# They slow down don't they?



## Katie

they do slow down in the end don't they.......please, break it to me gently if they don't!

I think I am going to have to take up marathon running or something, how can something only 12 weeks old have this much ENERGY! He has 2 speeds, express and comatose! At least i can get things done during the comatose periods but I am so worn out I just want a nap myself at that point!


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## fjm

Well, sort of ... in the house, at least ... and sometimes it takes a year or two!


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## Winnow

Yes they do slow down from the hyper puppy stage hehe

I remember my Dima going on and on at this age and I was like can we please go to sleep now hehehe


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## CharismaticMillie

Katie said:


> they do slow down in the end don't they.......please, break it to me gently if they don't!
> 
> I think I am going to have to take up marathon running or something, how can something only 12 weeks old have this much ENERGY! He has 2 speeds, express and comatose! At least i can get things done during the comatose periods but I am so worn out I just want a nap myself at that point!


Not sure with the lab in there....


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## Rowan

Yes, in my experience they do slow down (or at least they act a bit more civilized as they age).  

Alex (oversized black mini) was a bad boy until he was a year old and then he saw the light. We used to run a lot though and he loved it. He wouldn't go outside and wee in the rain but he loved to run in the rain. Pippin (sable mini) is much higher energy but he learned to control his chaos before he was one. He's an excellent running dog too.

Merlin (silver mini) is almost six and he's still pretty high energy (I just got him and didn't know him as a pup). He gets into things (curiosity) and I often wonder if I should've named him George. 

What I love about poodles = they're always up for a long run or hike, but also content to crash next to you under a shady tree to read. (Mine prefer the Kindle to hardcovers.) ;-)

Mine are so calm in the house (unlike say, Jack Russell Terriers). What about everyone else?

ETA: I just saw Chocolate Millie's post--didn't realize we were talking a labradoodle! Labs can be a little crazy! LOL (Guard your trash cans.)


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## Countryboy

Funny thing tho abt Poodles. I remember someone posting that they seem content to do whatever yr doin'. If yr heading off to the dog park . . they're up for it. Out for a walk . . the same. 

In this heat wave that we've been havin' here now for the last week I think that I'm the only one that's antsy abt gettin' out. 'Cos the dogs seem content also to just spend the day flaked out on the cool, concrete floor. 

It really is the best place for them in this weather. They seem to not mind at all.


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## Fluffyspoos

Considering you have a labradoodle.. probably not. Sorry!


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## PoodlePowerBC

Oohhh, maybe not for a while. My girlfriends family has a Doodle that is nearly 5 years old, and honestly, my 8 month old puppy CANNOT keep up to that dog. He is go, go, go, go!!! I have never seen an adult dog with so much energy! He is a VERY good-natured dog, but very high energy. He looks like a poodle, but acts like a Doodle, bought off Craigslist, so not sure how much Lab is in him  Or could be Retriever, who knows :bolt:


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## Feathersprings

Only after getting my mini puppy did I realize how much my Spoo puppy had settled down LOL! I was at a local "dog event" on Saturday and sat with an 8 yr old Spoo... I am sorry to report he had about the same energy level as my 18 month old! On a positive note they said it was because he doesnt get out much and that he is well behaved and much quieter at home lOL!


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## outwest

Well, labs never slow down from what I've seen until they are really old and your pup has lab in there..... One of the reasons a lab was never on my agenda. I mean, I love energy, but labs are a bit much even for me. LOL. To be completely honest, most of the labradoodles I have met have been ultra hyper. Standard poodles do settle down after a while. 

A training class for your pup will help a lot! They learn how to calm down when they need to and you can let them outside to burn off energy a couple of times a day. You will need to figure out a way to burn off that energy. Dog parks help a lot.


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## Feathersprings

Aww, some labs are great! They use them for guide dogs.. they cant all be crazy! Actually my Daughter has one and she was an active pups like the poodles and is now about 4 yrs old and very ladylike


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## outwest

Okay- I am not a lab person, I admit it, shoot me. To me they are all hyper.  A friend atwork got a lab and was going mad trying to calm that dog down. They actually went and bought a treadmill for the dog. They run the dog on the treadmill nightly now, which has made a big difference for them.


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## Feathersprings

Well, you dont need to be shot LOL! But I have to admit that "I" was about to go mad tying to settle my Spoo as well  I truly went though a short time where I thought I wasnt going to be able to deal with him. I think a lot of it is individual dogs. I didnt get a treadmill for my boy but use my Husband for that and have him take Hoolie hiking almost everyday and we got another Poodle to play with to help get some of that energy worked off.I am happy to say that he has settled a lot in the last few months.


