Hello all,  Not everyone will recognize me but I have been knocking around here for awhile from time to time.  My family have been looking for a smallish medium size doodle for atleast a year.  We are in Central IL and have twin boys 3.5yrs old.  We are also technically first time dog owners. 

So..  we have been searching here there and everywhere.  I only feel comfortable looking within driving distance because all too many times we go to meet these dogs and they are NOT what was listed.  They are not a oodle anything, very sick, dont like kids, dont like us, so shy they are next to being wild, just in general dont feel right, have behavior that makes us feel uncomfortalbe.. etc etc etc.  Of course we are looking at oodle-ish kind of mutts.

My question is how do you all find the good ones?  I know sometimes you have to look past some things and I hate that the previous paragraph makes me sound so picky because I am not but I have to trust my instinct when it comes to having little kids.  I also know I do not have the knowledge to take on a huge problem child.    And call me vain but if I say I want a poodleish dog a beagle/cocker will not do. 

I also cant bring myself to trust to take on a dog that will be transported to me not knowing if it will gel with my family.  I read so much about doodles and other peoples doodles and they are suppose to be the perfect family dog.  That is what we want!  :-)  Loves my children, loves us and company, is happy go lucky, low shed, big enough to call it a dog but not a horse :-) wants to be a part of the family regardless of what we are doing or where we are going.. kind of dog! 

So tell me what the secret is please!  :-) 

 

and are all the doodles that keep recurring in certain cities on petfinder really puppy mills or back yard breeder situations?  because the good dogs are always in the same places so then I worry about their long term health. why would a breeder put them on petfinder when they could potentially sell them for so much more?  are they the unhealthy ones?   so many things to consider!

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krista i am located in northern il.  i will keep a lookout for you.  what do you consider "driving distance" hr. wise?  as far as i know petfinder is shelters and rescues.  not breeders but it doesn't go to say that a puppy mill dog can't end up there.  talk with the foster parents.  i have small children and a potential adoptive dog was not matched up with us because they thought she wouldn't do well w/ children.  it's a process, but you'll find a good match~keep looking

WELCOME BACK, Kris. I have missed you. There really is no secret, just a leap of faith. Perfect dogs are not born, they are made through love and patience. I have a former puppy mill dog who didn't know grass or inside a home. She is wonderful now. I have a former biter and resource guarder that my ex-partner threatened to PTS, who is now a sweet, happy boy. Some of where you are seeing the doodles can be puppy mills, especially out there in the Midwest. Any dog will need to be taught manners, taught what is expected from you and there really is no way you can know how a dog will behave when you meet him in a shelter. It is a scary environment for a dog and you won't see their true personality until about 2 weeks at your home, as he knows he is safe.

 

"Loves my children, loves us and company, is happy go lucky, low shed, big enough to call it a dog but not a horse :-) wants to be a part of the family regardless of what we are doing or where we are going.. kind of dog!" All these "wants" are learned behaviors and there is no way to find that in rescue or even in a new pup from a breeder. All, except size and shed, are learned by you teaching them, just like you are doing with your children. Dogs are perpetual toddlers, that mentality anyway. They WANT to please, but you have to show them what you want.

 

You HAVE been looking for a long time, maybe it's time to take a Leap of Faith.

Love you, lady and miss having you around here.

Now that Im out of my rant mode...  lol our biggest problem is my struggle with wanting a specific breed (labradoodle) because of its traits or combination of breed traits.  I also prefer to rescue but here in the actual middle of IL there just arent any.  When there are they either go so fast you dont even see them or they wont adopt to us because of the kids(only an issue with rescue it seems, shelters let you be the judge)   So I struggle with the guilt of just getting a breeder dog.  Although I do have a email in to one that I have an actual reference for.

 

My fear of the puppy mill dogs isnt necessarily the behavior as much as the health.  I have been reading all these stories on here and it scares me that we would get a dog and have it suffer or even die in a few years or less because of all these horrible inborn problems these breeders are causing. 

 

I guess your right Lynne It is time for me to take the leap and if I could find one right now I would do it.  I have been going to our 3 local shelters on a weekly basis and actually was looking at the dog listed on here for Peoria IL when they asked me to step aside and took him out of the cage.. come to find out my neighbor was adopting him!  argh.. I asked her if she would swap us for the beagle/cocker we had on hold!  lol  Im happy for her though.

 

Ok here is another thing.  The dog we were pretty set on until I realized it was a heavy shedder (I have severe asthma so gotta stick with poodley) and not a poodle..   was very very sick.  The dog was gentle and mild and very scared and timid but took to all of us ok but not great.  How do you judge a sick dogs real behavior.. will they be better or worse when they are healthier?  I ask because our shelter is notorious for the kennel cough and nearly every dog we have seen has had it.   Just so many things..  Lynne.. cant you just find us another dog like Sue got?  lol Was it Suade? or something like that.  Very perfect dog and size for us!   :-)  I need a dog expert here..  dont you need a little vacation time in IL?

