Puff and Cliffords Pups - Birth to One Year

This page is hopefullly going to be helpful for folk interested in owning a Labradoodle and great fun for us who own one of the pups from this litter. We will be putting photos on at 3 / 6 / 9 and 12 months of age and giving a bit of information of what the pups are like at each stage. I feel optimistic that through sharing the reality of puppy rearing---the ups and the downs---we will all gain confidence and not feel too overwhelmed at the task we have taken on.

Three Months Old

All the pups have settled into their new homes. The sweet little bundles have turned into hooligans that nip,bite,charge around and test every theory their owners thought sounded so easy in the "how to" books. Toileting is improving,but still a bit hit or miss. Motion sickness is still a problem for some.Most of the pups have completed their shots and are free to go out into the world. Puppy socialization and training classes are starting. They are delightful,but challenging.

Six Months Old

The pups have now doubled in size(some even more)and are presenting a whole new range of challenges! Toileting is pretty much sorted and the painful nipping has stopped with the passing of the baby teeth. Grooming has been the biggest issue for many of our pups. Almost overnight the baby fluff starts to loosen and gets into tight matts if not caught soon enough. Not all the coats do this,but once it has occured the only solution is a close haircut and patience for the lovely adult coat to come through. The joyful---"everyone is my best friend" doodle approach to life is asserting itself. All who go to puppy classes are doing very well---real stars,but once exposed to the constant stimulas of dogs and humans to greet (by jumping up and getting just as close as possible)----all learning seems to be put on hold. This is the stage where you almost wish you had a dumb,sleepy dog!! Some of the pups have started to greet folk with their mouths----not biting--just a mouth shake instead of a hand shake! Six months to about 18 months is the most challenging period and takes a great deal of patience and serious work with training. Right now they are just beginning to exert their independence and I am sorry to say that it may well get worse before it gets better,but they will get through these teenage months and evolve into the devoted companions we started this whole adventure to achieve.

Nine Months Old

Our pups have now really blossomed and all are stunning. Every owner reports that their pup is 100% part of the family and their love for the dog knows no bounds. Families thank us for producing such wonderful pups,but the truth is that we have only done half the job. Their devotion to the dog and time spent in training and socializing is what has allowed the dogs to thrive. Two of our females have had seasons and all are developing their adult coats. Some have stopped their formal puppy classes,but all are reporting the success of the recall to be the most challenging aspect now in their training. All of them are really handsome and we couldn't be more proud of each and everyone.d every

Twelve Months Old

One year has now passed and all of the pups have grown into beautiful dogs. Some have sailed through the 12 months with little effort and others have had misadventures that have led to some very stressful days for their concerned owners. We have shared and cared about each other and I am very proud to be part of this “family” of doodles.At this stage none are perfect, but in general behaviour is improving. They are all exuberant in their meeting of visitors and remain convinced that everyone wants to be their best friend,but I am afraid that is one of the hallmarks of a doodle and will continue for life. They all have quite different lifestyles, but each family is unanimous in feeling that life without their doodle is absolutely unimaginable.

Sally at three months

Sunshine Sally---our sweetheart--about as round as she is long. 10kg of fun. The other dogs play with her so we are spared a good deal of the nipping that others are suffering from,but her curiosity knows no bounds and she happily chewed(and destroyed)my digital camera today. So much for the "perfect puppy"!

She is still delightful and wants very much to please. Having five siblings seems to be the key to keeping her calm and content .Clifford has become her best friend and the ball play is endless. She still enjoys a good illegal chew and did some quite creative work on our dictionary this week. She has had one trim and her coat has soft, gentle curls. She weighs 21kgs(46lbs) and this photo does not do her justice--she really does have eyes!

Our Sally now weighs 23kgs and is 22inches at the shoulder. She is smaller than our other dogs and we are hoping she remains so! She is very feminine and quite quiet until she gears up for her goodmorning or welcome home greeting---not for the fainthearted!! Her recall remains on her terms----often a good chase of overhead birds needs to be completed before she happily remembers us. She is a darling and I am sure another couple of years and we will have that perfect pup!! Photo was suppose to be a family portrait---getting three to do as we wished was impossible,but a less than perfect look at Sally with mum and dad.

