Tony and his wife, Nicole, adopted two F1B Labradoodle Puppies from us in early 2010 from 2 different litters. I asked his input one day in helping another Puppy Buyer to make the decision about adopting one or two puppies at the same time. I could never have put it better myself....and asked Tony's permission to share their experiences. This is such valuable information for any family anticpating the arrival of their new puppy....or puppies. Those first days and weeks can be a challenge, but to perservere will bring you wonderful rewards that will last many, many years.
1) Obviously, it is a lot of work. And, the two dogs really play off of each
other. For example, if one is ready to lie down and rest and the other is energetic and wants to play - then, they play.
There is little down time.
2) We noticed a considerable change in Nola's behavior when we brought home Dekker. She was
always happy but she looked really happy when we brought home Dekker. They are best friends. She loves being a "big sister'
and would do anything for him. In fact, earlier this week at a dog park, a dog snapped at Dekker and he gave off a little cry.
She charged from about 25 yards away and jumped on the other dog. Seriously, these two stick together in the park (and going
for walks) and they always know where the other one is.
3) On the ride home after we picked up Dekker, he cried the whole
way home. I am not sure how he would be if he were alone. He looks up to Nola so much. She is really great to him.
He is a bit of a wimp :), so she always looks out for him. Because of her, he is so much more outgoing. As you know, the
first few weeks would have been an absolute disaster if she didn't sleep in his crate with him at night.
4)
Nicole and I (at least one of us) goes home everyday around lunch to let the dogs out. If we work 8 hours a day, they just would
not be able to make it without going to the bathroom. It takes 15 minutes, we go home, let them out, give them some treats,
and put them back in the crate. They actually don't mind their crate. Sometimes, they go in their and sleep with the door
open.
5) The first month was a lot of work. And, we were tired and looked forward to the weekends. I was waking
up every 3 hours to let them out and use the bathroom. But, we would have needed to do this if we only had one dog.
6)
From a financial perspective, it obviously doubles the cost. They have lots of toys and eat double the amount of food.
The vet is expensive. For example, our puppies are on this "puppy booster" program. It is $350 per dog. It includes
puppy shots and other stuff (Nicole knows more of the details). We are getting them fixed between the first and second week
of May. I believe this is $300 per dog. So, in the first year, we figured it was going to be a few thousand dollars (cost
of dogs, puppy booster plan, dog food, spay/neuter, toys, leash, collar, treats, training class, etc.).
7) They
always don't go to the bathroom on the same schedule so you have to make extra trips outside to accommodate for this. And, they
hate being apart from one another so when you take one out we typically take them both out. Seriously, they don't like it when
they can't see the other.
8) So many people tell us we are nuts for getting one dog. "You're crazy, you're going
to move into a brand new house with new hardwood floors and get a dog"? We would answer "No, we're going to move into a brand
new house and get two dogs". Well, people tell us we're nuts...for the very reason that...we are nuts. We live a crazy,
very active life. We each work 40-50 hours a week, exercise 10 hours a week, etc. Now, we do think our energy levels are
higher than most people. And, there are times when we are absolutely exhausted and the dogs are running around crazy.
So, when this happens at night, and the dogs get over-tired, not as a punishment, we put them in their crate for about 30 minutes
and this calms them down. We are learning that when they get over-tired they don't know they need to settle down.
Instead, they just start running aimlessly around the house - barking, chewing, etc. This 30 minutes in the crate calms them
down. We open up the crate after about 30 minutes and they will come out of their crate and lie down and go to sleep on the
floor next to us.
9) Weird stuff happens too. For example, yesterday, Dekker spit out a tooth (fang). And,
I was petting him to make sure he was okay. Well, Nicole inspected his mouth and he had all of his fangs. As it turns
out, it was Nola's tooth...inside Dekker's mouth. I have no idea how it happened but it happened.
10) I think we
do a really good job at putting them on a routine. They have breakfast around 6:15 AM and dinner around 5:00 PM (with a
good-size snack around lunchtime). They get treats throughout the day too. Even on the weekends, we wake up early to keep
the routine. So, when you're tired and want to sleep in then you have to force yourself to wake up because if you don't then
Monday morning will be more difficult to get back on the routine. We don't free feed food or water. But, we make sure
to give them the proper amounts of food and water. Dekker is an eater. He loves to eat and will eat whatever Nola doesn't
(sometimes by stealing it). :)
11) Sometimes we have to remind ourselves to be patient because we have such high
expectations. For example, Dekker went to the bathroom near the front door the other day and I said "couldn't you have waited
20 more seconds"? Well, the answer is "No, he couldn't". They are still so young and don't have the muscles to 'hold
it'. We do our best to not sweat the small stuff. They have chewed $100 running shoes, $100 ties, and brand new floor-board
molding. So, it is a full-time job watching these guys. I think it is my fault for not being on them to replace the shoe
with a chew toy.
