Are you ever sorry you got a Doodle?

[Sandy]

I'm sure that title enraged some of you. And don't get me wrong - I love Toby, I would never give him up, and I wouldn't have it any other way now that I have him. However, I don't think that I was as aware as I should have been about the activity level/energy level of doodles. Lately he's been so bouncy - jumping up more, wanting attention, needing ever-so-much exercise. I would have loved, and actually thought I might be getting a mild tempered, snuggly dog that just loved and wanted to be with me. Toby is 13 months old, and I know this will pass, especially because he doesn't "get away with it", but as we're going through it, I can't help but wish for that calm, loving, snuggly dog.

[Barbie]

Don't be discouraged! 13 months can be going through the "teenage brat years", but it's quick! Keep up with the training and not letting him getting away with it! He should be a calm, loving, snuggly dog soon enough....

Not all doodles are high energy, I've actually had families turn down puppies because they were too mellow and they thought maybe they were sickly. No just calm natured puppies. They of course did go on to really great homes.

Good luck and keep up the good work! This too shall pass.

[Sandy]

Thanks! It sounds like you are a breeder. If I were ever to get another puppy, I would surely ask for the most mellow dog there. Except for the fact that this dog WAS very, very mellow when we chose him. :) This too shall pass, indeed.

[Melissa & Hannnah]

I suppose Im very lucky. Hannah is such a great dog. Of course she loves to play like all dogs but she is very laid back overall. She will be five in February and has been this way since about a year. I truly believe the relationship between the doodle and owner is so very important. If you remain calm they do.... if you become high strung they do as well. I think this can be applied to all breeds. Puppies are work but if you stay on top of training.. show lots of love and affection... it pays off. I also must add that I think spending quality time with them is important. Keeping them in a crate all day and no one -on- one time makes for a VERY high energy dog. They are just like kids...theyt love attention and love from their parents. From the beginnig i set boundaries with Hannah but did my best to hang out with her...whether a walk.. petting/scratching/affection... praising her etc. Doodles are a wonderful breed.

[fergie11]

This is so funny - Doodles are all so different. There's one in my little town that is very big and crazy jumpy dog. I personally didn't want that type. My friend has one that needs hours of exercise to tire him out. My other friend has one that is so calm and lazy that you seriously would think the dog is sick. She seems to have no bones the way she flops around the house. She's a wonderful snuggly loving lazy-lazy dog and she's not even two yet. We laugh about what she'll be like when she's 5 or 6. I met all these dogs before I got mine. I was hoping for one somewhere in between and thank god i got them. A hour walk/run on the trail tires both mine out for the day. My Fergie was already calming down when she hit about a year. You can really see the difference in mine (8 months and 19 months now). Unbelievable in just that short time difference. Hang in there your doodle should calm down soon.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Sandy - no engragement here. There are days that both of the them are so wound up and I am not in the mood for their antics that I am sorry I don't like on a desserted island. BUT that passes quickly and I feel bad that I felt that way but I do remember thinking that way about my human daughter also!!

What you are feeling is the reason that there are so many Doodles needing rehoming or that are put into shelters all time. Poodles and Labs/GR are both high energy dogs that need to be kept busy. Anyone that asks me about them that is the first thing I tell them - 2nd is the 'no shedding' and grooming. Gorgeous but work.

I am glad that your brought this topic up so you and others will know that you are not alone! We have all been there!!

[Sandy]

I'm sure he would be a little more under control if I felt the dog park was a good place for him, but he keeps getting picked on there, and in my town the owners don't seem to properly use the dog park - they mostly sit on a bench and let their dogs do whatever. We do walk him lots though, and I can only hope this stage will pass, and he will go on to be my wonderful, adult, companion dog. :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Actually, I agree with you totally but for different reasons so there is no offense or debate from me.
Ned is perfect in size, energy, intelligence, "funness". No, he is not snuggly yet but I can see it is coming, plus my Springer was the same way. Ned has never been as high energy as the Springer and walks well on a leash. He doesn't come when called but that is more of a training problem.
However, Ned's coat is such high maintenance that, had I known, I probably would not have gotten him. I brush my Springer a couple of times a week (takes about 2 minutes) and we get him groomed every 8 - 12 weeks or so. Our lab mix is never brushed but we have him shaved about every 8 weeks (keeps the shedding to a minimum). So, when we were given a pin brush and told to brush Ned about 3 times a week, we had NO idea what was actually meant!!!! We assumed we would get him groomed about every 12 weeks, but had NO NO NO idea that he would mat overnight even after a brushing. I think the main reason he isn't snuggly yet is because I must brush him every time I can.
In retrospect, I would never trade Ned, of course, but my next doodle will be chosen very, very carefully for a non-matting coat - even if it means getting an older pup or dog. I want to enjoy my pup more and let him get into things more without worrying about how am I going to clean him up and get rid of the mats. Also, as I have learned more about doodles, my second concern would be excessive energy. My DH and I are getting older and not able to keep up with really high energy dogs like Springers and some doodles.

