Tips for New Puppy Owners

Our sweet, Goldendoodle is 40 weeks old today. He’s such an integral part of our lives, it’s wild to think that he hasn’t even existed for every month of the year yet!

My husband Paul and I agreed on the breed in 2019. Coming from a family with two Australian Shepherds, I was itching for a pet that we could love and cuddle and provide for. My ideal breed was one that was large enough to hug and fluffy enough to lose my hands in. However, Paul wasn’t a fan of the shedding hair that comes with large, fluffy dogs. Also, he had some allergies growing up and wasn’t sure if he’d be able to tolerate the fur.

Cue: lots of Google searching. And cue: the perfect breed for us! I discovered a floofy, non-shedding, hypoallergenic, family-friendly dog breed that’s a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle (although, any doodle can fit this description!)

I found a breeder in Yuba City, California (three hours away from our home in Carson City, Nevada), and I fell in love with their cute Instagram page and the sweet family who ran the business. We saved some money, applied for the wait list (hoping to get a puppy by Fall of 2021), and we were accepted for the Millie/Knox litter in June of that year!

Those little eyes and golden fur melted our hearts!

The process was pretty seamless: before we arrived to the family’s home, we were assigned an order for the litter based on the order we entered the wait list. For logistical reasons, they don’t guarantee boy or girl preferences, but we were hoping for a boy, and the litter had 6 boys, 1 girl, so the odds were in our favor!

Each family is given a 15-20 minute private window to play with the puppies (which seems short, but did feel like enough time), and then we scooped our nugget of choice!

The way this litter played out, the puppies would grow up to be “mini/medium” in size. Some of them were more on the mini side (weighing about 20-25 lbs full grown) and some of them were on the medium side (30-35 lbs full grown). We chose the last of three medium size boys, and true to the prediction, he’s 29.8 lbs today. His growth significantly slowed down by month 7; he only gained 2 lbs in the three months between then and now. Kevin might put on a few extra pounds before he hits the 12 month mark, but I think we can safely consider him full grown.

Even though I grew up with dogs, bringing baby Kevin home was like learning it all over again: potty training, crate training, house training, their vet schedule, and everything in between! I learned a lot along the way, and I’d love to share a few tips for each stage: from take home day to month ten.

New Puppy Starter Kit

Before diving into age-specific advice, I wanted to provide a full list of items we bought before bringing Kevin home. A few were direct recommendations from the breeder, and others were a result of advice and internet research.

Puppy Food: https://bit.ly/wholefarmspuppyfood
Supplements: https://bit.ly/NuVetK9
Crate: https://bit.ly/TravelCrate
Snuggle Puppy: https://amzn.to/3k6mkXT
Waterproof Pet Blanket: https://amzn.to/3D4g2AP
Kong Toys: https://amzn.to/3D56sgP & https://amzn.to/3CZ72Nc
Bully Sticks: https://bit.ly/3xWSA4A
Training Treats: https://bit.ly/3mfupfp
Wood Chips: https://bit.ly/3z3uHd3
Potty Bells: https://bit.ly/2UyZMX5
Travel Water Bottle: https://amzn.to/3y8KTsk

Now. Let’s dive in!

Week One (7 lbs)

Our first week with Kevin was a time of intense cuteness and quick adapting. Here’s what we learned along the way:

Cherish this Stage

The first week is messy, so try to release any expectations you might have for a perfect experience.

They grow so quickly during week one, so give yourself permission to take an obnoxious amount of photos! I took a lot, but I still regret not having more… cause they’ll never be that little again!

Driving Away May Be Tough

I think each puppy responds differently to being separated from their pack mates. But due to their high fear threshold at this stage, new things will cause anxiety.

We decided to purchase this comfort toy to help the transition and it was truly a God send! The heartbeat helped him go to sleep so quickly.

Prepare for Hours of Playtime

Eight week old puppies go from zero to 100 real quick, so it’s definitely a good idea to have a few items to keep him/her busy. They aren’t very good “independent players” at this point, so prepare for a lot of hands on rope tugging and ball throwing.

I know some dog trainers actually advise against playing tug with your puppy because it inspires aggression; we made a personal choice to do it, but feel free to research this further for yourself!

