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GOLDENDOODLE AND RETRIEVER TIPS
BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
The following excerpts ......Be Your Own Therapist, authored by licensed psychotherapist Thayer White MA MFCC, can help people of average mental health make many changes in their lives. Positive therapeutic changes happen most often as the result of pointing one's mind in more effective directions (perhaps towards changing certain emotions, one's body, one's spirituality, etc). More can be read by CLICKING HERE!
Goldendoodles and Golden Retrievers can help in many ways when we are in need of Therapy! Their loving eyes just seem to say "Hey...buddy...I'M HERE FOR YA!'
Having trained both Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers to work as guide dogs, Golden breeder Cherie Berger of Ray, Mich., agrees: “Cleaning up after a Lab is more like cleaning Christmas needles out of the carpet. Cleaning up after a Golden is like scooping lint out of a clothes dryer.”
Nevertheless, Goldens do shed profusely all year round, and even though the hair may be easy to clean up, the job is a constant one. “You will have Golden hair floating about your house. If you find that a problem, then don’t get a Golden,” says Jeffrey Pepper, a breeder in Salinas, Calif. “However, you can cut back on the effects of shedding,” he adds.
*To minimize the presence of Golden hair all over the house, brush Goldens More frequently and thoroughly to catch shedding undercoat. Brush the dog thoroughly, all the way down to the skin, at least once a week.
Accustom Golden puppies to regular grooming, nail clipping, and teeth cleaning at an early age. “If you accustom a puppy to being groomed, brushed, combed, and having his nails trimmed from the start, it becomes a normal part of the routine, and he will get to really enjoy it. Start with good habits!” Pepper says.
Trim the hair from between your Golden’s foot pads. This will help reduce the amount of dirt and snow he tracks in.
As with any floppy eared dog, to minimize infection, keep your Golden’s ears clean, dry, and free of long inner-ear hair that could trap bacteria.
Once a week, brush your Golden’s teeth using toothpaste made for dogs to keep dental plaque at bay.
Massage your Golden’s body frequently to check for any strange lumps, bumps, skin changes, or pain (such as in hips or elbows). A weekly body check can help you catch any developing health problems early.
**Eve Adamson is a DOG FANCY contributing editor and lives in Iowa City, Iowa.
Need some Golden Retriever tips? Interested in a Goldendoodle? Goldendoodles, when bred the correct way (F1 Generation) nearly always pick up the Golden Retriever temperament providing they were bred with a Standard Poodle and not a Miniature Poodle or Toy Poodle.
Highly intelligent, Golden Retrievers are family oriented dogs and their superb temperament comes through quite well where Goldendoodles are concerned.
While Goldendoodles and Golden Retrievers are ideal family dogs, many new owners sometimes make common training mistakes.
Goldendoodles and Golden Retrievers DO NOT require harsh training corrections. Liver treats and positive reinforcement is usually all that is required for basic training. What IF you do not know the basics in training? We highly recommend locating an "In-House" trainer. One who will come to your home and provide step by step instructions for both the family and the dog. An "In-House" trainer can watch the family dynamics; Watch how the dog and family interact together and look for correctable mistakes that both the dog and family may be making.
Some mistakes include training with only food treats. Treats should be an adjunct with the primary reward being a vocal "GOOD DOG!". (Or GOOD GIRL...GOOD BOY). Too many treats can lead to obesity issues or thyroid problems. Other common mistakes include not realizing that a Goldendoodle is an active dog like the Golden Retriever and Poodle. They require exercise and can become easily bored if they do not have enough mental and physical exercise. This is why Goldendoodles work out very well for families who have children! Kids will always keep a Goldendoodle puppy active and this activity will help keep the dog's musculoskeletal in good health and shape.
A short walk in the morning and a short walk in the evening is just not enough to prevent your doodle from becoming bored or fat. Goldendoodles who lack in exercise should also eat smaller portions to prevent obesity issues. To keep your Goldendoodle and Golden Retriever in tip top shape coat wise...daily brushings will prevent matting and also help remove dead hairs. Daily brushings will also be a great bonding experience for both you and the dog. More information is down below!
Goldendoodles and Golden Retrievers want to do whatever YOU want to do! Their greatest mission in life is to make YOU happy! Sometimes a Goldendoodle, as a young puppy will challenge the owner's leadership. It seems like sometimes they are thinking through the command you just gave them. Their bright eyes light up and they peer at you as if they are contemplating what you just said. Goldendoodles and Golden Retrievers are highly intelligent dogs. Their intelligence, energy, and head on approach to life have garnered many fans. Goldendoodles can be very small or they can be a very large impressive size. We have created Goldendoodles since 1999. After creating a Goldendoodle litter in 2005 with a Toy Poodle, we have come to know that the smaller Goldendoodles do not have the Golden Retriever temperament, but rather they pick up more of the Poodle's characteristics and mannerisms. Those who are Golden Retriever fans will not be able to appreciate the value a small Goldendoodle holds for those who know toy sized breeds enjoy being more spoiled and pampered and laying in the lap than that of chasing kids or tagging along on long walks and romps in the woods.
