| GETTING READY FOR YOUR PUPPY! (revised 3/9/13) |
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| FOOD We use and recommend a high quality, gluten free food for your puppy - Life's Abundance. This food is not available in stores and is ordered online and delivered to your door. You should order the food no later than one week prior to your puppy coming home. Even if you elect to use a different brand of dog food, you should have a small bag to use for a minimum two week transition period to the new food. Life's Abundance is made fresh and is never more than 6 weeks old. With food recalls being posted almost daily, we feel confident about our choice in foods and the health of our puppies. Link: Life's Abundance. Link: Compare other brands to Life's Abundance by clicking this link. We also TREATS We usually do not buy treats and use dog food kibble out of a training treat bag, fed from hand one at a time, and the dogs think they are getting something special! What treats we do use are also from Life's Abundance. There are pet treat recalls and illnesses, even deaths, reported from treats so we are exclusive to Life's Abundance treats. Link: Life's Abudance Dog Treats Nontoxic Deoderizer: Link: Life's Abundance Biodeoderizer Spray |
| (JUST ABOUT) EVERYTHING YOU'LL NEED: For your convenience, we have prepackaged puppy kits designed specifically for each size and gender of our goldendoodle puppies. Click the below links. Prepackaged Kit - PETITE-MINI GOLDENDOODLE PUPPIES Prepackaged Kit - MINI-MEDIUM GOLDENDOODLE PUPPIES Prepackaged Kit - STANDARD GOLDENDOODLE PUPPIES EXTRAS - gates, pens, strollers, carriers, etc. |
Your puppy will come to with a beautiful, quality collar hand-made just for our Goldens-n-Doodles of TN puppies made by Woofus Collars. |
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. We encourage you to explore the links on our All About Doodles page (link).
A great site to visit/join is www.DoodleKisses.com - a social media site 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.)
OUR VET: 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. Please feel free
to contact them for a vet reference about our breeding program.
etc. to help make the process a little easier and to answer a lot of the questions you
will have. We encourage you to explore the links on our All About Doodles page (link).
A great site to visit/join is www.DoodleKisses.com - a social media site 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.)
OUR VET: 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. Please feel free
to contact them for a vet reference about our breeding program.
| PUPPY & TRAINING BOOK We love this book. Written in an easygoing manner, it is excellent for both adults and older children. The training relies upon the reward method, and treats are used as the reward. Please see below regarding use of treats. Available in paperback or e-book. (click book for link) |
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
Housebreaking - training bells.
Link for example: http://poochie-pets.net (you may wish to search the internet for other manufacturers, pricing)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR BELL TRAINING: Click here
We caution against taking your puppy to public places until he/she has had all shots (16 weeks). (See our Pet
Health information - click here). In order to take your puppy out and about without exposing him/her to
potentially life threatening illnesses, we use and recommend puppy backpack/carriers and/or puppy strollers.
These items can be found further down on this page, under "What You'll Need - EXTRAS".
We DO NOT recommend rawhide chews as they are not easily digested, and since the recent rash of recalled
jerkey-type treats, we ONLY recommend deer antlers and bully sticks and toys for chewing. These items can also be
found further down on this page, under our Prepackaged Kits.
We cannot stress how important it is to crate train your puppy. Crate training tips are found in the book referral at
the top of this page ("The Puppy Primer"). Size appropriate crates, with pans and dividers, are important, and are
found in our Prepackaged Kits, below.
We do not use a leash-to-collar for taking our dogs out. A collar can come off your dog when he/she pulls and you
can be left holding a leash with the collar attached, and no dog. Instead, we use a harness or a gentle-leader. We
recommend a leash that can loop around your wrist rather than a retractable leash since it is easy for the dog to
pull the retractable leash out of your hand.
Housebreaking - training bells.
Link for example: http://poochie-pets.net (you may wish to search the internet for other manufacturers, pricing)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR BELL TRAINING: Click here
We caution against taking your puppy to public places until he/she has had all shots (16 weeks). (See our Pet
Health information - click here). In order to take your puppy out and about without exposing him/her to
potentially life threatening illnesses, we use and recommend puppy backpack/carriers and/or puppy strollers.
