Zoie the Goldendoodle

We got our Goldendoodle puppy. Her name is Zoie. (Pronounced Zoey.) The name Zoie means "Life." It is the name that Charles wanted to pick for Sammi all those years ago, but at the end of the day, Sammi was meant to be Sammi. As I was trying to pick our new puppy's name, I heard Charles whisper to me that her name should be Zoie. I looked it up, and I loved the name meaning. She has certainly brought "life" into our home, especially after all the sickness we have experienced over the last few months.

If you recall, we had another puppy for awhile. The story is back HERE. Because of that mix-up, we had first pick at the next litter, and we were able to pick exactly the puppy we wanted. If you think I am crazy for going back to the same breeder, then maybe you are right. But I was very pleased with how they handled the mix-up, and I was willing to give it another shot. It is clear this time that Ms. Zoie is a Goldendoodle... and she is exactly the dog I have been hoping for.

Now, I am going to be honest, life with a new puppy is not peaches-and-cream. Puppies are cute, but they are very much a handful to take care of. It is like having a furry, crawling, baby in the house, that explores the world with her mouth, and poops without a diaper to catch it. I do not mind the poop and pee clean-up... I am so used to that with kids, it is like no big thing. Our puppy is even sleeping through the night from 10-7 without needing to pee! Hooray! The first few nights were an adjustment with that, but she is figuring it out. We have a gated area she can go to if she needs to be kept safe during the day, and at night she sleeps in her kennel, and does beautifully there. 

The only thing that is really a challenge for me is the puppy biting. I am not so concerned with her chewing on things, as much as I am her chewing on people. When she gets too excited, she gets kind of mouthy, and that can be a challenge for sure. I have been looking into ways to deal with that, as I know this is normal puppy-play behavior, but I want her to become a good grown-up dog, with good habits. I know it is up to me to teach her. 

Does anyone have experience with puppy biting? I would love to hear any ideas... I do redirect with chew toys, and have taught the children to yelp like a puppy if she bites them, to teach her that it hurts. If she gets too excited and really mouthy, she goes for a time-out break in her gated area. I will be taking her to puppy classes soon, but in the meantime... I would love any advice in this area. 

She is only mouthy when she is in over-excited play-mode, otherwise she is a good cuddly puppy. With children around, the energy level can be high, so I try to give her as many breaks, and as much quiet time as she needs. She is never just wandering around our house unsupervised. The gated area for her is in a room we are often in, so she is part of the group, even when she is safely relaxing on her own. 

She loves to run outside in the backyard. She is learning how to go potty really well, too. Look at her fluffy, curly, fur... I can hardly stand how cute and fluffy she is! Goldendoodles are a Golden Retriver and Poodle mix. Sometimes her cuteness consumes me. She is a beautiful creation.

Playing nicely together. These two must always be supervised together. They feed off of each others energy, like too overly-excited puppies. I look at them now, and try and imagine a future day of them playing together as a young man and his dog. That gives me the patience to handle the high-voltage excitement that occurs between the two of them.

Sammi especially loves Zoie. I think it is because she is a girl. She has bonded with her, and loves to snuggle and play with her.

 This was day one. Sammi was so happy to cuddle with her.

 Ahhhh... the quiet, cute, moments.

Daniel loves her too. He can sometimes be allergic to animals, he is allergic to cats, and has some reaction to certain dogs, but so far so good with her. No dog is truly hypoallergenic, but some are less likely to cause an allergic reaction than others. Goldendoodles are supposed to be one of the better breeds for allergy-sensitive people. We shall see if this proves true as she gets bigger. I sure hope it does!

 Oh, the love.

 Sammi is teaching her the important things.

 After some practice, she should be golden. ;)

Even I enjoy snuggle time with Zoie. I am not what you would call an "animal person." But I do love animals, I just do not have experience with them. I am learning to be more comfortable. And though the puppy-stage is cute, what I really look forward to is her as a more mature dog.

I have plans for my new furry friend, as a running buddy to keep me safe, and also I want to train her to be a Therapy dog. I want to take her to places around town, to lift others who need some furry joy in their lives. The idea came to me while I was sick, and I remembered when Henry was in the hospital, they had a therapy dog come and visit him, it was so great. I am looking into how to certify to do just that. It will take some time, and lots of training (for both of us), but it would be a great thing for me to do once Henry is in school. It kind of depends on her natural temperament, but a lot of things can be taught in training classes.

We shall see what the future holds.

She has to be over a year old to start as a Therapy dog. It might be a ways down the road, but I keep it in mind when I am potty-training a puppy. All my children are done with that potty-training phase. I was just entering the stage in life, where I didn't have to wipe bums anymore.

Maybe deep down I really like to clean up poop.

William is the one who REALLY wanted a dog. He has been begging me for a puppy for a long time.  He enjoys being with Zoie, and playing with her. The sparkle in his eyes says it all.

 They call it puppy-love. It is the sweet moments that make it worth the effort.

Wish me luck on this new adventure! I knew going into it that puppies are cute in pictures, and hard work in real life. (And I also knew who would end up with the brunt of the work, I had no illusions in that department.)

But just because something is hard, doesn't mean it's not good.

She has been good for me so far. She keeps me in the present moment, because poop is not something to contemplate, or analyze, or feel deeply about... it is just something to clean up when it happens.

And, oh boy, does it happen!

One of my favorite lines from Shrek the Musical, is when Shrek sings to Fiona convincing him of his love for her. It describes this new life with a puppy perfectly...

But now we know... that beautiful... ain't always pretty.