Week 9 with our F1b Miniature Goldendoodles

Maestro

Scout chewing on natural raw hide.

All the puppies are adventurous. Baily seems to be the most adventurous and loves to dive in the water and splash all around. She loves to explore absolutely everything.




Activities for this week for our 2 male puppies and 1 female puppy:

• All puppies had their first bath last Tuesday. Scout and Baily had another bath this week.
  
• Puppies are spending more and more time with us in the house along with their outside play times.
  
• They fall asleep at night next to Kent and I before returning to their kennel.
  
• All puppies are playing with water in an overturned child's swimming pool (less intimidating). Baily especially loves water.
  
• They are entirely weened and eat dry puppy food.
• We have less and less accidents in the house and they are getting a hang of the potty training. As soon as one is sniffing, we take them outside to our front yard for 2 minutes (when in our living room).
• We are continuing to work on familiarity with a leash. The puppies are starting to get it.
  
• They all come running when we call their names and they are attaching more to people.
  
• They are continuing to enjoy the other dogs of our household and are curious about our cat, Samba.

Sandy, F1 Doodle Puppy Pics

Sandy, our F1 doodle mom at 2 and 1/2 years.

To compare, here is Sandy (current goldendoodle mom) when she was 8 weeks old (above).

Here is another picture when Sandy was younger. As F1b miniature goldendoodles, Baily, Scout, Boone, and Gracie resemble their mom. Little girl has more of the poodle look, yet she may end up a lot like Sandy too. Maestro resembles more of the F1 goldendoodle male of Daisey's litter. See Sandy's brother, Denny, below.

http://seattlegoldendoodles.blogspot.com/2009/05/f1-sandys-progression-from-puppy-to.html

Pictures at Eight Weeks

Maestro
A strong piece of cloth that is tied to a tree and hanging is a great toy!

Gracie

Scout (above)

Playful pups (below)

Gracie (chewing on a treat, below)

We are now displaying the puppies in their basket that is used to take all five safely inside at times. They are also learning to come inside.

We got some best shots for this set from the basket!

You will not need a basket for going in. One puppy will be easy in comparison to six!

Sandy spends so much time playing with her pups, bringing them food and cleaning them.

Boone has had enough of the pictures and is planning an escape! (above)

Baily is going to play as she waits! (above)

Scout says, "Aw, do we have to go inside?" (above)

Video 1: 5 puppies in a basket to go inside.

Video 2: 5 puppies playing with a leash. This is the noisiest they get! They sound ferocious. :)

(We allow this just so all puppies can play together. We do not recommend leash chewing at home!)

Potty Training Tips

Puppy pads in a spot near the door, or in a main area, can be a good transition tool as you work toward your puppy going outside to poop and pee on a consistent basis.  

A few basics go into potty training your puppy. Consistency and patience are key. First, control when your puppy eats and drinks so you know when they need to go. (Except, puppies should have access to water at all times when the weather is hot.) Second, always praise your puppy when he or she goes to the appropriate place. Third, keep a consistent schedule for taking trips outside.

Puppies have small bladders, and need to go more often than more mature dogs. They poop far more frequently also. Be sure to have opportunities for your puppy to do the right thing, and be praised and loved for it. Using a cue word or phrase will help too. We use “good potty!” for when the puppy has gone in the appropriate place, and “go potty!” as a cue to get the puppy used to going when asked, so when you’re on a long car trip you can reliably get him or her to go when you stop. 

It's probably unnecessary to say, but always praise your puppy for doing the right thing! Make him or her think they are the best, most amazing dog in the world for going to an appropriate place. On the other hand, scolding your puppy for messing on the rug will make him confused and fearful of pooping or peeing anywhere. If he goes to an inappropriate place, just quietly clean it up. You don’t want your puppy to be afraid to go in your presence, this will make potty training more difficult and frustrating for both of you. 

Puppies can, generally, control their bladders for the number of hours that corresponds to their age in months, up to about six to eight hours. Longer than that would be difficult for anyone! This is just a rule of thumb, all puppies are different. Observe your puppy and learn his cues. Some will whine, some will eventually scratch on the door, most will start sniffing the floor, looking for a place to go. Some will need to go out immediately after eating or drinking, some can wait ten minutes or so, which is why a consistent feeding schedule is important. When you know your puppy’s cues, when you see the behavior, you can pick him up and put him on the potty pad or take him outside. Be patient, it may take him a few minutes to figure out what to do.

When you first bring your new friend home, expect to take him or her outside or to a potty pad at least every two hours. This is a good rough schedule. 

