Daisy’s Doodles

Hello! Congratulations on your upcoming addition to your family! It has been an amazing journey to witness the growth and development of this sweet litter of puppies! They have been loved from day one. Bringing a new puppy home is exciting and a little nerve-wracking. Below are some suggestions that may be helpful as you and your puppy adjust to each other. The First Few Days Your puppy is in a totally new environment and away from its mama and siblings. It is natural for your puppy to shake when you hold him/her. My dog, Millie, was somewhat subdued and nervous for just a few days. It did not take long for her to acclimate to her new home and start bonding with us! I encourage you to pick up your puppy when you can have a couple of days to just make him/her feel comfortable, start on a feeding routine, and just love on your new addition! In no time at all, he/she will become a part of your family and the fun adventure will begin! Training I strongly encourage spending time training your puppy beginning with sit, come, and stay. Zak George has great training videos on Youtube. He also has a book you can buy as a resource. Puppy Training in 7 Easy Steps Zak George's Dog Training Revolution I have also taken puppy training classes at my local Petsmart and have enjoyed the instruction and interaction with other owners and their dogs. However, your puppy needs to be fully vaccinated against parvo before I would recommend enrolling in a program. Crate Training I strongly encourage crate training. Your puppy will soon see this as a safe place to sleep and stay. I would invest in a crate with a divider so your puppy will be able to grow into his or her crate (and you won’t have to purchase an additional one as your puppy grows). Do not put food or water in the crate as you are using it for potty training. Your puppy needs enough room to be able to turn around and lay down. If the puppy has too much room, he will use one side of the crate as a bathroom and the other side to sleep. I would use towels to put in the crate and not a dog bed. Towels are easier to wash in the event of an accident. Puppies can not hold their bladders for very long (even through the night). I would limit the water and food intake after 5 or 6 p.m. Hopefully, you may only have to get up once to take out your puppy. Puppy Food I have used Hill’s Science Diet Chicken and Rice for puppies. You can buy Science Diet at pet stores and Tractor Supply. If you want to use something different, gradually mix the new food with the Science Diet food to transition your puppy to his new food. Puppy yard I bought something similar to this when my kids were babies (except I bought the baby version). You can look at the baby version or this one that I bought on amazon North States pet yard passage You may opt to go for the smaller version. You can find similar versions in the baby section at Wal-mart baby yard . I really like having a safe place to put the puppies for play time outside of the whelping box. I have mine in the kitchen with the puppy pads on one side and food and water on the other side (when it is a scheduled feeding time). It also folds up neatly and is easily transportable. However, your puppy will probably outgrow the puppy door so do not let that be the deciding factor when buying a puppy yard. In addition, you do not want to let your puppy roam the house unsupervised. This will delay the potty training process and puppies can find harmful things to chew. Puppy bowls I bought Vibrant Life silicone double diner pet bowls at Walmart for about $12. There is a rubber pad underneath and the puppies can not tip the bowls over. It looks very similar to this one on Amazon puppy bowl Puppies should be fed 2-3 times a day and don’t leave food down for more than 20 minutes. Choose a feeding schedule that makes sense to you, but I would not recommend feeding your puppy past 5 or 6 p.m. This cut off time allows you to cut back on potty accidents in the crate or middle of the night wake up calls. I also recommend restricting the amount of water your puppy has during the evening hours as well. When a dog is fed on a reasonably consistent schedule, it is easier to predict bathroom needs and to develop a potty routine. Sleeping through the night Your puppy will likely whimper when he or she is placed in a crate. This is normal considering the puppy is not surrounded by his/her six siblings. You may wish to put the crate in your room where he/she can see you or just put it in a different room so you can get some rest yet hear the puppy when he/she needs a bathroom break. The first few days are critical so the puppy can adjust to his/her surroundings. A breeder friend of mine had success placing a Snuggle Puppy in the crate. Amazon.com: SmartPetLove Original Snuggle Puppy Heartbeat Stuffed Dog Toy. Puppy Toy for Anxiety Relief and Behavioral Training in Brown and White A new puppy is much like adjusting to a baby and his/her sleep patterns. Fortunately, puppies learn to sleep through the night much faster than a baby! Socialization A dog trainer friend of mine told me it’s very important for a dog to be exposed to new experiences at an early age (8-16 weeks). This is a critical time period for socialization. I recommend taking your puppy on car rides, learning basic commands, meeting new people, taking baths, etc. Since your puppy won’t be fully vaccinated I discourage you from taking your puppy to dog parks or other public places where parvo may be present. It is not as rampant in winter months but it still can be a deadly virus if a puppy is exposed and contracts it. If your puppy is around other dogs, make sure the dogs are up to date on vaccinations. When your puppy is fully vaccinated it is a good idea to get an appointment with a trusted dog groomer. When I took my puppy for her first appointment, my groomer just did a light trim and a bath. You don’t want going to the groomer to be a stressful time for your puppy. Raising a puppy takes time, patience, and commitment. These dogs are very smart and trainable (being cute doesn’t hurt either!). The teenage stage (starting around 6 months) can be a little challenging). adolescent dogs Purina/puppy adolescence However, if you invest your time in training and socialization you will be rewarded with a fun-loving, devoted, and wonderful life companion. Other things I hope to have another litter in a year or so. This has been an amazing experience. My vet has been wonderful in answering my texts and giving me advice (it doesn’t hurt that I taught her son!). I also have a local breeder mentor that has been extremely supportive and helpful. Most of all, I hope you enjoy your puppy as much as I love and enjoy my bernedoodles Daisy and Millie. Sincerely, Joni Hamilton PS The links aren’t live unfortunately . Hopefully you can copy and paste. I’ll try to figure out how to send a doc with live links on gooddog. In the meantime I thought I’d go ahead and send this info.