Goldendoodles by Rosie: October 2014

Friday, October 31, 2014

Snuggly Puppies

Indy's puppies are five days old now, and we're loving having them in the whelping box in the living room in the middle of all of our chaos. Indy is an attentive mother who really only ventures our when she needs to go outside or when she thinks our 2 year old or 8 month old are dropping food on the floor. The kids LOVE the puppies, and are so excited to get to pet them... though Indy gets pretty nervous whenever her pups are out of the whelping box, so we don't keep them out for long.

The puppies are so cuddly, and pretty much just snuggle up with each other and their momma all day long. They get a bit lively during feeding times, but quickly fall back asleep when they've had their fill of milk. Their little squeaks from the whelping box are hilariously cute, especially when they get lost and try to nurse Indy's front or back while the others are nursing in the proper location.

Here's shots of all four from tonight's cuddling session - they really are unbelievably cute!

#1, the red-ish male with a white blaze on his face, chest, and back

#1 yawning

#2, light colored male

#3, light male with a white blaze on his face

#4, red-ish female with a small white blaze on her head

Email us at doodlesbyrosie@gmail.com if you have any questions or for more information.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

What generation of Goldendoodles are Indy's puppies?

Indy, after a haircut

Goldendoodles are a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. Minature Goldendoodles are created, at least initially, by artificially breeding a Toy Poodle and a Golden Retriever.

Both Indy and Buddy are "F1B" Goldendoodles, so their puppies are called Multi-gen (3rd generation).

Here's Indy's puppies' Goldendoodle family tree:

Golden Retriever + Poodle = F1 (Theoretically, 50% of each breed)

F1 + Poodle = F1B (The "B" stands for backcross. Theoretically, these are 75% Poodle and 25% Retriever - both Indy and Buddy are F1B's)

F1B + F1B = Multi-generation (Theoretically, 75% Poodle and 25% Retriever, just like their parents)

The Multi-gen Goldendoodles are a little more rare because they take three generations to create. Their characteristics are very similar to their parents. So theoretically, that should mean Indy's puppies have curlier hair than an F1 Goldendoodle, because they have more Poodle in their bloodline. The Goldendoodles with the curlier or wavier hair are known for shedding less and being more hypoallergenic than their straighter haired counterparts.

Indy is 16 lbs, and Buddy, the father, is 15 lbs, so these puppies will probably be in the 12-18 lbs range.

Buddy

Here's a good summary from a prominent Goldendoodle breeder about Multi-gens.

If you're interested in one of Indy's puppies, do your research, and let us know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Here are some pictures of a few of the puppies from Indy's first litter at 7 months old.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

The puppies are here!

This is #1, who we believe is a boy

Indy's puppies are here! They were born on Saturday the 25th around 2 in the afternoon. She is such a great momma so far!

She had been breathing heavily and scratching/nesting in the whelping box behind our couch that we made for her for a day or so. On Saturday, her breathing got more labored and she kept looking at us with "What is happening to me?" eyes. In the afternoon, she whimpered a bit by the door to go outside, and acted like she had to poop (probably because she was getting an urge to push). Upon coming back in and reentering her whelping box, it wasn't 5 minutes before the first puppy had slid right out!

After that, instincts totally took over, and she was an amazing mother from the first moment! She got the first puppy cleaned off quickly, and it wasted no time squirming over to get some milk. A half hour later, numbers 2, 3, and 4 had been cleaned off and joined #1 for their first meal. They are quite adorable right out of the womb!

Since then, Indy has been an ever-attentive mother, spending most of her time in the whelping box cuddled up with her offspring. Occasionally, she'll venture out to see us (or to scavenge for the food that falls to the floor in the kitchen where our 2 year old son and 8 month older daughter eat), but as soon as she hears a whimper or squeak from her puppies she sprints back to check on them.

Lighter colored #2, who we think is a boy

The puppies pretty much just squirm around in a pile at this stage, and love to cuddle up against their momma. They scramble all over each other during feeding time, and then slowly nod off in milk-comas, sleeping in a big pile in the same positions they were in when they reached their fill.