• First thing in the morning

• Last thing before bed

• After playing indoors

• After spending time in his or her crate

• When waking up from a nap

• After chewing on a bone or toy

• After eating

• After drinking

Puppy Pick-Up

You will have a puppy care pack with our puppy contract (vet check & genetic guarantee, neuter/spay agreement, etc.), vet papers, instructions, a toy hedge hog, puppy wipes, puppy food, puppy pads, and a zip lock with a soft towel that has the scent of Sandy, litter mates and us.

Your puppy has had its dew claws, worming, health check-up and 8 week shots. Shots are to occur every 3 weeks as directed by you vet. Please do not allow your puppy to be around other dogs, animals and their bowel movements until all shots are complete.

A female puppy is to be spayed at 6 months and a male is to be neutered between 6 and 9 months. I will have paper work that shows what your puppy has received. You will transfer the paperwork to your vet and you need to set up a vet appointment within 3 business days after puppy pick up for your vet check as a part of protocol.

Silly Things Your Puppy Might Do

• Take off with your newspaper if he/she has the chance
• Run off with his water or food dish
• Not pay attention to where he/she is going and run into something
• Be so playful and silly that it makes you laugh
• Stick their dirty paws in their water dish
• Chase their tail
• Look very proud and happy as they carry a small stick around in their mouth

Shopping List for Bringing Your Puppy Home

Things to Buy:

• Nature’s Miracle works best for cleaning up puppy messes.
• Dog treats-Charlee Bear, Bil Jac, or broken up pieces of Milk Bone doggie biscuits. You may also want to have some mini dental stix from Pedigree for occupation in your house or a play pen. Natural raw hide chews are great for chewing. Mozzarella cheese sticks (tiny pieces) are great for training. Small pieces of hot dogs are a great initiative for puppy to go into his/her kennel at night.
• A collar that is medium sized and a long regular leash.
• Dog food that is either Premium Edge from Mud Bay, or you can mix my puppy food (from your care bag) with food such as Pinnacle, Nutro, or Wellness. Petco or Mud Bay will let you return food that your puppy doesn’t like.
• Dog dishes: You can use household materials as long as it is something that puppy cannot easily tip over. Stainless steel or ceramic is recommended.
• Dog kennel that matches either the size of Sandy or smaller. Sandy is 17 inches tall and Chewbacca is 12 inches tall.
• A carrier is nice to have, especially for car rides
• A play pen for play times inside and out--OPTIONAL or borrow one
• A few toys (soft, plush toys and a rope attached to a squeaky ball) and you can pick some of these natural things that you feel comfortable with such as bark and sticks, thick leftover pieces of clean rope, strips of cloth tied to a tree, and old wash cloths that are clean.
• A comb and brush as recommended by any groomer at a pet store
• Advantage flea medicine (especially for summer months).
• Canned Pumpkin is great for upset stomachs and diharrea.
• Puppy License after puppy comes home.

Also, check out this list:

http://www.goldendoodles.com/care/newpuppy.htm

Sign up for Pet Advantage programs. Use COUPONS from the newspaper and magazines. Tell Mud Bay that you have a new puppy and they will provide some discounts.

Miniature Goldendoodle Puppies between Week 7 and 8

This week the puppies are doing as follows:

• They love to run around, play outside and get into everything!
• They all sit in their play pen when people come over to visit.
• They walk outside to go potty.
• They are being housetrained.
• They have taken rides in the car.
• They are eating dry food. (They just recently started enjoying it more on Wednesday.)
• They will receive their shots.
• They love to play with each other, mom, dad, & grandma.
• They love to cuddle and greet people.
• Some of them LOVE to play with water and some are more hesitant around it.
• We are starting the process of getting them comfortable with a leash.
• We are making sure they get lots of water and keeping them cool with a fan.

Puppy Schedule for Week 7 to 8

Puppy Schedule

• 6:00 AM Puppies walk outside to drink water and play. Then, they eat food.
• 6:50 AM Back inside to their kennel.
• 7:20 AM Outside for 5 or 10 minutes to go potty before I leave for work. Back inside to their kennel.
• 10:00 AM Kent, my husband, lets them out to drink water and play. Then, they eat leftover food.
• 11:00 AM Kent brings them back in (some days this time is shorter).
• 3:30 PM Trina comes home and lets them out to go potty, drink water and eat food.
• 5:00 PM Puppies go back inside to their kennel.
• 5:45 PM Puppies walk back outside for quick potty. Then, they come back in to explore the house and walk to the living room for play and cuddle time.
• 6:45 PM Puppies walk outside to go potty.
• 7:00 PM Puppies go into their kennel.
• 8:00 PM Puppies walk outside to go potty.
• 8:15 PM Back to socializing in the living room.
• 8:45 PM Back outside to go potty and drink water, eat food and then into their kennel.
• 10:30 PM Walk outside to go potty, drink water and to play for a short time.
• 11:00 PM All puppies go to bed.