Doodle With Kids

[tuckertyler]

I have a 3 year old and a 3.5 mo old. My wife has wanted a Doodle for the longest time. Are we crazy for considering a Doodle at this time in our lives? My wife stays home with the kids and the oldest will be in school 2 days a week this fall. We currently have a 6 yr old Daschund. If we are crazy, at what age would you recommend our children being when adding a Doodle to our home?

[blueteal]

Are you considering a puppy?
If so that is a lot of work for your wife with such young kids.
These Doodles are truly wonderful but a puppy is a puppy and
will take a lot of work and training and I have read that some families are very surprised how much work a puppy truly is, especially with very young children. Only you guys know for sure what you are prepared to handle...............Personally I would wait till they are a little older but
hopefully some others who have very young children will help you out......

[MaxandMe]

this is a tough one as it depends on how much time and training along with love and a sense of humor you and your wife are willing to utilize.

for some kids and puppies are work but they get through it, others 6mos down the line realize they bit off more than they can chew.

a 3.5mos and 3 yr old are much work...you could wait till your baby is at least 12mos to 18mos old to make it a bit easier.

doodles are great dogs with people and kids but they are also very intelligent dogs needing training for correct behaviour, manners and also to be stimulated.

I have found and others that some f1 goldendoodles are instinctually good and calm around small kids but they also can be energetic puppies and puppish longer.

i am hoping others that have small children can answer this with more insight for you...my kids are now 16, 18, and 20yrs old.

[Tink]

I think Doodles are the perfect pet for kids of all ages. As far as being safe and fun for children I really don't think you can go wrong with one.

However, as the others are saying, ALL puppies take a lot of time and training in order to make them good dogs. I guess it would depend on whether your dw is a high energy person or not. Just chasing around with 2 kids those ages would be plenty for most to handle.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Remykins]

We got Remy when my kids were 2, 8 and 11. My older kids had wanted a dog for the longest time and I'd kept on putting them off because of my youngest, but I finally got "puppy crazy" too last summer and gave in. I thought it would work out pretty well because my 2-year-old loves dogs and the older kids could help out. I haven't had a dog since the sweet black lab I grew up with. We got a labradoodle because I wanted a lab but have allergies now, so a doodle was the perfect solution.

It turned out being a lot crazier than I expected, especially the first few months. A lot of that was because my 2-year-old was a little stinker -- he loved to chase Remy around the yard which got her too crazy/nippy, wouldn't keep his toys put up, let her out of the crate, etc. Plus, Remy had a very sensitive tummy (i.e. lots of diarrhea) and hated her crate during the day (i.e. continual barking). We spent a lot of time stopping the puppy nipping, teaching not to chew my son's toys and housetraining. It was as much work as a colicky new baby. My older kids helped, but it was still mostly my job since my husband travels a lot. On the positive side, Remy was not toy or food possesive and has never growled or nipped at any of my kids.

Remy is now almost 15 months and things are almost perfect. She's fully housetrained, usually ignores all the toys on the floor and has accepted her crate. We dealt with diarrhea for a long time, but have been on a new food for 1 1/2 months and things are going well. Remy loves to go on outings with my son and happily follows his scooter or bike. She also loves the park and playing in the backyard with him. My son adores Remy and gets upset when she has a sleepover at Grandma's house. My older daughter has been Remy's handler for new puppy kindergarten, basic obedience and now beginning agility. The training has helped a lot.

Sorry for the long post. I guess I would say it all depends on the personality of your kids, your wife and the dog. Remy has a pretty confident/bold personality, so she can be more strong-willed and stubborn but she isn't bothered by little kids running around. If your kids are more mellow, a mellow dog would probably be a lot easier. Remy is a small/medium multi-gen and weighs about 27 pounds, which is a good size for my kids.

[CherylB]

I think its a personal decision. My DH is a SAHD. We got Shadow when the kids had just turned 2 and 3. He was a puppy and we had NO problems at all. He is very smart and trained quickly. He also has a great personality and tolerates the kids antics well. We got Sandy 6 months later. She was already 6 months old and we specifically got her because of her laid back personality, which I wanted for my special needs son.

You can get one if you are committed to making it happen and dealing with whatever a new puppy brings Personally, I think it would have been easier to get a puppy when my youngest was a baby than at her age now. We have to watch her really closely to make sure SHE behaves around the dogs. She tends to be a bit rough. But I think babies under one are eaisier than toddlers and I know some moms totally disagree. I guess it depends on your actual kids too.

Good luck with your decision.

[tuckertyler]

Thank you guys very much. Please keep sharing your opinions.

[hrashelle]

Training a puppy is hard, but training my kids on how to act with him is proving more difficult. My youngest boys are older though, 6 and 11, and have their own ideas about how they should train their dog. It absolutely CAN be done with time and patience. Also, we do not use a crate. It would probably be easier with one but I prefer not to use one.


And if you decide that a pup is right for you just remember: Kongs are your friends!

[cocoandjane]

OK, just my two cents.....

