Marlow

Marlow has shown great desire for the outdoors (all weather conditions), her favorite activity is to run and wrestle with her playmates in the backyard and nose dive into the snow. Her forever family must be committed to outdoor activities all year long. She is drawn to anything that has your human scent on it, socks, shoes, mitts, hats etc, as like most puppies who are curious, they look for security and something to entertain them. Most often she is not destructive, however, being aware of her on a regular basis is to both yours and her benefit. She is a good walker with her gentle leader and is happy to see other dogs, she doesn’t bark, wants have a look, a wag of her tail and continue on your way. She gets 2 long walks per day and backyard activity with the other dogs in our home. Bedtime for Marlow is routine and very easy. When we say ‘bedtime, let’s go to crate’, she happily makes it to our bedroom, where her crate is, she enters, receives her 2 treats, door is closed and not a peep out of her. She is content to remain in the crate until we are ready to get up. She does go to her crate on her own during the day to have a rest but does enjoy sleeping on her day bed or floor near her favorite people. 

We are currently working with her introduction to people. She is still shy and uncertain of the 2 legged version of friends. This will continue to be a work in progress. We have earned her trust,  she is very comfortable to greet us with a wagging tail, and a little dance. Her insecurity of sights and sounds of a home and city living has greatly improved. No longer are moving cars, snow shoveling, or items dropped on the floor scare her. Her ‘Bambi on ice’ act no longer is a daily event. However, she can still show signs of been withdrawn if she is uncertain of anything new, most often new people. Patience and consistency and dog training classes will be necessary to have the outcome of a fully confident and social dog she is capable of.  Marlow has a ways to go still in regards to her confidence building but is making great strides and with patient, kind people who understand that you need to push her out of her comfort zones sometimes in order for her to move forward, she will flourish.  She will not be a suitable dog for 1st time dog owners and requires someone experienced  with shy dogs who understands that babying her and keeping her at home is counterproductive to her confidence building and she needs to be challenged to face her fears, but not too much too soon. It’s a balancing act that requires knowledgeable people to undertake with kindness and patience.  The pay off is huge though and the dog that Marlow is today is heads and tails more confident than the dog that arrived to our home, and she is only going to get better and more confident in time.

We consider her to be housetrained, as we have regular outdoor time to do her bathroom business. The time and expense of regular grooming must be considered if Marlow is a dog for you. She is NOT hypoallergenic, she sheds and collects snow on her paws, and burs etc on her fur. Regular brushing is required, this is a work in progress as she needs to understand this is what is required to have a healthy coat.   Marlow would be well suited in a home that can provide lots of chew toys! These would be most helpful in areas that she frequents, and even bringing one into the vehicle when traveling with her. Marlow is not a counter surfer and won’t go digging in the garbage, but anything small enough to fit in her mouth should be kept off of the floor. She is very much a puppy and puts everything in her mouth so supervision is key! Marlow is not being fostered in a home with children, and we are looking for an adult only home for her, She will find the noise, energy and activity of children to be too frightening.  Down the road, in a few years where she has had her families time and focus and training, and is a confident girl, she could be a good family dog, but for now, what is best for her is a quieter home with adults.  She also needs to be considered a flight risk so anyone in the home needs to ensure that all doors to the outside and yard gates are shut properly and that she isn’t allowed to be off leash outside of a secure fenced in area. Her home must have a secure fenced yard with minimum 5ft fencing and no gaps or loose boards.  She is still learning about the world around her and as noises startle her, she would bolt when scared and would not come back. For her safety she needs to have responsible people who will ensure that her fenced yard is escape proof and that she is on  leash at all times when outside of a secure fenced area.

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 step s ahead of them…and this all pretty much sums up Marlow! She is a girl on a mission when she walks, no time to mosey along, she loves to explore the world around her, the more she does the happier she is. She does love to cuddle in the evening, this is an evening event. She earns her time onto the couch, after a good days adventure and activity. 4 paws in the air, head cocked to the side and completely relaxed as she drifts off into doggie dreams. An absolutely photo moment for sure!! 

Finding the best forever home for Marlow is our priority, complete an application if you can offer all that we have asked in her Bio. Once you meet her, you will witness what a beautiful family dog she will be.