Getting Ready for your new Puppy
Be sure to order your food well in advance of picking your puppy up
Supplies you will need:
Before you bring your puppy home, be sure you have the following supplies:
1. We have been feeding your puppy Life's Abundance Puppy Food. Order your food right from our website and have it delivered to your doorstep. The easiest way to get started is to order the Small/Medium Breed Healthy Start Package
2. “Labradoodle” by Miriam Fields-Babineau. Great book uniquely designed to learn about Labradoodles.
3. Stainless steel, non-tip food and water bowls.
4. Identification tags with your puppy's name, your name, phone number and your veterinarian's name and phone number. A collar and a leather or nylon 6-foot leash
that's 1/2 - 3/4 inches wide.
5. A 30 inch crate for sleeping in and potty training
6. Stain remover for accidental soiling. We highly recommend Life's Abundance Biodeodorizer Spray.
7. Brushes and combs suited to your puppy's coat; a slicker brush works well along with a
comb with a fine tooth side and a wider tooth side.
8. Life's Abundance Revitalizing Shampoo
9. High-quality, safe chew toys to ease teething.
10. Heartworm, flea, tick and parasite controls, if needed in your area. You can get
these items from your veterinarian at your first vet visit; these products need
to be age appropriate for your puppy.
11. Nail clippers & Quick Stop (Quick Stop prevents nails from bleeding if cut
too short). Baby powder works well too.
12. Life's Abundance Tasty Rewards Training Treats
13. A pooper-scooper to pick up doggie poop.
14. Also if you can bring a towel, or a cloth type of dog toy, with you when you pick up
your puppy, to rub the scent of the other puppies onto it, you can keep this towel, rag, or dog toy, in the crate with your new puppy for added comfort. We provide you with a stuffed animal that has the other puppies scent on it.
Before you bring your puppy home, be sure you have the following supplies:
1. We have been feeding your puppy Life's Abundance Puppy Food. Order your food right from our website and have it delivered to your doorstep. The easiest way to get started is to order the Small/Medium Breed Healthy Start Package
2. “Labradoodle” by Miriam Fields-Babineau. Great book uniquely designed to learn about Labradoodles.
3. Stainless steel, non-tip food and water bowls.
4. Identification tags with your puppy's name, your name, phone number and your veterinarian's name and phone number. A collar and a leather or nylon 6-foot leash
that's 1/2 - 3/4 inches wide.
5. A 30 inch crate for sleeping in and potty training
6. Stain remover for accidental soiling. We highly recommend Life's Abundance Biodeodorizer Spray.
7. Brushes and combs suited to your puppy's coat; a slicker brush works well along with a
comb with a fine tooth side and a wider tooth side.
8. Life's Abundance Revitalizing Shampoo
9. High-quality, safe chew toys to ease teething.
10. Heartworm, flea, tick and parasite controls, if needed in your area. You can get
these items from your veterinarian at your first vet visit; these products need
to be age appropriate for your puppy.
11. Nail clippers & Quick Stop (Quick Stop prevents nails from bleeding if cut
too short). Baby powder works well too.
12. Life's Abundance Tasty Rewards Training Treats
13. A pooper-scooper to pick up doggie poop.
14. Also if you can bring a towel, or a cloth type of dog toy, with you when you pick up
your puppy, to rub the scent of the other puppies onto it, you can keep this towel, rag, or dog toy, in the crate with your new puppy for added comfort. We provide you with a stuffed animal that has the other puppies scent on it.
Helpful Hints
Use stainless steel, non-tip food bowls, which won't break or absorb odors.
Toys with parts that squeak or whistle can be dangerous if swallowed. These should only be used while monitoring your puppy. We highly recommend buying a Kong. A Kong with peanut butter (small amounts) can keep your puppy busy for hours.
For a comfortable collar fit, allow for two-fingers of space between the collar and your dog's neck; consider using an adjustable collar. Your puppy's first collar should be approximatley 8-10 inches.
Making a Home Safe
To make your home safe for your new puppy, eliminate potential hazards around the
house and pay attention to the following items:
1 Keep breakable objects out of reach.
2 Deny access to electrical cords by hiding or covering them.
3 Safely store household chemicals.
4 Keep the following house and garden plants out of reach: poinsettias, azaleas,
rhododendrons, dumb cane, Japanese yew, oleander and English ivy among others.
