Need HELP FAST

[rvcrawford]

We bought Barski in March and he is doing wonderful but we noticed that he seems lonely at times and he really perks up when my kids come to visit with their dogs. We decided to get another puppy so Barski would have a friend.

We bought a 7 week old Toy Labradoodle from the same breeder where we got Barski and we brought him home last Monday. His mother is 75% poodle/25% Lab and his father is 100% poodle.

He gets along great with Barski and he seem to be adjusting well to our home. The problem is that he does not seem to want to be around us. When we hold him he shakes and cries to get down. Once he is back on the ground he is fine. He will play with us and he follows us around but when we sit down in the family room he goes to the kitchen and lays down in there. He can still see us but he definitely wants his space. We really want a people oriented dog and we are afraid that he isn’t. We talked to the breeder and she is willing to trade him for one of his littermates.

We don’t know if we are over reacting and he just needs more time to adjust or if this is just his personality.

Any advice will be welcomed.

Thanks,
Roger

[deepnite10]

Toby will seem aloof at times..but, with a few patts on his hindend he perks right up and wants to play..

most dogs i ve met up just love alot of affection..yet Toby just feels being left alone at times is in his own space..

[Jasper'sMomma]

Jasper enjoys his own space too.

He loves his play time but he likes to nap and chill near the kitchen, away from us...but where he can see us and we can see him...

[lindamarie]

My understanding is that the poodle in the doodle can sometimes be rather aloof.
Bogart, even as a Service/Therapy dog can sometimes just want his own space.

[jodysh]

Malcolm has just started doing this sort of thing today. Up until yesterday he would nap right beside me during the day and always be by my side. Today he has taken to laying down under one of the chairs at the kitchen table where he's not right beside me but can still see me. He's 10 weeks old...

I think he's jumping ahead a little early to the idog puppy development stages of 12-16 weeks where they begin to question authority too lol. Little smarty pants

[Riverkatie]

You have more a poodle than a doodle there. And poodles can be a little aloof, however he has not been in your home very long, and I expect has not yet adjusted to you. Also as Barksi is quite young you may have a touch of littermate syndrome, when the dog bonds to its littermate, rather than to you. These are all just ideas!

As Ruff is a very poodly doodle I also frequent a poodle forum, and aloof poodles keep popping up. Surprisingly so do over dependant poodles!

[daking]

OMG you guys are lucky!! I wish Winston would learn to have his own space. We cant even go in to the washroom without him sneaking in behind us. Any time we get up, he gets up and follows us everywhere! It'd be nice to have some breathing space. Its 85 degrees outside and in, and he lays on our feet! oye

[rvcrawford]

Thanks everyone for the replies. We called the breeder again and she wanted us to bring him back so she could evaluate him in person. She asked us to bring Barski too so she could see them interact. We did and when we got there Cooper, the new puppy, ran over too his littermates and immediately began to exert his dominance. He was really quit viscous for such a small, young puppy. (3.5lbs) The breeder was even surprised at his behavior. He got each one on its back and stood over it growling and biting until the other puppy would submit. I know puppies play and it can get ruff but this seemed to be more. Cooper is the biggest in the litter and that’s one of the reasons we picked him because Barski is a min-doodle and these puppies are toy-doodles.

After watching Cooper interact we were sure he was the wrong puppy for us. The breeder still had two other males from the litter and we picked the one that was the most interested in us. We’ve only had him home now for 24hrs but he is doing great and I think he will be a much better fit for our family. We are calling him Cooper II for now. Barski is amazingly gently with him and it’s a good thing because he weighs 27lbs and towers over Cooper II.

We are hoping that Cooper II is as goofy and loving as Barski.

Thanks again,
Roger

[lindamarie]

I'm happy you did this. These are not always HAPPY stories, but in your case, it has turned out for the best. This problem probably would have accelerated over the years and that doesn't contribute to one happy family!
Good luck with CooperII! And please, keep us posted.
BTW.....if you like the name Cooper......which I do, why not just keep it?