| GETTING READY FOR YOUR PUPPY! (revised 5-19-11) |
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| 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. A great site to visit/join is www.DoodleKisses.com. It's kind of a facebook 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. If you are in the Williamson-Davidson County area of Nashville and are looking for a vet, we use and highly recommend Animalia in Franklin. Vet services and the most amazing pet boutique you've ever seen. |
| GROOMING - BRUSHES Besides a high quality food, the best investment you can make for your goldendoodle(s) is a great brush and, if you can afford it, an accompanying de-matting comb. We have tried nearly everything on the market, also resisting paying the big bucks for what we had heard is the best brush available. After buying lots of “less expensive” brushes, none of which worked well, and spending lots of money on grooming to get the mats out (which usually resulted in needing a full shave to “start over again”), we finally gave in and went Les Poochs. Best investment of dog grooming supplies I’ve ever made. They work like magic and nothing else will get the mats out and get through to the undercoat like they do. Here are the links to the two I recommend (two sizes are available of the brushes depending on your dog's size). http://www.doodlecountry.com/les-poochs-brushes-.html • green brush • red mat zapper For examples of grooming photos to take with you to your groomers, go to our "Grooming" Page - click here these are the type of nail clippers we use and recommend |
| FOOD You may or may not have selected the type of food your precious baby will be eating. Because you’ll be making a big investment in your new family member and best friend, we feel it is imperative that you invest in a quality puppy food (and later on a quality dog food), and a superior vitamin/mineral supplement. Cheap dog food is exactly what it is - cheap dog food. It's like feeding your kids canned spaghetti for the rest of their lives -- it'll fill them up but they won't get much nutrition out of it. You can also spend a lot of money and still not get a good dog food. And a note that your vet will not appreciate -- just because your vet's office stocks a particular brand does not mean it's a great dog food. There's a lot of profit to be made in selling dog food and the bigger companies that mass produce dog foods have a huge markup and are able to offer very enticing offers for carrying their product. As of May 1, 2011, we are feeding all our puppies Life's Abundance All Stages Dog Food. We are in the process of updating our website to tell you more about this food. We are also using Life's Abundance BioDeoderizer spray which eliminates pet odors rather than mask them. We have found this to be the best deoderizer we have used. Here is a link to the puppy/dog food: Life's Abundance. Compare other brands to Life's Abundance by clicking this link. YOU WILL LOVE THIS PRODUCT!! BioDeodorizer gets rid of odors by digesting their sources. Safe for use on tile and carpet, trash receptacles, recycle bins, hampers, even drain lines! Eliminates odors from pet beds and pet accidents on carpet and grout, and freshens litter boxes. BioDeodorizer is non-toxic, fully biodegradable, has a neutral pH and contains no harmful phosphates. BioDeoderizer spray, the best odor neutralizing spray we and other breeders have found and we use it regularly. Click HERE. (petsafe floor cleaner is also available at this link) |
| PUPPY CRATE We STRONGLY recommend that you adopt a training method that is based upon crate training. Anytime I receive an email from a doodle owner that is experiencing housebreaking or behavioral issues with their dog, I can almost bet the answer to my question, “Are you using crate training?” is going to be “no”. Crate training is NOT inhumane, mean, or punishment – if properly used, your puppies will LOVE his/her crate. There are many books and internet articles on crate training and crate training used in conjunction with housebreaking. Please use them! Here is the type of crate we recommend. This is the type of crate our dogs sleep in at night. 36” or 42” size crates. FOR TWO PUPPIES, we recommend a larger crate WITH a divider and WITH two doors. You can use the divider to use the crate for two pups if you need to separate them from being in the same crate, and then remove the divider as they grow and use it for both dogs in one crate. One of the best deals on these crates, including a divider and pan, is the Puppy Package available at www.PetStreetMall. com Starting at only $59.95 (three sizes, three prices), including free shipping, you get all this (the link to the puppy package is at PetStreetMall.com (click the photos of the crates below to go the site). We recommend that you also consider getting one of the small to medium pet taxis for the first few weeks as it is ideal for them to sleep in next to your bed for the first few weeks. (If your pup is being shipped to you, your puppy will arrive in one.) Even if you only use it for a couple of nights, it will be well worth the money if it gives you a good night’s sleep without your baby whimpering for you until he or she gets used to sleeping away from its littermates. You can get them at Walmart or any other pet supply place, or find a good used one on Craigslist.com. Your pup is used to sleeping with his/her littermates, all piled atop one another. The first few nights may find you being awakened by your pup, but if he/she is next to you and can hear your soothing voice, he/she will be quickly calmed and your night should not be too rough. If you put your pup in another room in the house, you can expect a night with more awake time than asleep. Put some towels and a warm “Puppy Cuddle Pal” (or a sock filled with rice and microwaved) and your baby should be set for the night (no food or water in the crate!) “I WANT TO TAKE MY NEW PUPPY FOR A WALK AND TO THE KIDS’ SOCCER PRACTICE, BUT I’VE BEEN TOLD TO WAIT UNTIL HE/SHE IS 16 WEEEKS! WHAT DO I DO?” Consider getting a pet stroller – seriously! I have one and I love it. And if your pup outgrows it, you can resell it on Craigslist without any trouble (that’s