5 In the garage, be sure engine lubricants and other poisonous chemicals (especially
antifreeze) are safely stored.
6 If you own a pool or hot tub, check the cover or the surrounding fence to be sure
they're in good condition.
The First Days at Home
The ideal time to bring home a new puppy is when the house is quiet. Discourage friends from stopping by and don't allow overnight guests for puppies first couple nights. First establish a daily routine and follow these steps:
Step 1: Before bringing him in the house, take him to the area in your yard that will serve as
his "bathroom" and spend a few minutes there. If he goes, praise him. If not, proceed into the house but be sure to take him to this spot each time he needs to use the bathroom.
Step 2: Take him to the room that accommodates your crate—this restricted area will
serve as his new "den". Put bedding and chew toys in the crate (be sure bedding is easily washable incase of an accident). Let him investigate the crate and the room, making it a happy experience for him.
Step 3: Observe and interact with your puppy while he's acclimating to his new den. This will
help forge a sense of pack and establish you as the pack leader
Puppy Feeding Tips
Puppy needs to be fed 3 times a day until 6 months old and then you can slowly
eliminate the midday feeding. Most puppies eat about 1/3 cup per feeding, but be sure to read the Guidelines for feeding on your Life's Abundance Dog Food label.
Special Puppy Concerns
Don't treat a puppy as young as 9 to 12 weeks old like an adult dog. Treat him the
same way you would your own infant: with patience, constant supervision and a gentle touch. The way you interact with your puppy at this age is critical to his socialization. Use these tips:
1. Don't bring home a puppy while you're on vacation so you can spend a lot of time with
him. Instead, acclimate him to your normal, daily routine.
2. Supervise your puppy at all times and interact with him regularly.
3. Be alert for signs (sniffing and circling) that he has to go to the bathroom, then
take him outside immediately.
4. A young puppy has no bladder control and will need to urinate immediately after
eating, drinking, sleeping or playing. At night, he may need to relieve himself after 4 - 6
hours of sleep.
5. Don't punish an accident. Never push his nose in the waste or scold him. He won't
understand, and may learn to go to the bathroom when you're out of sight.
6. Praise your puppy every time he goes to the bathroom outside.
Children and Pets
Ideally, your kids should be apart in choosing your new puppy. When you bring puppy home, don't let them play with him constantly. Do not let the children always pick up
puppy and carry him around, this can be dangerous and also can cause behavorial
problems with your puppy. Puppies in particular need a lot of rest just like a growing child.
Children should never be allowed to poke fingers into puppies crate, this is puppies den or what I like to call “safe place”. Limit puppy-children play sessions to 15-30 minute periods 2-3 times a day.
·
Young children may be tempted to shout at a puppy if they think he's doing something wrong. Be sure they understand that puppies and dogs can be easily upset and startled by loud noises.
·
No teasing. Keeping a toy just out of reach will reinforce bad habits such as jumping up and excessive barking.
·
Wagging tails and play biting can be too rough for some young children. Supervise interaction and separate them if the play is too rough.
Never allow a puppy to bite or nip at children.
·
Teach kids to care for a dog by showing them how to feed and groom
him.
If puppy starts to dominate over a child, have the child hand feed puppy. This indicates to puppy that the child is higher in the pack order than puppy. This is exetremly important that puppy never get in the hierarchy of the pack! If he does, this will lead to behavorial problems!!
Grooming Basics
Regular brushing helps eliminate tangles and mats and gets your puppy accustomed to being handled. It also gives you the opportunity to check for ticks and fleas, lesions, lumps and changes in his skin and coat.
Slicker brushes have a bed of fine, closely spaced wires that usually are hooked or bent; they're good all-purpose brushes for removing mats, loose hair and debris.
Combs are used in the final grooming step for longhaired dogs, leaving their hair sleek, smooth and shiny.
Begin the brushing process with a slicker to remove dead hair, debris and tangles.
For tough tangles, gently comb or brush small sections at a time, giving yourself
and your dog a break every few minutes. Be careful not to tug at or tear the
hair.
After the coat is smooth, give your dog a final brushing with a comb. Give plenty of praise during the brushing process and reward your dog with a treat when you're finished.
