Bringing Your Puppy Home

What A Magical Day!

Adding another member to your family is a major commitment and one that should never be taken lightly. An Australian Labradoodle’s life expectancy is 15 years. That will be 15 years of love, laughter, and responsibility.

Nipping 

Your puppy has had the best start possible and you will want to continue that level of care. When your puppy comes home he may want to nip and bite as he was doing with his littermates.  Never allow him to do this with you. It may be cute now, but when he is full-grown that will not be the case and it will be much harder to stop at that time. If you push him away he will think that is the new game! Instead, give him a loud “OUCH!” (or some recommend “YIPE”) and turn your back for 15-20 seconds.  If you have children in the family, you can call this “acting like a tree”.

Crate Training

Your puppy may cry the first few nights at home.  He will arrive with a toy or cloth that has his mother’s and litter mates’ scent on it, but still he will feel all alone when night arrives and he is in his crate. Don’t worry he will adjust and you will have your sleep restored! Don’t reinforce the crying by taking him out to cuddle, just sput your hand in for him to sniff and touch, then remove it. If he needs to go to the bathroom, take him out with very little talking and no time to play.  By the third night he should be well into sleeping on his own.

Potty Training

If you want to house train your puppy in the fastest and easiest way possible (and who wouldn’t want to do that?) you need to follow this simple rule. AT ALL TIMES your puppy should be:

  1. Actively engaged with you playing or training….this does not mean, you watching him play from afar while you do something else. This means hands on and eye to eye contact in whatever activity you are engaged in with your puppy.
  2. Your puppy should be tethered to you by a leash. This is easy, just slip one end of the leash through your belt loop and clip the other end to your puppy and then go on about your routine. If you are laying on the couch watching TV, the puppy is on the floor by your side. If you are sitting at the desk answering emails, the puppy is by your side. If the phone rings and you jump up to get it, the puppy comes too, and will quickly learn to stay tuned to you and your movements. Tethering accomplishes a couple of things. Most importantly with regards to house training, it never allows your puppy to make a mistake and potty on a rug, behind the sofa, around the corner….It can’t happen. Remember, the puppy needs to potty after ever time he eats and every time he wakes up. If he falls asleep by your side and wakes up to then take two steps to go potty, you know it instantly and can prevent it from happening. As a bonus, It teaches the puppy to focus on you, rather than the other way around, it makes leash training much easier, as he knows to follow you and, it teaches him that you are the Alpha pack leader.
  3. And the last condition…., if you are not actively engaged playing/training, or tethered to the puppy, he should be in his crate. Those are the only three scenarios.

Transportation Services

We have some very exciting news here at Good Day Doodles! We have received many requests for transportation services over the years, so now we are offering two types of travel options to bring you and precious puppy together. If you prefer to receive your puppy by car, we will drive him/her within four to six hours. Our driver charges $125/hour of drive time it takes to get to you. You are always welcome to meet halfway as well.

If you’d like to have your puppy brought to you by airplane, we can offer to fly him/her on our lap (NOT CARGO) via commercial airline to your location. No need to stress about getting your new puppy safely and happily to your home! We will go over the puppy orientation with you there and answer any additional questions you may have. The fee consists of a round-trip airfare (use your frequent flyer points), the in-cabin pet fee ($125) and our handling fee of $600 for east coast travel, $700 for central states and $800 for west coast travel out of GSO airport.

Recommended Reading

  • The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) by Monks of New Skete
  • Before and After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, and Well-Behaved Dog by Dr. Ian Dunbar
  • The Puppy Primer Paperback by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D.
  • 101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your Dog by Kyra Sundance and Chalcy
  • How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Clarice Rutherford and David H. Neil
  • Raising Puppies & Kids Together: A Guide for Parents Paperback by Pia Silvani, Lynn Eckhardt
  • The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell