CARING FOR YOUR GOLDENDOODLE PUPPY
Getting used to crates!!
Please also see our specific to doodles tip list: Doodle Care Tips
Training
Our experience has been that Goldendoodles are very easy to train. All dogs have different personalities, and some are certainly easier than others to train. We let our puppies outside to learn to ‘do business’ outside, starting at 4 to 5 weeks of age. Some take longer than others, and we recommend the first month or so that your puppy is home with you, that you are vigilant about taking your new dog outside to ‘do business’ – with lots of praise and treats whenever a good job is completed! Never beat or hit your dog (and why bother yelling?) – you will just confuse them and make them difficult to train on other tasks. Goldendoodles are very smart, both breeds that they come from are on the high scale of intelligence in comparison to other breeds, and they will quickly learn from a patient and consistent owner.
Food
We feed high quality dog food to our dogs. Is it more expensive than dog food available at the grocery store? Yes. Is it another trip somewhere? Yes. We have had dogs forever and we guarantee you that there is a significant difference in coat and skin, as well as, yep, less poop to pick up. By feeding food with a higher protein and vitamin content than the junk at grocery stores, you will find that your dog benefits from her food more so than others that are eating less premium food. Even the ‘premium’ dog food at grocery stores is not enough to give your dog the optimal nutrition benefit. For example, the average ‘premium’ dog food at the grocery store contains 21% protein (and even less in the junky stuff), whereas the average protein in premium dog foods available at pet stores contain 28% protein.
Besides being a love of your life, a family member, and a best friend, your dog is also an investment of your time and money. Why feed junk dog food to a pet you’ve invested in? You want them to live a long and healthy life or you wouldn’t have gotten a dog in the first place, right? Feeding food with the best components could also save you vet bills on health issues and time picking up lots of messy poo!
Speaking of Poo
Trust us, we’ve had dogs for years – it easier to pick up poo when it happens than to wait awhile and have a messed up yard and a dog that doesn’t know where a clean spot is. If you walk your dog (we recommend at least two walks a day – for your sanity and the dog’s), you will pick up the poo then with a bag (grocery bags work fine). If you have a yard that you let your dog out into, please still walk your dog. A dog without exercise is a dog looking to chew or get into something or to start misbehaving. Keeping a clean space for them to do their business will encourage them to ‘do business’ as prompted and keep your yard from becoming unusable. Dogs are susceptible to getting parasites/worms and sometimes poo can be the carrier. Don’t be lazy – clean up poo daily!
Patience
Puppies will take some time to grow and mature – be patient with them! They will be excellent companions and will learn to behave in an acceptable manner.
Your Dog is an Indoor Pet
Do not leave your dog outside to live. If you are going to be the type that ties their dog up outside to a dog house to live, please don’t get a dog. Let someone else have the opportunity to have fun with the dog and let the dog be able to have a family that will allow it to be included into family life. Dogs are social beings, and it is sheer torture for them to be ostracized. It’s not fair to the dog or to anyone else that has to see it. We realize some dogs just want to always be outside (we had huskies), but we always let ours inside to spend time with the family and to have some fun, for as much as they could stand. Imagine your life tied up to a box with nothing to do and no one to talk to – and you didn’t even commit a crime – and you have that punishment to serve – it’s cruel and not necessary. Dogs outside get forgotten – people forget to feed and water them, and they have to deal with awful weather and storms. Don’t be that cruel person. Get a dog walker or a neighborhood kid to the let the dog out and to play with it, if you can’t get home at certain times. Dogs are a big responsibility – they cost money, and they also ‘cost’ time….but there is no doubt, you will get much more in return than you’ll ever pay out.
LOOKING for additional ‘How to Care For Your Dog’ information? Check out our Blog posts!
Training
Our experience has been that Goldendoodles are very easy to train. All dogs have different personalities, and some are certainly easier than others to train. We let our puppies outside to learn to ‘do business’ outside, starting at 4 to 5 weeks of age. Some take longer than others, and we recommend the first month or so that your puppy is home with you, that you are vigilant about taking your new dog outside to ‘do business’ – with lots of praise and treats whenever a good job is completed! Never beat or hit your dog (and why bother yelling?) – you will just confuse them and make them difficult to train on other tasks. Goldendoodles are very smart, both breeds that they come from are on the high scale of intelligence in comparison to other breeds, and they will quickly learn from a patient and consistent owner.
- Crating your puppy is essential to a quicker training process and your puppy’s mental health. Puppies that are crate trained not only have a safe place to go to when they need it, but they also learn faster how to ‘hold it’. Crates are not to be used for punishment. Your puppy will be familiar with a crate because we will work with all the puppies using a crate as a go to place for them to sleep and have a safe place. Young puppies will not be 100% house-trained. Their bladders are tiny and their teeth are sore – so they will provide opportunities for you to train them! When your puppy has an accident in the house, try to catch them while they are doing it. Give a stern ‘no’ (no need to yell or get mad) and take your puppy outside where you would like them to ‘do business’. Teach them by repeating what you’d like them to do (‘do business’) and then reward them with praise and a treat when they do. If they don’t, give them a few minutes, and then bring them back inside. This sounds easier than it is (especially the catching while doing it part – puppies usually need to ‘do business’ after a nap or after playing). Remember, their bladders are small and they aren’t mature enough yet to be perfectly housebroken. Be patient and be kind. Your puppy will start to ‘hide it’ if you are not kind enough because he will be afraid of you. That is not an efficient way to train a puppy. If you find they have went in the house when you weren’t watching, don’t bother scolding the puppy or ‘showing’ him the mess – they don’t have long memories and will just think you are crazy and avoid you even more. If they are chewing, tell them ‘no’, and give them a toy to chew on instead. If your puppy chews or bites a lot, always keep a toy handy to replace with your hands/fingers. Do not play with anything you don’t want them to chew on! Puppies ‘teeth’ and you might find the occasional tooth around the house; no need to be concerned, this is normal as they replace their puppy teeth with their adult teeth. Puppies stop teething (and, really, stop chewing if properly trained) anywhere from 6 months to 1.5 years. We had a Great Dane that ate our leather couch when he was a year old!
