My third doodle is extremely allergic to poison oak and it is all around in this area.  He had systemic poison oak early this year and he cannot be off leash anywhere except in an enclosed area.  I think he had PO about ten times in 2013.  They suggested he might have Addison's disease, but that did not turn out to be the case.  Get a good vet that you trust and you will form a close relationship with your vet - it just seems to happen.  My neighbor spent $8,000 for radiation therapy for her older lab who was a therapy dog and felt it was worth it.  My current feeling is that I will spend the initial money for a dog and all the things necessary to get him going (shots, etc.) but that is it.  If he has health problems, I just will remember that he is a dog, not my child.  "Fancy"?  Your dog can be a farm dog or a ballerina, you will have to decide on that.

Chew toys are also an individual choice.  I will not buy anything that was made in China for obvious reasons.  My dogs love bully sticks (from South America) and they are a good use of meat by-products.  I get the stinky ones and the dogs have to eat them outside.  A twelve-inch stick is good for three chews and I put the timer on the range in my kitchen and send them out to the patio for 15-20 minutes for a chew.  After that, they bring the sticks back to me and they get put away in a zip-lock bag until the next day.  When they are about 3 inches long, they go into the trash.  Raw bones are also good for chewing and repairs their stomachs after antibiotics.  Both raw bones and bully sticks are good for keeping the teeth clean.  I keep it all natural.  My pups would chew on a carrot.  Just try a few things to see what they like.  Anything that can be chewed up that has plastic or chemicals in it, is definitely off limits.  Be careful with little toys also - your puppy will chew them up and tear them up and they are not made of things that should be in a dog's digestive system.

Enjoy your new pup.  It is a special time in your lives (all of you - kids and animals included).

[F, Calla & Luca]

Some of us have forgone bones and antlers because of molar slab fractures some of the doodles here have had. My dogs like to chew on sticks and spit out the fragments. But I would keep a puppy on close supervision for some time and not let him wander the acreage.

The issue of cancer seems to be higher in goldendoodles just as it is relatively high in golden retrievers.

[Marie and Hoka]

Welcome!

My little rescue terrier Moxie came from Southern Illinois and she seems ridiculously sturdy! We have had her 3 years and she has never even had an upset stomach. (but she had heartworm and was pregnant before we rescued her)

1) We definitely needed 2 harnesses for Hoka. I bought a cheap dollar store one for Hoka when he was younger and then a more pricey, better quality one later. I always used a carabiner to make sure the cheap one was secure. He is very tall and lanky. 

2) Health:  

My first doodle, Tinker, was never once sick a day in his life, until getting a brain tumor at 8.5 years. The vet did not think it was a heredity variety, although we did not autopsy. 

Hoka is my second doodle.  His recent health problems have all been from ripping a squeaker out of a toy and swallowing it, causing a blockage.  We are on the road to recovery, and he is fit and happy.  He is happy, healthy, and very athletic. I think it was a fluke, the round plastic squeaker was probably such as shape as to lodge in the bowel.

I have never before had pet insurance, but luckily bought it for Hoka.  I had 2 older dogs die last year, Tinker and a 12.5 year old Chinook-husky mix. I figured out that even "only" palliative care is expensive, and decided to get the insurance for Hoka.  It was a stroke of luck, since he ended up with expensive surgery to remove the squeaky toy. Healthy Paws has been super easy to make claims and costs $30 a month for Hoka... best money I ever spent.

I upgraded Hoka's food more because I can now afford it as an empty nester, not because he was too fragile. Tinker and Torrey ate plain, dry Kirkland Lamb and Rice and were always fine on it, and it's super cheap.

3) Chew toys: My 2 cents is no soft toys with squeakers... since we are now clearly afraid of them. If your dog starts destroying a toy, take it away.  I am sure plastic is actually worse than natural things they could find out in the woods or field. He really likes antlers and strong, tuff balls for playing fetch (Orca tennis ball is great).  I also several kongs to fill with food and freeze. I have toys that are tuff and dispense treats.

[Adina P]

Problems get talked about most. It's not that doodles are snowflakes. But keep in mind that a lot of bad breeding exists too when it comes to popular dogs. So that may be a factor...not inherently a poodle-retriever issue.

I've never used a harness. But it's a tool like any other. The quality of training, not the tool, is what will get you nice leash walking.

Also, I think as soon as you start talking with 1000 others who are crazy about their dogs (kids, whatever) safety issues will cone up. Some are really low risk, others are more likely to happen...just gotta do what makes sense to you.

[Sara]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies! I had a feeling it was a case of reading health issue after health issue that was starting to freak me out! I'm a worry-wart by nature, so I need to stay off the health issues forum for awhile! Lol.

I need to make a decision--soon--about pet insurance and look into the rates. I have a feeling that's going to be a tough decision.

By the way, Lynda, the "farm dog or ballerina" comment made me laugh out loud--that phrased my fears perfectly! I'll take one farm dog, please! ;)

Now that I have some more toys to Google, I'm going to start putting things in my electronic shopping cart--so thanks for the suggestions! I prefer to stay away from soft toys anyway...mostly because my daughter is a stuffed animal freak! I cannot imagine the tears if the Doodle gets ahold of one of her loveys---that dog won't know the hurricane force of her four-year-old outrage! Lol.

Again, thank you everyone!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Have you thought about coat upkeep for a dog who runs free on your farm?  Doodles who shed have coats like other shedding dogs which it sounds like you are familiar with, but if the coat is longer it can get pretty messy; doodles who don't shed often have coats that are pretty difficult to maintain, especially if they are out and about in lots of plant matter.  Many doodles mat if not brushed/combed often, whether they shed or not.  My doodles (one shedding, one not) are quite healthy, but if they were running free all the time, I would keep their coats really, really short. Bully sticks don't last long enough for us. We don't let them chew bones, antlers or Nylabones any longer because one of the doodles and one of my other dogs fractured teeth. My doodles also de-stuff stuffed toys quickly but they just keep lovin' them.

Most things (collars, toys) you get for a puppy will have to be up-sized as they grow.