This is my Goldendoodle, my life, my sunshine, my whole heart: BARKLEY!
Also known as sir_barkley_dood on Instagram, with over 10k followers, I think it is safe to say he has stole many other hearts as well! I wanted to make this blog post about him not only because I am obsessed with him & he’s a huge part of my life, but also because I always get a ton questions in his Instagram DM’s about him. So I am going to try to answer as many as possible below so this post can easily be a reference for those asking!
The Barkley Backstory: Barkley was born on February 26th, 2017. I graduated from Penn State in May of 2017 and all I wanted was a Goldendoodle (ok, and maybe a Louis Vuitton too but that’s off topic)! I did so much research about Goldendoodles before I picked one to ensure that I was getting exactly the type I wanted. When I saw him online, I knew he was the one. I wanted to name him something relating to Penn State since he was my graduation present. A friend suggested naming him “Barkley” after Penn State’s arguably best football player that year, Saquon Barkley. Being a football fan and the fact that the name had the word “Bark” in it- I immediately knew that was THE name- thanks Niki! I was finally able to go home the weekend after graduation and be with my new puppy and we have been inseparable ever since. He is the most cuddly, cute, loving, and crazy dog ever
What type of Goldendoodle is he?
Barkley is an F1 Standard Goldendoodle. This means his dad was a Standard Poodle and his mom was a Golden Retriever, a straight up 50/50 mix! Barkley’s Dad, Silus, was a large RED Standard Poodle, which is how he got his amazing dark color. The F1 Goldendoodle will typically have more “wavy hair” than an F1B Goldendoodle (the other very common type), which will have even more of a curly look. Barkley’s fur is super curly at the root, but when it grows out it get really wavy and he looks a little like Bob Marley, haha! Barkley is about 55 pounds at his 1 year mark and probably won’t get much bigger at all… still easily able to pick him up and carry him around like my child!
Where did you get him?
I originally found him in an ad on LancasterPuppies.com, which is a great site with a ton of puppies, especially if you live in the Northeast! I knew the website was against puppy mills so I felt comfortable looking there. I called the number listed and went to meet him that weekend at an Amish farm. It was a nice family with one liter of Goldendoodle puppies that were so CUTE! I know that the family was associated with Sadie’s Doodles, because the dad of his liter belongs to Sadie’s Doodles and they also helped advertise the liter! I also refer people to Sadie’s Doodles since I do not have the direct contact for the farm I picked him up at. All the F1 liters that come from there are extremely similar to Barkley and probably just have a different mother. If you were to search #sadiesdoodles on Instagram, a ton of different dog accounts from there will come up and they all have the same dad as Barkley and look extremely similar!
How much did he cost?
To be frank, Barkley was $1,400. I only put this here because so many people ask me. This is a pretty standard price for a healthy Goldendoodle puppy. I’ve seen them go up to $4,000 so I don’t think $1,400 was an outrageous price at all. He is worth every penny and more!
What to look for when choosing a Goldendoodle?
I read an entire book about Goldendoodles which is where I got most of my knowledge from. So obviously I am not an expert but I was extremely particular when choosing him to ensure I was getting the exact pup I wanted and in an ethical way! So… Be aware of puppy mills, of course. The easiest way to do this is to make sure that you can go to where the puppies are and play with them before you choose. In my case, I went to a small little farm with a large indoor/outdoor kennel where the puppies were living. It was very clean, not too many dogs in one area and it was clear that they were taken care of very well based on their looks (nothing crusty or gooey, etc!). Also, ask to see the parents. You know that if they are well taken care of, the puppies are too. I was able to meet the mom of the liter and she was the sweetest dog EVER, a clear indicator that my puppy would be sweet as well! Lastly, I wanted to make sure my dog had wavy hair- I didn’t want him to look to “poodle-y” or too straight haired. Obviously, their fur is going to depend a lot on the parent’s fur. However, Barkley’s fur was extremely straight as an 6-week old, when I met him, but the Breeder ensured me that it would get much curlier as he aged, which was so true! If the puppies fur is really curly at 6-8 weeks it is probably going to get even more curlier as it gets older. Just my take on the whole process!
What are his mannerisms like? Was he easy to train?
Barkley has been so cuddly since the day I brought him home. He has two moods: cuddly or psych-o (haha!) but it is SO true. He gets what I call “the zippies” and sprints around the house like a crazy person for about 20 minutes a day. I took him to training classes at Petco (Puppy 1 & Puppy 2) and our trainer said it is common for every puppy to do that because they have pent-up energy they need to get rid of. I personally think it is hilarious and I love playing with him when he is in those moods. He was extremely easy to potty train, I had it done in about 2-3 weeks! He also is a very good puppy, of course that is very relevant but he doesn’t get into TOO much trouble. Of course he has chewed up a shoe here and there and has had a few accidents since being potty trained. But overall, he has exceeded my expectations and is truly an amazing pup!
If you do have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment below! Make sure to follow on sir_barkley_doodInstagram for even more adorable pictures!
If you’d like to work with Barkley & I for advertising or any type of brand affiliation programs, please e-mail sirbarkleydood@gmail.com.