Expectations vs. Reality

[Adina P]

I'm sure that each of you, before you got your labradoodle or goldendoodle (if you were planning on one) had certain dreams and hopes for what your doodle would be like.

Which characteristics of your labradoodle or goldendoodle did you expect? Which characteristics surprised you? What did you expect and what did you get? I'm off to bed soon, so I'll respond later, but didn't want to forget this burning question so I'm posting now =)

[Tamara & Giada]

She's almost exactly how I thought she'd be, although I thought her coat would be much like my Shi-tzu's....when she's longer we comb her once a week and that's it, no mats EVER!! Giada I can comb over and over, and still miss mats:( The groomer shaved her yesterday because of the mats:(

[Adina P]

I'm surprised too! Giada didn't look that curly...is she just really thick coated?

[Tamara & Giada]

Yes, she is think, her new coat is curlier than the puppy coat was.

[GBK]

Kona's coat got really curly after her first groom too. She is very thick but very silky.

[Barb, Murphy, Emmet, & Hudson]

Murphy's everything that we were expecting in a goldendoodle and more:) he's great with the kids they can lay on top of him and he don't care he has a very loving temperment. What I'm surprised about is he doesn't like to bring the ball back to you when you are playing with him, he loves for you to chase him while he has the ball.....silly boy:)

[Louise and Toby]

Toby was not a very cute puppy - I expected a nice fluffy one. I see many pictures of fluffy ones on here and the breeders website and his sister was adorable so it wasn't an unrealistic expectation. Poor Toby was left out in the fluff department. But he did "doodle-out" big time as time went on. (See pictures below) I didn't quite realize that we would trade out no shedding with matting though.
Personality wise he is what I had hoped for and expected! He's a sweetie boy and smart and well behaved (that part come with some training and was not automatic!).

Toby now!

Toby the pitiful pup!

Gypsy, Toby's cute sister!

[Adina P]

Awwwwe poor Toby looks so ashamed of his coat in his puppy photo! I'm amazed how much he did curl up, I would have thought he'd be a straighter coated doggy too. But in all honesty, I think he was pretty cute then too =)

[Tamara & Giada]

I think he was very cute too...............as he is now:)

[Richard Crowe]

Holly is everything that we expected and hoped for. In our opinion, she is changing from a cute puppy to a lovely young dog. She is intelligent and extremely sweet and loving. Holly gets along fabulously with our four Maltese and our cat; which was one reason we opted for a Doodle instead of some other breed.

Holly was afraid of our pool at first but now loves swimming (see my pictures of Holly in the pool). We really enjoy a nice dip in the pool each day with Holly.

Holly was also afraid of big dogs but, two days at a wonderful Doggy Day-camp has started her on the road to accepting larger dogs. I noticed that last night on our usual Friday evening jaunt along Grand Avenue in Escondido where the city throws a big car show every Friday. Holly accepted bigger dogs without fear and I believe that after a few more Day-camp sessions, her fears will be totally behind her.

We were apprehensive at letting the breeder (Heather Goines of Cheyenne Valley Labradoodles and Goldendoodles - North of Dallas, TX) select our puppy for us but, Heather did a wonderful job in choosing our Holly.

We were afraid at first that Holly would not look "Doodle" enough. She had a very skinny sparse tail as a puppy. Our fears were unnecessary, her tail has changed into a beautiful flowing Goldendoodle flag.

We wish that Holly would be more interested in playing fetch because that is a very good way to give a dog exercise - especially in a yard the size of ours. However, Holly blows hot and cold with the fetch routine. Sometimes she shows interest and other times she could care less. That is a minor point and I have heard that sometimes Doodles show more interest in fetching as they mature.

Our one big surprise is that Holly is an excellent watch-dog. She'll never be a guard dog but, when our Maltese (who we think taught Holly to be a watch-dog) sound their little barks at a stranger in the yard; Holly joins in with her big-dog booming bark. We are sure that her big-dog bark would deter any intruder.

Holly is filling out and growing taller. I noticed this yesterday when I tried to lift her. I don't know how much she weighs but, it is considerably more than the fifty pounds she weighed the last time she was on a scale. We expect, according to a Goldendoodle growth chart, that Holly will eventually reach around 80 pounds or so at full-growth.

All-in-all; we are thrilled with Holly who has become a loved and valued member of our family!

[Liz]

Bunny suprised me by how protective she is of her family, when we are out she never leaves my side, making sure I'm always safe. I too was suprised on how much grooming doodles require..I thought they would be much easier than a poodle....like Giada, Bunny has a very thick coat and lots and lots of grooming! Teddy is a sweet doggie man but I was suprised by how great he is with kids...he is the most loving dog I've ever seen...he lives and breathes for children and the poor baby doesn't have any at home...when my Grandchildren come over he is in heaven. He is so smart in an social situation and I am amazed at his reasoning skills on how to behave with each person he runs into...he knows which person he can be "crazy" with, which person to be calm. The other day he ran into his first toddler...he checked her out watched her for a second or two and then sat down in front of her as calm as could be and waited for her to be comfortable to pet him...he never moved a muscle while she stroked his doodle head....he amazes me! As Teddy matures I want to start him in with the childrens hospital..he needs to be with children!!

[Jessica]

We were looking for a small, scruffy, unique looking dog...when we stumbled upon Finn, a multi-gen ASD; he fitted the bill completely! Prior to Finn we didn't know Labradoodles came in parti colours or as miniatures. That Finn is non-shedding and has a super-easy to care for wool coat is a bonus, as is the fact he has no odour. We didn't know much about ASD Labradoodle characteristics prior to getting Finn, so were surprised and delighted by his incredibly mellow and loving nature. But the biggest surprise of all to us has been the emotions Finn has stirred in us; we totally love him to bits!

[3t7r9w4z6wnx0]

Jenel - we had the same thing happen with the temperament test! We met the litter at 5 weeks, and thought Marley was this passive darling of a pup. That is, until we received a youtube video of the litter from the breeder a couple weeks later where Marley is jumping on top of her siblings and instigating all the play :) I had a sense that she was going to be a little more feisty than expected.

That is definitely the case, though she is slowly but surely learning her manners. Just like Sidiqi, it is great fun to watch Marley play with another pup in our park or tear around the yard at full tilt!