Bath time is much easier after a thorough brushing. Although labradoodles do not need many baths, here are some guidelines on the occasions you do need to bath them:
Place your dog in a tub or a basin with a nonskid surface. Hold your dog's collar firmly, then slowly pour several pitchers of lukewarm water over his body, being careful to leave the head dry.
Soap your dog's body with a dog shampoo, then massage the soap into a lather, talking
to your dog and praising him as you work. When his body is lathered, move to his head, being careful to keep shampoo out of his eyes, ears and mouth.
Rinse and dry your dog's head, then rinse his body. When the water runs clear, rinse one more time.
Thoroughly dry your dog with towels. If your dog has healthy skin, you can dry him further
with a hair dryer set on low or warm temperature.
Proper foot care will keep your doggie dancing and help prevent unnecessary pain and infection later on. Most dogs don't like to have their feet handled, so go slowly--one paw at a time--and make foot handling a part of playtime starting from puppy hood.
Remove mats of hair from between the toes and pads of dogs with hairy feet; if ignored,
the mats can become as hard as rocks. Then, using scissors, trim the hair between the pads and between the toes so it is level with the dog's foot.
Regular exercise on a hard surface may keep a dog's nails worn down. However, most
domestic dogs will need to have their nails clipped every few weeks. Your dog has dewclaws (the smaller claw on the back of each leg, higher than the paws), those always will need clipping. If the nails or dewclaws are allowed to grow, they may curl inward into the skin and cause a painful infection.
Use nail clippers designed specifically for dogs. One type, known as the guillotine style, has a round opening for the dog's nail and a blade that slides across to clip the nail. Another type works like a pair of scissors. This type puts less pressure on the nail and is more comfortable for the dog. Make sure the blades are sharp.
Trim only the "hook" end of the nail. Clipping a nail to short can be painful and may
cause bleeding. Frequent trimming of a small amount of nail always is better than waiting until the nail is long. Never trim into the quick -- the live portion of the nail. If you are
uncomfortable doing this procedure, many groomers will trim your dog’s nails for a small fee.
Ear care generally is the easiest grooming task. Unless your dog has ear problems or
spends time hunting and swimming, ear cleaning needs to be done only every few weeks.
Life's Abundance Ear Cleaner works very nicely.
Each month trim the hair very short under the ear flap (against the dog’s cheek), this aids in keeping a good fresh air flow to the ears and will prevent ear problems.
Tips for Housetraining Puppies
As with most things in life, there are hard ways and there are easy ways to get things done. Rubbing a puppy's nose in a mess is an inappropriate way to housetrain. Using ample amounts of supervision and positive reinforcement is the easy way.
Starting Off On the Right Track
The first course of action in housetraining is to promote the desired behavior. You need to:
·
Designate an appropriate elimination area outdoors
·
Frequently guide your dog there to do his business
·
Heartily praise him when he goes
By occasionally giving a food reward immediately after your dog finishes, you can
encourage him to eliminate in the desired area. The odor left from previous visits to that area will quickly mark it as the place for the pup to do his business.
Timing and Consistancy Is Important!
The first week or two that your puppy is home, he should be brought outside every half
hour to hour to teach him to eliminate outdoors. Once he understand this concept he
can be taken outdoors every one to three hours. Older puppies can generally wait longer between outings. Most puppies should be taken out:
·
After waking in the morning
·
After naps
·
After meals
·
After playing or training
·
After being left alone
·
Immediately before being put to bed
Eliminating On Command
To avoid spending a lot of time waiting for your puppy to get the job done, you may want to teach him to eliminate on command. Each time he is in the act of eliminating, simply repeat a unique command, such as "hurry up" or "potty", in an upbeat tone of voice. After a few weeks of training, you will notice that when you say the command your puppy will begin pre-elimination sniffing, circling, and then eliminate shortly after you give the command. Be sure to praise him for his accomplishments.
Feeding Schedules
Most puppies will eliminate within an hour after eating. Once you take control of your puppy's feeding schedule, you will have some control over when he needs to eliminate.
·
Schedule your puppy's dining times so that you will be available to let him out after eating.
·
Avoid giving your puppy a large meal just prior to confining him or he may have to eliminate when you are not around to take him out. Your puppy has been fed 3x daily while living here….6 am, 12 noon, 5 pm. When puppy reaches 6 months you can reduce feeding to 2x daily.
·
Have food available for only 30 to 40 minutes, then remove it.
·
The last feeding of the day should be completed several hours before he is confined for the night. By controlling the feeding schedule, exercise sessions, confinement periods, and trips outdoors to the elimination area, your puppy will quickly develop a reliable schedule for eliminating.
Expect Some Mistakes
Left on his own, the untrained puppy is very likely to make a mistake. Close supervision is a very important part of training. Do not consider your puppy housetrained until he has gone at least four consecutive weeks without eliminating in the house. For older dogs, this period should be even longer. Until then:
·
Your puppy should constantly be within eyesight.
·
Baby gates or x-pens can be helpful to control movement throughout the house and
to aid supervision.
·
Keep them in the crate when unsupervised.
When you are away from home, sleeping, or if you are just too busy to closely monitor your pet's activities, confine him to a small, safe area in the home.
Nervous Wetting
If your puppy squats and urinates when he greets you, he may have a problem called
submissive urination. Dogs and puppies that urinate during greetings are very
sensitive and should never be scolded when they do this, since punishment inevitably makes the problem worse.
Most young puppies will grow out of this behavior if you are calm, quiet, and avoid
reaching toward the head during greetings. Another helpful approach is to calmly ask your dog to sit for a very tasty treat each time someone greets him.
Direct Him Away from Problem Areas
Urine and fecal odor should be thoroughly removed to keep your dog from returning to
areas of the home where he has had an accident.
·
Be sure to use a good commercial product manufactured specifically to clean up doggy odors. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for usage.
·
If a carpeted area has been soaked with urine, be sure to saturate it with the clean up product and not merely spray the surface.
·
Rooms in the home where your dog has had frequent mistakes should be closed off for several months. He should only be allowed to enter when accompanied by a family member.
Don't Make Things Worse
It is a rare dog or puppy that can be housetrained without having an accident, so you need to be ready to handle the inevitable problems. · Do not rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This approach usually does not work, and may actually delay training.
·
An appropriate correction consists of simply providing a moderate, startling distraction. You should only do this when you see your dog in the act of eliminating in the wrong place.
·
A sharp noise, such as a loud "Ahh" or a quick stomp on the floor, is all that is usually needed to stop the behavior. Just do not be too loud or your pet may learn to avoid eliminating in front of you, even outdoors.
Practice Patience
Do not continue to scold or correct your dog after he has stopped soiling. When he stops, quickly take him outdoors so that he will finish in the appropriate area and be praised.
Never rub your dog's nose in an accident. There is absolutely no way this will help training, and may actually make him afraid of you.
Success!
The basic principles of housetraining are pretty simple, but a fair amount of patience is required. The most challenging part is always keeping an eye on your active dog or puppy. If you maintain control, take your dog outdoors frequently, and consistently praise the desirable behavior, soon you should have a house trained canine companion.
Crate Training
Although not crate trained, your puppy has been introduced to the crate and is comfortable going into a crate. Training a puppy to be comfortable in a crate is a popular way to provide safe confinement during housetraining. The majority of puppies will rapidly
accept crate confinement when you make the introduction fun. Since it is important to associate favorable things with the area where your puppy is confined, it is a good idea to play with him there, or simply spend some time reading or watching television nearby as he relaxes with a favorite chew toy. If he is only in the area when you leave, it becomes a social isolation area that he eventually may resist entering.
When you pick up his toys, store them in the crate so he will enter on his own to play. You may even want to occasionally hide a biscuit in the crate as a nice surprise. You should not use the crate for periods that exceed the length of time the pet can actually control the urge to urinate or defecate. If you are gone for long periods each day, you will need to provide a larger confinement area. You may want to consider using an exercise pen or small room.
Provide an area large enough so that if your puppy has to eliminate when you are gone,
he can do it in a space that is separate from his sleeping area. A 15 to 30 square foot area is adequate for most puppies. If he chooses a specific place to eliminate, cover it with paper or wee wee pads to make clean up easier.