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## 3dogs

I don't know. My adult Spoo anywhere in the age range of 3-5 1/2 (rescue) is high energy. He is currently in a bit of a comatose stage. He & 3 of my other dogs have been up running around since 5 a.m. We just had about 30 people at the house & 8 dogs running around. But I would consider him high energy but an off switch. as well. Luckily there are plenty of dogs in the house that he tires out before he flops. Anyhow, I would look to the pedigree of the sire & dam of your dog. Are either of them out of hunting lines. You might just have a high energy adult dog OR you might just have a puppy on your hands.


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## Katie

Its funny, I think of the labs as the calm ones and the poodles as the hyper ones! I was wondering if we should have got a lab!!!!!! Like Feathersprings says, Labs are often guide dogs (yes I know poodles are great service dogs too!) and I think of them as steady guide dogs and calm hunting dogs, laying at a sportsman's feet half the day...quiet and still! 

I live on a beach and in another week Ruff will have had his last vaccination and we will have 10 miles of sand to burn our energy up. We can run, play games, dig holes and meet other dogs. I am sure that will help. But right now a week seems like 10 years!

And he doesn't eat. I never met a lab that won't eat. We are on our third variety of kibble and I may have to try raw next. The vet says he is underweight....but that would be for a lab I think, rather than a poodle, not sure what 'underweight' is for a cross breed. However with his high level of activity I don't think he is starving to death!

He is so much fun though, and I am sure this will be good for my figure!


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## Katie

opps double post, sorry.


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## CharismaticMillie

Okay, here, here, lab lovers, let me explain myself. 

I did not mean to imply that labs themselves are extremely high energy. Rather, I think that something goes haywire when a breeder makes the poor decision to breed them together. Most that I have seen are more hyper than any lab OR poodle I have ever seen. 

Now...I will also add:

This is what I have noticed about my standard poodles, having lived with 4 of them (3 right now and 1 that I grew up with): They can outplay and outlast any lab out there. They come home from 3 hours at the dog park and are ready to play for hours in my backyard. What I have also noticed is that they are lazy house dogs when IN the house. Even as puppies. I can sit in my house and do work all day - 13 hours straight - and the three of them are sprawled on the bed or on the couches napping all day long - EVEN as very young puppies. Adaptable is what they are. From the lab owners that I have conversed with at dog parks and obedience class, their young labs were not quite so content laying around all day! 

Back to doodles...

There are 3 labradoodles that live in my neighborhood. One is exactly Millie's age. I actually love going for walks in my subdivision because my 3 poodles combined are better behaved than this poor lady's labradoodle. I feel bad because she tries so hard, but this wirey haired, pathetically adorable dog is lunging, jumping, running in circles on leash. I have seen her try and train this dog for a year now. 

Also...

Here is another thing to consider. NO reputable lab or poodle breeder will sell a breeding dog to a doodle breeder. MANY will sue for up to $10,000-$20,000 if one of their dogs is used to produce a labradoodle. So, _what quality of dogs_ do you think labradoodle breeders are using to produce those doodle puppies? Certainly not the best representations of EITHER breed physically or temperamentally. Another reason NOT to support labradoodle breeders. 

Poorly bred poodles can be high strung. Also, a reputable breeder, of either labs or poodles, will have a good idea of the types of temperaments their dogs produce. They will either assess the dog's temperaments themselves or will hire a professional temperament tester to grade the puppies. A high energy puppy will not be placed, therefore, with an elderly couple or a first time dog owner. How much do doodle breeders really know about their line? Well, considering labradoodle breedings do not produce consistent results, it is very much a crapshoot! 

There are benefits to purchasing puppies from reputable breeders, of which, unfortunately, do not exist for expensive mutts like labradoodles.

Finally, you can tell if your dog is truly underweight by feeling their ribs. The ribs should be palpable under your hand without having to press, but should not be overly prominent. In very short coated dogs, you may see the last rib. Many vets see far too many overweight dogs and tend to be quick to call dogs underweight. Unless ribs and hips are jutting out, you are just fine. It is better to be lean than even slightly overweight.


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## Locket

Great post above!!

As CM said, both of my spoos were/are calm as can be in the house, but could be quite wild where it was appropriate. Poodles generally have an "off switch", but as puppies, they don't "turn off" very easily.