IF you find a very laid back puppy....eager to please...and minds well immediately....which I have in Abby....the blonde....I agree that it could be easier to have a pup now..with only one toddler around....and the baby safely out of the dog's reach...so to speak.
Training the children to be careful with the puppy and housetraining the pup....which includes, crate training, chewing, nipping, potty training, leash training....and preventing the eating of indoor plants, socks etc.....is a lot to handle!!! (....just the puppy by itself is a handful...) BUT it can be done.
You are young and energetic, so maybe it'll be a piece of cake....
But later with kids ~3 yrs. and 6 yrs. ~ it could in many ways be harder.
...I don't know.
since the three year old will be away for a couple days a week...at least some of the day....I think it might work out ok now, or soon.
It does depend how much you REALLY BOTH want to do this!
Wishing you the best!
PS. Coco was my strong-willed one....having a toddler, too....would have been tough on me....but then I am 56 yrs. old!!
Been there, done that !

[Lucee&Rusty]

We actually picked the labradoodle breed because of having small grandchildren.

I thought I might add my experiences.
The 3 year old is great with them but I would never turn my back on them.
She loves them to pieces but sometimes can get a bit rough with them.
Being only three she is still learning what is acceptable behaviour towards the dogs.
The dogs tolerate and accept anything the kids dish out. So a big plus for the labradoodle.

The next grandchild is nearly two and because of the sticky hands and faces the dogs find her irresistible.
The dogs need constant reminder to stay down and leave her alone.
She has now developed her own way of telling them she has had enough with the licks.

The final child is 8 months old and is at the crawling stage. There is no option but dogs are outside when she visits.
This is hard on labradoodles as they love being part of the family and can't understand why they are in exile.

Our two doodles are under 1 year old and still babies themselves.
If it was my decision I would wait till the youngest child is quite stable on their feet.
Especially if you plan to bring a puppy into the family. There is broken nights at the beginning.
If you are already having broken nights with the baby I am not sure if I would want even less sleep because of a puppy.

Then there is the training and exercise factor of having a labradoodle.
We walk our dogs twice a day rain or shine, which can get difficult having small ones as well.
They are going to dog obedience once a week and this has been ongoing since they were 8 weeks old.
Puppies need to get out and about as much as possible once all their shots are done for socialization.

I have found it a lot easier now that the puppy stage is nearly behind us.
I guess it all comes down to your family situation and how determined you are to have a dog.
There are a lot of young families with puppies.

My 3 year old granddaughter starting having imaginary dogs of her own when we got Lucee.
It is so cute to see her imitate all our actions towards our dogs.
I have overheard her saying "Maybe one day Mum will let me have a real dog"

[cocoandjane]

Ingrid,

Very good examples of the ongoing dilemma it is with young children and dogs....I think your advice to wait until the youngest is steady on her feet is a good one to consider....

[Remykins]

Some of the other posters mentioned exercising your puppy. Unless your puppy could get enough exercise playing with your existing dog or you're around a lot, it could be tricky for your wife to exercise the puppy with a baby and a 3-year-old.

Remy needs several long walks a day and I do a lot of them pushing my 3-year-old in the stroller. When he's uncooperative, I have to resort to bribes to get him to sit in the stroller for 45+ minutes (usually 2 bags of fruit snacks will work). I've also had my son out late at night quite a few times riding in the stroller in the dark while I walk Remy with my daughters. Remy likes to go with my kids to the park, on bike rides and to soccer games, but she doesn't always get enough exercise then, so she needs walks too.

Remy loves the dog park and gets very tired there, but it doesn't work well with an active toddler so I have to find a time to take Remy without him. Lots of weeks I'll end up scheduling playdates for Remy just like I do my son -- she has a cockapoo and a golden retriever that she likes to play with. I avoided doggy daycare at first because of the cost, but now I'll do it a few times a month to tire her out and give me a break.

[vegasbaby]

We're considering getting a 9 month old doodle with wanting to have kids in the next year or so ...

Is that considered a puppy at this age or will things be a bit easier?

[cocoandjane]

If a nine month old who had been housetrained, obedienced trained some...will do the basic commands, sit, stay off, down, ...and if it's been crate trained....Yes, it will be easier than a pup who doesn't know all that.
If it hasn'thad any work done with it and isnt trained...then No, it wont' be easier....in fact fairly tough.... they usually are eager to please, so it may not be too difficult....but very time consuming....consistency is the major key to success!
it is too late and I can't think straight anymore tonight....
good luck with your decisions.

Vegas....I think if the 9 month old has started some kind of training you will be ok. Maya settled down a lot after she turned 12 mos and she is listening better than before. Also My's brief encounters with children have all been great. Though I do train Maya for children. I pull her tail, come up on her unexpectantly, grab on her etc. I do all the things a child would so she is at least a little used to it. I suggest you start that with your dog after you have had some time with the dog and they learn to trust you.

PS none of the things I do are done hard or mean. I just want her to be desensitized to it so it's easier if and when I have kids.