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Just For Kids
Hey Kids!
Click this link for a fun game that teaches you how to be
safe around dogs in certain situations. You get Safety Stars for
correct answers and Bite Marks for incorrect answers. When you are
able to make it through the game without any bite marks you are
awarded a "Safety Factor Challenge Certificate" that you can print
out and hang on your wall!
   
Puppy Care and
Training
Please rest
assured after your puppy arrives that we will still be here for you,
for as long as you have your dog. We offer a lifetime of support
with every puppy we sell and we will be available to help answer any
questions you may have. We sincerely hope that we can look forward
to pictures and updates on your new family member too! We would love
to post your pictures and stories on our site.
Your new puppy
will be shipped at nine weeks of age and will arrive with the
following: A pedigree certificate, a
puppy care booklet produced by Spring Creek called 'Your Doodle
and You' which provides helpful information on doodles and training,
collar & leash, 2 toys, 3 day supply of food, water bottle and
an airline
approved travel crate.
Feeding Your
Puppy
First of all,
please
click here for
important information concerning dog food. We are certain that you
will find all of the information provided extremely helpful.
One word about
safety. Some dog foods suggest putting water or milk on their foods
for various reasons. If you decide to try this, please do not leave
it for more than 30 minutes as it will spoil.
You will need to
feed your puppy three times a day until five months old. At that
point you can start feeding twice per day, perhaps decreasing the
mid day portion over a few days. Keeping your puppy on a regular
feeding schedule will help keep your puppy on a regular potty
schedule. Something to keep in mind when changing foods, dogs
digestive systems are sensitive so you need to be prepared to deal
with stool changes. The best way to switch from one food to another
is to mix one fourth of the new food with three fourths of the old
food for three to four days, then half and half for three to four
days, then three fourths new with one fourth old for a couple of
more days. There are exceptions, but this type of transition usually
keeps stools pretty normal. One exception to that would be if your
puppy is not able to tolerate an ingredient in the new food.
One last note on
feeding, we do recommend changing your dog's food on occasion. Not
frequently, but we do not recommend keeping your dog on the same
food for it's entire lifetime. Please refer to our
Nutrition page for more information and please follow
portion guidelines on packages to avoid overfeeding your dog. The
way to tell if a dog is overfed is if you are not able to feel ribs
when you gently run your fingers over it's back. The reverse also
applies. If you can see ribs when just looking at your dog, then
underfeeding needs to be addressed.
Dogs need water
to keep their body temperature in control. Unlike people, they do
not have pores, therefore they do not sweat. They control their
temperature by panting and drinking cool water. For this reason, it
is very important to keep fresh drinking water available at all
times. Please change the water completely once a day and keep the
bowl clean. We find stainless steel bowls work nicely as they help
keep the water cooler and they wipe out very easily with a paper
towel. The bowl should be washed with soap and water and rinsed
thoroughly at least once a week.
While there are
many things that people eat that will make a dog ill, there are a
few things that people eat that are actually good for them. Please
refer to "People Food" on our
Nutrition page. One thing to note on this subject, if you do
not want your puppy begging at the table, do not feed your puppy at
the same time you are eating, no matter where you are sitting. Also,
it's best never to feed the puppy while you are sitting at the table
that you usually eat at. That leads us to training.
Training Your
Puppy
Please begin
training your puppy as soon as you bring him home. This is very
important. Your Labradoodle puppy is highly intelligent and, with
the proper technique, will be very easy to train. We firmly believe
in positive reinforcement training. Your puppy wants nothing
more than to please you, it's a natural trait. So if you are
patient in teaching what you expect, you will have a dog that you
will be extremely proud of. Here are some examples you can try.
When your puppy
is doing something you don't want him to, perhaps chewing on
something he shouldn't, firmly say "No" and then replace the object
with one of the puppy's toys or bones. Teaching your dog the word no
in this manner will aid you in teaching your dog many things. On the
contrary, teaching your dog something like "good boy" or "good girl"
when he or she is doing something you want will also aid you in
teaching your dog. Consistency in training is very important, so
please make sure the entire family knows what is being taught and
how it's being taught.
Make decisions
about things like whether or not your dog will be allowed on the
furniture. If not, make sure that your family knows this and simply
do not allow it to begin with. If your puppy jumps up on the
furniture, firmly say "No" and gently place the puppy back on the
floor. You will avoid behavioral training (correcting bad behaviors)
if you decide from the very beginning what you expect your dog to
do. Obedience training is much more fun for you and your dog.
Here is another
example. Most people do not like it when dogs jump up on them. If
you would like to teach your puppy to not do that, make a rule in
your home and make sure visitors know also, do not pet the puppy
unless he is sitting down. Obviously, you need to start teaching the
sit command immediately.
If you will spend
fifteen minutes three times a day with your puppy, you will be able
to teach your dog many things in a very short time. Try only one new
command at a time, in addition to potty training. Each new command
takes time to be taught, usually about three or four days training
sessions, three times a day. Please refer to our
Nutrition page for information about what types of treats we
recommend using for training purposes.
Potty training
your puppy demands consistency. In order to protect the carpet in
our home, our puppies stay in the kitchen in the daytime until they
are trained. There are all sorts of nice gates and fences that work
nicely to keep them in. Another thing we do is use an alarm to
remind us to take the puppy out on a regular schedule. At first we
take them out every thirty minutes. After a week or so, we start
stretching the time to forty-five minutes, then one hour and so on.
Take your puppy out to the same area each time and firmly say "go
potty". Please give him plenty of time to do his business.
Immediately praise your puppy when he starts to relieve himself.
Until your puppy is trained, he will have accidents. Watch for him
to start sniffing, pacing, whining and/or turning in circles. These
can all be signs that he needs to go. If you catch him in the act,
firmly say "No" and immediately take him outside. Wait for him to
begin going potty again and then praise him immediately. Try to
remember that potty time is not playtime. You want him to learn what
the trip outside is all about.
Crate training
your puppy for night time is wonderful. Dogs naturally do not like
to go potty in their beds, therefore it's not long before they're
sleeping through the night. Our girls love their crates so much
that, even though we aren't closing the doors on them anymore now
that they're older, they still sleep a good part of the night in
their crates. If everyone in your home leaves everyday, please do
not plan to leave your puppy in a crate. We believe crate training
is wonderful for night time and occasionally in the daytime for an
hour or two, but very cruel if used all the time. Please plan to
place him in a room like the kitchen or utility room with food and
bedding at one end and puppy training pads at the other end. Don't
forget to leave plenty of toys to play with too.
Please remember,
no form of scare tactic will train your puppy as quickly and
effectively as praise and encouragement. Please do not allow anyone
to strike your puppy. If you're having trouble teaching him
something (he just doesn't seem to be getting it) you may get
frustrated and start to feel the need to scold your puppy. We don't
recommend scarring your puppy at all, but if you do start to lose
your patience try rolling up a newspaper and smack it against your
hand. The noise will get the point across and they learn to be
afraid of the rolled up paper, not your hand. Remember, you don't
want your puppy to become afraid of you or of being trained.
If you do not
have experience training a puppy, we highly recommend classes for
you and your new puppy. Also, there are a lot of wonderful books
available that will teach you how to train your newest family
member! Please see our
Resource page for recommended reading materials.
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