Lazy Doodle

[reneebarnhart28]

Hi I have a 3 month old Golden Doodle standard size- he gets up about 5 am to eat and potty but by 7-8 am he go's back to sleep and pretty much sleeps all day! Up to eat and drink and potty and he will play a bit here and there BUT he seems so laid back! Is this normal for a 3 month old puppy???

[JMFS]

Wow, he sounds like the kind of pooch for me - a perfect office mate! I'm guessing he's had his Veterinary check up already? It's rare, but I do know one Labrador Retriever whose name is quite apt for his demeanor - his name is Mellow. This boy couldn't have an exciting moment if he tried. When I walk into the flooring store there's Mellow, sprawled out on the floor right in the doorway, waiting for people to pet him. The most misbehavior he's displayed is placing his paw on someone's leg to get attention. Totally abnormal for a Lab, but that's his personality. Now, I will share that he was heartworm positive as a puppy when he was rescued and that May have a part to play in his chill personality, but it also could simply be how he is. As long as the Veterinarian says he checks out then I wouldn't worry. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if one day he suddenly comes alive and has loads of energy. I seem to remember Momo sleeping quite a bit when he was 4 months old and that was very short-lived!

[reneebarnhart28]

Yes I got Ollie at 8 wks old and took him right to the Vets already had an appt set up. At night is when he comes alive Of course he has slept all day. It's so weird because I have tried playing with him he isn't so interested in playing with me- I take care of him: brushing-feeding-Training-loving-baths! My hubby comes home and Ollie comes alive!!!!! He wants to play! All about Play! He will even bring my hubby his toys! I don't understand WHY he will get so excited to play with Hubby and with me it's the opposite - he loves me and he always wants me to hold him and love him! I'm a bit confused by this????

[JMFS]

Ahhh, well you see, here's my take on it . . . your husband has been away allll day long and dogs have that short-term memory thing going on. When hubby gets home, Ollie is thinking, oh em gee, I haven't seen you in Forever, this is soooo exciting! Same flippin' thing happens when my husband gets home. We gals are hanging out in the office, chilling out, maybe listening to some 2Cellos, everything is fine and dandy. Hubby gets home and the office Erupts into a medley of claws on the floor, Abbi making unnatural sounds, Gertie wiggling all over her bed Trying to contain herself and mostly succeeding. All that order goes out the window!

 

My Other thought on it is that they see him as One of Them. I'm the caretaker, the disciplinarian, the trainer, the Queen of the house, if you will. He's their buddy. They snuggle on the couch with him (because there's no room on my loveseat, mainly) and even when they enter my domain they're careful as to where they sit. On him they sprawl all over the place. The man is 6"1' and he gets the Tiniest section of the couch while the 10-lber and 45-lber hog all the room. I really do think it comes down to respect. They respect me and give me space because I'm the "brushing-feeding-Training-loving-baths" person. They flop all over him because he's a litter mate. :D

 

It can also boil down to personality. Is your husband more excitable and energetic than you? Does he greet Ollie with a hearty hello and loving right off the bat? Does he maybe have enticing smells from where he works? My husband is on job sites all day so he brings home all sorts of sniffs for the dogs. The girls, being with me all day, get bored of my very predictable daily routine - I'm practically a fixture in the house because I'm working while they're lazing about. Hubby comes home and he's happy to see everyone because he's been gone all day. I'm still working when he gets home so I'm making everyone simmer down. Plus, they've been relaxing all day, building up their own energy. If you had a toddler's mentality and had been napping all day how might you greet someone new(er)? :D

 

If I wanted to shake things up I'd make a change to the routine. Instead of taking them outside, dumping water bowls, refilling water, feeding, getting my own water, then sitting down to work I might take Gertie for a walk even just around the yard (Abbi can't, she just wants to sleep and we respect our elder's wishes) or to the dog park for half an hour, or perhaps Petsmart for a sniff fest. Maybe I could hide Gertie's food around the house instead of putting it in the bowl. A new toy - or just switching it up - I have her toys divided into two bins and I used to swap them out on Mondays. Bust out into a dance - that one gets Gertie going and she'll hop around and play bow when I go off the rails like that. Be unpredictable.

 

When I leave for a spell and come home then Gertie gives me the same type of greeting, to a more subdued degree, as she gives my husband. She's calmer with me because that's how I've trained her and if she gets wild I leave the room until she settles. He doesn't care if he gets jumped on, licked, tail whipped, stepped on, or otherwise assaulted, so they don't hold back with him - he fosters that behavior (though he is beginning to get on board with training now, it only took a year, lol). The dogs also listen to me better than they do him. He'll tell Gertie to go to her bed, and she knows darn well what that means, but she doesn't believe he means it. He'll say it several times before I step in. I say, "Gertrude Marie, bed," and off she goes.

 

Those are some thoughts on the matter based on my observations. I'm pretty low energy when it's work time and I think they sense that it's not play time. When I break out of the routine they gain interest.

[reneebarnhart28]

Those are all very good thouts! And I do think Ollie See's hubby as one of them! Because he doesn't listen well at all to hubby! I only have to say a command ONCE!

No hubby is very calm and laid back- he comes in quite and doesn't like the dogs to get excitable and bark and jump- Im more energetic. TY for all of ur thouts I love them and it def has me seeing Ollies behavior toward the both of us differently. And it def makes sense

TY again!