KENNEL DURATION GUIDELINES
Puppy's Age - Provide A break For Your Puppy After:
8-10 Weeks - Approx. 30-60 minutes (we have started this process for you)
11-14 Weeks - Approx. 1-3 hours
15-16 Weeks - Approx. 3-4 hours
17 + Weeks - Approx. 4+ (6 hours maximum)
Basic Training
Training is as important for Labradoodles as it is for any other dog. Their incredible intelligence makes them excellent students and a joy to train. If you want the best from
your Labradoodles, you must take training seriously from the time you first bring home your new puppy. If this is your first time training a puppy, we suggest that you enlist the help of a professional trainer soon after puppy gets home. Some books we recommend are:
1. The Dog Listener
2. The Perfect Puppy in Seven Days
3. The Other End of the Leash and The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell, Ph.D
4. The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey (good for kids)
Consistency and discipline are the keys to a happy well-adjusted dog. There is little point letting your puppy do things that you will not want it to do when he grows up such as; chewing, jumping or mouthing the children in play. That type of play is animal
behavior and not acceptable amongst humans, so you need to teach your puppy how
to play with humans and to respect that even the smallest of humans are “top
dog”. It is very important to agree as a family how to discipline and train your puppy, otherwise consistency will be lost and your puppy will become confused.
Tips & Warnings regarding nipping
1. Make sure your puppy always has plenty of chew toys to exercise his mouthing and chewing instincts.
2. Make sure your puppy is getting plenty of exercise and play time every day. Going for walks, playing fetch and learning tricks are great distractions that may reduce biting.
3. Try to create a consistent schedule for play time - perhaps 15 to 30 minutes, twice a day. Your puppy will learn to look forward to that time and will be less likely to seek attention at other times.
4. Remind all family members, including children, to be consistent about the "no biting" rule.
5. If your training doesn't seem to be working or if your puppy becomes aggressive instead of backing off when you indicate that he's hurt you, see a veterinarian or professional trainer for help.
6. Rough games like tug-of-war and wrestling may encourage aggressive behavior, including biting.
7. If you have young children, don't leave your puppy alone with them until he has learned not to bite.
Use stainless steel, non-tip food bowls, which won't break or absorb odors.
Toys with parts that squeak or whistle can be dangerous if swallowed. These should only be used while monitoring your puppy. We highly recommend buying a Kong. A Kong with peanut butter (small amounts) can keep your puppy busy for hours.
For a comfortable collar fit, allow for two-fingers of space between the collar and your dog's neck; consider using an adjustable collar. Your puppy's first collar should be approximatley 8-10 inches.
Making a Home Safe
To make your home safe for your new puppy, eliminate potential hazards around the
house and pay attention to the following items:
1 Keep breakable objects out of reach.
2 Deny access to electrical cords by hiding or covering them.
3 Safely store household chemicals.
4 Keep the following house and garden plants out of reach: poinsettias, azaleas,
rhododendrons, dumb cane, Japanese yew, oleander and English ivy among others.
5 In the garage, be sure engine lubricants and other poisonous chemicals (especially
antifreeze) are safely stored.
6 If you own a pool or hot tub, check the cover or the surrounding fence to be sure
they're in good condition.
The First Days at Home
The ideal time to bring home a new puppy is when the house is quiet. Discourage friends from stopping by and don't allow overnight guests for puppies first couple nights. First establish a daily routine and follow these steps:
Step 1: Before bringing him in the house, take him to the area in your yard that will serve as
his "bathroom" and spend a few minutes there. If he goes, praise him. If not, proceed into the house but be sure to take him to this spot each time he needs to use the bathroom.
Step 2: Take him to the room that accommodates your crate—this restricted area will
serve as his new "den". Put bedding and chew toys in the crate (be sure bedding is easily washable incase of an accident). Let him investigate the crate and the room, making it a happy experience for him.
Step 3: Observe and interact with your puppy while he's acclimating to his new den. This will
help forge a sense of pack and establish you as the pack leader
Puppy Feeding Tips
Puppy needs to be fed 3 times a day until 6 months old and then you can slowly
eliminate the midday feeding. Most puppies eat about 1/3 cup per feeding, but be sure to read the Guidelines for feeding on your Life's Abundance Dog Food label.
Special Puppy Concerns
Don't treat a puppy as young as 9 to 12 weeks old like an adult dog. Treat him the
same way you would your own infant: with patience, constant supervision and a gentle touch. The way you interact with your puppy at this age is critical to his socialization. Use these tips:
1. Don't bring home a puppy while you're on vacation so you can spend a lot of time with
him. Instead, acclimate him to your normal, daily routine.