[Sandy]

Toby's coat is not too bad as far as matting goes - we usually leave him 10-12 weeks between groomings. I've actually toyed with the idea of getting a puppy so they could play with each other, but I've never had two dogs at once, and I'm not sure I have the patience for it.

[fergie11]

Oh Sandy - keep thinking about getting another. My husband so much was afraid of that and now he continually thanks me for insisting on gettng Lucy. They play constantly together. Maybe that is why they are so calm. In addition to there daily walk/run on the trail when they need to goof off and be silly they do it with each other. They really never bother me when I don't want them too. It's only the first 6 months of that normal potty training and chewing thing thats the problem with the second dog. They are so much fun to watch though it's so worth it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Aside from being harder to walk 2 is great and they do play with each other a lot. The leash coupler helps with the walking and they are never rambunctious on walks. Luca, who is a year and a half, was much more difficult and "zoomie" when young and he still can be obstinate. Calla is more of a pleaser but at 8 months she still chews on things when unsupervised and jumps when excited. Yet I wouldn't say that either of them is really hyper. We all have moments when we wish they'd go away for a while at least. I was just away for 10 days though and Ireally missed them. There are days when I wish I could get away from myself!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think this is a great topic.
I am probably one of the few DK members who really didn't particularly want a doodle. After the death of my miniature poodle, I decided that I didn't want to start all over again with a puppy...the housebreaking, chewing, nipping, etc., and I wanted to adopt a young adult dog who needed a home, one who was already through with all the puppy behaviors and housebroken. I wanted a poodle or poodle mix because that's what I always had, and I didn't want to deal with shedding. (Hah!) I also wanted a small-to-medium sized dog, between 25-50 lbs, and I absolutely did not want a hunting breed, because I knew the exercise requirements were beyond what I thought I was able to deal with. My requirements were that the dog be good with cats and solid with kids.
I applied for an 18-mo-old lhasa-poodle mix and was first runner-up; somebody else got him. Then I applied for a young medium sized shaggy-looking dog, but he turned out to be bad with cats.
When the shelter called me about Jack, I almost didn't go to see him. I really didn't want a big retriever-mix. But the adoption counselor raved about his temperament, so I went to take a look. Long story short, he was way too big, he clearly shed, and I knew I was going to have to commit to finding some way to provide a lot more exercise than I originally planned. I really gave this a lot of thought; left the shelter without him, and did several days of soul-searching. Jack's sweet temperament finally won out, and of course, I adopted him. But it has really been a struggle. It has been almost 4 years, and I am still not used to the amount of hair & dirt he contributes to the household. Finding ways to provide exercise for him has been very frustrating, although he is pretty calm & laid-back, but he is really 7-10 lbs heavier than he should be. And those twice a day walks in rain, snow, and bitter cold are still sometimes tough to get psyched up for. The tennis ball obsession gets annoying...throwing things over and over again gets old. I miss having a dog I can pick up and carry, I miss having a dog who can amuse herself. And I really miss having a dog who truly doesn't shed. I know some of that could have been solved with a wool coated mini-doodle, but sometimes I think how nice it would be to have a non-sporting dog again.
(In addition to Jackdoodle, of course. I wouldn't part with him for anything in the world.)

[Sandy]

Toby doesn't really like to play catch - I'd welcome that some days for the exercise/tiredness factor. We walk him twice a day, and coming into fall/winter, it's not always fun, I know. He too contributes water drops to the kitchen floor from his chin, and dirt throughout the house. He doesn't shed, so that's not an issue. I wanted a small dog when we got him, but my husband and adult sons wanted a DOG. But of course, who does most of the work and training? Me. I should have held my ground, I suppose.