It is difficult to tell this early, but we think Indy had 3 boys and a girl:

#1 is a reddish boy with a white blaze on his head and back
#2 is a light colored boy
#3 is the light tri-colored boy with a white blaze on his head
#4 is the a red girl with a small white blaze on her nose

Again, this is far as we can tell right now. We'll post more about the different genders and markings as it becomes more apparent over the next days and weeks. Thanks for checking out the blog! To read more about Indy, click here.

All cuddled in

Our son and his Grandpa checking out the new puppies

Everybody piled on

Why we're breeding our dog

Since the concept of dog breeding upsets some people, often justifiably, we feel the need to give this disclaimer:

We don't run a kennel or puppy mill of any kind. Indy is very much our family pet who sleeps on our feet at the end of our bed every night, and whose puppies will grow up in our living room along with our own children. The puppies will be extremely well socialized, and we plan on starting basic training with them as soon as we are able. Colleen helped with the delivery and care of Rosie's and Molly's puppies, and had so much fun that she wanted to do it with our dog, Indy, as well.

We are big supporters of the humane societies (we volunteer to keep foster kittens for our local one), and are totally on board with the adopting dogs movement. We hope to someday move to a house on a bigger lot, so we can responsibly adopt/rescue a large breed dog.

However, there is a place for well-bred and cared for family dogs, specifically for families who need more certainty about temperament, allergies, etc. than an adoptive dog can provide. Goldendoodles are fantastic family pets; we honestly cannot imagine our family without Indy, especially since she is so perfect for our household of 3 children under 2.5 years old. These puppies won't be for all families or situations, but they will be irreplaceable additions to the families that they do join.

Click here to read more about our wonderful dog, Indy.

Thanks!

All About Indy

Indy as a puppy - wasn't she cute?!?!

Note: This description was written in October 2014, but everything except our kids' ages and Indy's weight still apply (and she's put on a few pounds since her first litter).

Indy is a three year old F1B (more about Goldendoodle generations click HERE) mini-Goldendoodle who weighs about 13 lbs. She is a sweetheart who just loves to be a part of the family. Cuddling on the couch and going for walks are her favorite activities, though she also loves playing with our 2 year old son and 8 month old daughter.

Colleen, Indy's human momma, had so much fun helping out with Rosie and Molly's litters that she wanted Indy to have puppies as well!

Indy is quite smart (sometimes too smart for her own good). She knew how to sit and come at just 6 weeks old and still does a great job obeying commands... although she can be a bit sneaky when we tell her to stay and then walk away from her... she just wants to be with us!

She is hypo-allergenic and about as no-shed as a dog can be - you're welcome to come inspect our house! It may be messy, but that's due to the three children under 27 months who reside here, not because of a shedding dog.

SuperIndy jumping down the stairs playing "chase"

Indy's human momma, Colleen, loves animals, so Indy has grown up around all kinds of wildlife. We regularly foster kittens for the local humane society, and Indy has become the de-facto mother to a few litters of kittens. She is always gentle with them, even when they would play with her and paw at her face. We also have tortoises and chickens at our house, and thankfully all of our animals live in relative peaceful harmony. Indy loves to go on walks and to the dog park; while she occasionally barks a bit at an aggressive dog, she generally loves to play with all other dogs.

Indy is quite athletic, springy, and quick. She loves to chase a ball or frisbee, but gets lazy after a number of throws and tries to lie down in some shade. Some of her favorite times are getting to play around with her "aunt" Rosie (Golden Retriever) and "cousin" Gus (Doberman). She always loses tug-of-war, but her quick turns and maneuverability allow her to snag balls and frisbees out from under the noses of her much larger friends.

Indy loves people... and thinks she's a person. When someone comes over, Indy can't relax until she's greeted them (usually with a nose to the hand or leg), but she pretty quickly calms down and just wants to lay around in the living room.

Indy was a fantastic mother with her first litter, and genuinely seemed to enjoy caring for her puppies, that it encouraged us to do another litter in the summer of 2015 - we're all so excited that the new litter is finally here!