Meet our 2Doods, as we call them. They aren’t really related, in fact their parentage is quite different. But they are both Goldendoodles. How can that be when they’re black? Well, the doodle comes from Poodle and there are black Poodles, right? Believe me, we get asked this question a lot so we now just refer to them as doodles.
We got Cooper first after meeting several adult doodles in various settings. We fell in love with the looks and the temperament. We had our site set on a “golden” doodle, you know, those adorable little fluffy balls of fur we see in all the photos (like this).
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
But when it came time to choose, we choose a black puppy. He charmed us from the first day when we picked him up in early July. He was four months old and the sweetest, smartest puppy. Housebreaking was surprisingly simple and crate training went well with only a couple nights of crying before he’d drift off to sleep.
In September, Stu went to Maryland for a funeral and I stayed home with Cooper. I quickly realized he needed a playmate, someone to burn off that doodle energy. We had talked about getting a second one but thought we’d wait until he was older.
As luck would have it, fate intervened. I had been perusing ads, looking for reasonable prices for another doodle puppy as well as frequently checking shelter/rescue ads, when I came across a local ad for doodle puppies. I called and made arrangements to come see the puppies. This was the result at the end of that day and the video was Stu’s first introduction to Murphy, our second doodle.
They slept in the same crate and were close friends. Cooper set the example for going potty outdoors and we had one accident. Murphy was just big enough to negotiate the deck steps up and down. They played together and kept the energy levels tolerable. We did get introduced to the “zoomies”, both inside and out.
We opted to stay in Tennessee that first winter, not knowing how the two pups would do in a campground. Other than chewing, they did well. Cooper never tore up anything but Murphy loved tearing into stuffed toys. No toy was safe and Cooper joined in the fun. They graduated from stuffies to chewing on our wooden deck and Adirondack furniture. We eventually resorted to spraying the wood with “No Chew”.
As they grew, we realized Cooper wasn’t going to stop at the 40-45# his breeder expected. He lorded his size over Murphy but we knew Murphy would catch up. As they aged, their temperament differences grew stronger. Cooper has a high energy level and is much more nervous about things. Murphy is the ultra-laid back dude we thought was a trait of all doodles.
We had no idea how we would make out with shedding but were 90% sure Cooper wouldn’t shed since he was 3/4 poodle. Murphy was only 1/4 poodle, so no idea. His fur was wild and all over the place, even our groomer had no idea how his fur would turn out. He did a lot of puppy fur shedding whereas Cooper had none. Both started grooming by 5 months and have gone every 6-8 weeks ever since. (Yes, two doodles is twice the expense for food, vets, grooming, but we’d never trade either one.)
They are now approaching age three and are good such good dogs. Cooper is the Tigger of the house and Murphy is the Eeyore. Sort of like having the high school jock and nerd in the house. They sit and wait for the ‘okay’ before they eat or get a treat. Same for exiting the door outside. They never try to go out the front door. The few times they have gotten out of the fence, they come to the front door to get back in. They mostly don’t chew things other than maybe a stuffed toy and only if it has a tear already started. They obey “not yours” and “leave it”. We still have the baby gates for the bedrooms since Cooper does love pulling paper out of the wastebaskets and tearing it up and Murphy loves to drink out of the bathroom toilet.
Cooper started out with a medium crate – remember, we thought he was going to be 40-45#. He moved up to a large. That worked for quite a while even with the two of them but only if they stayed curled up. So it was on to two XL crates, one on either side of our front foyer.
Cooper
Cooper is an F1b Goldendoodle, that means he is 1/4 Standard Poodle and 1/4 Golden Retriever. His mother was a grey Poodle and his father a creamy/orange colored Goldendoodle. Why is he black? No telling but it happens often.
He weighs between 50-55# and is long legged with endless energy. He had a more Poodle look and if he got a Poodle trim, it would be hard to tell the difference. He doesn’t shed and his fur is curly. He has a lot of hair inside his ears and we have to be very careful about ear infections, common with the breed.
Murphy
Murphy is a bit unusual since he is a mix between a Collie and a Goldendoodle. Not sure if that makes him technically a Cadoodle or Colliedoodle but we say he is a Goldendoodle. His mother was a Rough Collie (tri-color) and his father was a light cream Goldendoodle. This makes him 1/2 Collie, 1/4 Standard Poodle, and 1/4 Golden Retriever. Again, why black? In fact, the whole litter was black.
He weighs between 70-75# and is the same height as Cooper, just with a different build (more like the Golden Retriever side). His fur doesn’t mat like Cooper’s can but it’s still wavy. He is getting more and more gray as he ages, especially his face and feet plus scattered hairs along his back. No ear issues (no heavy inside ear hair) with this guy but he ended up with severe hip dysplasia. Whereas Cooper is a jumper, Murphy is not. In fact, we use a ramp for him to get in and out of the back of the car.
