Living with Rory

Is Elle 'The Body' MacPherson's Labradoodle becoming the face of dogside.com a good or a bad thing for Labradoodles as a whole?

Now don't get me wrong, Bella is a lovely looking dog. And if you can receive 10k for signing her up for a modelling contract you might ask why not?

I'll tell you why not. It is generally accepted that those interested in 'fashionable' dog clothing are all about the image and not so much about dogs being dogs. (This is not always a fair assumption. Rory has his fair share of dog coats (mainly practical ones I may add), and I really want a dogside scarf [please don't mock me]!) BUT Labradoodles are not suitable to be paraded around unless you are going to put in a huge amount of work first (a whole bundle of training, lots of walking on the day, bathing etc etc).

Labradoodles are all about dogs being dogs. What do I mean by this? I mean that they are always in the nearest bog, before you even know there is a bog, and they will without exception drag this bog into the house. They are big, bouncy, and need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation or they will be destructive. Contrary to popular belief, a large number of them shed their coats. That's right. They shed. All over your carpet, and your sofa, and your clothes. They drink from the ornamental pond in your garden and then bring it in on their beards and dribble it all over your sundress you just ironed and put on. Looking at Bella MacPherson you would never know this. Unfortunately potential owners do not do their research thoroughly enough to discover this before choosing their puppy. Suggesting that Labradoodles are the perfect breed to wear dog clothing down your local high street is laughable at best. It is implied by using Bella in the campaign and although i'm sure Elle means no harm it is reckless.

Unscrupulous breeders are already taking advantage of the Labradoodle craze. More publicity can only lead to more people cashing in. These breeders are selling first and second generation (F1/F2) puppies as guaranteed non-shedding, hypoallergenic, perfect family pets. They are not health testing the parents which is leading to the passing on of hereditary hip and eye problems. They are even selling collie cross and standard poodle puppies AS Labradoodles, leading to families having to give up their beloved pets when they find they aggravate their allergies, or that they are too big and bouncy to control. The Labradoodle Trust rehomed over 40 dogs this year alone and this does not take into consideration those in their kennels and foster care awaiting homes! We still have three and a half months to go!

I love my dog. I just wish people bred and chose dogs like him for the right reasons. I love his enthusiasm and intelligence, as frustrating as it is at times. Maybe this is the opportunity to get someone in the public eye to educate  people as to the 'real Labradoodles'. I say we get Elle and Bella down for a Labradoodle walk and get the press involved. Lets see how much mud we can get covered in. And I wouldn't say no to a free dogside coat.

News articles and opinions on Bella's moment in the spotlight:

Telegraph Article
 
Beverley Cuddy (editor of Dogs Today)

Interesting article from the BBC on research into whether owners can discern a guilty look here.

I apologise for the delay in blogging. Life has been incrediably hectic (typical life with a doodle)!

Rory failed his Bronze Test! This was very much down to his inability to stay for more than 2 seconds at once!
We managed to have him not eat the brush for the grooming section, and even managed to ace the heelwork and door control!

His starring moment (from his point of view) was during the recall. He stopped mid-run to nip over the class next to us who were learning about 'leave'. He then stole the treat the instructor had put on the floor to demonstrate, AND THEN came to me.

I love my dog.

Tonight we have the Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Award test. Yes that's right, Rory did manage to pass his puppy level test. I'm not going to lie, i'm a little nervous.

A couple of areas that might cause a problem:

1) Grooming - Apparently I have to be able to brush him WITHOUT him trying to eat the brush.

2) Stay for one minute - He knows I have treats in my pocket. And I'm standing only ten paces away. And it's such a very, very, very, very long time to stay still.

And finally
3) Door control - We can sit. We can wait while the door opens. We can walk through behind or at heel. Then we see what's on the other side of the door and lose all focus. We do not sit and wait for further instructions. We don't even look up. Best case scenario we sniff the floor and wander off. Worse case we take a running leap at the dog on the other side of the door, knocking him and his owner flying. In the process the other owner has dropped all their treats out of their dorky treat bag (yes I do also own one too) inadvertantly rewarding Rory for his bad behaviour. Rory and the other dog will now be gathering up spilt treats from all over the shop while all the other owners look on in smug amusement...
Or something like that...

Wish me luck. Please.

Imagine you are walking your calm, ('balanced' as per Cesar Millan), three year old dog on a bright and sunny Sunday morning. It is peaceful. The birds are singing, the rabbits are frolicking and the sun is shining brightly through the trees.

Then out of the calm... this appears!

This is an example of Rory NOT doing a controlled greeting as per the rules of puppy training class and probably good dog greeting etiquette. We are working on it but basically I have to see the person before he sees them OR smells them OR senses them with his spidey sense. Hopefully soon I will be able to show you a much more civilised greeting. Until then, if you see the above coming at you, please do not be alarmed. He just wants to say hi.

I once watched a programme, I forget which one now, where a behaviourist was working with a man and his dog. Not the working sheepdog kind despite my wording. She said to him when they were practising getting the dog to come back to him "You will have to be more interesting than that to keep her". Or something along those lines. He retorted under his breath, quite wittily I thought, "Story of my life". Somewhere around my giggling, something about that story clearly sunk in because I do *try* to be as interesting as possible when calling my darling puppy.

