What do you call a golden retriever crossed with a poodle? A goldendoodle, of course! Meet Lucy, an F1B Petite Goldendoodle, a playful little canine that brings light to the Grissom’s home.

    

As an F1B dog, Lucy is 75% Poodle and 25% Golden Retriever with a purebred Poodle father and a first generation Goldendoodle (mix of purebred poodle and a purebred Golden Retriever) mother. As a petite goldendoodle, Lucy’s maximum weight should stay around 25 pounds; and her poodle traits result in a non-shedding, hypoallergenic coat. What a plus!

Her temperament reads straight from the F1B profile. She is extremely friendly, playful, and affectionate, with cuddling as one of her core skills! She is unfortunately more intelligent than her owners, and thus has done an excellent job of training Doug and Terri Grissom in the short two-and-a-half years that she has been part of the household! And if you ever get to meet her, you may experience firsthand her determination to convert even the strongest cat lover into a dog lover! She's a great friend to other dogs, too.

Doug and Terri have had a dog for the majority of their 37 years of marriage. Prior to Lucy, the preferred breed had always been a Corgi. They had several Corgis in the past and loved the qualities of the breed; however, after the last one passed away at a fairly young age, they decided to try a different breed. 

Lucy was adopted from a breeder in Georgetown. Prior to coming home, Lucy attended a 2 week puppy training camp to help jump start her on training and housebreaking. She was then introduced to her new home at 11 weeks old. One of the tricks she was taught during her training was the command “sit to say please,” which she, of course, very quickly and employs on a daily basis when she wants something. Terri says "If you do try to ignore her while she is in this absolutely adorable pose, she will gently reach out her paw and tap you on the leg just to remind you that she’s there. She doesn’t whine or bark, she just sits there patiently, waiting until you cave… which you will"!

One tip Doug and Terri would recommend to anyone with a new Goldendoodle puppy is to use bell training to assist in the house breaking process. They have a strip of bells attached to a door near the back door, and when they first brought Lucy home, they would ring the bells every time we opened the door to take her outside. After the first week of that routine, they would take her paw and gently touch the bells every time they went out. The speed at which Lucy learned to swat the bells with her paw to let them know she wanted to go outside was astounding. Though Lucy may not have a long list of tricks to demonstrate her intelligence, she does have exceptional communication skills. 

Doug and Terri enjoy walking in the neighborhood, and Lucy is only too happy to accompany them. Fortunately, Lucy also loves a good nap or curling up on the couch for some snuggle time if reading or watching TV is on the agenda. Lucy is also a remarkable negotiator, somehow finding a way to get her paws on “one more” rawhide stick then her owners originally planned on giving her!

Lucy also doesn’t like loud noises and especially hates riding in the car. They are working on both! Grooming is something that she is not fond of as she runs to the closet when she sees the mobile grooming van pull into the driveway. But luckily, she does love her groomer, Wendy, who Lucy is big buddies with once the grooming is done… maybe because of all the treats Wendy gives her.

This adorable dog is dearly loved as a part of an amazing family and brings loads of joy to everyone around her. This fur baby can be found walking with Terri and Doug through our beautiful neighborhood and everyone would be delighted to say "hello"!