Taking My New Puppy Home

---

Your new family member is very happy, and excited to be part of your family! It is important to remember he/she is just 8 weeks old and as your family and your doodle are adjusting to each other you should think of your puppy as a new baby. It is important to have a calm, quiet environment when they first come home. It will be very exciting time, and everyone will want to hold them, but just try not to do too much too soon. There is a 3-3-3 rule that can be very helpful

3 hours for your puppy to get used to their new environment

3 Days to adjust to their new home and routine

3 months to fully adjust and feel like part of  your family

Your new puppy has been potty training for the last 3 weeks and has mastered getting themselves to their potty area! This may seem fast, but goldendoodles are very smart! They will not be perfect for another month or so, but they are for sure well on their way and should have very few accidents if they know where their potty area is and can easily get there!  

To ensure a successful transition, the most important thing to do is show them where their new potty area is!! I cannot stress enough how important it is to make this a priority the first 3-4 days. Offer your puppy some fresh water when you get home and about every 30 minutes after getting home. 

After they have had a drink, walk your new puppy to the place you want them to go. It is important to let them walk outside themselves and not carry them out. It is helpful to have one person inside guiding them to the door or area, and another person outside calling them to come out and "go potty". This is what we have been doing and will understand this command. Once they go, be sure to give them a verbal "Good Job" and a physical pet on their head!  

Always take them out every time they wake up from a nap and after every drink and every meal.  

Consistency is key to successful potty training. If possible and safe, leave a door open to get to where they will go potty so they can get there on their own. 

Another helpful tip: After they have done their first poop, leave it there for a couple of days to establish their scent. Always take them to the exact same place every time. Wherever you want them to poop, that is where you should place their poop!

Your new puppy is teething and will be for the next 6-8  months or so. Puppies also identify their new environment and surroundings by mouthing. They love to bite and chew on things to also make their teeth feel better through teething. Your puppy has learned biting sensitivity but will need to be reminded letting out a high pitch yelp, like a litter mate would do, and then offer them a chew toy. Do the same if you find them biting on something they are not supposed to be chewing. Several different types of chew toys will keep your new puppy entertained and help everyone feel a lot better and happier!

****If during the day or especially before they are ready to go to bed, they become more bitey or aggressive, it means they are tired and need to rest or sleep. New puppies are very much like a toddler and will still need a lot of breaks and rest between being held and playing.

Yes! Hopefully! They have been part of a litter up to this point in their life and they have all been on a very regular schedule when going to bed and waking up each day. Establishing your family routine as early as possible to help insure a regular sleeping schedule for your new puppy. They currently have been going to sleep around 8 pm and waking about 6 am. They do not need to go out to go potty anytime during the night, unless something they have eaten has upset their stomachs. 

Before putting your puppy down for the night, make sure to take them out one last time. Also take them out again, before YOU go to bed! Make sure they have their smelly blanket and snuggle puppy to help settle themselves down.  If you are crate training, putting a blanket over the crate will create a cavelike feel which is very comforting for them. If your puppy does start to whine or bark about 4 or 5 am, take them out to go potty, but then try to put them back in their crate until it is time for them to get up. 

In addition, your goldendoodle, by nature loves to be with their humans! It would be best to locate their crate or sleeping area for the night near you and your family. 

If you have tried everything and your puppy is still whining or barking, take them out. He may just need to go potty now, even though you already tried earlier! Once you finished, take them right back in and put them back, be firm and tell them it is time to go to bed. 

Your puppy has been eating Open Farm Chicken, Salmon & Ancient Grains Puppy. You can find this at a smaller specialty pet store or online at Openfarmpet.com or on Amazon. If you want to purchase a new puppy food, please wait until you puppy is about 6 months old and has time to adjust to their new home. When you do purchase a new puppy food, just be sure to look for one that has ingredients you can pronounce!! There are so many healthier options now for dog food, you really should not have a problem finding a healthy and clean choice. It is also important to buy puppy food that includes a healthy grain! A new study came out linking early onset of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and other heart problems for large breed dogs to the grain free diets and lower quality dog foods. Dogs need a healthy grain as part of their daily nutrients in their food.  

Feed your puppy according to the guidelines on the back of the dog food bag. Typically, as a puppy it is better to feed them 3 smaller meals a day until they are closer to a year old, then switch them to twice a day. Right now, I would start with 1/3 to 1/2 cup per MEAL so 1 cup to 11/2 cups per DAY. You can increase or decrease that amount according to how much they are eating per feeding, but not to exceed the total amount recommend for 1 day.  

If your puppy does not seem very interested in eating when first getting them home, this is completely normal. They just need some time to adjust! You can also put a little warm water on their dry kibble to make a gravy. They usually have it a little wet with warm water. You can also mix in some pumpkin.

YES!! Your puppy is incredibly smart and loves to be trained and learn new things! They will do pretty much anything to make you happy and especially also for a dog treat!  You can teach them to sit, stay, lay down and shake pretty quick. These basic commands will prepare them for other safety commands and help in correcting behavior as they get older. In addition to enrichment activities, we have been already working on basic commands with small treats and praise.