Anyone have one? DH has a friend/long-term acquaintance who breeds them. He sent a pic today with a puppy that is 5 weeks and still needs a "good family home". The kids (and I) want a dog but DH has been adamant that he does not.
I am not thinking we'd take THIS puppy. It's the last in the litter not claimed and I have no clue why, haven't met it, I know nothing re: parents, health, etc, I kind of think I'd prefer a girl and this is a male?, but it sent me down a rabbit hole and they look like super cute, good dogs (although very active and need attention/activity). I had golden retrievers as a kid and I LOVE them, but I had been looking at going the (overly trendy) doodle route b/c I do have slight dog allergies. The other breed I looked into a tiny bit was the Portuguese Water Dog?
I'm half-thinking of working on DH and seriously looking into this. We could put our name in for a future litter.
This is crazy. What did DH THINK was going to happen when he woke me up with a picture of a puppy?
Post by timorousbeastie on Apr 17, 2021 12:00:20 GMT -5
Keep in mind that since doodles aren’t actually a true breed, there’s no consistency in how hypoallergenic they are (or aren’t). I have mild allergies to dogs; most of the time, I only have a reaction after being around one for a few days. But the dog I react to the most is a friend’s doodle - within a few minutes of being around it, my eyes are itchy and watery, and I’m sneezing like crazy.
My H is adamant he doesn't want a dog (or any other pet, for that matter), whereas I could probably deal with it (despite not having a burning desire), and the kids really want one. I have no plans to twist my H's arm, because I would want his help taking care of it - I have no desire to take the work on all alone - and I think he'd be resentful after being clear he absolutely doesn't want one.
I am also opposed to buying, rather than adopting, pets. timorousbeastie makes a good point about allergies, too.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Apr 17, 2021 13:12:44 GMT -5
My dh was adamant he didn't want a dog. We now have 2. He really did NO HELP at all during the puppy phase unless it was like a 1 time thing I was asking him for for a specific reason. Now that they are older (1 and 4 years old), he absolutely loves them and snuggles with them all the time. He still doesn't do much to care for them, but that's mostly because I'm a SAHM and I do most of the stuff around the house anyway. I walk them both every day, clean up the dog poop, and feed them, and I'm in charge of all vet/grooming appointments and whatnot. The kids can help feed them if I want to, but normally I just do it. If we go on a family hike or something he will take one, and he does other minor routine stuff like letting them in/out, giving them their bedtime treat if he's the last one downstairs, putting them in their crates when we're going somewhere. He definitely doesn't mind having them. But I would not have gotten them if I hadn't been ok with 100% of the training and puppy phase stuff being on me (and I don't know if I'm ever going to be up for having another actual puppy!).
I know I could still have allergies. Just want to reduce odds where possible.
H seemed like he might be softening.
Whether the odds are reduced or not will be 100% irrelevant once you have a dog that you are allergic to.
Either rescue a dog where you can spend time with them to confirm if your allergies do or don’t flare up, or just adopt a dog regardless of allergies if you don’t care and it’s not a big deal.
Post by cricketwife on Apr 17, 2021 15:54:31 GMT -5
nicolewi,I know next to nothing about dogs, but I do know that you should not get a dog after seeing a picture of a cute puppy. You have 4 kids. Your H is almost never home so even if he consents, all the work will be on you. And you have dog allergies.
With love in my heart, I’m saying DO NOT DO THIS. Do not take this dog or put your name in for the next litter. Give yourself 3 months minimum to fully research this before weighing all sides. A dog may be right for your family, but come up from the rabbit hole before you decide. 😊
Oh, I know we can’t handle it now. But this isn’t new. We’ve talked about it for a couple of years. And, I did help train/raise our two dogs from puppies when I was a teen.
This is the first time DH seemed like he might consider it.
I am really, firmly opposed to the idea of all these "doodle" crosses. They're not actual breeds. The problem isn't some nose in the air, "oh they're not fancy enough" kind of thing. It's that with no real breed, there are no breed standards. With no breed standards, there's no way to objectively separate reputable breeders from backyard breeders. They're all backyard breeders, some just have fancier looking operations than others. It is not good for canine-kind to keep turning out litters of these designer dogs, but the more people buy them, the more it keeps happening.
Post by goldengirlz on Apr 17, 2021 17:19:33 GMT -5
Yeah, echoing others, I thought the thing about these “designer” breeds is that they don’t breed true, so you’re not guaranteed to get one that produces fewer allergens — while still having a higher potential for health problems (especially the ones bred to be “miniature.”)
That’s even separate from the ethical considerations of buying a dog from a breeder.
I also think this is a “pick your battles” thing. Just based on your earlier posts about wanting your H to make family togetherness more of a priority, it doesn’t seem like the best time to take on more responsibility that’s inevitably going to fall 100% on you, especially if you’re already feeling tapped out. Dogs are fun, but they’re also another ball in the air that will need juggling.