Renee, I think northern IL would be a doable drive.  I dont mind a road trip and maybe a little IKEA and some deep dish!  :-)  We are just outside of Peoria IL so usually chicagoland is about 3 hours for us.  If it was a dog that you had spotted and knew it was a smallish labradoodle type then I would be willing to check on it.  We do have a dollar limit as well, just in general 200ish is our limit especially if it is not spayed yet.  But of course this is all variable for the right dog!  :-)  
I don't do vacations. Too many doggies, don't like to fly, have a rescue and website to run. LOL I know it's tough but like I said, sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and hope. Susan saw Sloan as a rehome I was helping a family with. I didn't even know she was looking for another dog. Susan had her transported from WV to FL, without ever meeting her. She spoke to the owner, but other than that, it was a complete leap of faith. Sadly, a few days after Sloan arrived at Susan and Ron's home, their beloved Dalmatian, Lola passed on to the Rainbow Bridge. Fate or Faith or Meant to Be, you may need to just do it and find your fuzz ball and then teach him to be the best dog. Kennel cough is treatable, heartworm is treatable, lyme's is treatable so don't let that stop you, either. When you are looking at the pictures, look for the more poodley coats and you will have a better chance of him being a non-shedder. Go for it and we'll always be here to help. Love you!
the pups listed in indiana are about the same distance to chicagoland...just sayin.:)

Krista - any dog you get will need training. Either in a class situation or a home trainer - that IMHO is mandatory for every doodle! Especially since you have young children. Are you use that with toddler twins, you have the time for training? If you don't then the doodle you bring home will not be what your dream doodle is.

The health issues that you find in a shelter are treatable like Lynne said. That will take time but the doodle will be healthy. The advice Lynne gave you sounds perfect! Time, training and love is what the doodle will need.

A good breeder does not post their dogs on petfinder.  I believe that the dogs on petfinder are in shelters or rescues. I look at petfinder everyday.  From what I see, the doodles there are strays or people taking their doodles to a shelter.

I wish you luck on your search

You guys all make some very valid points and suggestions.  I am fortunate to have a good family support system so the doggie lessons are going to be My time away.  I also believe that even though the boys are 3.5 they should be observing the training for future knowledge.  We have a really good canine club here that has agility facilities and everything but starts with basic obedience classes all the way up.  They are rather inexpensive and its like a doggie resort there with all the stuff!  lol   My best friend used to instruct there so I know they are very family oriented too.

I have a call in to a lady that rescues labradoodles in the town next to me..  who knew!  She is actually an Aunt to a friend that I just happen to be discussing dogs with!!  How lucky is that!  So I think we may be on the right path!  I also found some pups for sale.  Just not sure Im willing to go a brand new baby pup!  lol  scary!  But husband and I have been discussing and may take that leap depending on the conversation with the rescue lady in the next couple days.  I would so much prefer a doodle that is around a year old.  I know they are still very much puppies but atleast they wont be scary baby puppy!  hahahaha 

 

 

You always have us, too. My personal "perfect" age is 4-6 months old. They are still babies, but able to learn, they have had some socialization (hopefully) and are sane enough to be able to understand. But regardless of age, dogs have the mentality of a toddler and you know how toddlers can be: At times silly, at times naughty, at times mellow. It all depends on your behavior to a large extent. I am easy going and laid back, so my dogs tend to be like that, too. Any training you might seek out should include "YOU" in the training. Because it's not just the dog learning, it's you learning how to handle him. And we are here if you need us...always, my friend.

Krista, Lynne was right....I took a leap with Sloan after talking to the owner several times. She was a rehome, and therefore I got to learn about her background. Marlow was also a rehome and I went directly to the owners home to get him, even though the neighbor handled it. I saw Marlow chained to a tree and when he was off the chain, he was bounding up and down with pent up energy. My husband had just had a kidney transplant, but he knew Marlow was coming home with us. He has turned into the love of our lives. Lola, our old Dalmatian, also liked him very much, so that pretty much settled it. He was 3 years old when we adopted him. Sloan will be two in August. Like you, I didn't want a puppy and to deal with housebreaking issues, chewing, etc.  She is more like having a 4 year old child.....lol. Into everything! But she is trained to sit, walk on a leash, crate at night, etc. I do think that Sloan is much more high energy than Marlow.  She has a few bad habits that we are working on, but she plays so wonderful with Marlow. After Lola passed, Marlow was so depressed and Sloan helped him snap out of it. It was fate that brought her to us. I am sure the right doodle is in the cards for you. It took me a long time to find Marlow, so be patient. I was really picky about a doodle too...don't be ashamed about that. You know what you want and are willing to wait for the right dog! I didn't want a doodle that looked like a lab, so waited and ended up with two wonderful doodles! Good Luck and keep looking :)

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