As you all may know, I have a beautiful regular size F1B goldendoodle. We got her from a farm in Kentucky called Blessed Hope Kennels , they also have bernadoodles. Our fur baby, Saffron, has been a tremendous blessing in our lives, I honestly can’t describe how much she has changed our lives for the better.
First- Why a golden doodle?
1.) Jason is slightly allergic to dog hair, VERY allergic to cats. So it was important to him to get a hypoallergenic dog.
2.) To that effect, I have 20 students in and out of the house every week, and I wanted pick a breed that would not trigger allergies.
3.) Goldendoodles are notorious for being great with kids and families, and we knew we wanted to expand our family so that was a top priority for us.
4.) They are crazy smart, and extremely teachable.
5.) We like their look and overall personality.
If you are considering a doodle, there are a few things to know:
- GROOMING: They need to be brushed every day. In the beginning their puppy hair is pretty manageable, but after about 7 months it starts to change and mats are more likely to form. You will need a comb, a rake, and a slicker brush. The slicker brush is something she actually enjoys, like being at a spa 🙂
- EARS: They have very floppy ears that trap in moisture. Saffy has gotten three ear infections since January. We finally have it down to a system, and since I switched to ear cleaning wipes we have had no problems.
- TEETH: This isn’t unique to Saffy, but you will need to brush their teeth regularly. I use teeth cleaning wipes, and she loves the taste. I actually picked these up at Walmart for about $3.
- UTI: If you get a female, and she is anything like Saffy, she will be prone to UTIs. Our vet said it’s because Saffy’s legs are a little shorter than the average doodle, and she pees close to the ground. (I will do another post on how to know if your dog has a UTI.) Ways that I stave them off is feed her some frozen whole cranberries every day (about 4) and since I started to that she hasn’t gotten one. I also see her private area is groomed.
- SKIN: We have only had one issue with an allergic reaction, which was solved with benadryl, but I do know that doodles are prone to skin irritations.
- CHEW TOYS: I can’t even tell you how many chew toys Saffy has done thru. If it says “for tough chewers” that means nothing to her. These are a few chew toys that have been winners for us: Wishbone, Kong, Chuck it, bamboo bone, Now I get these from Marshalls for under $5 each and they last 4-8 months, depending on what you get. The trick is to put them in rotation, hide the toy for a while, and when you pull it back out she thinks it’s new! She will also chew on a plastic water bottle for hours if allowed.
- STOMACH: Doodles have sensitive stomachs. When we got Saffy fixed back in the summer, she had the hardest time with the meds. They ended up giving her a powder version of pepto-bismol just to calm her stomach down enough to eat. Now we know to ask for the “old school gentle stomach meds” because the newer meds are too harsh for her.
- JUMPING: Doodles are known for jumping. Our vet told us that it is hard to train out of them. But, we have been working on it SO MUCH, and I have definitely seen improvement. I will do a post on this in the future. But know- they will jump up unless taught not to.
- DIGGING: doodles (specifially retriever/poodle mixes) love to dig holes. Things I have tried to stop her: 1.) put her poop in the hole/area she likes to dig 2.) make sure she is well exercised 3.) make a loud noise or shake a rattle when she tries to dig there.
- ENERGY: They are high energy dogs, not to say they can’t chill, but they NEED to play in order to relax. A few walks, games of fetch, chasing them around the yard, all are necessary for them to chill out in the house. I think Saffy is the best of both worlds because she loves to play fetch, go on walks, rough house with Dad, but she also will cuddle up with me in the mornings and just hang out. If you are looking for a lap dog, or a chill companion, I would pick a different breed. She requires exercise and mental stimulation.
Future posts:
What you will need for a puppy.
Easy training techniques
How we prepared our dog for the baby
What we did to have a great walk every time.
Cheap places to get dog supplies.
