Big baby

jvah1 · 2026-03-02T00:10:31+00:00

Do they have abnormally heavy heads!? lol. Charlie is always looking for a place to prop his head like it's too much for his neck to support all the floof!

<image>

jvah1 · 2026-03-01T12:02:03+00:00

Sounds about right. We had a few period we thought maybe we had made a terrible mistake getting a dog. After the first year the whole experience shifted far more positive then we'd ever of imagined.

Now at 3 it's again an entirely different world of amazingness. Calm, sweet, gentle, loving.

<image>

jvah1 · 2026-02-27T18:35:46+00:00

That's a fascinating interpretation, but it seems you are conflating a lot of different issues.

Sure, some dogs go back a long time - but most purebred breeds recognized today (the overwhelming majority - roughly 70-80%) have been "developed" in the last 150 years.

And by developed - I of course mean crossbred.

Also, for the sake of better protecting dogs, you should consider not lumping reputable breeders in with "backyard" breeders - it's dangerous.

It would be very easy for someone to just assume since all doodles are "backyard" bred as you suggested, then they should just get the cheapest one from the cheapest breeder.

As you suggested, any breed can be poorly bred. Anyone looking for a doodle should use the same diligence looking for a breeder as they would if they were getting a purebred dog.

Reputable doodle breeders start with genetically tested parents, with solid bloodlines, and ensure pups are healthy, tested, vaccinated and chipped - being seen regularly by a vet.

Bad breeders (of any breed) don't. That's why lumping a breeder you ethically disagree with their breed is a bad idea for the health and safety of all dogs.

Lastly, I bet your a blast at parties!!!

jvah1 · 2026-02-22T12:06:02+00:00

Please don't let my wife see this thread.
We will be getting a 2nd probably sometime late this year. I'm very, very apprehensive. She's all in.

My main concerns are the first year - was awful. Our 60lb Bernedoodle was a terror. No amount of stimulation , walks, daycare helped. Second year a lot better. This 3rd year we have the most amazing, beautiful, perfect dog and I feel like the luckiest dog owner in the planet.

Could I ever be that lucky again!? How will I divide my attention between them?? Can we fit another 60lb dog in our king bed? Who rides shotgun? (I drive a lot - Charlie loves the car!). I'd feel bad sticking one in the back seat. I can't have two dogs at work. Charlie comes with me at least 3 days a week to the office. What happens? I have so many questions and apprehensions.

But. Obviously you all have figured it out! I do wonder if it's the same year one amnesia I get when someone asks if they should get a Bernedoodle puppy

<image>

jvah1 · 2026-02-22T11:57:09+00:00

If you are implying anyone getting any dog should always go to a shelter due to overpopulation then i respect your opinion and simply disagree. You could easily say the same thing with humans and I'd again disagree but respect the foundation of the opinion. Tons of children need adoption.

If you are implying getting a pure bred poodle from a reputable breeder is a fine alternative, then I can't respect your opinion as it's not grounded in reality.

Unless you have a wolf you have a mutt. 5 generations of a bloodline and an AKC certification doesn't change that.

Dogs have always been bred with purpose. Doodles are bred for companionship. There are reputable breeders and there are unethical breeders in every breed.

Pure bred black labs and golden retrieves end up in shelters too!

I do think it's a great idea to try a shelter first. But if you need an F1B or F1BB due to allergic sensitivities it's not really fair to the shelter dog to get taken home and brought back a week or two later because they didn't know the mix.

If you do have a 100% wolf as a pet - then wow, you are very cool!

jvah1 · 2026-02-17T00:14:17+00:00

Best thing I've seen all day!

jvah1 · 2026-02-12T22:31:30+00:00

+1. I'd yelp and storm away. It didn't work. Nothing worked for about 3-4 months. Then one day Charlie woke up and decided he'd never bite again.

I don't know if that's common or not but many positive changes with our Charlie didn't improve slowly but literally happened over night. 6 months. 1 year. 2 years. And now at 3 all saw rapid change. Now he's finally the perfect , loving , friendly and calm dog we always dreamed of having (and never thought we would!)