2. Supervise your puppy at all times and interact with him regularly.
3. Be alert for signs (sniffing and circling) that he has to go to the bathroom, then
take him outside immediately.
4. A young puppy has no bladder control and will need to urinate immediately after
eating, drinking, sleeping or playing. At night, he may need to relieve himself after 4 - 6
hours of sleep.
5. Don't punish an accident. Never push his nose in the waste or scold him. He won't
understand, and may learn to go to the bathroom when you're out of sight.
6. Praise your puppy every time he goes to the bathroom outside.
Children and Pets
Ideally, your kids should be apart in choosing your new puppy. When you bring puppy home, don't let them play with him constantly. Do not let the children always pick up
puppy and carry him around, this can be dangerous and also can cause behavorial
problems with your puppy. Puppies in particular need a lot of rest just like a growing child.
Children should never be allowed to poke fingers into puppies crate, this is puppies den or what I like to call “safe place”. Limit puppy-children play sessions to 15-30 minute periods 2-3 times a day.
·
Young children may be tempted to shout at a puppy if they think he's doing something wrong. Be sure they understand that puppies and dogs can be easily upset and startled by loud noises.
·
No teasing. Keeping a toy just out of reach will reinforce bad habits such as jumping up and excessive barking.
·
Wagging tails and play biting can be too rough for some young children. Supervise interaction and separate them if the play is too rough.
Never allow a puppy to bite or nip at children.
·
Teach kids to care for a dog by showing them how to feed and groom
him.
If puppy starts to dominate over a child, have the child hand feed puppy. This indicates to puppy that the child is higher in the pack order than puppy. This is exetremly important that puppy never get in the hierarchy of the pack! If he does, this will lead to behavorial problems!!
Grooming Basics
Regular brushing helps eliminate tangles and mats and gets your puppy accustomed to being handled. It also gives you the opportunity to check for ticks and fleas, lesions, lumps and changes in his skin and coat.
Slicker brushes have a bed of fine, closely spaced wires that usually are hooked or bent; they're good all-purpose brushes for removing mats, loose hair and debris.
Combs are used in the final grooming step for longhaired dogs, leaving their hair sleek, smooth and shiny.
Begin the brushing process with a slicker to remove dead hair, debris and tangles.
For tough tangles, gently comb or brush small sections at a time, giving yourself
and your dog a break every few minutes. Be careful not to tug at or tear the
hair.
After the coat is smooth, give your dog a final brushing with a comb. Give plenty of praise during the brushing process and reward your dog with a treat when you're finished.
Bath time is much easier after a thorough brushing. Although labradoodles do not need many baths, here are some guidelines on the occasions you do need to bath them:
Place your dog in a tub or a basin with a nonskid surface. Hold your dog's collar firmly, then slowly pour several pitchers of lukewarm water over his body, being careful to leave the head dry.
Soap your dog's body with a dog shampoo, then massage the soap into a lather, talking
to your dog and praising him as you work. When his body is lathered, move to his head, being careful to keep shampoo out of his eyes, ears and mouth.
Rinse and dry your dog's head, then rinse his body. When the water runs clear, rinse one more time.
Thoroughly dry your dog with towels. If your dog has healthy skin, you can dry him further
with a hair dryer set on low or warm temperature.
Proper foot care will keep your doggie dancing and help prevent unnecessary pain and infection later on. Most dogs don't like to have their feet handled, so go slowly--one paw at a time--and make foot handling a part of playtime starting from puppy hood.
Remove mats of hair from between the toes and pads of dogs with hairy feet; if ignored,
the mats can become as hard as rocks. Then, using scissors, trim the hair between the pads and between the toes so it is level with the dog's foot.
Regular exercise on a hard surface may keep a dog's nails worn down. However, most
domestic dogs will need to have their nails clipped every few weeks. Your dog has dewclaws (the smaller claw on the back of each leg, higher than the paws), those always will need clipping. If the nails or dewclaws are allowed to grow, they may curl inward into the skin and cause a painful infection.
Use nail clippers designed specifically for dogs. One type, known as the guillotine style, has a round opening for the dog's nail and a blade that slides across to clip the nail. Another type works like a pair of scissors. This type puts less pressure on the nail and is more comfortable for the dog. Make sure the blades are sharp.
