First off, before you start reading, you need a lesson in pronunciation. When we adopted a golden doodle puppy in June, I posted on Facebook that we were looking for a name for him. My friend Mary suggested Albert because she thought Jeff would like “You can call me Al.” I thought it was funny, too. Since the puppy was all black with poofy poodle fur, we decided to accent the -bert part like French, so he is not Albert, but Al-Bear!
During he car ride home from the breeder, our new puppy was calm and sweet. He was shy and couldn’t get far enough under my arms. He never cried, but he was what we thought was going to be a calm, shy dog. At his first check-up, the vet warned that he might need some extra socialization to help him come out of his shell. That proved to be an unnecessary warning. Albert is friendly to everyone!
We have outside cats, one of which is 16 years old (Buzz). Buzz was wary at first, but now he lets Albert attack him. We know Buzz could get away if he wanted to, but he seems to like it. He waits for Albert out on the deck by the side door to the “dog yard.”
I had conveniently forgotten about the puppy stage. I forgot about the training part. Albert turned a year on Feb. 22nd and is now fully house trained but after multiple starts and stops.
The best parts of having a golden doodle puppy are:
- Albert loves everybody. And everybody thinks he’s adorable, so he introduces me to neighbors I wouldn’t normally stop to talk to. On walks, he will stop in front of Claire’s house. Claire is an older yellow lab who tolerates Albert’s antics like an older sister would.
- Albert loves children. Good thing because we have 4 grandchildren. The problem here is he jumps on them and they are about his size, so they get aggravated. Sometimes he has to take a break in the laundry room.
- Albert loves his toys. He can entertain himself with his many toys, a ball which he is learning to fetch, a lamby, a Sasquatch ball we got in Oklahoma, and many more. The kitchen floor is littered with them, but since we put down a flannel sheet, he is very good about piling his toys all on his blanket. One of the funniest games he plays is hiding the toy and finding it. I love this because it’s independent play. It’s always nice when toddlers learn to play independently.
- Walks are the best. Albert is leash trained, and he will prance next to me with royal airs. He loves to pick up trash on the road, so he helps reduce litter. Of course sometimes it’s yucky stuff I have to remove from his mouth, but often it’s a stick or pine cone or pile of moss. Trotting with his prizes, he looks like a prancing show horse.
- Albert is small, miniature. He fits nicely on my lap on a chilly morning. And as long as he is not licking my face, or snapping at my writing fingers, he is welcome to curl up in my lap.
We think we’ll keep him. Every day we discuss his progress and decide we’ll give him more chances. Every day gets better. One day he will be an old dog, and I will completely forget the puppy stage.
Reflections on the Teche 