Food & Nutrition

We feed all our Doodles Pure Balance dry food. We start the puppies on Pure Balance Pro+ Puppy Food kibble and canned. At around 12 months, we start switching them to the adult version, Pure Balance Large Breed dog food. They have a chewable multivitamin every morning. We also like to add a couple pumps of fish oil to their morning meal. Whenever our pups have an upset stomach or we notice loose stools, we like to add some organic pumpkin puree or Firm Up to their food.

Potty-training & Crate-training

Our puppies begin potty-training as soon as they begin weaning and eating puppy mush at around 3 weeks. By the time they turn 8 weeks old, they are going potty outside about every 2 hours. We keep the puppies indoors enclosed in a puppy playpen. They have access to an open crate and potty trays with disposable pad inserts within the playpen. We line the bottom with washable potty pads. They have a small water bowl and a few chew toys in the playpen as well. For those inevitable accidents, we use Simple Solution spray and the Little Green Machine. As the pups get older, they start figuring out how to jump out of the puppy playpen, so we ended up having to switch them to a taller and sturdier playpen.

We keep the crate out in the large family room. As puppies they will whine and bark, especially the first few weeks after going to their new home. They will learn to settle down, but it will be noisy at first. Once they become accustomed to their daily & night time routines, they will look forward to their safe and comfy space. It takes lots of patience and with time, everyone will be more comfortable. They have music playing almost 24/7 since they were born, and it truly does help them relax. Mainly we ask Alexa to play the instrumental lullabies station, Rock-a-Bye lullabies station, or Bob Marley station. We’re thinking of giving the Snuggle Puppy a try to see if it actually helps since we’ve read great reviews.

Playtime, Socialization, & Behavior Training

By the time our puppies are 8 weeks old, they have had plenty of socialization experiences. They have been handled daily by all the members of our family here. They are comfortable around multiple large adult dogs, cats, and children. They are comfortable on all types of floors and textures, are exposed to many different loud sounds, and are used to everyday noises in a busy home. They enjoy running around in an open yard and playing with their mom, Darling, and with each other. We’ve introduced them to all kinds of rope toys, squeaky toys, and chew toys. After their dinner and potty-time, we’ve been letting them play and run around as much as possible to they are tuckered out for the evening.

After they’ve completed all their vaccinations at around 4 months old, we start taking them for walks around our neighborhood. We start leash & harness training around 3 months just by walking them around the perimeter of our yard during potty breaks. Once they are comfortable walking on a leash around the neighborhood, we introduce them to the neighborhood park.

By 8 weeks old our puppies have all been introduced to “sit”, “off”, and “no biting/gentle”. They respond to “puppy, puppy, puppy” extremely well, so we can introduce “come”. When we begin leash training, we will continue with “sit” and introduce “stay”. We also use “be nice” when they bark at strangers and other dogs.

For the chewing that comes along with teething, we make sure they have plenty of puppy-safe toys available to them at all times. Also, they enjoy the filled bones, and they last a very long time. By far their favorite thing to chew on has been my Crocs, so watch out for your shoes!

Grooming

Even though Goldendoodles are hypoallergenic and do not shed, they do need to be well-groomed to remain healthy and happy. You can make your puppy’s first grooming appointment when they turn 16 weeks after they’ve received all of their vaccinations including rabies. We highly recommend taking your Doodle to the groomers at least every 4-6 weeks, especially if you desire a fuller “Teddy Bear” look. Also, you will need to comb and brush your Doodle’s coat on a weekly, or sometimes a daily basis. It is very important to be as consistent as possible with the grooming of your Goldendoodle to avoid any matting.

We have decided to groom our Doodles at home using our own grooming table and supplies to keep their coats manageable and on the shorter side. We are carefully growing out their facial hair so they can show off the classic look of a Goldendoodle.

We start getting our puppies accustomed to grooming at 7-8 weeks of age. We gently bathe them in our large mop sink in the laundry room with warm water, wash cloth, and oatmeal shampoo and conditioner. We towel dry the puppies and gently brush them with a small slicker brush. We give them their first “puppy cut” and trim them as soon as they start getting extra fluffy at around 4 months.

Because we live in Florida and have woods behind our backyard, we do use flea & tick topical products on the Doodles on top of the oral meds (Simparico Trio). We like to stick to the more natural products, so we use Vet’s Best Home Spray since we can use it both around the house and on the pets. Also, the wipes are quick and easy for when we just want to wipe them before heading out to the park.