These items can be found further down on this page, under "What You'll Need - EXTRAS".
We DO NOT recommend rawhide chews as they are not easily digested, and since the recent rash of recalled
jerkey-type treats, we ONLY recommend deer antlers and bully sticks and toys for chewing. These items can also be
found further down on this page, under our Prepackaged Kits.
We cannot stress how important it is to crate train your puppy. Crate training tips are found in the book referral at
the top of this page ("The Puppy Primer"). Size appropriate crates, with pans and dividers, are important, and are
found in our Prepackaged Kits, below.
We do not use a leash-to-collar for taking our dogs out. A collar can come off your dog when he/she pulls and you
can be left holding a leash with the collar attached, and no dog. Instead, we use a harness or a gentle-leader. We
recommend a leash that can loop around your wrist rather than a retractable leash since it is easy for the dog to
pull the retractable leash out of your hand.
GOING HOME:
If you need to pick up your puppy after the scheduled pick up date(s), arrangement need to be made in advance and
there is a charge of $20 per day. A small bag of Life's Abundance food should be ordered and delivered ahead of
time. The extended care may be in our home or in the guardian home of the mother of the litter.
For the ride home (if it is over 30 minutes), you should be prepared with paper towels, plastic grocery bags for trash,
spray cleaner (pet friendly), some puppy pads, water, small amount of kibble, puppy carrier/crate, towels. Your
puppy may get car sick or have an accident on his/her first big car ride and being prepared and not needing the
supplies is far better than needing the items and not having them.
THE FIRST FEW DAYS - WHAT TO EXPECT
At pick up (or just before your puppy is shipped), you will receive a puppy packet that will include the following:
• Health Record
• Purchase-Spay/Neuter Contract signed by Breeder and ready for your signature
• CD with photos and videos of your puppy and littermates, parents’ photos and parents’ testing and pedigree
records
• Microchip information (your puppy’s microchip will already be registered in your name prior to leaving our
premises)
• Blanket with mother’s scent
• Your puppy will be wearing a specially made collar with an engraved name tag & microchip tag
Feeding Schedule: Your puppy has not been on any feeding schedule. All puppies are fed together and we leave food
out continuously as their eating habits and sleeping habits vary from pup to pup. Your puppy has been eating Life’s
Abundance Puppy & Adult Food Formula. We recommend this food for your pup throughout its lifetime, but
DEFINITELY for the first few weeks as the transition is made. We recommend that you have a bag ordered and
delivered to your home to start feeding as soon as your puppy arrives. Exact feeding instructions are on the Life’s
Abundance website.
Crate training/house breaking: Your puppy has been trained to potty in a litter box lined with newspapers. Your
new home will completely change your puppy’s environment and habits and it is important to start a schedule as
soon as possible.
Your first few nights with your puppy may be a bit rough on both of you. Your puppy is used to sleeping with
littermates all curled up together. Whether or not you intend for your puppy to sleep in your bedroom as it matures,
we recommend that for the first few nights until the pup is used to sleeping in a crate and begins to sleep most of the
night, you place the crate on a chair or table next to your bed so that he/she does not feel abandoned. You can put
your fingers through the cage to calm him/her. Different books will tell you different things, but it is our experience
that if a puppy is sleeping, do not wake it up to go to the bathroom. You are trying to get the puppy to sleep through
the night and it will let you know if it needs to go outside. You may even wish to purchase a small hard carrier for
the first week that you can easily set on a chair next to your bed or even on your bed so that you can get some sleep.
A $25 cat or puppy carrier from Walmart that you never use again is worth every penny for some sleep.
Runny stools, etc. Your puppy is likely to have loose stools when you get him/her home or to develop them the first
week. It will have just received an 8 week de-worming which can cause looser stools, and the stress caused during
the transport home, change in environment, separation from littermates, and different water source – and
particularly if you introduce a different food - are all things that will upset his/her routine and cause stools to be
loose. Unless the loose stools become explosive diarreah or are filled with blood or mucous, this is normal and is not
a cause for concern. The loose stools will dissipate in a few days as a routine is developed. Unless you have concern
that there is something wrong (diarreah, mucous, lethargy, lack of appetite or no desire for water), you may give
your puppy a few teaspoons of raw canned pumpkin (plain pumpkin, not processed pie filling). This will help to
solidify runny stools until they are regulated by routine.
Keep Your New Puppy Clean. Your puppy has been used to being cleaned by mom and by me. I am referring to your
puppy’s “private area”. He/she will be learning to keep clean on his/her own (licking), but until then, you will need
to clean the area once or twice a day. (A baby wipe is ideal, or a damp paper towel with a spritz of shampoo.)
Otherwise, your puppy (particularly a female) can develop a yeast infection and earn a trip to the vet.
First Vet Visit
There are a few things that we often hear from our doodle families after their first vet visit about the same things,
and feel they are worth passing on to you.
Shot protocol. We follow a very strict and precise shot and de-worming protocol established by the premiere
parvo vet/expert in the country, Dr. Bob Paige, who developed a vaccine system to prevent parvo. We follow it
exactly as he sets forth on his website, and pass all that information on to you for you and your vet in the puppy’s
Health Record that is provided to you. The Health Record contains all the information, including product and
website links, so that your vet will know exactly what your puppy has received during his/her time with us.
Occasionally, a vet has remarked that the shots were administered too early and/or too close together. A review of
the Health Record in advance will assist you in understanding our protocol in case your vet offers a differing
observation/opinion. The shots are given exactly as directed – the parvo vaccine and the normal puppy shots are
administered in separate vaccinations and a week apart by design.
Opinions as to Hips. As set forth by the two organizations that read and rate xrays of canine hips (Orthopedic
Foundation For Animals, and Penn-Hip) a puppy under the age of 4 months is too young to examine for hip issues.
Ear Mites/Yeast Infection. Learn the difference so you know what questions to ask. http://www.marvistavet.
com/html/body_ear_mites.html
Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns! Sometimes a quick phone call or email can save you
an unnecessary – and expensive – trip to the vet. I AM NOT A VET, and don’t purport to be. However, loose stool
with a bit of blood without other symptoms can be a common occurrence and very inexpensive and easy to remedy.
By the same token, something that may not seem serious could develop into something that is. As your breeder, we
want you to know that we are here for you before, during, and AFTER you purchase your puppy from us.
Teri Fann
Goldens-n-Doodles of TN
www.Goldens-n-Doodles.com of TN
If you need to pick up your puppy after the scheduled pick up date(s), arrangement need to be made in advance and
there is a charge of $20 per day. A small bag of Life's Abundance food should be ordered and delivered ahead of
time. The extended care may be in our home or in the guardian home of the mother of the litter.
For the ride home (if it is over 30 minutes), you should be prepared with paper towels, plastic grocery bags for trash,
spray cleaner (pet friendly), some puppy pads, water, small amount of kibble, puppy carrier/crate, towels. Your
puppy may get car sick or have an accident on his/her first big car ride and being prepared and not needing the
supplies is far better than needing the items and not having them.
THE FIRST FEW DAYS - WHAT TO EXPECT
At pick up (or just before your puppy is shipped), you will receive a puppy packet that will include the following:
• Health Record
• Purchase-Spay/Neuter Contract signed by Breeder and ready for your signature
• CD with photos and videos of your puppy and littermates, parents’ photos and parents’ testing and pedigree
records
• Microchip information (your puppy’s microchip will already be registered in your name prior to leaving our
premises)
• Blanket with mother’s scent
• Your puppy will be wearing a specially made collar with an engraved name tag & microchip tag
Feeding Schedule: Your puppy has not been on any feeding schedule. All puppies are fed together and we leave food
out continuously as their eating habits and sleeping habits vary from pup to pup. Your puppy has been eating Life’s
Abundance Puppy & Adult Food Formula. We recommend this food for your pup throughout its lifetime, but
DEFINITELY for the first few weeks as the transition is made. We recommend that you have a bag ordered and
delivered to your home to start feeding as soon as your puppy arrives. Exact feeding instructions are on the Life’s
Abundance website.