Trim only the "hook" end of the nail. Clipping a nail to short can be painful and may
cause bleeding. Frequent trimming of a small amount of nail always is better than waiting until the nail is long. Never trim into the quick -- the live portion of the nail. If you are
uncomfortable doing this procedure, many groomers will trim your dog’s nails for a small fee.
Ear care generally is the easiest grooming task. Unless your dog has ear problems or
spends time hunting and swimming, ear cleaning needs to be done only every few weeks.
Life's Abundance Ear Cleaner works very nicely.
Each month trim the hair very short under the ear flap (against the dog’s cheek), this aids in keeping a good fresh air flow to the ears and will prevent ear problems.
Tips for Housetraining Puppies
As with most things in life, there are hard ways and there are easy ways to get things done. Rubbing a puppy's nose in a mess is an inappropriate way to housetrain. Using ample amounts of supervision and positive reinforcement is the easy way.
Starting Off On the Right Track
The first course of action in housetraining is to promote the desired behavior. You need to:
·
Designate an appropriate elimination area outdoors
·
Frequently guide your dog there to do his business
·
Heartily praise him when he goes
By occasionally giving a food reward immediately after your dog finishes, you can
encourage him to eliminate in the desired area. The odor left from previous visits to that area will quickly mark it as the place for the pup to do his business.
Timing and Consistancy Is Important!
The first week or two that your puppy is home, he should be brought outside every half
hour to hour to teach him to eliminate outdoors. Once he understand this concept he
can be taken outdoors every one to three hours. Older puppies can generally wait longer between outings. Most puppies should be taken out:
·
After waking in the morning
·
After naps
·
After meals
·
After playing or training
·
After being left alone
·
Immediately before being put to bed
Eliminating On Command
To avoid spending a lot of time waiting for your puppy to get the job done, you may want to teach him to eliminate on command. Each time he is in the act of eliminating, simply repeat a unique command, such as "hurry up" or "potty", in an upbeat tone of voice. After a few weeks of training, you will notice that when you say the command your puppy will begin pre-elimination sniffing, circling, and then eliminate shortly after you give the command. Be sure to praise him for his accomplishments.
Feeding Schedules
Most puppies will eliminate within an hour after eating. Once you take control of your puppy's feeding schedule, you will have some control over when he needs to eliminate.
·
Schedule your puppy's dining times so that you will be available to let him out after eating.
·
Avoid giving your puppy a large meal just prior to confining him or he may have to eliminate when you are not around to take him out. Your puppy has been fed 3x daily while living here….6 am, 12 noon, 5 pm. When puppy reaches 6 months you can reduce feeding to 2x daily.
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Have food available for only 30 to 40 minutes, then remove it.
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The last feeding of the day should be completed several hours before he is confined for the night. By controlling the feeding schedule, exercise sessions, confinement periods, and trips outdoors to the elimination area, your puppy will quickly develop a reliable schedule for eliminating.
Expect Some Mistakes
Left on his own, the untrained puppy is very likely to make a mistake. Close supervision is a very important part of training. Do not consider your puppy housetrained until he has gone at least four consecutive weeks without eliminating in the house. For older dogs, this period should be even longer. Until then:
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Your puppy should constantly be within eyesight.
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Baby gates or x-pens can be helpful to control movement throughout the house and
to aid supervision.
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Keep them in the crate when unsupervised.
When you are away from home, sleeping, or if you are just too busy to closely monitor your pet's activities, confine him to a small, safe area in the home.
Nervous Wetting
If your puppy squats and urinates when he greets you, he may have a problem called
submissive urination. Dogs and puppies that urinate during greetings are very
sensitive and should never be scolded when they do this, since punishment inevitably makes the problem worse.
Most young puppies will grow out of this behavior if you are calm, quiet, and avoid
reaching toward the head during greetings. Another helpful approach is to calmly ask your dog to sit for a very tasty treat each time someone greets him.
Direct Him Away from Problem Areas
Urine and fecal odor should be thoroughly removed to keep your dog from returning to
areas of the home where he has had an accident.
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Be sure to use a good commercial product manufactured specifically to clean up doggy odors. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for usage.
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If a carpeted area has been soaked with urine, be sure to saturate it with the clean up product and not merely spray the surface.
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Rooms in the home where your dog has had frequent mistakes should be closed off for several months. He should only be allowed to enter when accompanied by a family member.
Don't Make Things Worse
It is a rare dog or puppy that can be housetrained without having an accident, so you need to be ready to handle the inevitable problems. · Do not rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This approach usually does not work, and may actually delay training.
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An appropriate correction consists of simply providing a moderate, startling distraction. You should only do this when you see your dog in the act of eliminating in the wrong place.
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A sharp noise, such as a loud "Ahh" or a quick stomp on the floor, is all that is usually needed to stop the behavior. Just do not be too loud or your pet may learn to avoid eliminating in front of you, even outdoors.
Practice Patience
Do not continue to scold or correct your dog after he has stopped soiling. When he stops, quickly take him outdoors so that he will finish in the appropriate area and be praised.
Never rub your dog's nose in an accident. There is absolutely no way this will help training, and may actually make him afraid of you.
Success!
The basic principles of housetraining are pretty simple, but a fair amount of patience is required. The most challenging part is always keeping an eye on your active dog or puppy. If you maintain control, take your dog outdoors frequently, and consistently praise the desirable behavior, soon you should have a house trained canine companion.
Crate Training
Although not crate trained, your puppy has been introduced to the crate and is comfortable going into a crate. Training a puppy to be comfortable in a crate is a popular way to provide safe confinement during housetraining. The majority of puppies will rapidly
accept crate confinement when you make the introduction fun. Since it is important to associate favorable things with the area where your puppy is confined, it is a good idea to play with him there, or simply spend some time reading or watching television nearby as he relaxes with a favorite chew toy. If he is only in the area when you leave, it becomes a social isolation area that he eventually may resist entering.
When you pick up his toys, store them in the crate so he will enter on his own to play. You may even want to occasionally hide a biscuit in the crate as a nice surprise. You should not use the crate for periods that exceed the length of time the pet can actually control the urge to urinate or defecate. If you are gone for long periods each day, you will need to provide a larger confinement area. You may want to consider using an exercise pen or small room.
Provide an area large enough so that if your puppy has to eliminate when you are gone,
he can do it in a space that is separate from his sleeping area. A 15 to 30 square foot area is adequate for most puppies. If he chooses a specific place to eliminate, cover it with paper or wee wee pads to make clean up easier.
KENNEL DURATION GUIDELINES
Puppy's Age - Provide A break For Your Puppy After:
8-10 Weeks - Approx. 30-60 minutes (we have started this process for you)
11-14 Weeks - Approx. 1-3 hours
15-16 Weeks - Approx. 3-4 hours
17 + Weeks - Approx. 4+ (6 hours maximum)
Basic Training
Training is as important for Labradoodles as it is for any other dog. Their incredible intelligence makes them excellent students and a joy to train. If you want the best from
your Labradoodles, you must take training seriously from the time you first bring home your new puppy. If this is your first time training a puppy, we suggest that you enlist the help of a professional trainer soon after puppy gets home. Some books we recommend are:
1. The Dog Listener
2. The Perfect Puppy in Seven Days
3. The Other End of the Leash and The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell, Ph.D
4. The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey (good for kids)
Consistency and discipline are the keys to a happy well-adjusted dog. There is little point letting your puppy do things that you will not want it to do when he grows up such as; chewing, jumping or mouthing the children in play. That type of play is animal
behavior and not acceptable amongst humans, so you need to teach your puppy how
to play with humans and to respect that even the smallest of humans are “top
dog”. It is very important to agree as a family how to discipline and train your puppy, otherwise consistency will be lost and your puppy will become confused.
Tips & Warnings regarding nipping
1. Make sure your puppy always has plenty of chew toys to exercise his mouthing and chewing instincts.
2. Make sure your puppy is getting plenty of exercise and play time every day. Going for walks, playing fetch and learning tricks are great distractions that may reduce biting.
3. Try to create a consistent schedule for play time - perhaps 15 to 30 minutes, twice a day. Your puppy will learn to look forward to that time and will be less likely to seek attention at other times.
4. Remind all family members, including children, to be consistent about the "no biting" rule.
5. If your training doesn't seem to be working or if your puppy becomes aggressive instead of backing off when you indicate that he's hurt you, see a veterinarian or professional trainer for help.
6. Rough games like tug-of-war and wrestling may encourage aggressive behavior, including biting.
7. If you have young children, don't leave your puppy alone with them until he has learned not to bite.
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