I’m going to write all about my philosophy here. I’m going to pontificate profusely my strongly and stridently held views on puppies, puppy rearing, ownership and the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of owning a doodle. So there.
At least, that’s probably what I am going to do…and if you happen to be reading this, please know this is just a test page. I’m going to pontificate, I’m sure. But it won’t be strident. Well, maybe just a little.
Love this picture from the rear view mirror.
Ron
Hi Ron…That rearview pic is a random appearance on the blog header at this point. You’ll see it from time to time. Cute, right? I caught the Doods while I was at a stoplight. I sure love taking pictures of them. Fun….I need to get more doodle puppies! (Hubby reins me in…)
I’m getting another wonderful doodle! Do you suggest two males or male / female? I really believe Henderson will do great with another male. I’m keep getting mixed responses… Thank you
Hi there!
I am so excited to hear you are getting another doodle! Few things in life are as much fun! In terms of getting a male or a female…that’s a difficult call. I don’t know that one is actually better than another, but I personally prefer boys. I don’t know if this has any basis in reality, but I do tend to think boys are more laid back. Other folks could rightfully argue against that, and they will tell you why prefer girls. And the “correct” boy/girl combinations also vary in terms of folks’ opinions, as you’ve encountered.
I think getting caught up in whether to get a boy or a girl might not be the most important thing to be paying attention to. It might be the wrong question. Perhaps the more important things to consider are going to be based in a) the temperament of the dogs and b) how are you (the owner and pack leader) doing with your training handling of your dogs.
First, I think if you are careful to pick a pup from a good breeder whose dogs have great temperaments, you are going to get a pup with a great temperament. My experience is that while the personalities might be different from pup to pup, the temperaments seem to stay pretty constant. What you see in the parent is usually what you see in the pups—easy going vs. high strung/nervous, quiet vs. barky, affectionate vs. aloof, etc. The personalities part is more difficult to describe. As an example, Sam and Luke have similar temperaments (as do all of their siblings I’ve met), but the personalities are quite different. Sam is very sports-driven, play- and owner-focused; Luke is very social and likes both people and other dogs. Sam is kind of intense and really only interested in people, but is non-aggressive (entirely submissive, actually) to other dogs. Luke is happy and bouncy. Both are very easy going and gentle.
I am in no way an expert, and I’ve been super lucky because of my great dogs—-they make me look pretty good! I’ve read a lot of books and have a whole list of recommended reading based upon what resonates for me in terms of how I want to treat my dogs and how I want them to behave at home and in the world. So it is only the readings I’ve done and my experience with my two dogs that I draw any conclusions at all…
I follow the advice of the books I’ve read based upon what I want to train my dogs to do or behaviors/habits I want to avoid developing. Or, if something has cropped up that I don’t like, I go back to the books to figure out how to deal with that particular issue. I will say that whenever something has come up behaviorally that I don’t like, it is usually the result of something that I am doing (or not doing) as the pack leader. So I always check myself first to see if it’s a failure on my part to maintain my position as the leader…and then I look to see what I need to do to teach my dood what I want him to do. They are such willing creatures! Mostly. Sam is still not entirely willing to stop pulling on the leash, but we are getting there!!! 🙂
I strongly believe in lots and lots of training and play. And puppy pre-school. And socialization every every every day—new places, new people, new experiences/noises/sights/sounds. These things make a great dog that has a great temperament solid and stable.
It’s a pretty safe bet that I don’t do everything “perfectly”, and my dogs are not perfect (I’m only saying that to be politically correct, because I think they are perfect!! :-p). However, I am pretty sure that my dogs see me as being in charge, and that solves a lot of problems right off the top. In terms of how they arrange things between themselves, I don’t notice a lot of jockeying for position. They are, as I said, quite laid back and don’t seem to care too much about who is in charge between the two them…I attribute that (correctly or not) to them being clear that I am in charge of both!
That’s a long-winded response to your question—and the short version is this: if you have a preference for a boy or girl, then go with that preference. It’s probably not going to make that much of a difference. Just make sure you really know and trust your breeder and the types of dogs they sell. If another characteristic other than the sex of the dog is important to you, choose based upon that characteristic. I personally look for the connected eye contact. I love that. Other people I know chose dogs based upon their more independent nature or being more snuggly or bigger or a particular color. It depends upon what matters to you.
Whatever you end up choosing, you will get a great dog that you will love! Just don’t forget to be the pack leader and all should be pretty ok…I think…!
Oh, and a closing note. My vet said something that I think is probably the truest thing ever: two dogs is the perfect number. I love that! I think that really does mean that one is not enough and three is too many. So we have two, and in spite of my impulses to get more puppies, we are going to stick at two.
Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for your input. It was very helpful. We are going with a male puppy. I also agree that you need a good breeder. Which we are going with the breeder we got Henderson from. They were featured on animal planets pets 101. Thank you again for your help
So it helped! Good luck and give us some pictures when you get doodle number two!!
We are looking for another
doodle in the orange country area .Wondering if you have any breeders you can recommend.