Post by ilikedonuts on Apr 17, 2021 17:48:09 GMT -5
The way to get a dog if you have an allergy is to find one in a rescue that might be hypoallergenic so you can foster/do a trial with the dog and see if your allergies act up. Not spend probably $1k+ on one from a backyard breeder that could very well cause your allergies to be horrible.
I am really, firmly opposed to the idea of all these "doodle" crosses. They're not actual breeds. The problem isn't some nose in the air, "oh they're not fancy enough" kind of thing. It's that with no real breed, there are no breed standards. With no breed standards, there's no way to objectively separate reputable breeders from backyard breeders. They're all backyard breeders, some just have fancier looking operations than others. It is not good for canine-kind to keep turning out litters of these designer dogs, but the more people buy them, the more it keeps happening.
I so agree with this, but dammit, every doodle I’ve met/known has been a great dog!
It’s not that the dogs are bad (or ugly - they’re often cute). It’s just that you can’t say that you want X Y and Z attributes in a dog and decide on a doodle puppy because theres a strong likelihood you won’t get that.
I won't say never buy a dog. Where I live, adopting the kind of dog we want (medium size, good with young children, puppy-4 years old) is near impossible. Our rescues just don't have dogs like that available often, and when they do they are snapped up in a hot second. We live in a condo, which seems to make us less desirable than the other 100 applicants each time we've applied. After months and months of trying, I've given up and have contacted a reputable CKC breeder I've known for years who bred my very first dog.
I will echo PPS who say you will not know what traits your dog will have if you go with a doodle or other crossbreed. Additionally, if you are paying for a dog, the breeder should be taking into account your lifestyle/temperament/training experience to select a pup from the litter that best fits your family. For example, if you have young kids you probably wouldn't want one of the more dominant pups because it could be harder to teach it that your kids are still higher on the chain of command etc.
My mom got one of these as a puppy in November (don’t lecture me - we have two rescues and my sister used to work in animal control. I am not my mom 🤷🏻♀️).
The dog is super cute, but also incredibly energetic. A very lively stuffed animal. I hate puppies in general and got both of my dogs when they were around a year. An option could be asking a breeder if they had a dog they held back. But this type of dog seems super popular so that may not be an option.
Post by ilikedonuts on Apr 17, 2021 20:54:50 GMT -5
One of my family members has 2 ‘goldendoodles’- full siblings from the same litter. One looks exactly like a poodle and is hypoallergenic and the other looks completely like a golden retriever but with hair with a slight wave. It’s Not at all hypoallergenic.
Doodles aren’t breeds so there is no true way to get ‘breed standards’
That was us. We were going to go the rescue route but no one would let us because our daughters were younger (1 and 8). We ended with a reputable breeder who I highly recommend to anyone. She will answer any questions about our dog. She checks in once a month. Emails food recalls when she hears about them. Etc. I am so glad we connected with her especially because we weren’t able to do a rescue route.
loira that is here, too. Humane societies here can hardly keep dogs “in stock,” and puppies are very rare. We don’t have other “rescues” that I know of. We have virtually zero strays.
I don’t know about that particular mix, but my aunt has an Aussie. OMG that dog is high energy. He’s 10 and still needs hikes/runs/multiple walks. He makes my hound dog seem calm. Aussie’s are definitely not the best dogs if you don’t have a lot of time to devote to exercising them —- for their whole lives. My aunt’s also gets destructive when bored and isn’t good around the kids because he will just knock them over (but that just may be him and not the breed).
As an Aussie owner I’m not a fan of all the breed mixing, but that’s been covered.
My Aussie is very chill and not an alpha, but she is not the breed standard. As a young dog, she needed a lot of stimulation, not just physical, but mental. She had a taste for wood when she was younger and we got to replace several trim pieces in our old house.
They are known for high energy and being very smart. My dog knows the plans for the day just by what pair of pants we put on.
So I would be sure you know what to expect beforehand.
I'm just going to throw it out there (for you or anyone), please only get a dog if EVERYONE is on board and you've taken a look at your lifestyle to see what type of dog (age, breed, health issues) you want to take on.
Having worked with a rescue and fostered dogs, you would not believe what dogs get returned for. And it's often allergies or because the dog didn't stay small or was too energetic or or or. I get it. My husband is partially allergic to dogs and would break out in hives after wrestling with one of our previous dogs. So when adopting our current dog, we made sure he got down and wrestled and pet and loved on any dog we were considering. Hypoallergenic is a good term but it's far from foolproof. Puppies are cute, but they always grow and THEY WILL TEST YOUR PATIENCE.
I am sure you've (royal you) thought about this, but it's something I'm passionate about. /soapbox
ssmjlm, our dog also knows different pants. She knows when I put on workout gear that we're going for a walk or she's coming out to the garage with me while I lift. If it's jeans, she knows I'm leaving her. Sweatpants get a lot of tail wags but those are "home pants" lol.
Thanks, I do get it. We had gerbils, fish, a cat, and later the dogs as I was growing up, so I have had pets and wouldn't at all take it lightly. I actually am very allergic to cats now but managed okay while we had one.
We're not getting a puppy now. I got excited about it and thought maybe NEXT year we could get in on a different litter, but sounds like they probably won't do it again. So anyway...I am still interested in getting a dog someday. It's something I always saw in my future. When I was little, I thought I wanted a career with animals, and having pets was really important to me and something I'd like my kids to be able to experience. I have no illusions about DH being very involved...I'm sure it would be all on me. I'm willing to do one dog while my kids are young and still at home if DH comes to the point where he would try it (seems like he's getting closer). All of his siblings have dogs.
Seeing if we could do a "trail run" of sorts visiting any dogs we're thinking about is a great idea.
As an Aussie owner I’m not a fan of all the breed mixing, but that’s been covered.
My Aussie is very chill and not an alpha, but she is not the breed standard. As a young dog, she needed a lot of stimulation, not just physical, but mental. She had a taste for wood when she was younger and we got to replace several trim pieces in our old house.
They are known for high energy and being very smart. My dog knows the plans for the day just by what pair of pants we put on.
So I would be sure you know what to expect beforehand.
My aussie is the same about clothes! He can definitely tell what we're up to based on what I'm wearing.
Thanks, I do get it. We had gerbils, fish, a cat, and later the dogs as I was growing up, so I have had pets and wouldn't at all take it lightly. I actually am very allergic to cats now but managed okay while we had one.
We're not getting a puppy now. I got excited about it and thought maybe NEXT year we could get in on a different litter, but sounds like they probably won't do it again. So anyway...I am still interested in getting a dog someday. It's something I always saw in my future. When I was little, I thought I wanted a career with animals, and having pets was really important to me and something I'd like my kids to be able to experience. I have no illusions about DH being very involved...I'm sure it would be all on me. I'm willing to do one dog while my kids are young and still at home if DH comes to the point where he would try it (seems like he's getting closer). All of his siblings have dogs.
Seeing if we could do a "trail run" of sorts visiting any dogs we're thinking about is a great idea.
So interestingly, fostering may be a good option for you, when you think you're ready to adopt. You get to pick a dog, see if it works and how it fits into your household, and then not feel bad if it doesn't work and you want it gone. Or if it's a perfect fit and you can't imagine your life without the dog, then put in for adoption. Fosters usually get first dibs on their foster dogs.
After both our dogs passed in one year I was not ready to get a new dog so we fostered. We did that to help other dogs but also hopefully find our "forever dog". It was really rewarding and made me realize I wouldn't want a puppy (and our youngest foster was 6ish months and mostly potty trained) even though I SAH, have a helpful DD and H.
My parents had a doodle. He had hip dysplasia and knee issues that caused them to spend 12k on surgery when he was only 5 years old. The joint issues made him very sensitive to being handled and caused him to bite easily. We would watch him while they were on vacation and I was bit by him multiple times. We had to stop watching him once we had children. There’s no way he could have lived in a home with children. He was just too anxious of being unintentionally hurt. So please, please get a dog from a reputable breeder.
Also I have dog allergies and he caused my worst reactions, so definitely not hypoallergenic.
We had an Aussie/retriever mix as a child. Beautiful dog, super sweet and insanely intelligent. But you have to make sure you train them appropriately or they will try to herd young children.
Realistically, what can be done to discourage the doodle-mania? I’m kind of serious.
Probably half of my students have them (private school). People seem to love them and won’t care or listen to the (very legit) reasons not to get one when it’s what they want. I have yet to see anyone read one of these threads here or anywhere and say, “Gee you’re right. Doodles are overpriced mutts. I don’t want to support backyard breeding and contribute to the pet overpopulation so I’ll rescue or find a reputable breed/breeder instead.”
Realistically, what can be done to discourage the doodle-mania? I’m kind of serious.
Probably half of my students have them (private school). People seem to love them and won’t care or listen to the (very legit) reasons not to get one when it’s what they want. I have yet to see anyone read one of these threads here or anywhere and say, “Gee you’re right. Doodles are overpriced mutts. I don’t want to support backyard breeding and contribute to the pet overpopulation so I’ll rescue or find a reputable breed/breeder instead.”
I just don't even understand the craze at all? Aside from less allergy potential, what's the draw to mix a poodle with so many breeds? Why not just get the Aussie (in this case) or the Cavalier Spaniel (in my coworker's case) Or just get a poodle if you like those? It's the weirdest thing to me. Like 10 years ago I started hearing more about the goldendoodle and suddenly they were everywhere, but now every damn thing is mixed with it. I just heard someone talking about getting a Porti-Doodle, a Portuguese Water Dog/Poodle mix. Stop the madness!
I remember my grandparents had a Cockapoo, I'm taking 35 years ago? Pretty sure it was just considered a mutt.