Carter

Meet this adorable puppy, Carter.  Carter is a 4 mth old  Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever/ Poodle mix) puppy and is growing quickly, will be a medium to large boy once full grown.  He has the softest dark apricot colour coat.  The great thing about the doodle breeds is you can have two totally different looking dogs, short poodle like, like he is now just being groomed or a shaggy cutie.  Carter and some of his siblings came into our care, discarded from a puppy mill.   Due to terrible mill breeding Carter has a  defective left eye, which only gives him sight in the right eye.  Its been checked by the vet and doesn’t require any extra care, its just cosmetic.   This doesn’t hold him back from anything, he may bounce off a piece of furniture but still continues as any other pup would.  Carter is a playful and loveable pup, which bring much love into any household.   

Carter’s absolute favourite things in life is loving humans, being loved, and food and not necessarily in that order.  Carter is exactly what you would expect from a Goldendoodle puppy, he is adorably goofy, friendly, super playful, and so sweet.  He loves to be involved and often if I’m in the middle of something a little head will poke in just to check to see if I need any help and if your busy he also will just relax on his own.  Carter has three modes: asleep, awake but cute and cuddly, and pure playful puppy!  

Doodles are mixed breed dogs and therefore exhibit a spectrum of behaviours that are present in the breeds of their parents, however there are some behavioural characteristics that are very common that people should make note of.  First, Doodles have a tendency to be very social dogs that do much better with their people around and engaged with them more than not.  A Doodle that is left alone for long periods of time regularly can develop depression, anxiety, become obsessive about certain activities and these can result in other destructive behaviours.  Doodles also have a tendency to be high energy dogs that need an abundance of mental and physical exercise, especially as they are growing into adulthood. These are not couch potato dogs that are content with a few short walks a day.  If you have a more laid back lifestyle and are a homebody, a Doodle will NOT likely be a great match for you.  They are very intelligent dogs who like to work, so taking them beyond basic training is highly recommended to help them live their best life.  They like to push boundaries and challenge you and many Doodle owners have claimed their dogs are always two to three steps ahead of them!  

I would like to make very clear here that Carter is NOT hypoallergenic.  He is a “Goldendoodle” which means he is part Golden Retriever, a shedding dog.  His fur is so soft and fluffy and it’s impossible to not bury your face into him to give kisses.  If you are allergic to dogs and expecting to do this without sneezing you are out of luck!  He will not be a suitable dog for allergy sufferers, sorry!  Carter also requires regular brushing as his fur will easily mat up if not kept up.  Regular trips to the groomer to keep him nicely trimmed will also be required.  There is quite a bit of upkeep with this coat type and it can become a huge mess quickly so the time and energy to keep up this type of coat will have to be taken into consideration as well.  This is quite the undertaking and not something everyone wants to take on or has the time or desire to do.  If you have the time and will to take on a big commitment, then Carter just might be the right boy for you. 

Carter is a smart pup and a quick learner, he is doing a fantastic job with house training, sleeping in his crate at night and has the basic commands under him.  Though he is very young he has caught on to going to the door when he needs to go potty.  He loves knowing he will get a treat after, so much that he will go fake pee a few times right after.  His new humans will need to stay on top of his housetraining so he can continue with his progress.  Carter is learning to be confident alone in his crate.  To help him with this we have him taking a few small naps in his crate during the day while we are home, he does whine for about 5-10 minutes but you need to be prepared to continue with this routine. It is very important for a puppy to learn to self soothe and be ok alone for a bit.    He can sleep 7 hours through the night, as long as he does his duty before bed. 

Carters perfect home will be one with humans who are not away for long periods of the day, so if you work 8 hours out of the house he will not be a good fit.  He can be left alone but for short periods.  His ideal situation would be on where he is not home alone for more than 4 hours during the day.  He just wants to be with his people so much and with his energy level for him to have to hold that in for long is just not fair to him.   

Carter would love a home that has a fenced yard, so he can run around and play fetch in, an apartment or condo would not be the best for this guy.  If he does not get his energy out by outside play and walks you will notice his toy collection getting larger with added human shoes, socks etc… The more toys the better for him.  Carter has been with younger kids but with his excitement he has knocked them over.  If their are children in the household, we will require them to be 8yrs and older to be a great companion for Carter. 

Carter is in a foster home with his brother plus two other older foster siblings.  He will do well with a home that has another dog, one that can put up with puppy  spunkiness. He could also be an only dog if he has many people in the home and would get a lot of attention.    It’s hard to say how he would behave around a cat but likely he would be his playful self and not know how to read the cats signals.  He would need to be taught appropriate behaviour around a cat 

Carter is doing great with his training so far.  However, he is just a puppy and will give your patience a workout when he gets into a lovable goofy mood and inevitably breaks rules that he knows he’s not supposed to break.  Carters future family/people must be calm and diligent with correcting his behaviour and giving him lots of praise when he does the right thing.  Carter LOVES making his humans happy and loves being praised.  He has conquered the sit and we are working on the come, down commands.  Even though he may learn fast we want to remind potential adopters that he is very new to the world and so he needs guidance and support.  He is a good puppy, but a puppy none the less and puppies are tiring and need constant support while they grow and navigate the world.  Having previous puppy experience, or experience with a high energy dog would be a great asset for a potential adopter.

Carter likes just running around fast in the yard, zooms we will call them.  He has not been out on a short leash very often.  We have had him on a long 10ft/25ft leash for walks on trails and training sessions.  Carter loves it outside and is good with staying close unless he is running with the older dogs, but he is very good with coming back and checking in.   

Walks will have to be short but frequent for the first while, as he gets use to a short leash.  He has not been exposed to super busy areas, so the traffic noises etc… will startle or stress him.  Once he is older he will need a few long walks a day.  One of these walks could be substituted with a jog/bike/or hiking or a big play in the backyard with his humans interacting.  If he gets the proper amount of physical and/or mental exercise he will be an outstanding boy.  It will also help with his crate since he is not a lover of crate time.  If he plays hard he will crash hard.

Overall Carter is the epitome of what you would expect of a “Goldendoodle” puppy.  He is loving, goofy, and super sweet.  He is clingy and curious and a companion animal through and through.  Carter is going to make a family/people VERY happy and will be a great addition to anyone with an active lifestyle who has a lot of time and love to give.  We cannot wait to see Carter in his forever home so that he can continue to give his whole heart to his people.