Caring For Your Puppy

The first thing to know and to take seriously is that your puppy is not fully vaccinated yet. Until you have finished your vaccinations, your puppy is very vulnerable to certain puppy diseases, particularly Parvo. Do not take your puppy to a rest stop or any place where unknown, potentially unvaccinated dogs have been. Be selective about where you take your puppy to relieve itself, and do not allow it to sniff another dogs poop or rub noses with an unknown dog.

We recommend having a crate in your car for the ride home, as it is the safest option. Have puppy pads in the crate with some extras on hand. Also, have water, food, a collar, and a leash.

Before you bring your puppy home, we encourage you to research and select a vet of your choice as soon as you put a deposit down. Once you pick your puppy and put a deposit down, make an appointment to see your vet and become an established patient within 3 days of brining puppy home.

Most vets will not see animals that are not established patients. If you have a medical emergency, you will be left with using an emergency pet hospital, and their prices are often much higher. 

Wire crate with adjustable panel

Crate cover

Exercise pen

Crate bed to be used after the first few months

Bed for outside of the crate

Water bowl

Food bowl

Nylon collar

Harness for walking

6 foot leash

Harness

Shampoo

Slicker brush

Metal comb, known as a “Greyhound Comb”

Waste bag tote and bags

Nail clippers and/or dremel for grinding nails

Stain and odor eliminator spray

Bitter apple deterrent spray

Approximately five age-appropriate toys

Feed your puppy dry kibble 4 times each day: early morning, lunch, late afternoon, and a smaller evening meal at least 2 hours prior to bedtime. Give your puppy enough food for them to eat all they want for 10-15 minutes, then pull the food up and store leftovers. Give them all the water they can drink after each of those 4 meals.

After the first 2 weeks, eliminate the evening meal but continue to give 4 offerings of water.

After the first 4 weeks, you can eliminate the noon meal.

It’s important to play with your pup as much as possible during the evening to keep him awake and tire him out. No evening naps. You’ll BOTH sleep better!

It is recommended to wait till your puppy has fully matured: after the first heat for females and around 1 year for males.

If you have an existing family pet, you’ll want to introduce them carefully and correctly. Google “introducing a new puppy to an existing pet” and you should discover proper practices. There are many great articles to be found on this subject, so please, PLEASE, do your due diligence and take your time to ensure a cohesive family life.

We are able to provide a scented blanket ahead of bringing your puppy home to get existing family pets familiar with their scent.

In case no one has told you yet, your Doodle puppy will be high maintenance when it comes to taking care of its coat.

It is important that you purchase a quality slicker brush and a “greyhound” metal comb. Brush your dog no less than every other day!

While they still have their baby coat, you won’t notice many mats, but once their adult coat comes in, around 7 months, you’ll need to be aware of checking for mats on a regular basis.

We recommend grooming every 6-8 weeks, beginning around 5 months old, by a professional groomer who has a good reputation grooming Doodles.

Remember to continue desensitizing your puppy to having his nails trimmed by deliberately touching his paws daily and giving him short toe massages.

Rub your puppy's ears daily to ensure they will be comfortable with the process when you apply ear wash.

Please continue crating your puppy for its safety as well as your peace of mind. However, the crate should never be used as a punishment. His crate should be his very own safe space. His baby crib, so to speak.

The size of the crate for a Standard Doodle should be large 42-48inch crate. We recommend getting a crate that can grow with your puppy. Many large crates come with a partition that can be adjusted as your puppy grows.

We recommend placing a wire crate next to your bed so that you can stick your fingers into the crate to soothe the puppy when he cries. Place only a towel or two in with him, as opposed to a bed, because chances are he’ll urinate on a bed. Make it simple for yourself.

Expect your new puppy to cry during the night for the first week, but resist the temptation to open the crate and coddle him. Do your best to ignore his cries, but if he cries for 2 hours despite your best efforts, go ahead and pick him up and take him immediately outside to potty. Once you place the pup on the ground, walk in figure 8’s around his “potty area.” He’ll follow behind you until he’s ready to go. You’ll need to watch over your shoulder to be sure he goes. Then, put him right back in his crate and try to get some much-needed sleep!

A puppy can hold his urine as long as his age in months + 1 hour. So when the pup is 8 weeks old, he can hold himself for up to 3 hours. At three months old, he’ll be able to hold himself for 4 hours, and so on.

During the day, you must take your pup out every 45-60 minutes, except after a meal when he’ll need to go out to poop immediately after eating. Plan to stay outside with him until he poops. If, after 10 minutes of walking in figure 8’s, your pup still hasn’t tinkled, bring him in and place him in his crate for 20-30 minutes. Then let him out of the crate, pick him up, and repeat the process.

We like “Potty Bell” training. Potty bells can be purchased from Amazon and are a series of 3 bells that hang on the doorknob, low enough for the puppy to use his nose to bump, signaling his need to go out. To train your pup to use Potty Bells, you’ll need to bump his nose on the bells for him, then IMMEDIATELY open the door to the outside. Do this until he gets it.

During the day, your puppy will need 3 hours alone in his crate in a quiet place. Give him a Nylabone to chew on and a safe toy that requires no supervision to play with. Cover his crate with a blanket or purchase a cover for your crate. They need this time to rest. They’re still babies! Also, this helps with separation anxiety throughout your dog’s life.

We also recommend a “Snuggle Puppy” to comfort him during the night. If you’d like one, we can order it for you and place it in your pup’s crate while with us at the cost of the snuggle puppy.

DO NOT give in to your puppy and put him in your bed unless you plan to continue allowing your puppy to sleep in the bed with you. Let your puppy cry it out. Stick with this for a week and you’ll find your pup has adjusted to his routine and enjoys his nighttime bed.

Until their growth plates are completely closed, you can do extensive damage to a puppy’s joints by allowing them to jump off things.

For instance, no jumping from the car to the ground. No jumping onto or off furniture, especially a bed due to the height. Limit exercise to what is appropriate for your puppy’s age.

Puppies are NOT ALLOWED TO NIP OR MOUTH YOU! You are not their sibling, and they can’t treat you like you are. Certainly, it’s not done aggressively, but sharp teeth hurt and tear the skin. Stop the behavior immediately and consistently by unlocking the pup’s teeth, grabbing its muzzle, and giving a loud, obnoxious “UH-UH!” Doodles can be “mouthy” breeds, so it’s a natural thing for them to nip or mouth things. Redirect them by using a toy or play a game with them, but if the repetitive correction doesn’t work, remove them from the area or take them outside.

YOU AND YOUR FAMILY will have to change YOUR bad habits also! No more underwear or socks on the floor. Pencils/pens, paper clips, bread ties, Christmas ornaments, glass, children’s toys, or ANYTHING big enough to fit in their mouth can kill your baby, so be more aware now than you’ve ever been about what’s within their reach.

JUMPING UP

Using your leg to offset their balance should correct them if used consistently.

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We recommend using positive reinforcement training techniques, as they are more effective and more humane than old school Dominance and Punishment based methods.

Training is most effective in short bursts, not long drawn out sessions, so get some treats and get five minutes in. Keep your puppy engaged with you the whole time.

We encourage you to be teachable yourself in finding proven techniques to train your puppy and to seek out professional help when needed. There are so many excellent training resources and classes for you and your puppy.