- We recommend that you put your puppy in their crate to sleep overnight and not in bed with you. If you decide to, you can allow them later, when the puppy is an adult and can be trusted. They will learn to not get up and get into things or have an accident in the house if you put them in their crate overnight. Some dogs take years to settle down through a night and you really don’t want your garbage strewn all over or your cat harassed while you are sleeping. Do not leave puppies in their crates for more than a few hours at first, and as they acclimate, no longer than 8 hours (that goes for adults too).
- There are several keys to good training: be patient, kind, yet stern; do not abuse your pet – come up with tactics that work better than yelling (such as replacing your fingers with a toy when they are biting and always having treats on hand to reward good behavior); during the first few months keep a very close eye on your puppy; be patient and know that it will take consistent and patient reminders before your dog knows his rules well; until your dog is mature enough, use the crate – for his and your sanity!
Food
We feed high quality dog food to our dogs. Is it more expensive than dog food available at the grocery store? Yes. Is it another trip somewhere? Yes. We have had dogs forever and we guarantee you that there is a significant difference in coat and skin, as well as, yep, less poop to pick up. By feeding food with a higher protein and vitamin content than the junk at grocery stores, you will find that your dog benefits from her food more so than others that are eating less premium food. Even the ‘premium’ dog food at grocery stores is not enough to give your dog the optimal nutrition benefit. For example, the average ‘premium’ dog food at the grocery store contains 21% protein (and even less in the junky stuff), whereas the average protein in premium dog foods available at pet stores contain 28% protein.
- What’s a good percentage of protein to look for in dog food? We feed dog food that has at least 28%.
- What vitamins are important? Most premium dog food contains the needed amount of vitamins, but ‘extras’ are always nice, such as glucosamine.
- What else should you know about dog food? We’ve had a lot of success feeding ‘grain free’ dog food. Give it a try. Also, try different treats. Do not feed your dog chocolate or junk food. Use high quality dog treats for training and rewards.
- Where can you get premium dog food? Most pet stores have premium dog food. We currently feed NutriSource to the puppies and Wellness to our adults - grain free. It is also fun to take your dog to the pet stores – they enjoy the interaction and it helps socialize them. You can also order great premium dog food online that will be delivered to your door - usually at the same cost!
Besides being a love of your life, a family member, and a best friend, your dog is also an investment of your time and money. Why feed junk dog food to a pet you’ve invested in? You want them to live a long and healthy life or you wouldn’t have gotten a dog in the first place, right? Feeding food with the best components could also save you vet bills on health issues and time picking up lots of messy poo!
Speaking of Poo
Trust us, we’ve had dogs for years – it easier to pick up poo when it happens than to wait awhile and have a messed up yard and a dog that doesn’t know where a clean spot is. If you walk your dog (we recommend at least two walks a day – for your sanity and the dog’s), you will pick up the poo then with a bag (grocery bags work fine). If you have a yard that you let your dog out into, please still walk your dog. A dog without exercise is a dog looking to chew or get into something or to start misbehaving. Keeping a clean space for them to do their business will encourage them to ‘do business’ as prompted and keep your yard from becoming unusable. Dogs are susceptible to getting parasites/worms and sometimes poo can be the carrier. Don’t be lazy – clean up poo daily!
Patience
Puppies will take some time to grow and mature – be patient with them! They will be excellent companions and will learn to behave in an acceptable manner.
Your Dog is an Indoor Pet
Do not leave your dog outside to live. If you are going to be the type that ties their dog up outside to a dog house to live, please don’t get a dog. Let someone else have the opportunity to have fun with the dog and let the dog be able to have a family that will allow it to be included into family life. Dogs are social beings, and it is sheer torture for them to be ostracized. It’s not fair to the dog or to anyone else that has to see it. We realize some dogs just want to always be outside (we had huskies), but we always let ours inside to spend time with the family and to have some fun, for as much as they could stand. Imagine your life tied up to a box with nothing to do and no one to talk to – and you didn’t even commit a crime – and you have that punishment to serve – it’s cruel and not necessary. Dogs outside get forgotten – people forget to feed and water them, and they have to deal with awful weather and storms. Don’t be that cruel person. Get a dog walker or a neighborhood kid to the let the dog out and to play with it, if you can’t get home at certain times. Dogs are a big responsibility – they cost money, and they also ‘cost’ time….but there is no doubt, you will get much more in return than you’ll ever pay out.
LOOKING for additional ‘How to Care For Your Dog’ information? Check out our Blog posts!