Bathing your big doodles at home

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Hi!

It looks like DH and I will likely be getting a larger doodle puppy sometime this Summer (standard bernedoodle) but I wanted to see what we're getting into before we commit.

The dam (Bernese) is about 60 lbs, sire (poodle) is about 65 lbs so I'm guessing about a 50-65 lb dog if we get a female.

If you have a bigger doodle what do you do to bathe them?  Just haul them up to the tub (lift with the legs!)?  

Right now we have Luna who is about 40 lbs, I'm not sure I could lift a 70+ pound dog upstairs to the bath tub (if we accidentally get a Monsterdoodle).  

TIA!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with this completely, and JD was just like Vern. I have found males to be much more affectionate and less than dominant than females, and the humping and marking stuff is not true of most neutered male dogs. In fact, my female Poodle did both, as she was a very dominant dog. I will also only have males going forward. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I know some female dogs who are super dominant and like that, maybe I've just lucked out and haven't had a dominant female dog.  Luna was actually quite dominant as a young puppy but we did some quite rigorous training and she is super submissive now, maybe even too much.

Maybe we won't choose the pack alpha this time ;)  I have no regrets about getting Luna but it took a LOT of consistent training to change her alpha tendencies.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Hey, I'm a teacher questions are my life I don't mind ;)

I've only had 2 dogs and they have both been female, so I don't have anything to compare them to.... but as far as personality goes I've read that females can be a little more independent than males.  Both Luna and my childhood Bichon are perfectly fine to just "hang out", but if you want to snuggle or play then they'd be up for that.  Otherwise they mostly just do their own thing (puppyhood aside).  I've read that neutered males tend to be more "clingy", which I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind, but I work from home a lot and I appreciate that Luna just lies down nearby and doesn't bug me.

Another thing is kind of silly, but I find giving belly rubs to a female to be much easier.  No pecker trying to get in the way ;)

Lastly - which is a primary concern for this dog since it'll be bigger is size... Females tend to be smaller and we want to lessen our chances of getting a GIANT fluffmonster since male Bernese can be up to 120 lbs.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think it's more the individual dog regardless of sex that's responsible for things like being clingy. I think their life experiences along with their innate temperaments play a big role in that. JD was not at all clingy, although he was very attached to me. He was just not a touchy feely kind of dog,and when i wasn't paying attention to him, he was usually habnging out in a different part of the house. And this was a dog who was abandoned in a shelter at 14 months of age. I think he was just a calm dog who accepted whatever came his way, and I don't think it was related to sex. 

JD was also the first male I ever owned, although I fostered others.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

J, I hope you don't mind my asking, and if this question makes you uncomfortable, I apologize in advance and you can just choose not to answer. 

JD's health issues played a BIG role in my choice of breed this time around, although they were not the only factor that influenced my choice. I know that each person is different, but I was a little surprised at your choice of breed mix due to the very high rate of cancer and relatively short life spans of BMDs. Are you aware of those statistics?

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We are aware of the health issues of the Bernese, I floated the idea of a purebred poodle by DH and he was not keen on it.  We had discussed many other breeds as well (border collies, Australian shepherds, labs, a few others). 

The few studies I've read about cancer rates etc. in Bernese indicated that females have relatively longer lifespans and that having joint problems increases the risk for cancer.  The parents for the litter we are looking at have both been cleared for joint problems, so that is working in the pups' favor.  Unfortunately there is little data out there about bernedoodles since they are relatively "new" to the breeding scene but at least being half poodle gives them a chance at a longer lifespan.

Luna has been an amazing dog and we have no regrets, as sad as we are about how soon she is leaving us.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nor should you have regrets. There are long poems and short ones, and they are equally beautiful and meaningful. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

... and now I'm trying to not cry while supervising a lab LOL.

It's a beautiful thought and so true :)

[Kate C Pappas]

Wow! That will be a nice big girl. One of my girls, Yarra, an Australian Labradoodles is about 61 lbs and tall, 25.5" at the shoulder; she will celebrate her 12th birthday on the 4th of July!  Fortunately my bathroom has a walk-in spa shower with a hand held shower head so it's a piece of cake. At the old house it was the tub but she would just hop over the side. I don't think you'll have a problem but a hand held shower head (IMHO) is a must. Congratulations BTW.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Thanks :)  Yes definitely big.  I've never had a dog that big (first was 12 lbs, Luna is 40 lbs... I don't think we'll go any bigger than this next dog though lol).  Yarra is gorgeous!

Yeah we have a pull-down showerhead now, definitely a must.  We didn't when we first got Luna and it was a huge pain.

We're getting a new house in the Fall that doesn't come with one, it will probably be a quick purchase and install for DH :p

[Kate C Pappas]

PS....you really won't know for sure just what size they'll end up. Yarra was supposed to be a medium but kept growing. Her sister Yindi (8 years old) was supposed to be a standard but ended up being about 41 lbs and 19" at the shoulder.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Yeah, it's part of the mystery of puppy picking ;)

Bernese have a huge size range (60-120 lbs, but with females usually on the lower end) so it could be a much larger dog.

I told DH that we should maybe try to pick a pup with smaller paws but ultimately personality/temperament will decide.  Not that it's set in stone at 5 weeks but we do have a few similar looking pups to choose from so that will be the deciding factor.