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I do have an idea of what I want in a dog, as does my husband. We are both very different, so it makes the choice more difficult. He wants a dog with a lot of energy, pep, playful; I want a companion who is stranger friendly and likes to cuddle. Eventually we will get both again as the poodle is getting older.
I don't mind grooming and we would both prefer medium sized dogs. The miniature doodle would have been perfect but we would prefer a purebred who can give us a health certificate guarantee on the parents. If the doodles can, that's great too, but not sure I want to pay 2000 and up for a mixed breed.
There is a Havanese breeder in our state as well as two Brittany breeders we plan on connecting with to find out more. These are the two kind of dogs that we feel would be perfect, both a companion and an energetic dog.
I liked having the energy of a boisterous dog around and had no idea how much I would miss that energy.
You guys have given me lots of information, thank you for that and the nice words, we are all dog lovers here and understand.
Had to put our dog down a week ago. It was very sudden and due to a genetic deficiency. She started to really struggle and the vet said she would only get worse (which she did immediately) so we put her down. I'm still having trouble with it, in spite of making plans to adopt another dog. I'm scared about genetic problems that slowly creep up later and almost feel as if I don't want another dog. However, there is a huge void in our lives because she's gone. She was high spirited, interactive and affectionate, in her prime; the poodle mostly ignores us and was more of a side kick to her crazy antics.
I'm looking at other breeds but they all scare me because of this experience (DH likes the Brittanys, we both like the goldendoodles, but they are crazy expensive and we won't settle for less than AKC registration). I'm willing to settle for a Bichon, or a Beagle, as these seem like safe choices. We are all over the place emotionally. I did write a letter to the animal ER because they were great in handling her diagnosis and being honest with us. That helped with the grieving process. How soon after a loss do you go out and get another one? DH says immediately but i'm dragging.
Daylux...why not simply get a Poodle? They come in sizes to appeal to every taste (although the Standards have some serious health issues and I would avoid them which also means you should avoid the Doodles bred from Standards) and are very intelligent/trainable with few drawbacks, if any, beyond the grooming requirements which you would also have with the far less predictable Doodles. Poodles can be clipped in several different related styles all of which result in the same hair length on the entire dog which gives them the appearance of a normal dog.
As with ANY breed you must be very careful to get a puppy from an excellent breeder to avoid temperament and health problems.
Australian Shepherds are the love of my life but they have some temperament issues that we are tiring of so, after much research, we are switching to Icelandic Sheepdogs. But I would consider a Miniature Poodle in a heartbeat...it's actually next on my list after the Icie and obviously not because I want a dog that doesn't shed. Poodles just have so many good qualities. I have a friend who breeds Standards...she would qualify as an excellent breeder in my book...and she would be able to easily find me a healthy MP puppy with excellent temperament.
Daylux...why not simply get a Poodle? They come in sizes to appeal to every taste (although the Standards have some serious health issues and I would avoid them which also means you should avoid the Doodles bred from Standards) and are very intelligent/trainable with few drawbacks, if any, beyond the grooming requirements which you would also have with the far less predictable Doodles. Poodles can be clipped in several different related styles all of which result in the same hair length on the entire dog which gives them the appearance of a normal dog.
As with ANY breed you must be very careful to get a puppy from an excellent breeder to avoid temperament and health problems.
Australian Shepherds are the love of my life but they have some temperament issues that we are tiring of so, after much research, we are switching to Icelandic Sheepdogs. But I would consider a Miniature Poodle in a heartbeat...it's actually next on my list after the Icie and obviously not because I want a dog that doesn't shed. Poodles just have so many good qualities. I have a friend who breeds Standards...she would qualify as an excellent breeder in my book...and she would be able to easily find me a healthy MP puppy with excellent temperament.
My DH loves the standard poodle, but they might be a little big for us. We are considering getting another miniature poodle because we've had a good one. I can't say enough positive things about them, my little guy has been absolutely no trouble at all. He's the cutest, sweetest, most obedient and loving dog and no health problems. They really mold to your character, and they are stranger friendly. My mini approaches people all the time and welcomes them into his space. This is what I love about him.
He is not as interactive and energetic as I would like, now that I've experienced that from another breed. But he is always glued to my side and always has a cute open look on his face.
The problem with energetic and boisterous dogs is that a lot of the time they aren't stranger friendly, and our girl who just passed gave us a lot of trouble with that. (Her bad temperament might have been a side effect of her illness, though) That's why I hesitate getting another dog with that much energy. If it were up to me, I would just get little companion dogs, but my husband needs a high energy dog and doesn't care if they are stranger friendly or not and would prefer if they bark at people passing by or ringing the bell.
I looked up the Icelandic sheepdog and they are cute as puppies.
But again, the miniature poodle is very adaptable, laid back and loving so I highly recommend. Don't expect him to play fetch, though.
When I had to put my beloved cat down, I realized that I felt like a widow. Some widows and widowers remarry right away. Not me. I couldn't imagine giving love to another cat, and felt much pain, emptiness and loss for a long time. Over two years later, I was ready for another cat. Now I have three.
My advice to you is to follow your heart. Do _not_ get another dog just to fill the void unless you really feel ready to love again.
I know a goldenpoodle in my neighborhood. Nice dog. But really, be sure you're ready.
Doodle hair tends to matt easily because they often have undercoat...purebred Poodles don't have undercoat. You might find this discussion on a groomer's forum regarding Doodles interesting:
My DH loves the standard poodle, but they might be a little big for us. We are considering getting another miniature poodle because we've had a good one. I can't say enough positive things about them, my little guy has been absolutely no trouble at all. He's the cutest, sweetest, most obedient and loving dog and no health problems. They really mold to your character, and they are stranger friendly. My mini approaches people all the time and welcomes them into his space. This is what I love about him.
He is not as interactive and energetic as I would like, now that I've experienced that from another breed. But he is always glued to my side and always has a cute open look on his face.
The problem with energetic and boisterous dogs is that a lot of the time they aren't stranger friendly, and our girl who just passed gave us a lot of trouble with that. (Her bad temperament might have been a side effect of her illness, though) That's why I hesitate getting another dog with that much energy. If it were up to me, I would just get little companion dogs, but my husband needs a high energy dog and doesn't care if they are stranger friendly or not and would prefer if they bark at people passing by or ringing the bell.
I looked up the Icelandic sheepdog and they are cute as puppies.
But again, the miniature poodle is very adaptable, laid back and loving so I highly recommend. Don't expect him to play fetch, though.
Please do NOT get a SP. Didn't you say that you desperately want to avoid serious genetic health problems? If so then you need to stay away from SPs. One can find healthy SPs but it is more of a challenge.
I've been competing in and teaching agility for 20+ years and Mini Poodles simply rock on course! They are very fast and many are trained using toys as a reward, both in tugging and retrieving. So they definitely have energy and they definitely do fetch! My guess is that you have been exposed primarily to MPs bred from backyard breeders or companion only breeders and not from excellent breeders. Did you read the link I provided in a previous post? Miniature Poodles: What's Good About 'Em? What's Bad About 'Em?
If you do the proper research you can easily find a healthy MP with energy. And one who will be hard to train NOT to bark at the doorbell!
When you write this "The problem with energetic and boisterous dogs is that a lot of the time they aren't stranger friendly" it leads me to believe that you are basing your ideas on your limited personal experience rather than research. I disagree with that statement completely. I've met hundreds of energetic dogs that are extremely stranger friendly and very interactive.
My feeling after reading your posts on this subject in several different threads is that you really need to do more research. And not just blindly accept anything you read online...since we all know there is TONS of misinformation there...but purposefully pursue quality research since you have some erroneous (or incomplete) ideas about breed, health, behavior and even the AKC.
For example, don't get all your information on Doodles from Doodle breeders or from Poodle breeders. They both have biases (pro and con respectively) that color their opinions. You need sources that provide both pros and cons...there is no breed or designer breed that is perfect.
One of my Trainers Bred Standard Poodles Not One Health Problem! Several Friends that Groomed dogs The Standards they groomed were Show dogs & Later were bred No Health problems! You just have to look as there ARE Healthy standards out there. Most did Confirmation & Obedience & Agility with hers & another had several on her Dog Sled team! Blew my mind when I found out
I have a friend in her 50's who had a dog she grew up with, and was deeply emotionally connected with it. When the dog finally died, she chose to never get another dog, because she couldn't face thoroughly loving, and then losing, another dog.
While I understand the "logic" of her thought process, I believe she missed out on many rewarding years, with several great dogs, in order to avoid the pain of loosing another dog - I can see both sides of the issue, but for me, a doubt I will be dog-less for any length of time again.
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Poodles just have so many good qualities. I have a friend who breeds Standards...she would qualify as an excellent breeder in my book...and she would be able to easily find me a healthy MP puppy with excellent temperament.
