A labradoodle with a 2 yr old toddler?

If I had a 2 year old child, I would not have gotten a puppy. Puppies are as much, if not a little more work than a 2 year old is. They need to be taught the english language, the house rules, etc.

I have a puppy, she's 4 1/2 months now, and she requires a large amount of attention and training, to make sure she is not destroying my house. With that being said, I can tell from her personality that she is going to be an extremely sweet adult dog, and will end up being a perfect pet for us. She is a perfect pet now, but just tends to get into mischief sometimes - being that she is a puppy she tends to chew on things she isn't supposed to, etc.

I fully recommend a labradoodle as a family pet - every one I've met is extremely sweet and loveable - but I might say to go for an older rescue or adoption, as they will be less likely to break things / tear up your house. One note of warning - these are very happy dogs, so a long tail might end up being a drink swiper.

Oh, but if you do end up with a puppy - they can essentially "hold it" for about an hour longer than their age in months - my Annie sleeps through the night (8+ hours) in our bed, and is just fine. We have left her for up to 8 hours in a day, but that doesnt happen often as we work from home. So I dont think 6 hours is unreasonable in a crate...

Oh, and another note - puppies in particular like to nibble and nip. Ours broke the skin once while learning her 'bite inhibition'. She just mouths softly now, but during the nipper phase, it really does smart, leaving scratches and possibly ripping clothing. The puppy teeth are very sharp, and will start falling out at around 4-5 months old.

Puppies can get rowdy and may knock your little one over, not on purpose of course, but just because they are extremely excitable and don't know any better. I guess an untrained adult dog could do the same thing though.

As for potty training, my girl caught on within a week of having her home (she was 10 weeks when we got her), and she is fully reliable at 4 1/2 months. They are VERY SMART dogs, so if you have the time and energy to provide the training, a puppy will pick up on things very quickly. My girl seems to really enjoy learning, and is very eager to please.

When / If choosing a puppy, you can get a good idea of what type of grown dog it will be by watching how it interacts with it's littermates. If you google "how to choose the best puppy" there will be countless results of things to look for, depending on the type of adult dog you will want. For example, if the puppy is jumping around and torturing his littermates, he may be a great jogging partner - where the silent observer puppy would make a better lap dog, etc. I'm going to subscribe to this post so I can check out the final decision.

There are a few things to seriously consider. You are not in a hurry - take the time to really dig around and start thinking like a dog (if you don't speak a second language, it's time to learn canine). You had time to prepare for your child, now is the time to think dog.

Everyone is different - dogs are different - however if someone does not OK a dog with small children, accept it. As a very experienced dog owner - the age of your children has nothing to do with it.
It's all about your level of confidence, patience, adaptability, and compassion. I've had dogs all my life and if I showed you photos of 100+lbs 'babysitting'... or walking the kids.... The huge fella who attached himself to a 14 month old, head on shoulder sort of thing (still makes me tear up)
Dogs are very smart!!! You have to learn to oursmart them.

The six hour gap - definitely makes me think you need older - but the most important thing is to learn. Morning romp, evening romp, add training and this could be done.
Reasearch. Why a dog? I'm sure you've heard that most of us would be childless if we had waited for the right time - - you dog is going to need time from you and so is your child.
Can you handle two toddlers? How about four? If it has four legs it counts as two in my book and all two year old children seem to split and become two at times. They really don't call it the terrible twos for nothng and you also have time to get to know your child before solidifying the canine bonding process.

You have time - so understand that many rescue places cannot accept the liability and unless the dog has been fully evaluated and approved for toddlers, keep looking. Not all dogs are kidproof, that's why many are rescued. Not all dogs like kids and not all kids like dogs. Not all dogs are 10 and up only. If you are looking for a 1-2 year old dog, ask questions and then ask more. Sleep on it. Think about it.

Basic size differences between children and dogs can be a serious problem - depending on the dog, the child, etc. An exhuberhant dog who has no idea about anything behind his head can and will knock down a small child - or damage an adult person's knees - in larger breeds it takes longer for their brain to sometimes catch up with their actual size. Watch dogs at the dog park, anything over thirty pounds under the age of three probaly has no idea where it's butt is going once the tail starts wagging. Small children move quickly, can make loud sudden noises, forget things a lot because they are basically in training themselves. Not all dogs can handle that - so from a rescue perspective, the overall picture is what is in the forefront. A dog who is what I call 'bulletproof' around children is a Godsend, but takes a special sort of character on both the part of the dog and the trainer and the family.

Take your daughter out and about often to pet supply stores, hang out at dog parks - - visual and eventually close contact. Get her used to dogs. Ponder all those little details. Think long and hard about the size dog you want. Not one of my kids or grandkids has missed out on snuggling down with fido or running around the backyard, I had two dogs alert me to dirty diapers regularly. A dog will be your family member, you + spouse + child + dog = 'oh my gosh we are a family'. You are in charge, the dog will be low man on the totem pole - but it can be done. Be very very picky and patient - I wish you all the best!

Hi Fran - welcome to the forum! Yes, puppies nip and bite ALOT until they are able to learn what/who is appropriate for their nipping and biting. I would suggest first making sure that the puppy is getting a good outlet for his energy - swimming, frisbee, fetch - things like that. A tired puppy is a better behaved puppy.

The other thing I have heard recommended is that you keep the puppy on a leash when the grandson is around. It will be much easier for you to correct the puppy and prevent any injury to your grandson. Of course, obedience classes are helpful - but with a puppy, they have short attention spans and during their 'teenage' years, may begin to rebel against your commands.

You could also try 'time out' where you remove the puppy from the fun time he's having, as soon as he bites someone. Either that, or remove yourselves from the area where he is, so he begins to associate biting with everyone leaving him by himself. It will be a challenge for you, but you can find lots of videos on youtube about this subject as well.

For us, time out worked the best. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. right now, I think your puppy believes that your grandson is another puppy. Puppies play like this with each other, and he just needs to learn. Unfortunately this will probably mean many more nips and bites until he is able to understand the rules.