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## Countryboy

I second that, Locket.  Great post CM! 

I feel like savin' that somewhere in Notepad.


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## onlypoodles4me

Not all labs are created equal! There is a huge difference in labs, depending what they are bred for. Hunting bred labs have longer legs, are leaner and have more stamina that most people can deal with. English or Conformation labs are typically much lower, heavier, and calmer for the most part. Some people like to mix the two types, which from what the ones I have met, is not great. A friend asked my advice on his lab purchase, chose to go with a bargain price, half hunting half conformation, and this dog is 8 years old and still a nut case. They have tried everything with her, and they really wish they had listened. Luckily they are not the kind of people who give up on a dog. This one was a real change from their first lab who was a rescue, but clearly from conformation breeding.


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## faerie

i have a very well bred standard poodle PUPPY who is just a few weeks older than yours.
i'm exhausted right now from running after him. 
he goes goes goes then crashes. 

JUST NOW WHILE READING THIS THREAD:

i have 2 times while trying to post have had to go retrieve the bedding from the crate where he's trying to carry it outside.
he's just chased the cat (again).
He's found where I've stashed my shoes from him. (the new place)

PAST WEEK:
he chewed up my husband's fav knock about t-shirt (yay!)
he got my new kindle and chomped the cover (boo)
he has already figured out how fun it is to grab the toilet paper and run through the house with it

ain't no lab in this dog. 

he's a puppy. you have a puppy. they'll settle down. we just have to be patient and keep them preoccupied or they will preoccupy themselves.

temperance has settled a lot, but she's 20 months and still a lot more spazzy than eva who is a lab mix. eva is the calmest dog i've ever met. and she is just now turning 2.


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## JE-UK

My miniature is 2 now, and it was only at about a year that he developed a gear other than "crash" and "full out". As a young puppy, he was a demon :smile:. 

Just keep repeating to the dog "when you are three, you are going to be a GREAT dog!"

I would echo the suggestion for training, both formal and informal. Engage the mind, and you stand a chance of controlling the body. And his poodle half will insist that training be fun, fun, fun. Trick training is great, hide and seek is great, find-the-toy is great ... these are all mental energy burners, which he needs as much as the physical exercise.


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## outwest

I am on my second standard, but I also grew up with a couple in the house years ago. My first was not hyper at all, but was active when young. My current pup does have agility lines and she is more active than my last one. But, she is still calm in the house. If I tell her to settle down she turns herself off with a huff and a woof (it's cute). When we go in the backyard she knows it is play time and zips around all cute and crazy. I don't allow crazy shenanigans in the house, but when I take her to the dog park she can go as crazy as she likes. 

Puppies are active and do require a lot of exercise, both mental and physical. They do get calmer. 

From my experience a standard poodle does have an on and off switch. The labs I have met have not had that off switch in the house. Labs that are used for service are carefully tested for personality and bred specifically for those qualities. You can't take just any lab and turn it into a service dog. It's the same for all the service dogs- the shephards all come from special lines, for example. 

For the record, my little standard is a complete pig about eating and licks her bowl clean. It isn't the standards that are always picky eaters. Labs are generally really good eaters. I know I will have to watch my pups weight when she is older because she likes to eat so much. Just feel your puppies ribs to see if he is too light. Lots of puppies are thin and fill out when they're older. 

Most of personality is genetic.

edit: whatever breed you have, never leave a puppy unattended in the house.  They get in trouble. Mine thinks shredding newspaper is terrific fun. Maybe because I read it every morning she thinks there must be something very fun about it.


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## Lilah+Jasper

JE-UK said:


> Just keep repeating to the dog "when you are three, you are going to be a GREAT dog!"


This is spot on!!! I always remind my family to give a puppy time to develop and learn. The time will fly by - you are so busy running after a puppy that there is hardly time to think about anything else 

While we away from home, Jasper has always been trustworthy. Lilah was a much different story!!! She had to be crated to keep her safe and not eating everything in sight. I have just now started allowing her unrestricted access with Jasper and she is doing great! Lilah just turned 2 this month and Jasper turned 2 this past Feb.

Regarding labs, I had an older yellow lab when I was a teen. We acquired her when we moved into our new house - the previous owners left her and never returned :argh: She was the sweetest and most gentle dog ever. I'm not sure about her energy level though as a puppy or young adult. There is hope...


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