Puppy Buyer Reviews from 2020

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Shortly after their 2020 Adoption Day (in early December), I asked my Goldendoodle and Labradoodle puppy buyers to tell me about their experiences. Here is what they said, and a few of the pictures they shared, when the puppies were just three or four months old:

It's been just about a month since Vinnie came home and I'm thrilled to see how we've grown together and made a family. There's such a difference between having bonded with each other versus just being dependent on us. Your suggestion to use ham for treats is an absolute winner. The antler worked...for a day. He's a finicky little guy. In a week or so, it'll be "new" to him so we can give it another shot. This week a big carrot is the preferred chew toy. So much so that I was able to prepare an entire meal while Vinnie lay on the floor in a corner of the kitchen. Vinnie, as you can imagine, is very popular in the neighborhood and has had numerous driveway visits with everyone. His favorite person is our 87 year old neighbor, Teresa, who I think is as excited to see him as he is to see her. We're easing into grooming and teeth cleaning. He plays with a small toy brush while I gently brush him with his brush. Teeth cleaning is really just him chewing on a child's toothbrush with poultry flavored toothpaste. So far so good.

Surry is the BEST puppy and we could not be more happy with him. We know that his first 8 weeks of life in your home were extremely influential on his development and demeanor. We are so appreciative of all the desensitization training, socialization, and other general training that you worked on with him. Not only can he come, sit, and shake with ease, he has already mastered sitting upon greeting people—no jumping He is potty trained, sleeps through the night (since day 4!), chews his toys (not the furniture), has incredible eye contact, and loves his bed/crate—all of this is thanks to following Dr. Dunbar’s book (both on your end and ours!) I have no idea what we would have done without his instruction!! Additionally, our vet and puppy class trainer were both blown away by the adoption kit and said they have never seen anything like it before! We are biased of course, but out of the four other puppies in his class, he is by far the most well-behaved! Some of the other pups are still having potty accidents in the house, chewing on shoes, barking excessively, etc. Again, we believe that this is all thanks to his first 8 weeks in your home and his first 4 weeks in our home, while following Dr. Dunbar’s approach as closely as possible. It still blows my mind that he was the last [Labradoodle] puppy on adoption day, because he really is just perfect. We love him so much and are so proud of how he is progressing with his training. Thank you for everything!! We wouldn’t get a puppy from anywhere else!

Zuzu is adjusting really well. She is such a smart girl and is taking to training really quickly. She has such a sweet demeanor and we can’t imagine life without her. Your website was very clear on your breeding philosophy and the care you have for the life your puppies have after they transition to their new home. You put in so much emphasis on providing really important information for new puppy owners. You were always very informative and open and willing to answer any questions we had. You also were very prompt in your responses. We really could not have asked for a better experience with Northshore Doodles. It was an absolute pleasure and we would recommend you to anyone that was looking to add a puppy to their family. My family looked so forward to the weekly updates. I liked the videos and summary of all the developmental progress, as well as the puppies’ activities throughout the week. The process on Adoption Day was very clearly explained from the beginning, but you also were clear and thoughtful on your adjustments needed in response to the pandemic. We had plenty of time with the puppies and we felt very safe in the environment you provided. [Dr. Dunbar’s book] is a really important book to read as preparation. The perspective used in the book is so important and highlights the empathy needed for the life transition your puppy is making when they come home with you. I love the organization of the Adoption Kit binder. The walk through on adoption day is nice, but the organization makes it very easy to go back and easily find information you are seeking. I also love some of the general information provided around providing care.

Luna is an amazing addition to our family! She has adjusted very well to her older brothers as well as the new snow! She loves outdoors and all her land to run! She had a very smooth transition to crate training, which I did not have with my last dog. I can tell she was very well socialized and cared for in her early weeks with you.  I really enjoyed how thorough you are and how well organized the whole process was. I did not receive timely communication with my first puppy nor did I receive weekly updates like you provided. We originally thought we wanted a boy, but on selection day I really enjoyed how you provided time to get to know the puppies and we felt well connected to her and could not imagine having a more perfect girl! She really is so smart and has won over all of the visitors she’s had. I think the whole experience on adoption day was well organized and went very smoothly. I particularly liked the [Adoption Kit] binder, which had a ton of helpful information and I don’t feel like many other breeders provide. I really was happy that you chose an excellent vet to examine her and gave a very thorough health examination. I do think Miss Luna is well worth the money as she had an excellent upbringing before we got her. She is extremely affectionate and loves to be held and snuggled. Overall, extremely happy with the whole process. I feel like you take this very seriously and it really shows! I love all the information and book recommendations. We've had a very positive experience with potty training, crate-training, and socialization so far!