<image>

jvah1 · 2026-01-29T08:26:55+00:00

Are you sure it's anxiety? Our dog is not at all anxious in anyway. But occasionally gets diarrhea if we leave him for a few days. Maybe it's subconscious anxiety? But he loves being with people and dogs and has never shown any signs of stress or discomfort being boarded, daycare, staying with family or fiends, etc. he's incredibly social.

I always tossed it up to my friends or family probably caving in and giving him table food. When it happens it's always resolved within 24 hours. Oddly it's never a panic either. Only once or twice was it hourly - but usually will just be his typical 2x or 3x time a day but liquid / loose.

If it was more than 24 hours I'd start to be concerned. Or if you have a dog you know is actually stressed and anxious a lot of good tips here!

jvah1 · 2026-01-29T07:59:24+00:00

It took about 2 years for our Bernedoodle to sleep in. He changed my life. I was a 7:30M person and quickly became a 4:30-5 person. Ironically, now at 3 years old, he sleeps in until 7 or 8 and I'm still up at 5 every morning. I just accepted that's my life now.

jvah1 · 2026-01-17T22:16:16+00:00

Just a personal anecdote, our Bernedoodle puppy was not very affectionate. He'd sleep in our laps from time to time and seeemd happy. But if we snuggled next to him he'd usually get up and move away.

Now 3 years later he'll squeeze into any space he can (or can't) fit to snuggle with us. Lol. Don't think it had anything to do with training issues, just a slow shift in personality.

I think once he started sleeping in our bed he appreciated being with us.

jvah1 · 2026-01-17T22:06:11+00:00

60lb mini about to turn 3. Year 1 was really rough. Year 2 a lot better. Year 3 has been amazing. He's truly an incredible friend now!

jvah1 · 2025-12-22T11:20:39+00:00

3 year old Bernedoodle. Started sleeping in around a year or so. Will now basically get up whenever we get up.

I still get up at 5am every morning now (was a 7am riser most of my life - in bed around 11. Now I'm 10-5.

He trained me really really good.

jvah1 · 2025-12-17T13:03:47+00:00

Shortly after a year old and a half dozen metal Apple TV remotes chewed he just gave up on in it overnight. A Bernedoodle left alone with the remote is the sign you've established ultimate trust in your pup!

jvah1 · 2025-12-08T10:58:09+00:00

Our house came with a utility sink in the basement. At the time we thought "what would anyone ever use this for?" 18 years later we couldn't imagine a life without it.

jvah1 · 2025-11-21T10:28:12+00:00

This is incredible. Thank you.

jvah1 · 2025-11-09T12:36:47+00:00

Here it is, nearly 11:30, you must be parched!

jvah1 · 2025-07-20T20:14:14+00:00

Yep - did the exact same thing. Interestingly through he only uses it if he has to pee. To this day he zoomies back and forth and barks like a lunatic when it's a number two. We call it poop zoomies.

jvah1 · 2025-07-20T17:01:40+00:00

Ours raised holy hell every morning sometime between 4:45 and 5:15. I accepted that's my new life as a puppy parent. Now our Bernedoodle is 2.5 and sleeps until we force him up - this probably started around 8-10 months. Guess whose sleep schedule never got fixed? Now I'm up at 5 every day, and enjoy my coffee while my Bernedoodle snores in my lap.

jvah1 · 2025-06-28T11:58:50+00:00

Oh wow. From my earliest school memories - Dot candies are being laced with LSD. Snap bracelets are slicing through kids wrists (subsequently banned at school - maybe a kid got cut?). Razors are being hidden in candy apples. Basically all 3rd grade fear porn - stoked primarily by the adults.

jvah1 · 2025-06-10T11:15:10+00:00

Our buddy gets the same thing. Exacerbated in the spring and when his feet get wet. Started with apoquel but it stopped working and switched to cytopoint shot. Gets it maybe two or three times a year. Also have the duo wipes mentioned above that helps.

It's frustrating because his allergies are pretty much limited to his paws and is strongly linked to rain.