12) We plan on using Dogma, a doggy-day care a few blocks from our house. It is about $35 per day
per dog. However, Dogma won't take them until they have all of their shots (last shot is scheduled for this Thursday).
This is good to know because we initially thought the dogs would be going to Dogma by now a couple days a week. But, we have
had to alter some plans because they are still too young.
13) Obviously, we don't have the land you have. In fact, our
front yard is a sidewalk. So, house training becomes a little more complicated because we can't just open the door and say "go
ahead, do your business". Instead, each time they go outside we have to put their leashes on and walk them a few blocks to a
grassy park. Nicole's parents have a fenced-in backyard in Portland, OR and it is so easy to just open the back yard and have
the dogs run around. We alternate taking them outside at night. This gets to be a lot but as they get older they are going
outside less.
14) DVR is a wonderful thing. We constantly keep an eye on our dogs and watching some TV shows became
really complicated. If they needed to go outside during an important part we would miss the show. So, we got a DVR recorder
and watch TV using play, pause, fast forward, etc. Without the commercials, you can watch a 60 minute tv show in about 35 minutes
by fast forwarding past the commercials.
15) Some days, you wake up and know they are going to be bad. I don't know what
it is. Some days, they wake up and are angels throughout the day. But, on the off days, they chew and bark, and chew and
bark, and jump on furniture, and jump on countertops, and jump on each other, and it gets crazy. We just get through these days
and I try to take them for nice long walks to use lots of energy. With that being said, our dogs are spoiled. They go
for walks in the morning, afternoon, and evening. They get to run around a dog park about 3-4 days per week (and sometimes twice
on the weekend). So, they are used to going for lots of walks, getting fresh air, and running and chasing tennis balls in the
fenced-in dog park.
So, with all of the talk, and the good, bad, and ugly. And, the loss of sleep, going outside during inconvenient times, altering business and personal schedules, would we make the same decision...if we had to do it again...in a new york minute! :) Nevertheless, we look forward to down the road when they are more independent, better trained, and can be trusted to go into a bathroom and not chew the entire roll of toilet paper or go up to our bookshelf and not try to chew every book-binding they can get their paws on. They also eat grass and we are trying to stop this. Their favorite is when they find a nice stick and can both have it in their mouths at the same time and prance down the street. We are taking them to basic puppy classes (Nola starts in May). The trainer recommended they come separately because they would distract each other. I can't tell you how much we love and care for these two wonderful animals. I don't sneeze or have allergies around them. Our house does not have fur from shedding. We miss them when we're not around them. The best part about it is they love us and need us just as much. Tony
THE STORY OF BUSTER AND BEAR, LABRADOODLE PUPPIES FROM KEELIE/BODE AND SASHA/JACK, 2010
Tina,
We’ve been meaning to give feedback on our 2 dog experience. We had reservations about getting one dog much less 2 dogs since
we’re in our late 40’s and had never owned dogs on our own. Anne had grown up with a dog as a teen and I had never owned one.
Someone I knew and respected once told me that having more than one dog was the way to go since dogs are pack animals and are very
social. Our reasoning was that after you get set up for a dog in your home, having a second dog was only a minor add on.
We put in an underground fence around our property, as an example, and the only cost for the second dog was a second collar.
Anyway, after our experience to date (5 months) I can honestly say that I can’t imagine ever only having one dog. Our dogs are
cousins and are 2 weeks apart in age. There was no separation anxiety because they slept together and had each other for company.
Other families will comment that their dog chews everything – toys, bedding etc. Tina Law gave us 2 plush stuffed toys and I
assumed they would be completely destroyed in a matter of days. Well, they’re both in one piece 5 months later. They’ve
never destroyed any bedding. I attribute some of this “good” behavior to the fact that they “mouth” each other and play “predator/prey”
in the yard keeping themselves amused. They’re very calm in the house because they get their energy out with each other outside
and are rarely bored. The initial costs were high due to (A) the costs of the dogs and (B) the costs of 2 shots programs
as well as doubling all of the infrastructure (2 crates, 2 beds, underground fence etc), but now that has settled down, the only real
cost delta is the food and it’s somewhat minor. There is the fact that dog poop is doubled as well. We had them trained
somewhat to defecate in the woods, but since the fence is in and the weather has turned bitter cold, we’ve become lax in directing
them to a certain area. When the weather warms we’ll try to direct them to a more convenient spot.
