Riverbend Kennels in Ohio

[Julie B.]

Wondering if anyone has a pup from this kennel. I went and visited on Friday and put a deposit on one of their F1 chocolate pups. I am so excited to be getting another doodle! She will be coming home the day after Thanksgiving and her name will be Sydney. Even though the pups are barely 4 weeks I can tell that 3 out of the 4 are going to have great wool type coats. I will be going back up there when the pups are 6 weeks old to make my final selection but I am pretty sure I will be taking the smallest female. She is the second one in from the left. She has a lighter chocolate coat with bronzy highlights and I am thinking she will be more of a latte colored like her dad. Anyway just thought I'd share my excitement with fellow doodle lovers and see if there are others out there with pups from this kennel. Have a great day!

[1xar0x2rcx0li]

Good point Jac. The last week with littermates is so important. There is a real difference in how they are able to interact properly at 8 weeks vs earlier. I would ask them to keep the pup another week if there are littermates still there, and if not even just to be with the mom to learn more. We are at that stage right now with our litter, they just turned 8 weeks and it is really incredible to see the difference in how much better they understand "dog language" and when to stop nipping and how much of a bite is too much and when one of them has had enough. Also, they learn from the adults what is ok and what it not and to quickly stop when they are given a "hint" to cut it out. If taken before 8 weeks they miss these lessons and can have issues adjusting to proper social interactions with other dogs later in life.

[Julie B.]

Hi there. Well I did some research on this because I was feeling uneasy and as per usual you can find anything to support your issue on the internet. Although I found a number of articles that said you should wait until 8 weeks to bring your puppy home I did run across good information taken from the "Complete Dog Training Manual" with references to "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skeet. The link is: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/5110387/puppy-development. This excerpt summarized my feelings exactly about why it has worked out in the past when I have brought my puppies home at 7 weeks. According to this article, the week between 7 and 8 is when the larger pups begin to develop bullyish tendancies and the smaller pups can become shy. It claims that the time between the 7th and 8th weeks is an optimum time to begin home socialization and "kindergarten training" with a puppy. I guess since I have a history of adopting the "runts" of the litter it makes sense to get them out of the litter during this time before they are "pummeled" by their littermates. By removing the pup during this time you allow it to develop its natural personality without the undue influence of its littermates. Plus as most of you know, the mother is pretty much out of the picture by this time, especially with larger breeders. They have removed the mom shortly after the pups have been weaned so motherly training is really not happening. Anyway, thought you all might like to check this article out and keep an open mind about all of this. I do appreciate the advice, especially from those who are breeders and are living it every day. Have a great day!

[Julie B.]

Yes, I know it is better to bring the pup home at 8 weeks and I asked the breeder about that... since I have pick of the litter and she is sending the others home at 7 weeks I will want to take her then. I have a 4 year old doodle already and this will be my 6th dog over the past 30 years so I feel that she will be ok. She will have her "Auntie Luah" for company and I absolutely spoil my puppies rotten for the first month they are home. I have been known to sleep on the kitchen floor in a bean bag with them so we are close to their potty training door and I am home all day spending large amounts of time with them. I have gotten a couple of my golden retrievers at 7 weeks and they were fine. I work a lot on bite inhibition and I have lots of dog training experience. My current doodle has her CGC and is a TDI Therapy dog. We are currently working on CWAGS obedience rallies and having lots of fun at it. Thanks for the advice but my pup will be fine. She will learn the doggie manners that she would have gotten from her mom, from me and my wonderful doodle Luah.

[Holly St Pierre]

They are all adorable. Enjoy your new baby. I am from OH, but have no experience with this breeder. Can't wait to see more pics of your new baby with her new sibling. Love the name too.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Congratulations. I think Chocolates are the most exciting to watch grow. You never know how their coloring might change.