Night One May Be Restless

I think the first night is almost always tough. Paul and I decided to crate train Kevin, so it made his sad little nighttime cries extra heart breaking. But we were determined to make it work, so here are three things that helped us successfully follow through:

Top loading crate. The first night, every time Kevin woke up crying, I opened his crate and I soothed him back to sleep. The top-loading feature made it so that I didn’t have to physically take him out of the crate every time he cried.
Snuggle puppy. This is why I advocate for his snuggle puppy so strongly… every time I went to soothe him, it only took 5-10 minutes for him to fall back asleep. I think a big reason he was able to settle down was the “heartbeat” of his snuggle puppy beside him.
Dark blanket. The main reason we decided to crate train Kevin is because dogs are naturally den animals. Crates serve as a consistent place of comfort and safety for them (which may defer, depending on the animal’s circumstances before they come to live with you, but is true the majority of them time). To simulate the darkness of a den, we started placing a dark blanket over Kevin’s crate at night (and we still do!) I think this mild sensory deprivation really helped him to shut down at night.

Prepare for Potty Accidents

Potty accidents are inevitable. To help control the clean up, we restricted Kev to one set area of the house where there was easy clean up. In order to teach him to go outside, we set a timer to go off every two hours and we brought him out preemptively. Of course accidents still happened, but it definitely kept it manageable.

Also, we purchased wood chips for the backyard, which is a very common potty training tool. This helps if you have a lawn and you want to train your dog to go in a rock area (where you can set down the chips) instead of having them go on the grass.

Teach Them to Love Their Name

One of the only “tricks” we worked on this week was name recognition. Every time we said puppy’s name, we rewarded him with a treat! It’s so cute how quickly they pick up on it and come running when you say it.

Weeks 8-12 (7-11 lbs)

Weeks 8-12 with Kevin was a time of new milestones and quickly shifting routines.

Prepare for Teething

Nothing beats those razor sharp baby fangs!

To help this active chewing stage, we bought bully sticks for Kevin, and 10/10 would recommend it! They can be pricey… but we now buy them in bulk at Costco, which helps a ton with the price. We don’t mind Kevin being on the couch at home, so we designated a spot during this time where he would sit with us. We would lay down his water proof baby blanket and give him a bully stick, which kept him plenty busy!

Research Vet Options and Vaccine Schedules

Puppy’s first vet visit usually falls in this time. Each vet will be different, but ours gave us the option to be on their full/all-inclusive pet option or to manually schedule the appointments ourselves. I opted for the second option and followed this schedule.

Begin Leash Training

We leash trained during this period and started by putting it on in the house for him to get used to. Kevin loved wrestling with it, but through positive distraction, we were able to get him to put it down for longer and longer periods of time.

Begin Addressing Separation Anxiety

Breaking separation anxiety was probably the toughest part about this stage of Kevin’s development. Goldendoodles, in particular, seem to have a great deal of separation anxiety (at least according to other dog mamas who picked up Kevin’s siblings from the litter), and to start, we would work on leaving him in the kitchen alone while we walked around the house. We use a lot of techniques from this YouTube video, and had to use a lot of patience!

Months 3-4 (11-16 lbs)

Kevin was definitely getting wild at this stage! His fearfulness was starting to lessen and he was very comfortable in his routine.

Go on “Walks”

This period of growth required a lot of personal choices for socializing. It’s the most important stage for socialization, but also mildly dangerous because puppies don’t complete their vaccination schedule for parvo until week 16.

One way we chose to get him out into the world was by taking him on “walks.” Essentially we just carried him on the walk to get him used to sights, smells, and sounds outside the home. We also chose to bring him over to friends and family’s houses where we knew the adult dogs were healthy. That way he met new dogs and got out his much needed playtime!

Exposure to New Things

One thing our vet warned us about is that Goldendoodles can be pretty fearful dogs. So, we made a strong initial effort to expose him to as much as possible during this stage. Loud, unexpected sounds (like the blender and vacuum), fireworks on the 4th of July, people we met on his “walks,” children of different ages, etc.

We definitely weren’t perfect in this regard, but he’s pretty unaffected by the things we initially exposed him too. He does have a fear of children for some reason, that we’re still trying to work out (he runs around with them, but doesn’t like to be touched by them). I think it’s their unpredictable nature that throws him off… But even in the fearfulness, he’s never once been aggressive. So, it’s still a work in progress!

Start Training

Kevin was learning new tricks really quickly during this stage and it was too adorable to see him connect the dots between our command and the action. We taught him sit, lay down, “relax,” come, and shake! Later on we would teach him to roll over, heel, stay, and take treats “easy.”

Months 4-6 (16-25 lbs)

I think this stage of puppy-ownership is honestly the best! They are fully vaccinated and can officially go out into the world. Plus, their personalities are hilarious and they’re not overly chewy.

