Some of you may know already, but I was involved in dog rescue for many years.  I saw all sorts of things - abuses, starvation, aggressive, food issues, potty training problems, over energy - and many really good dogs without issues too.  

We have chosen to breed for a 'breed' that is naturally a kind, funny, lower than average shedding dog.  They are amazingly smart - so smart, they often get into trouble as puppies.  You don't often see Goldendoodles in shelters - and if they are, they are scooped up within hours.   With that said, any puppy, especially a really smart breed/mix, is a TON of work and will out smart you in a hundred ways.

I was just yesterday talking with one of my friends that is still helping out with rescues, and she said something that was really impactful.  She said she never worries about the puppies being adopted.  The puppies are always adopted at the shelters.  The real issue is that they often come back as adults with behavioral issues because people don't set up training!   Some people think they know it all already and others want to save money and do it themselves.    

She said people will get a puppy and then days later call the staff at the front desk (who are not dog trainers) and ask them questions - "how do I get puppy to stop nipping the kids?", "how do I potty train?", "I didn't realize they needed this much exercise to be calm", "it's been a week, I want to quit - nevermind that I am disrupting this poop puppy's life by bouncing her around, but I need to bring her back."  

But she said they RARELY ever ask for recommendations of a trainer's name/number.    

We don't want this to happen to our puppies.  We state on our website and within our application and contract agreement, that a trainer is a MUST.   Puppy socialization classes AND an in home set of visit sessions.   Goldendoodles and doodles in general are very smart - so smart, they know how to get what they want. Even if you grew up with dogs, you still should get a trainer.  

We were born with dogs, and we still have a trainer at least once a month work with us.   It's worth the money.  We use a bunch of different ones - as they all have different philosophies and talents.  

Your puppy is a family member.   Shouldn't you pay for your puppy's schooling like you would your child's?   Shouldn't your children also learn how to work with puppy in the house?    Shouldn't you make sure that your puppy can be the best dog he can be?  

Have you asked or said any of these things?
"How do I get my puppy to stop nipping?"
"My dog pulls on a leash - how do I get her to stop?"
"Puppy won't calm down."
"Potty training isn't working."
"Crate training isn't working."
"My dog jumps on people - how do I get him to stop?"
"The puppy growls at the kids (never mind that the kids have been too rough or challenging to the puppy)."

It's YOU - not the dog.  

99% of the time it is not enough exercise and not enough practice with rules/structure.

Before you get a puppy, think - do you have a bunch of kids that are running around to sports games?  Do you really have time to add in puppy training classes?  Is everyone in the house on board with meeting with a trainer that comes to house? Do you go out with your friends a lot?  Do you travel a lot?  Are you not into exercise and walking a lot?   If the answer is yes, please do not get a puppy.  It's not fair to the puppy who could have a life with someone else that will invest time and money into their long term well being.  
 
The other thing to consider about training is that nowadays it sure is fun. Contemporary times mean that games are now being played (dogs LOVE games), positive reinforcement is the primary reward, and socially, dog people are a lot of fun to meet up with.  

Goldendoodle Puppy tips for newbies:  
1.  Keep the backend area trimmed or you'll end up with a poop dam when they get super fluffy.
2.  Eye boogers should be swiped by your finger or a baby wipe every morning and then they won't build up.  (super pet peeve of mine...dogs with eye boogies - I even by instinct clean the boogies off stranger's dogs that I say hi to - I just can't help myself!)
3.  If you have kids, have THEM feed the puppy....use your hand when they are little....me and the guardians put our hands in the puppies' food just so they know it's ok and keep food aggression at bay.  Sometimes puppies will growl when taking away something very special to them (like a bully stick) - my vet says, "why are you giving them something and then taking it away?" - so be realistic with your expectations.  If you ever try to take my creme brûlée, I'm going to growl at you.  
4.  If you are not comfortable trimming nails (I am not), drop in on your groomer or vet - they will usually do this on a drop in basis for a small fee.
5.  Do not give your puppy the chance to see that you don't mean it when you use the word "come" - don't use the word unless you know they will succeed - set your puppy up for success by keeping him/her on a leash during the first month or so at home (if you want more detail on this, dm or email me).  Dogs that have high prey (squirrel chasers, ahem Benji) instinct will be harder to get to come back to you than those that are loyal.  When in an emergency, run AWAY from your pup...most the time they will freak out that you're leaving them and run to you.  Chasing your puppy teaches them it's a game and they'll never come to you after a good game of chase/keep away.  If you have kids and your kids enjoy chasing the puppy, good luck training "come."
6.  Trust me...even though you may have had dogs before and you might know a lot about dog training, take your pup to puppy school.  It's more for the puppy's growing mind and social development than anything else (although it is good for you - and your kids if you have them - to learn or be refreshed).
7.  Many of you have asked about the balance of keeping the puppy inside while young and not having all shots and getting socialized - the advice is conflicting.  If your puppy does not have all of her/his shots, be careful in public places.  Do not put your puppy on the floor at the vet.  Do not let your puppy go into areas that lots of other dogs pee.  Most will tell you that you should socialize your puppy more than worry about shot coverage - I think you need to socialize but be smart and thoughtful.  Lepto can be found on a drop of rabbit pee on a blade of grass - so be careful.  
8.  If they have runny mushy poo when they go home to you, they might just be nervous...use a scoop of canned pumpkin in their food - they will love it.  
9.  Dogs with floppy ears (goldendoodles) are susceptible to ear infections...clean them weekly with Eptioptic solution.  If you take your dog swimming, definitely clean with the solution after.  
10.  If a puppy is biting....I promise you, it is just a stage.  There is a lot of advice out there how to stop it, but the best is "be patient and persistent."  Say "no biting" and don't engage in rough play.  Try replacing your hands with a toy.  And don't swat at their face, even in play - their mouths are their hands and they love to use their mouths to discover things and for play.
11.  If you want your puppy to pee immediately upon going outside (a handy trick if you live in the city and for during storms), do not play with them or even talk to them...stand with  your arms folded and don't make eye contact.  When they pee, be so super excited...like you won the Powerball.  This is also handy if you are potty training and need to get up at 3 am....do not play or they'll think it's always playtime.
12.  Do not give up on crate training.  Do not. ;-)
13.  Use Nature's Miracle (see the list of what to get your puppy on this site)
14.  If you are in the city and having trouble getting your puppy to go potty outside, find grass.  Puppies naturally like to pee on grass.  This is not scientific information, this is just my observation from taking many pups outside.
15.  If you have bought your pup a big fluffy dog bed, don't use it while they are little.  Many of them love to pee on fluffy things - and to chew the stuffing out.  Get a small, flat one or use towels that are easy to wash and you don't care if they get chewed on.  I use a towel and they are so much easier to throw in the wash than a big dog bed and I don't have to worry about them swallowing stuffing.  When they are somewhat house trained, then try giving them a fluffy dog bed.  I am definitely saving you some money here!  They like to chew - it's fun and makes their teeth feel good.  