where I got mine). There are many places to get one, but here’s a fairly all-inclusive website to start your search: http://www.discountramps.com/discount-pet-strollers.htm HOUSEBREAKING There are numerous housebreaking links on our website that are worth looking at. http://www.goldens-n-doodles. com/PetHealth.html We encourage you to print the Pet Health webpage(s) for your ready reference. A good item that many of our doodle families have had success with for housebreaking is a bell for your pup to ring to let you know he or she has to go outside. You can see/purchase the bells at: http://www.poochie-pets.net. There are many discussions and groups, and you can post questions, about housebreaking on www.DoodleKisses. com. BEWARE! It is very important that you view the toxic plant links and see if any of the plants are in your yard or home. A pup from a previous litter ate some seeds from a palm tree in the owner’s yard and died from the poison contained in the seeds. The owners did not realize the seeds from the tree were toxic. A link to toxic plants with photos is listed on our site at: http://www.goldens-n-doodles.com/PetHealth.html. Common household products can be dangerous – even deadly – to your pet. http://www.i-love-dogs. com/dogsarticles/10-Things-In-Your-Home-That-Can-Kill-Your-Dog.html We strongly recommend that you do NOT give your pups Milk Bones as they have ingredients in them that can calcify and cause crystals in your pup's urine and lead to other urinary problems. We recommend Buddy Biscuits or something similar. Available at Target, etc. See the product here: http://www.cloudstar.com/ We recommend against the rawhide chew. Although pups and dogs love them, they chew them until they are very soft and then swallow them. They don't eat them. This can cause serious digestive problems. Use turkey or chicken jerkey, or yam chews. RECOMMENDED CHEW TOYS We always recommend the Kong toy as shown on my pet health page. They are virtually indestructible. The package says to put peanut butter in it, but we put a buddy biscuit or something inside it instead. Peanut butter goes rancid and draws ants, so we recommend against using their suggestion of peanut butter. You can get a Kong in smaller size to better fit your puppy’s mouth. Kongs are available at petstores and we have seen them at Walmart & Target. Chews – Give your dogs chews made from sweet potatoes! See product here: http://www.frontporchpets.com Yam chews also available at Target…Dehydrated chicken breast jerkey (available at Costco) |
| CONTAINMENT: Play-yard: We searched and searched and finally added some play-yards to our home that we are very happy with. Metal exercise pens rusted and were heavy, and many were too tall for me to lean over, or the doors were too short to enter/exit. This is a great play-yard that is advertised for children on one site, and on Petco, etc. for puppies/dogs. Same model #, same item, just different marketing and prices all over the board from $49.50 to $129.00. This is the best deal we found and have ordered three including the optional extensions. The ad from Amazon may change from time to time including the pricing so if the one pictured isn't on Amazon.com, just do some shopping as you can find them at this great price if you look. This offer on Amazon.com included free shipping and no sales tax. DEAL! |
| NEW DISCOVERY!!! One of our awesome doodle owners has created an amazing line of products under the brand name "Urbandillo". Her items fold up inside each other for easy travel/transport. So far, we have two of her purses/carry alls. One of her most amazing creations, though, is the Smiley Blanket, that zips up into a big smiley faced pillow. Unzip it and it's a blanket with pillow and a "secret" storage area for treats and other important doodie stuff! These were designed for homeless children in mind, & for every purchase made from Urbandillo, one is donated to a needy child. GREAT FOR DOODLES! We're getting some for ours, 'tho I may sneak some naptime on it, myself. Click logo for link to Urbandillo.com. |
| Sachi is the doodle owned by Veronica James, Urbandillo's creator-president. Sachi LOVES her smiley blanket. Sachi is from our 3/13/08 litter (link) |
| It can be a lot of fun shopping for your new puppy - and expensive. Here is how I shop for dog stuff (in fact, I do this with most things I am going to purchase): I go to different pet stores and pet boutiques and find all the wonderful things I absolutely MUST have. I snap pictures of them, including manufacturer and even model number, then I go home and search online for the items and find the best deals. The price difference can be incredible - you can save up to half off by comparing prices. (A good example is on the puppy play-yard further down on this page.) You can make it fun for the kids, too, by letting them take pictures, printing them and letting them start a "wish book" of puppy items, then let them help find the best deals with you. I love Amazon.com! Even if they think they are helping as you search online, it can be fun and you will have money left over to buy MORE PUPPY STUFF!!!!! Goldendoodle items may be purchased from CafePress - you can even design your own. CLICK HERE. |
| Puppy Head Start training (click link). (3 day crate training, housebreaking, basics) Personalized Training Specialist - TheDogCounselor.com (click link). Doodle owner references available. |
| CLEANING PRODUCTS We have switched over to environmentally, non-toxic cleaning products and shampoos. We clean our kennels, crates, and dog bowls with SHAKLEE BASIC-G (click HERE), and use other SHAKLEE cleaning products. Chlorine free, biodegradale, concentrated, certified kosher, safe and very effective cleaning and disinfecting. We use SHAKLEE BASIC-H for all other cleaning and even bathe our dogs in it as it kills fleas instantly. We add several drops to our dogs' and puppies' water as it kills certain parasites. (click HERE). A list of uses can be found HERE. |
| RAW DIET: If you would like to feed your dogs a raw diet, our friend created this wonderful tutorial. Feed a grown dog approx. 8 oz and leave grain-free kibble out for a later "meal" if the dog desires. (click HERE). |