Goldendoodles can make superb therapy dogs....assistant dogs and wonderful service dogs, but DON'T get the notion that you are buying a doodle JUST FOR THOSE REASONS! Many thousands of dollars are poured into dogs who are trained for such and many do not make the cut. Their charming nature allows them to befriend any stranger, but too large of a doodle can also cause them look intimidating even though they have a tremendously thick, long, wavy coat, to small children. Once you own a Goldendoodle, you will be finished with all other breeds! Their low shedding, their ease of trainability, their loving nature wins over many hearts! If ever they are allowed into the AKC show rings...they will be very strong contenders with the right training. With Goldendoodles...anybody in your house is a target for many kisses! Goldendoodles excel in obedience classes and they are very difficult dogs to ruin. Not only to they look good....but their loving eyes melts anyone who meets them. Goldendoodles were originally created in Australia for the purpose of assisting those who not only needed it, but had allergies or issues with all the shedding hairs of a Golden Retriever. The doodle dog has only been in the United States since 1997. We have been a Goldendoodle breeder since 1999. We became Golden Retriever breeders in 1996. Over the years, we have watched the Goldendoodle rise in popularity. We have also watched, with concern, the rise in Goldendoodle breeders. The concern is not HOW many breeders have suddenly jumped on the doodle bandwagon, as it is their METHOD of creating them. Too many are lacking in careful and proper breeding methods. Many purchased a Goldendoodle from breeders like ourselves who had a spay/neuter contract....ignored the contract and went out and either purchased another Goldendoodle to breed (thinking they are creating Goldendoodles by breeding two doodle dogs together) or purchased a Poodle to breed their Goldendoodle too. Those who are breeding Goldendoodles to Poodles may not be doing proper lineage and ancestry research to ensure they are not in-breeding their dogs. This causes a flood of unhealthy Goldendoodles in the popular market. Since 2002, we prepared ourselves for the storm of Goldendoodle breeders cashing in on this hybrid's popularity. The best way that we prepared for this storm was to continue updating our website in hopes of educating potential consumers. If people buy a Goldendoodle with unreasonable expectations, their dog then winds up in shelters, with rescue agencies or the dog pound. We definitely did not want to see this happen with any of our Goldendoodles, because that would just break my heart. We worried that the easygoing reputation and the low shedding issue would eventually cause problems for this lovely hybrid and of course, here we are in 2006 and we do see it happening. Breeders creating Goldendoodles and selling entire litters to pet shops. This cuts their costs in having to raise the litter responsibly and allowing them to cash in a paycheck while not having any over-head expenses. Many people assume that Goldendoodles are making their way to pet stores by way of Puppy Mills and Puppy brokers. Not true! Pet stores are unscrupulous buyers! Many scour the internet or newspapers looking for a breeder who has a very low asking price. They make an offer to buy the entire litter and the private breeder who sees this as a way to save money and NOT have to wait to sell their puppies to people who trickle in, unload their pups to pet stores for a quick paycheck. Commercial breeders rarely sell to the general public and this goes for so-called Puppy Mills. Many people have the wrong idea of exactly what a Puppy Mill is. They assume because a breeder has various breeds, that this constitutes a Puppy Mill. NOT! We have various breeds, but our puppies and dogs are well taken care of. We spend thousands of dollars on them, not to mention the incredible amount of time and energy. Puppy Mills seldom have to worry about coming into contact with the general public for their dogs because they sell all of their puppies to pet shops and pet stores across the United States. Our extensive Goldendoodle website will hopefully educate potential doodle buyers about this wonderful hybrid so that they can determine whether or not a Goldendoodle dog would be the kind of dog their family is seeking. The Goldendoodle has a wonderful, soft and silky coat that sheds very little...but they DO GO THROUGH shedding phases. Anyone who buys a Goldendoodle under the assumption the dog will never shed will be disappointed if they honestly believe the dog will never shed a single hair. This long, thick, wavey beautiful coat does require coat maintenance. Low coat maintenance can be achieved by keeping the doodle's coat trimmed. Daily brushing will keep your doodle's coat in tip top shape! During the transition from puppy to adult, the doodle dog does require brushing at least a couple of times a week...daily is preferred. While the Goldendoodle is fun loving, warm, affectionate and friendly...they do have a VERY STRONG SOCIAL NEED. They have affection in excess at times and this kind of dog definitely needs an owner who can appreciate their need for companionship!