Crate training/house breaking: Your puppy has been trained to potty in a litter box lined with newspapers. Your
new home will completely change your puppy’s environment and habits and it is important to start a schedule as
soon as possible.
Your first few nights with your puppy may be a bit rough on both of you. Your puppy is used to sleeping with
littermates all curled up together. Whether or not you intend for your puppy to sleep in your bedroom as it matures,
we recommend that for the first few nights until the pup is used to sleeping in a crate and begins to sleep most of the
night, you place the crate on a chair or table next to your bed so that he/she does not feel abandoned. You can put
your fingers through the cage to calm him/her. Different books will tell you different things, but it is our experience
that if a puppy is sleeping, do not wake it up to go to the bathroom. You are trying to get the puppy to sleep through
the night and it will let you know if it needs to go outside. You may even wish to purchase a small hard carrier for
the first week that you can easily set on a chair next to your bed or even on your bed so that you can get some sleep.
A $25 cat or puppy carrier from Walmart that you never use again is worth every penny for some sleep.
Runny stools, etc. Your puppy is likely to have loose stools when you get him/her home or to develop them the first
week. It will have just received an 8 week de-worming which can cause looser stools, and the stress caused during
the transport home, change in environment, separation from littermates, and different water source – and
particularly if you introduce a different food - are all things that will upset his/her routine and cause stools to be
loose. Unless the loose stools become explosive diarreah or are filled with blood or mucous, this is normal and is not
a cause for concern. The loose stools will dissipate in a few days as a routine is developed. Unless you have concern
that there is something wrong (diarreah, mucous, lethargy, lack of appetite or no desire for water), you may give
your puppy a few teaspoons of raw canned pumpkin (plain pumpkin, not processed pie filling). This will help to
solidify runny stools until they are regulated by routine.
Keep Your New Puppy Clean. Your puppy has been used to being cleaned by mom and by me. I am referring to your
puppy’s “private area”. He/she will be learning to keep clean on his/her own (licking), but until then, you will need
to clean the area once or twice a day. (A baby wipe is ideal, or a damp paper towel with a spritz of shampoo.)
Otherwise, your puppy (particularly a female) can develop a yeast infection and earn a trip to the vet.
First Vet Visit
There are a few things that we often hear from our doodle families after their first vet visit about the same things,
and feel they are worth passing on to you.
Shot protocol. We follow a very strict and precise shot and de-worming protocol established by the premiere
parvo vet/expert in the country, Dr. Bob Paige, who developed a vaccine system to prevent parvo. We follow it
exactly as he sets forth on his website, and pass all that information on to you for you and your vet in the puppy’s
Health Record that is provided to you. The Health Record contains all the information, including product and
website links, so that your vet will know exactly what your puppy has received during his/her time with us.
Occasionally, a vet has remarked that the shots were administered too early and/or too close together. A review of
the Health Record in advance will assist you in understanding our protocol in case your vet offers a differing
observation/opinion. The shots are given exactly as directed – the parvo vaccine and the normal puppy shots are
administered in separate vaccinations and a week apart by design.
Opinions as to Hips. As set forth by the two organizations that read and rate xrays of canine hips (Orthopedic
Foundation For Animals, and Penn-Hip) a puppy under the age of 4 months is too young to examine for hip issues.
Ear Mites/Yeast Infection. Learn the difference so you know what questions to ask. http://www.marvistavet.
com/html/body_ear_mites.html
Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns! Sometimes a quick phone call or email can save you
an unnecessary – and expensive – trip to the vet. I AM NOT A VET, and don’t purport to be. However, loose stool
with a bit of blood without other symptoms can be a common occurrence and very inexpensive and easy to remedy.
By the same token, something that may not seem serious could develop into something that is. As your breeder, we
want you to know that we are here for you before, during, and AFTER you purchase your puppy from us.
Teri Fann
Goldens-n-Doodles of TN
www.Goldens-n-Doodles.com of TN
