Her greatest contribution to the gene pool (if she qualifies for breeding) will be her confidence. Though she’s careful approaching new things, there’s nothing that really scares her off. She figures things out and takes them in stride. That’s a big asset for a service dog line. Of course her petite size and pure fleece coat will also be worthy attributes, as well as her readiness to train — she learns fast, and absolutely loves our training sessions.

I had intended to raise Hailey on a pure clicker training protocol, but it didn’t take me long to realize that it was simply not the right fit for this particular pup. She needed a clearer, firmer structure to handle her go-get-em attitude, and I found it too cumbersome to work with in public settings where she tended to get too excited and bounce up and down Tigger style.

I’ve started her in obedience classes with a more conventional approach, and I’m knocked over by how well she’s doing and how quickly she accepts the training. I’m sure I’ll go back to the clicker for shaping more advanced skills later. For now, I’m reminded of how important it is to have more than one approach to training in my bag of tricks, and I’m lucky to have enjoyed all those different training classes with Paula in the early days of GSD.

Like my other doodle pups, Hailey hit 4 months of age and immediately started eating dirt and other things too, which I find annoying and just icky. I’m trying her on puppy vitamins with minerals to see if that’s any help. Though no one seems to know why dogs some times do this, there are more than a few who suspect the behavior stems from the dog not processing nutrients efficiently enough – they eat the dirt to gain the additional minerals. The science, however, seems inconclusive. What I do know from my other pups is that she’ll grow out of it.

I’d love to know if your doodles eat dirt or other, uh, other things from the back yard, and what you’ve seen work to deter it. I’ll keep you posted on Hailey’s development.

I want to conclude with a huge note of thanks to Susie Swanson of Mazin Labradoodles in Ohio (mazinlabradoodles.com), whose great generosity made it possible for us to bring this girl and her wonderful genes into the GSD family and — we hope — the GSD breeding pool. We simply could not have afforded a breeding pup of this quality without Susie’s generosity. Thanks, Susie. This darling little tiger really is one ‘Mazin Labradoodle!

Thank you so much Eve and Gary!

Does your “mommy” have any tips for a nice sit? Paula says I have a horrible sit… Hey, it’s comfy for me.

Love Preston

Isn’t Rebecka fabulous? It’s amazing how much all of the youth raisers are capable of, and Rebecka is a true “natural” when it comes to pups and kids.

Roboto sounds great, and to think, no pooper scooper needed with him.

Preston spent the week with my two grandaughters while I had some minor surgery and he came home totally spoiled, so he’s in “Auntie Paula’s boot camp.”

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday.