There’s lots to do to get ready for your new puppy! Here are some tips, things to buy, etc. to help make the process a little easier and to answer a lot of the questions you will have. We encourage you to explore the links on our All About Doodles page

A great site to visit/join is www.DoodleKisses.com – a social media site for doodleowners. There is a wealth information on the site from and for people just like you: new doodle owners!
You can post questions on the forum, search for topics, and join groups that are geared just for your situation (housebreaking, training…. if you can ask it, DoodleKisses can answer it.)

SEE ALSO: https://goldendoodlesoftn.com/food-and-your-pets-health/

Crate Size Recommendations

Mini                     24″-30″

Medium              30″-36″

Standard            36″-42″

Food, Supplements & Treats

Your puppy will have been weaned onto Royal Canin weaning formula, and then eating Royal Canin puppy formula.  You can get at petstores, etc.  This screen shot is from chewy.com.

TREATS

We usually do not buy treats and use dog food kibble out of a training treat bag, fed from hand one at a time, and the dogs think they are getting something special! If you do use treats, make sure they are organic/good quality.  Avoid products like MilkBones and NEVER give your dog rawhide chews.

A free 30-day puppy health insurance policy with all our puppies!

Your puppy’s health insurance policy will already be activated before he/she leaves our home. The policy is with Trupanion, considered by breeders to be one of the best pet health insurance companies to do business with.

You will be under NO obligation to continue the policy once the 30-day period has expired. It is not auto-renewing and there is nothing you need to do if you do not wish to continue with the pet insurance. If you do desire to continue the coverage past the expiration of the 30-day free coverage period, you can choose from several levels of coverage and choose the deductible you want so that you can control what the monthly premium will be.

We highly recommend pet insurance for puppies and “teenage” dogs. Puppies like to chew and often they chew and swallow whatever they find – a sock, a toy… in the case of one of our doods, Riley, from one our Diva-Montegue litters, it was a corn cob from the compost pile. A worried family and a large check written to the vet for surgery was in store for his family…. he recovered and is doing well, but the cost would have been minimal had they had insurance on him.

There is no obligation to you, but we highly recommend that you convert to a policy for at least the time your goldendoodle is a puppy. The code to use is: BR1GD

OWNER TESTIMONIAL: 2-5-14, Tara, owner of Sadie (female 1), Maggie-Bru 11-16-13 litter – “Sadie doing well,… We did have a scare last night .. Sadie grabbed a sock from laundry basket ran with it and ate it! We ended up at the Vet ER and they gave her medication anti emetic and she thankfully threw it up! An entire navy sock!! …! And also continued the Insurance policy you started – thank u for that !!!”

Shampoo:  We use Dove shampoo and Dove conditioner on all our dogs and puppies, and use Tearless Baby Shampoo on their faces.   You can get the large pump Dove at Costco or at Jet.com – very inexpensive!

Recommendations:

PUPPY TRAINING BOOKS:
We love this book. Written in an easygoing manner, it is excellent for both adults and older children. The training relies upon the reward method, and treats are used as the reward. Please see below regarding use of treats.

Available in paperback or e-book.
(click book for link or purchase from Amazon.com)

The Puppy Primer

Watch this video with your kids!

Your puppy also includes a Puppy Kit:

• A beautiful, hand-made collar from Woofus Collars. It features a custom engraved name tag!

• Snuggle Puppy:
  This is a stuffed dog with heartbeat and warmers. This makes those first nights so much easier!

• Microchip that has been implanted and will already have been registered with Petlink.net in your name prior to leaving our premises.
• Fully vet checked at age 6 weeks, and all age appropriate vaccinations, de-wormings/anti-parasite prevention administrations, and an application of Revolution for prevention of heartworm, fleas, American dog tics, and mites ( https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/revolution-for-dogs.aspx)
• Blanket with litter scent
• Nutrical (or similar product) to help regulate blood sugar (if needed)
• Puppy Health Record
• Puppy Registration papers

Going home

For the ride home (if it is over 30 minutes), you should be prepared with paper towels, plastic grocery bags for trash, spray cleaner (pet friendly), some puppy pads, water, small amount of kibble, puppy carrier/crate, towels.

Your puppy may get car sick or have an accident on his/her first big car ride and being prepared and not needing the supplies is far better than needing the items and not having them.

RECOMMENDED TOYS, CHEWS, & OTHER SUPPLIES

NO RAWHIDE TYPE CHEWS. They cannot be digested.  INSTEAD, bully sticks, antlers (deer, elk, etc), bull horns, are all great options. We always buy organic.

Holy Rollers, chew ropes, and Kongs are some of our favorite toys:

We recommend using a harness or gentle leader for walks, not a leash attached to your puppy’s collar which can be pulled off their heads.  And we DO NOT recommend retractable leashes – they are dangerous.

⬆️this our favorite harness & what we use with our dogs

BRUSHES:  We use and recommend these.

purchase at: http://www.doodlecountry.com/les-poochs-brushes-.html

Alternate for less expensive, Master Grooming brush (if link no longer works, just search for the brush and here is a photo)  LINK