Make a Habit of Walking

Goldendoodles are very jumpy, energetic dogs… so “pulling” while walking is a huge habit to break. Again, we were definitely not perfect in this regard, but we did start teaching Kevin “heel” during this time. I’d recommend loading up on training treats before going on the walk so that you can have something to distract puppy’s attention from the good smells, garbage, dogs, people, and lawns that they’ll encounter.

Avoid Fast Diet Changes

We weren’t aware in the beginning how sensitive puppy stomachs can be, and Kevin went through a week or so of really upset tummies when we switched his food brand too quickly. They say to start with 1/4 new food, 3/4 old food and very gradually transfer it over. But in our situation, the brand we selected just didn’t sit well with him.

Our life-saver during this time was pumpkin puree! We added it to his food while we tried to figure out his issues and it was such a good solution for us. Also, a really good tip: if you suspect puppy has parasites (which we thought might be a contributing factor), pumpkin seeds actually paralyze parasites in dogs and allows them to flush it out of their system. We added it to his food at the same time and he loved the flavor!

Months 6-8 (25-28 lbs)

After month six, puppies enter the teenage stage.

Prepare for Increased Aggression (Boy Dogs)

This one is a little more boy-dog-specific, but as they go through certain body and hormone changes, their play will naturally get more rough. We had to take away his plushy toys because he got a little too excited with them (if you know what I mean). Thankfully “aggressive” for Goldendoodles is still extremely mellow!

Allow Them to Explore

During the teenage phase, dogs have a stronger sense of smell and because of that, they love exploring their world. Bringing them to new environments where they can be stimulated and exercised has been a major focus for us from month six to now.

Expect Moments of Mischief

Because dogs started getting more bored during this stage, they’re more prone to chew up things you would prefer they wouldn’t… Plus one hilarious thing about Goldendooldes is that they love stealing socks! I haven’t had a matching pair since we got Kevin…. But keeping a sharp eye on puppy will be really important if you value your belongings.

Accepting that there will be a few naughty days will help your expectations when it happens. In total, we lost a book, a pair of earrings, two pairs of flip flops, a pen, and a few socks. Now-a-days he mostly sticks to his toys… but he sure does love stealing things around the house! Hairs ties and pens are his recent (10 month) obsession.

Months 8-10 (28-30 lbs)

Changes during age 6-10 might look different for each dog breed, but here’s what we experienced with Kevin and a few words of advise for other mini/medium doodle owners.

Growth Slows Down

Everyone told us Kevin would be huge based on his puppy size. Although he is big for his litter, his growth significantly started slowing down by month seven. Large dog breeds often take the full twelve months to reach their full size… but smaller breeds actually stop around month six. So he was right in the middle! From Week 8 to Week 27, Kevin’s weight almost exactly matched his week-age: 13 lbs at 13 weeks, 19.6 lbs at 19 weeks, and 27.8 lbs at 27 weeks! But when he hit 28 lbs, he significantly slowed down. From Weeks 29-35, he stayed 28 lbs and only recently weighed in at 29.8 lbs! Based on his current pace, I’d say it’s likely he’ll add on one or two more pounds before he’s finished.

Surgery Time!

This stage (usually months 10 - 12), will be pivotal decision making time for getting puppy fixed. Some people decide to get their puppy fixed much earlier, while others chose not to. For us, since we went through a breeder, we agreed to get Kevin fixed on paper by month 10.

Our vet actually preferred to do the procedure by 12 months, so we waited as long as possible until Kevin’s 10 month birthday. Since hormones help puppies grow to their full size, we wanted to wait as long as possible before making that call.

All-in-all, I was far more nervous than I needed to be about it! I will say that the first night and day is the hardest, but it only gets better from there. Kevin never cried in pain, but he did have a sleepless night in the cone. We moved him from the cone to this donut and it was the best decision we could’ve made for him. Many people say their dog can still reach the incision with the donut on, but the key for this brand is to really inflate it FULLY. Kevin definitely tried to reach his incision, but he never could. So he rested in his donut for about 8 days and then he was healed up and free!

Cuddle Bug After Surgery

I don’t know if other pet owners can relate to this, but the only big personality difference we noticed in Kevin after surgery was his capacity to snuggle. He definitely did it before… but post-surgery Kevin now opts to snuggle against us more often than he opts to lay alone. It’s adorable! But it’s definitely true that you can kiss your personal space goodbye with Goldendoodles (in the best way possible).

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So, that’s it: Kevin’s first 10 months of life, and our 8 months of being his parents. It’s all been nothing short of eye-opening and life-changing. He brings so much love and joy to us, I truly can’t imagine life without him in it.