I took a call from someone that had puppy questions that tipped me off that she had a bad puppy experience.  At first, I thought she was worried about the puppy being bad to her kids, then, I realized she was concerned about how her KIDS were going to be with the puppy.  I finally got out of her that they had a puppy this past summer and the kids squished it and it died.  Her kids didn't know any better (very young), and were, unfortunately, unsupervised - it only took a few minutes for the disaster to happen.  Yes.  Wow.  My stomach hurts thinking about it.  

I looked on the internet for stories of kids accidentally killing puppies.  I was shocked how many stories there were.  While I don't have kids, I know a ton of kids and, yes, I know most little kids are not naturally gentle with puppies or cats or little animals.  They need taught to be gentle.  My sweet 3 yr old niece is an example.  She tries to carry mom's huge cat around (much to his dismay), she wants to help feed the fish and will dump the whole container of flakes in the aquarium, and while she was very good with the puppies when they were tiny, as they got bigger she would try to carry them.  She's just a bitty thing, so carrying anything more than a few pounds is way too much for her to do safely.  She just doesn't understand that an accident can happen - it does not mean that she's a mean kid.  She's a sweetie.  So, we don't let her off a chair or the couch when she is puppy playing - and she is NEVER unsupervised.  

You all might be wondering what I said to the woman that called me.  Well, perhaps a surprise due to my love for puppies and dogs, but I was nice to this woman because I felt it was a sad, bad accident and she wanted to make it right.  Of course, I had to lecture her that puppies are babies - they are not resilient and able to handle kids' rough housing.  They haven't seen anything of the world yet.  Everything is brand new.  The first things they learn of humans shouldn't be rough handling.  They are fragile, they have tendons and bones that are growing, and they also need gentle handling so they don't think kids are toys and learn rough habits that are dangerous for all (and not fair for the puppy who is being hurt and defending itself by snapping).  Their mouths are their hands.  They don't know what is toxic and they shouldn't eat.  They don't automatically know to stay off roads away from traffic.  They don't know the kitty is not a toy, or that not all humans are nice (and some are just outright dangerous).  They don't understand why we put a collar on them and why we keep them tied with a leash.  It is our responsibility to introduce them to the world, to show them how to walk and run on a leash without pulling, one step at a time - and give them the same consideration and gentleness and patience that we would our human kids.  Puppies are babies!

So when people call me and ask, "are your puppies good with kids?" - I'm going to ask them, "are your kids good with puppies?".  All of my puppy owners are so good with their puppies - but no matter how good everyone's intentions are - Accidents do happen to good people and good kids (and good puppies)!  

I don't judge good people on accidents (but, that doesn't mean I won't lecture and if you've made a mistake - like I have many times - be big enough to stand for the lecture and learn from it).  When I was in college, my stepdad accidentally ran over a puppy as he was backing out of the driveway.  He's been tortured about that forever.  

Of course, this doesn't mean we're going to allow one of our puppies go to a home that has questionable supervision and consideration.  This woman is going to take awhile to heal and she knows that she's not going to be able to get the dog of her life that she's been waiting forever for until her home and kids and life are 'puppy safe'.  She's taking the right steps and having a dog trainer come over and teach them about animal care BEFORE they ever consider getting another, and she's going to wait until they are older and get an older puppy/dog (probably one over 3 years old).  A very hard lesson to learn, but the horizon is bright for her and her family!