Last week was the first week he ran away from me and didn't come back (don't worry he is at my feet right now).

A little bit of background. Rory has been off-lead since the first day he was allowed outside at 11 weeks, and like most very young puppies he stuck to me like glue. Over time we have progressed to him straying a little further from my side but always keeping me in sight. Then to him wandering off into woods and coming back immediately I called. Then he discovered how fun people and other dogs can be. The people thing we seem to have cured. He will without fail *touch wood* come back to me from both strangers and people I know (except occasionally my mother whom he adores). Dogs are his problem. Or, more accurately, dogs are my problem. He can't get enough of them. He has been socialised with other dogs from day 1 with me but this has not dulled his need to meet them all. The particular morning of the disappearance he had run off to go and see, sniff and play with two of my friends dogs. I'm not sure about the actual logic behind this, but he has only usually done this disappearing act (a couple of times since) when going to dogs I know, and with people I know. But does he know this or is this coincidence? I'm not sure but it is bloody annoying.  (Side note: Rory is obviously on-lead when we are on roads, if i spot the dog we're about to walk into before he does and if he is being particularly difficult)

However walking him past the dog used to work. I'd only have to take him two feet past, could let him go and he would just come with me. His latest trick is to pretend he's coming with me, and then running back to them. By this point at least I have explained to the person we have passed that he is young and bouncy, and a little bit too friendly so they are not surprised when he does an about-turn.

Our new plan is thus. I will henceforth carry a proper whistle. One made of metal like a proper dorky dog owning geek. I blow this with two sharp blasts to grab his attention. He comes running (in theory) and I give him cheese (his current favourite dog treat) and blow the whistle to confirm that whistle means food/ cheese. If it doesn't work I will try something else. Think it might be the male uncastrated dog roaming syndrome.  Maybe it might be coming up to time for "the cut" but that, is a Whole Other Post...

Rory chose me. I have been told since that this is not the right way to choose a puppy, most notably by someone from the lovely charity Canine Partners. (Canine Partners often use Labradoodles for their work. Rory's brother was donated to them). However he did, most definitely, chose me. We were lucky enough to be the first people to visit the litter, who were adorable at just four weeks old. I sat in their pen and he came straight to me, no hesitation at all, and merrily started chewing on my jeans (a sign of things to come?). I looked down at that cute roly poly black baby and my heart melted. Looking back, as the first strangers in their world maybe he should have been a little bit more nervous but hey that's Rory. Also on this first visit I met Rory's mum, a lovely Labrador. If you are thinking of any puppy please make sure you have the appropriate health checks completed on the parents for the breed you are looking at. In the case of Labradoodles this is hip scoring and eye testing in particular, but be aware that other tests can sometimes be recommended. Ensure you meet the mother and if possible meet the father too. Remember personality traits can be passed on to the puppies. I was able to meet both of Rory's parents, the breeder gave me copies of test certificates and a full family tree.

Rory is a F1 labradoodle. This means he is a cross between a Labrador and a Poodle. This can be a standard poodle or a miniature poodle. Rory's dad is a standard poodle. (He is currently growing at a phenomenal rate.)

Please note the following if you are thinking of a Labradoodle for your family. Labradoodles can be big, particularly those bred from standard poodles. Rory also sheds (see these notes on the Labradoodle Rescue website regarding The Allergy Myth). He is boisterous - sometimes too bouncy for my 10 year old sister. He looks gorgeous and has a lovely temperament but like any young dog can be a little overenthusiastic at times. I had done a great deal of research into Labradoodles before I took the plunge as my sister and brother are both allergic to dogs. In the end I moved out before I got my dog but the characteristics I wanted in a dog had not changed. If I had stayed at home I would have gone for a multi-generation Labradoodle. These are more likely to not shed BUT this does NOT make them hypoallergenic. Visit a breeder if you want to check how your allergies react.

Hello.

This is the beginnings of a blog dedicated to my life with my labradoodle, Rory. Rory is now about 7 months old and tests me everyday. When I started to look around for information on Labradoodles at each stage of his life I did find some helpful sites here in the UK. These are the UK Labradoodle Association and Labradoodle Rescue UK. What I found difficult to find was a blog recording life and experiences of one person and their labradoodle. Forums are useful but are they truely an insight into an individuals experiences? Only in small bursts. A thread about walking labradoodles will tell you what each person thinks about walking. You like a particular opinion? Ok well you have to become a social stalker and find them in each thread to find their opinion on different things. There are also several blogs regularly updated by breeders. These are useful in their own way (I usually check them out to get a very cute puppy photograph hit) but rarely tell you about the day to day challenges, and joys, of living with a labradoodle.

Secondly I am driving everyone mad. I talk about my darling dog ALL THE TIME! The amusing thing he did yesterday, the destruction he caused last night and the adorable thing he did this morning. I'm at risk of boring everyone I know to death. At least I know anyone reading here is doing so through choice (or at least I hope you are)!

Posts will be a mixture of retrospective and current.

Thanks for checking us out.

Soraya (and Rory who is currently lying flat out on the floor at the end of the sofa)