The Corona Canine Craze

OK...........welcome to the Crazy Corona quarantine!!   
These are such very scary times.  We all know that in one way or another, we will be effected by this virus.  The very uncertainty of how, makes every healthy day a true true gift. 
I have always said
"I would love to be able to never leave my farm and stay home with my family and dogs." 
Well guess what:
I WAS RIGHT!!!  I am loving staying home. Not the why of how it came to be that  I have to be here,  but the day to day operations of working from home, the dogs and managing the house are all in sync. 
Emma is not here which is extremely difficult for me but, she is safe and happy so I am sucking it up and  taking it day by day...
I grew up in a very small town,  population 147.  Staying home with nothing to do was the norm.  I was literally one of the  "Home when the whistle blows" kind of kids. I am sure that I only saw my mom when she was in the kitchen making dinner.  I saw my dad when I was helping him at the gas station or riding in his bulk truck delivering fuel to his farming customers.  
Our lifestyle was our home.  We had a small acreage outside of town where we had a few horses and a dog.  We did not have sporting activities, vacations, out-of-town work trips or a million other things that took us away from home.  Life was simple and to a young kid............boring as hell!!!

I am guessing that that last bit is why, over the past 2 weeks, I have had 27
(now up to 34 calls since I started this post)
calls or emails from people who want a puppy.......
TODAY. ...No Waiting. 
Our website has had more visitors in the last week than in the past 3 months combined.  In a way I was thinking that it would be great if I did have those puppies to sell but then,  reality set in.   
I saw a post on Facebook last night from another person we know who sells Doodles.      She was basically experiencing the same thing as we are.  Her message was the same as this one,  WOW!,  but proceed with caution.....
​
Why? 
I really want to know that a puppy that we bring into the world is going to
Go To and STAY in a wonderful home. 
This is why we live the way we do. 
Day in and Day out, our dogs are the center of our home and when the puppies come,  they take over EVERYTHING and we focus on making sure that we spend 8 weeks setting them up for a long happy life with the families who we send them home with.  
The 2 comments that I have heard from almost every one of those new puppy buyers are that they want a mini-doodle because they will be easier and they are looking for a Doodle because they were told that they were good family dogs..............
​
SURPRISE--- I have an opinion about both of those statements!!

1-  We want a MINI because a big dog is just too much for us.
OK-- If you are in the market for  Mini-Anythingdoodle  it is smaller but it by no means will be easier.  Smaller dogs have a reputation for being more difficult to train, more independent and headstrong. My guess is that this might just be because the young, small puppies are just so dang cute, they are allowed to get away with things that a puppy 2 times their size just wouldn't.  Then, as these "oh so cute" puppy behaviors turn into Problem Adolescent issues,  they are suddenly very difficult to change.   In the  training video series that we use, they state that it takes about 3 minutes to teach a puppy something and about 3 months to correct or train an older dog. 
 If you get ANY puppy, line up a trainer Immediately. --YouTube is FULL of dog training videos. I still watch them every time I have a chance and I follow TONS of training pages on Facebook and Instagram.  I will NEVER know enough about training these puppies..........or have enough time!  ;0)
2-  I was told a Doodle was a good family dog. 
My response to this and any question that I get about dog/animal behavior is that it depends 100% on the home environment. 
What the puppy is allowed to get away with and the overall skill set of the people who raise the dog are the primary factors in the way a puppy matures. Just like some Pitbulls are awesome family pets and some kill things.  They didnt start out that way!
 The breeding and genetics of an animal create an overall background of instincts
but ....
daily training, correcting unwanted behavior and consistency of expectations are what will directly impact your home, your family and your dog. 
I have talked to people less than a week after they have brought home one of our puppies and their behavior is not even recognizable!   
In both Good and Bad ways.
One of the puppies that we has last year was the biggest trouble maker of the litter, 2 days after she got home, I got a text that she was so calm, loved to snuggle and was friends with the cat!!! 
​

---

---

I am SO excited for people to find their perfect puppy to spend this quarantine time with. 
I agree that this time to train, and spend time with a new furry friend is a true gift!
My suggestion is just this:
Look forward to when we are beyond this quarantine..
Do you see your new puppy in all of your activities, vacations and life?
Then by all means..............
GET THE PUPPY!!!

Peace Out!
​Sherry 

---