As your prepare for your new puppy’s arrival, this is his or her going home instructions. For ease of reading these instructions, we refer to the puppy as a boy, but these instructions would also apply to a girl puppy. Please read through the following information and let me know if you have any questions.
If you have not yet arranged a pick up date and time for your puppy, please let me know the time you wish to arrive so that I can have your boy ready for you when you come. I will do my best to accommodate your schedule. The only day I am closed is Sunday.
On The Ride Home from Sunshine Acres
For the trip home from Sunshine Acres you/the family can hold your puppy on your lap (take along an old blanket or towel), or bring along his travel crate if you are coming alone. Once you are home, give him a chance to potty and offer him food and water. This is a good time to bond with him, so plenty of cuddling and play are great.
Recommended Potty Training Routine
We recommend the crate training method of potty training. Dogs avoid going to the bathroom near their eating and sleeping areas, so they will by instinct try to keep their den (crate) clean. If you are interacting with him, he could stay out of his crate as long as you like. When he has to potty he will start to circle and sniff looking for a place to potty. You will quickly pick up on his body language and can take him outside (through the same door to the same spot in the yard). If you are not going to be watching him, put him in his crate. A rule of thumb for time in the crate is one hour per month of age for a puppy. So, he should not be left in the crate more than about 2 hours at this point. He can hold it longer than that, but we don’t want him to have to get in the habit of holding it for a long time, especially as you are beginning his potty training. Give him plenty of opportunities to potty and if he has been in the crate for a while be sure he has a chance to run and play before he is crated again. The wire crates with an adjustable divider are very nice, as you can make the crate small enough that he only has room to lay down spread out comfortably. Do not leave the crate any larger than this as then a puppy will be more likely to think one corner of the big crate is his potty and the other corner is his den/bed/clean area. Do not put any blankets/beds in the crate for the first month since a puppy is less likely to soil its crate if it is left bare. However, it would be fine to leave toys in his crate.
Usual Feeding Times
For feeding, he is used to eating at about 7:00 in the morning and again in the evening around 4 to 7:00pm. Offer him food (1/3 to 1/2 cup per feeding is common, but the specific amount for your puppy’s size and age will be on the puppy’s shot record when you are here), putting his bowl down for 20 minutes and then taking it up again. If he doesn’t eat anything for that feeding, just wait until his next meal to offer him food again. He should eat twice a day. If you would like to feed him three times a day that is okay too, just adjust the amounts accordingly. A puppy usually needs to potty about 5 to 20 minutes after a meal so watch him closely for a potty break after he eats. Try to be consistent about what time each day he is fed as a puppy who eats on a schedule also potties on a schedule. Leave water available for him all the time, (except for when he’s in the crate) taking it up a couple hours before bedtime. He is used to eating the puppy food listed at the link below. Be sure to feed this food for at least the first week or two. If you wish to change to another high quality dog food, do so gradually over about a 7-10 day period as switching to another food too quickly will cause loose stools.
Learning to Love His Crate/Den
The first 3 to 5 days is the time of greatest adjustment for a puppy in its new home. Your boy might be intimidated by things that are new, or bark when he is in his crate. Continue to use the crate, even if he cries when he is in it as once he gets used to all the new things he will love the comfort and security of his crate/”den”. You will notice his comfort level increasing each day that goes by. It seems that by the time the first week is past, a puppy will be adjusted to the new routine and will have already bonded strongly with their new family. It seems to help the puppy at night if their crate can be put in a bedroom near the family for the first few nights. Or, put his crate by the couch and have someone sleep near the puppy. At this age sometimes they can sleep all night, sometimes they will need to get up once during the night. If you find he is consistently getting up more than once during the night, set your alarm for around 2:00 and take him potty. Each night move the clock back ½ hour (2:30 the 2nd night, 3:00 the 3rd night) gradually stretching out the time until he can sleep through until morning.
Grooming Routine
Grooming is an important part of owning a non-shedding dog. Use a pin brush over the puppy’s coat once or twice a week and also comb deep into the coat once a week. At the length he is now, grooming isn’t really needed, but it is important for him to get used to being handled. Play with his feet, ears, toes, mouth, tail, etc. often so he is used to it. A haircut will be needed every two to three months. Try to limit bathing to once a month if possible, although bathing as often as once a week is ok. As his coat grows longer, be careful that you are combing/brushing deep into the coat. The tangles/mats will not develop on the end of the hair, but right next to the skin (especially behind the ears).
Puppy Obedience Training
We recommend taking formal obedience training classes with your puppy. It is good for the puppy to continue to be socialized to new people, places and other dogs. If you prefer, professional trainers can also do individual classes, or come to your home for private lessons. Choose a class/trainer that uses gentle, positive reinforcement types of methods. The Doodles are by nature a soft hearted, gentle dog, and harsh training methods can break their spirits. (No prong collars needed). Most classes do not allow a puppy to begin until all of their puppy shots are finished which is usually around 12-16 weeks of age. Limit your puppy’s exposure to unknown dogs until all of his puppy shots have been finished. Your friends’ and families’ healthy dogs with current vaccinations are fine for your puppy to be around.
For training at home (the most important kind of training), Jan Fennell’s book The Dog Listener is very helpful, and one I highly recommend reading through. Just a few minutes each day spent in fun interaction and training with your puppy will reap lifelong benefits. While we recommend taking obedience classes as a continued socialization experience for the puppy, as the dog’s owner you are by far the best equipped person to train your puppy. By learning how to interact with your puppy, and understanding how a dog’s mind works, potential behavior problems will be avoided. Help your puppy understand what his boundaries are through training. A well mannered puppy is one who will be loved by everyone and welcome anywhere!
Health Record and Microchip
When you are here picking up your puppy, we will give you your boy’s health record which contains the vaccinations, preventative dewormers and such information on it. Be sure your vet gets this record so they know what has already been done with the puppy and what still needs to be done to complete his puppy immunizations.
Also, your puppy’s microchip number will need to be registered in your name. To register (activate) your puppy’s microchip, go to Microchip ID systems at https://buddyid.com. A small one-time fee (around $25) enrolls you and the puppy for life into the 24-hour Pet Recovery Network and Call Center and into the National Pet Microchip Look up Tool. By activating this chip you will be linking his chip number to your contact information. Without activation, the microchip is useless, like a blank tag. You will need the entire 10 digit number to activate his chip, which is recorded on his health record. Your vet can also use a microchip scanner to read the microchip, which is implanted over the puppy’s shoulder blade area. A couple weeks after you have completed this registration, check the online microchip databases that the registration has been processed. Instructions for registering your puppy’s microchip will also be on the health record, which you will receive when you are here getting your puppy.
Checklist for Puppy Supplies
Here is a link to the basic puppy supplies to have on hand when your Goldendoodle comes home. This is a list of the basic necessities. There are many other helpful and fun products available at pet supply stores.
Final Payment for Your Irish Goldendoodle Puppy
For a final payment, a personal check is preferred. Your balance will be as follows: $2600 + $182 sales tax – $500 deposit = $2282. I accept all major credit cards with a 3% service fee for the final payment. Venmo has no service fees. I look forward to seeing you soon. Let me know if you have any questions.
Warmest regards,
Michael Wagenbach