Penny seems to be doing quite well here. She has been sleeping through the night and is getting along well with everyone, including our Shnauzer-Poodle mix Bella. We found your website and thought you would be an excellent choice. We really liked all the updates as well as helpful hints on how to prepare for our new puppy. We also liked how much effort you put into maintaining the parents' and the puppies' health. I liked the videos as well as the descriptions of what stages of development the puppies had met. Also loved how much effort you put into having them ready for adoption, i.e., socialization, sounds, music, etc. [Adoption Day] went quite well. One thing that I would have appreciated was the opportunity to spend more time with the puppies before making a decision. That said, I think all of the puppies were great and we couldn't have made a wrong choice regardless. I like [Dr. Dunbar’s book]. Sometimes he's repetitive, but I think he's trying to be sure the reader gets the message. [The Adoption Kit binder] was fantastic. Full of lots of useful information, especially the health records. We've referred to it several times already and keep it where it's handy. Our vet appreciated it, too!

We gave her the name “Peggy”. She very enjoys living in our home. We bought a crate and a play pen for her. Now she can follow the orders of “sit,” “come” and “stop”. We were very happy to work with you, even though the time for the adoption was a bit late. Your information was very helpful for us to prepare everything. A couple of reasons we selected you: One is the non-shedding dog. Another is you are close to our home. The third reason is we want a high quality puppy. Your [Adoption] kit is very useful. My wife already made the treat following your recipe. Peggy likes that very much. We took Peggy to the doctor today. She got her first vaccine and nail cut. 

Nash has been a joy ever since he arrived. The first adjective you used to describe him was "smart," which was important to us, and he is indeed very intelligent. He has learned places and routines quickly. He is also precocious, clever, and strong-willed, testing us at times. He is very affectionate and likes to snuggle...his favorite spot is when either of us sit cross-legged on the floor, and he likes to settle in to the cradle created by our legs. He is very active with bursts of playing followed by rest or sleep. He eats 3x/day but mid-day seems to be when he is the most hungry. We took him to the vet on Monday where he received a clean bill of health while charming all of the staff. He is pretty good with the potty-training, although have had a few piddles; he is not interested in newspaper we put down except to chew on it! But we take him outside frequently and he is learning. We have started socializing him a bit with two neighbor dogs—a labradoodle and a spaniel, both ~1 year old - and Nash loves it. In fact, we were just saying today that he "punches above his weight" because he is rambunctious playing with these dogs running, jumping, and chasing a ball with them even though they are about twice his size. They are gentle and enjoy playing with him too. It's fun to watch them. Snow has been the latest adventure...he was and continues to be enthralled with the snow, digging and rolling around in it with gusto. One aspect of his behavior that has been especially interesting is kenneling at night. Last Saturday to Monday nights, he went to bed in the kennel quietly and while there were a few whimpers he was down all night - the opposite of what we were expecting. Then, Tuesday was challenging with crying and barking most of the night. Wednesday was less so, but still very restless and vocal. Then on Thursday he was suddenly over it and has been bedding down with ease and sleeping all night ever since. Our night-time routine is very structured—bedtime about 10:00p then up at 6:00a—and perhaps he has figured it out. The mornings are a joy as he is so excited to see both of us and runs back and forth between us with excitement. Regarding our experience with you and Dennis on Adoption Day, we couldn't be more pleased. Adoption Day was professional and smooth—it's a mix of emotions (anxiety, anticipation, happiness) that could probably be derailed without a solid process and a steady hand. It was really nice to finally meet you after all of the virtual communication! Honestly you were the first breeder I contacted, and I didn't seek out others after talking with you. We found Northshore Doodles from a web search. The professionalism, seriousness, and attention to detail of you and your business stand out. Frequency and quality of communications are outstanding. The weekly updates with video are a valuable part of the process—they keep us connected and begin the mental process of planning and anticipation. The video of the pups’ first time going down the stairs stands out to us—we believe it gave us a sense of the pups' disposition and intelligence. Who knows if that is true, but Nash was the second one down and he pretty much leapt from the top of the stairs! The binder is an excellent resource; we have referenced it several times and will use it as our all-things-Nash repository. Thank you for the love and care that you give to your adult Doodles and the puppies—it's clear to us that Northshore Doodles is a labor of love as well as a business.