Walking the dogs together
was a challenge at first since they love to play with each other. But we’ve trained them to walk together and they love taking
long walks.
Another reason we took 2 puppies at the same time was that it was easier to go through the early stages at the same time
rather than doing it once and then coming back later for another puppy later. The performance of one puppy tends to motivate
the other. In other words, one potties and the other runs over to go after they witness the praise or treat.
Our doodles bring
us tremendous joy. It’s been only 5 months yet I can’t imagine life without them.-Carl
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
From
Anne-For me the decision was dog or no dog but once you decide to have a dog in the house, the stretch to two does not take that much
more effort. Walks, feeding, and scooping poop are happening anyway! It takes a few more minutes but not double.
The beauty is they tire one another in a natural way that would take a tremendous effort for me and time in the day. They are
dogs together and really do not mouth us or bite in any way. There are times that they can be mischievous or one piddles then
the other but those occurrences are much fewer, and the joy outweighs any frustration.
When we chose them they were the two
of four puppies we considered and our two interacted and seemed to like playing together. Once you get home, honoring the dog
deemed dominant by the two of them is important. The dominant dog gets treats first, crate opened first, fed, pet or recognized
first. This keeps balance and peace in the pack! We have read plenty of training books and watched videos from the library
about training and they are truly helpful especially for the kids with understanding what to expect and how to handle doggie behaviors.
The vet recommended separate daytime crates but nightly sleeping together would be fine which is what we do. They sometimes
separate themselves at night which we allow them to choose but in the morning they need a minute to greet one another. When
they were really little, the doggie beds were only in the crate for nighttime sleeping or evening quiet/tv time. They are on
much bigger beds now.
There are four of us, two adults and the kids are 10 &12. The kids are continuing to be interested
and helpful in the care of the dogs. All of us enjoy them, the dogs temperament is rather easygoing and we get many compliments
on what nice dogs they are to be around even by folks that are not inclined towards, or comfortable near dogs. People that love
dogs adore them. I thank Tina for breeding such good dogs! I think she really makes an effort to have decent dogs for
breeding and it shows. Her dogs when we were there to select our puppies were generally calm and happy, easy to be around which
is what we were looking for more than appearance although all the doodles were cute!
We had researched about two dogs and decided no
but when we were there with the puppies it felt right and has felt right since. It seems a fair amount of families return for
doggie number two from Lawpdoodle Kennel. I think this supports that the dogs are great and also that our dogs like another
dog to keep them company!
Anne and Carl Bauer
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Hi Tina,
Hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a happy new year. Just wanted to let you know we saw the pictures of Hershey's puppies. You must be so proud of her, they are all beautiful. Tony and I couldn't pick a favorite, all them look just as precious as our Nola.
Tony fogot to tell you one good story about Dekker that happened this fall. He is now known as my and Nola's bodyguard. One night, Tony had to attend a work function, so I was giving the doodles their nightly walk around the neighborhood. I noticed a man go by on a bike really slowly, and the look he gave me made me feel uncomfortable, kind of like he was sizing me up. The man rode on, and I started trying to walk the dogs again, but Dekker would not budge. When I looked at Dekker he was sort of hunched (like he was ready to spring and all the hair on his back was standing up). Suddenly the man made a sharp turn on his bike and started riding back towards the three of us. Dekker went ballistic pulling on his leash, growling, and showing every single tooth in his mouth. At first I was embarrassed, but a voice in my head told me that if Dekker was reacting this way there was a reason for it, so I didn't try to quiet him. The man took one look at Dekker and rode off as fast as possible. When Tony got home I told him about the strange incident and he agreed that for Dekker to react that way something was off with the situation. Dekker is our absolute love bug, never jumps on anyone, and has never reacted that way to anyone. In fact, when people ask to pet him my one warning (if you can call if that) is that he likes to give kisses. Another example, our niece fell down and he was the first one to run over and check her out by sniffing and kissing her.
Well the next morning I was checking my email, and found an alert that was sent out by a neighbor. He was walking his dog a few blocks from me around the same time that night, and was approached by a lady that had been mugged at gunpoint by a man on a bicycle. The description exactly matched the man I had encountered. I shudder to think what might have happened had Dekker not been with me. I learned a lesson, doodles are cute and cuddly, and have wonderful personalities, but they are also protectors. Dekker is a good boy, and I might add an excellent guard doodle.
Hope the new year finds you all well,
Nicole and Tony |