Miriam Fields-Babineau - Doodle Dogs For Dummies

There are two ways to have an idea of what lies ahead: Rely on your dog breeder’s experience with their litters, or contact the owners of other Doodles who were purchased from the same breeder. One or two pups may have different health experiences from the majority, but an average assumption can be made over time (see Chapter 4).

Poodles enjoy a longer than average life span. Standard Poodles typically live 12 to 14 years, some as long as 16 years. Miniature Poodles and Toy Poodles typically live 13 to 18 years. Compare this to the average life span of most large dogs, who typically live 8 to 12 years, and most medium dogs, who typically live 12 to 14 years. Few Toy breeds live longer than 10 to 14 years. Add these longer-lived Poodle breeds to the mix, and you’ve got a good chance of getting a few more great years with your Doodle.

Although the Doodle’s life span may be similar to that of a parent Poodle, it ultimately depends on great nutrition, healthy environment, and appropriate exercise.

Doodles are a mix of two different breeds, so there’s always a chance of your dog being affected by any of the numerous illnesses or other afflictions common in the parent breeds. Because one parent is consistent in all Doodles — the Poodle — you can only assume that the following list of breed-specific issues are ones to be aware of (more on specific purebred dog health concerns in Chapter 3).

Standard Poodle health issues: The Standard Poodle has a few more health problems than the other varieties of Poodle. These include Idiopathic epilepsy: A condition in which a dog is prone to seizures without a known cause Addison’s disease: A condition in which the adrenal glands don’t produce hormones necessary for physical function Cushing disease: A condition in which the adrenal glands produce abnormally high levels of cortisol Sebaceous adenitis: A destructive inflammatory disease in the sebaceous glands, which are located around hair follicles on the skin

Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle health issues: These Poodle variations may experience the same health issues as the Standard Poodle, they’re less likely to do so. They do, however, have some leg bone abnormalities not common in larger dogs, such as Luxating patella: A condition in which the dog’s kneecap moves out of position, causing lameness Legg-Calve-Perthes disease: Degeneration of the femoral head (the ball portion of the hip joint)

Do some research on the other parent breed so you’re aware of other possible health problems.

To minimize the chances of your having to deal with these issues with your Doodle, buy only from a reputable breeder who has done appropriate health clearances on their parent dogs. These include checking for orthopedic problems, as well as heart and eye problems (see Chapter 4). You may luck out with a healthy dog from other sources, but chances are, you’ll end up spending a lot of money for veterinary care and professional training.

If you’re adopting a Doodle from a rescue organization or animal shelter, do a little research on breed health concerns so you can potentially recognize any structural, coat, or eating disorders and know how to address them (see Chapter 7).

Every dog needs training. And, due to the high energy level and intelligence of your Doodle, education will be the key to a great relationship. Doodles need direction, consistency, and patience. They may be easy to train, but without training, your Doodle will drive you crazy.

Training begins the moment you meet your Doodle puppy. Setting the rules early and remaining consistent will ensure you end up with a well-behaved adult Doodle. Because most Doodle pups go to their forever homes at the age of 7 to 8 weeks, they’re ready to learn all basic commands right away. In fact, Doodle puppies are most receptive to learning at 6 to 16 weeks of age. They crave direction, and when applied using a positive training method, they learn quickly.

Doodle puppies can quickly learn the following cues: Come, Sit, Down, Take Treats Gently, Housetraining guidelines, and lots of cute tricks, too. But, as puppies tend to have short attention spans, you’ll need to keep each training session at no more than 15 minutes each. But, don’t worry, you can do these many times throughout the day, which is a great idea as repetition builds understanding.

Adolescent Doodles are 4 to 8 months old, and they’re a handful. Their energy levels are through the roof, and they need training to remain grounded and manageable. If you haven’t done the early work and you have an obnoxious teenager on your hands, sign up for a class right away! The longer you wait, the more reactive your Doodle may become.

You can still use a positive training method with an unruly adolescent, but a lot of redirection work will likely be necessary, too (see Chapter 10). Adolescent Doodles are more easily distracted than young puppies are. Everything that moves will grab their attention, and they’ll want to investigate what it is. Where Doodle puppies are still a bit insecure and tend to remain near their people, most adolescent Doodles are all about exploring beyond the security of their companions. You’ll also notice selective responses in this age group — your Doodle may have responded well to a Come cue when they were 3 months old, but not as readily at 6 months old.

A selective response is knowing what a cue means but not responding to it. If the dog is allowed to ignore a cue, they’ll soon not ever respond to it. You need to back up all commands (which means you need a way of ensuring your dog follows through with your request); otherwise, your voice and body language will become background noise that will be ignored.

Formal training work is suggested for these adolescent explorers. Training will help them maintain a calm state of mind and keep your frustration levels down as well. Remember: Clear communication is key to a healthy relationship.

Regardless of your Doodle’s age, they’ll enjoy the training process. Dogs of all ages enjoy learning and interacting with you. If you adopted an older Doodle, training will help them settle into your home and their new environment more easily. A daily training session gives your adult Doodle something to look forward to each day — like hearing the ice-cream truck coming down the block when you were a kid. Yes, they do get that excited about it, and seeing you pick up the leash will trigger the happy dance!

You will still need to slowly build on your dog’s attention span and work tolerance, but they’ll gain those attributes faster than a young Doodle puppy. Your adult Doodle may require a few more repetitions than a younger dog will to fully understand the concepts, but you’ll be able to do so with longer training sessions.