Rika at Three Months

Rika with Steve and Betsy(my sister). Rika can now run from the bow to the stern of the boat without them worrying that she will fall in.

Rika at Six Months

Rika is the first of the pups to be spayed. She was so impressed with the plastic head collar that she ate it up! She also had a haircut by someone unfamiliar with Labradoodles---but haircut #2 will be different! With her close shave they were able to discover that she had course white hair right down her back---rather interesting----will be fun to see what happens when the grown up coat comes in.
She goes to training classes--has lots of doggy friends and is definately challenging Betsy and Steve. I think she knows she looks silly and will be better behaved when she once again looks like a doodle!

Rika at nine months

Rika is once again a beautiful doodle and to the surprise of all--her coat has come in chocolate. She is stunning and having spent time with her this summer--I can attest to her sweet nature and good manners. She is delightful.

Rika at Twelve Months

Rika is our mystery pup---she started out life jet black and is now a beautiful chocolate. She has just moved into her land home---she still enjoys the sailboat,but is basically just content to be wherever Betsy and Steve are. I spent hours watching these pups in the early days- trying to select the perfect match for B&S and beleive I got it right! She has brought pleasure and unconditional devotion from the moment she arrived in America

Sickan at Three Months

Sickan has the most urban life of all the pups.She rides elevators,buses and the metro. This photo was taken on a visit to Xingo---the first British doodle in Sweden.

Sickan continues to thrive. She weighs 18kgs. She has learned the doodle skill of counter surfing! Lars told me that she far surpassed his original expectations!She looks beautiful and is very calm and laid back. She occasionally goes to work at the bank and sits happily under the desk---wish they were all like her!

I don't know if it is the Swedish air,but Sickan continues to be the perfect puppy.They say she has no hunting instinct and can ignore rabbits! Not a likely scenario around here! She is learning to walk close without a lead--oh my---I think we chose the wrong pup! She is developing golden highlights and is a very beautiful girl. She goes to doggy day care. I sure wish we had something like that in our area --the dogs would love it.

Sickan at Twelve Months

Sickan is our cosmopolitan pup and goes to doggy day care each week day. Anna Lena says that the greeting they receive on pick up is almost worth the time apart. We are hoping that the whole family will be visiting in the summer and we will try to get all the gang together. What a grand time we will have---chaos!

Rio at Three Months

This is Rio.She has been a challenge for Carolyn and Logan,but with the freedom to now go out and about ---hopefully good walks and meeting other dogs will lesson the need to nip.She has mastered the art of swimming in her water bowl!

Rio at Six Months

Rio is doing very well in her puppy training classes,but finds life outside of class far too exciting to bother with sits,stays and downs. She no longer swims in her water bowl,but does love jumping into the bath(I think when it is empty). She still has her puppy coat,but may have a summer trim. Carolyn says that folk stop their cars and get out to ask about her---a real stunner.

Rio at nine months

Rio is the first of the females to have a season. She has become a professional counter surfer and Carolyn says she shows no shame whatsoever--more like pride! Her recall still needs improvement,but suspect that is the price we pay for having curious,intelligent pups. She is a beautiful lass.

Rio at Twelve Months

Carolyn says that Rio had a brief stint at being perfect,but is now back to nomal and has mastered the art of openning the fridge and selecting her favorite treats. She has watched her do it and is quite impressed with her dexterity. Carolyn's Dad was not originally impressed with the thought of a puppy,but he is now one of Rio's biggest fans. Logan and Rio are the very best of mates---most of Logan's toys are now of little interest to Rio----phew! It has been a long year for Carolyn and Rio has been very challenging,but she says that at one year--they are very much a solid family unit.

Branston at Three Months

Branston has Ullswater in her backyard and has discovered the fun of paddling.She wrote us a lovely letter---very clever pup and seems to have her owners very well trained.