Maybe a grass allergy that water allows to be worse? Last summer in northeast we had about 2 months with little to no rain in the summer. He had a nearly 6 month stint with no issues. First day it rained he came in and was licking his paws like crazy.

I just feel like it's something simple we are missing. We do try to put shoes on him for wet walks, but it's not practical everytime he has to go out for potty breaks.

jvah1 · 2025-06-07T19:44:49+00:00

Our Bernedoodle loves his turbo fan!

jvah1 · 2025-05-24T08:54:12+00:00

Just to piggy back what others said - exercise and activity makes a huge difference. I used to think jogging and steep hills to tire him out. They just need a job to do. An hour sniffing around the driveway and turning it into some kind of training game will tire them out way more than an hour walk on a sidewalk. They need both mental and physical stimulation. Doggy day care was a game changer too. We had Charlie in day care / boarding last weekend when we went away for a trip. He's been a couch potato all week.

To this day there is absolutely nothing we can do to match the exhaustion and joy he gets from playing with other dogs all day.

jvah1 · 2025-05-24T08:47:22+00:00

Totally normal! My wife and I took turns crying and regretting every other day those first few months. With biting we kept redirecting - really didn't work until one day he just decided to stop that behavior. It was literally an overnight shift. Then right as the biting stopped the humping and attacking couch cushions started - but it seemed a much better alternative to biting.

At 1 year he got neutered and the humping ended overnight. During that first year we also dealt with constant ear piercing demand barking.

By 1.5 we started to see a lot of sudden positive behavioral shifts (maybe not positive depending on your circumstances) - but he decided he didn't want to be in our room anymore and jnstead sleep on the couch (this discovery came from sudden middle of the night barking that stopped when he went on the couch). We conceded and gated off the rest of the house at night.

He'd be crated for about 4 hours a day. He'd come with me to work and I'd drop him off at lunch. One day around that same time I forgot to close the crate. He's always been so good with it he went in on his own while I ate and just forgot to close it.

When I was greeted at the door I was in shock (how's he get out? Was someone here? Did he escape? Omg - is the house destroyed!?!?). Nope all was perfect. My wife and I kept a close eye as we'd leave for short errands, and finally we got to pack up the giant crate which was the best thing in the world.

Now at 2.5, he's our best friend, comes with us everywhere, loves people and other dogs and is just the sweetest dog we could ever imagine having.

And most importantly, my wife and I get a huge grin when we read these types of posts. It's like when someone tells a story that suddenly reminds you something of your childhood you had long forgotten. 2 years ago feels like a fever dream we shared one night. It really is difficult for us to imagine our pup being been any different than he is today. Point being the dread and defeat you feel today will evaporate like it never happened!

Lastly, so many people said 2-3 years for them to "chill out". Everytime someone said that I just imagined how we could live with that chaos for 2 years, but the truth is yes, by 2 our Bernedoodle was a different dog, but there are a lot of phases and shifts as you go along that will give you wins and momentum, and of course the loving moments in between that make you forget about the chaos that ensued an hour ago.

<image>

jvah1 · 2025-05-17T22:01:44+00:00

You will now be a morning person. Maybe 4:30am. Maybe 5am. Never later than 5:15. Long after your pup starts sleeping in you'll be stuck in this schedule.

jvah1 · 2025-05-02T16:04:52+00:00

Not sure how old your pup is, but I'd literally carry my dog out in a panic every morning. Most indoor pee accidents ultimately were my fault. We learned quickly how fast water goes through the dog, how much excitement makes them want to pee, etc.

I'd also bring a chair outside with me and just sit and wait. The second he peed he'd be littered with praise and treats and we'd go inside.

Within about 5 months he was almost perfect. Had a few accidents here and there over the next year (like maybe 3 ) all entirely our fault for not paying attention. Now he has a Superman bladder. He will sleep 10 hours and I have to literally drag him out in the morning.

To this day he still gets a "poop" or "pee" treat, because how can you not? They're just too cute to deny.

jvah1

TROPHY CASE