Teddy Bear Goldendoodles

Puppy Care

Get Prepared For Your Puppies Arrival

Read our Forum everyday! The forum is a great place to meet other Smeraglia's TeddyBearGoldendoodles & TeddyBearSchnoodle puppy owners, stay in touch with littermates, share stories, pictures and share helpful advice.

Please visit the TBDOODLES Store at Cafe Press for exclusive TeddyBearGoldendoodle & TeddyBearSchnoodle Merchandise. This is where you can get adorable puppy shirts, coffee mugs, hats and all kinds of great items, which feature our cute exclusive Goldendoodle and Schnoodle Logo.

Vaccinations:

What Vaccinations did my puppy get prior to coming home? Each Puppy will come home with a health record chart and Health Guarantee enclose in their puppy kit, please take the health record to you vet when you go in for your puppy's first check-up.

Great Articles for New Puppy Owners:

Doctors Foster & Smith Pet Information Center

Crate Training:

We begin crate training once the puppies are weaned and highly recommend that you continue the training once your puppy arrives home.

Have a crate on hand for the first few weeks and keep your puppy in it when you are not with him, but not for more than a few hours at a time. Make sure the crate is not too big. It should be large enough for the puppy to stand up, turn around, stretch out, but no larger. Dogs do not want to soil their bed and the use of a crate teaches them to control their urge to eliminate. Your puppy has already begun some of his crate training before he arrives to you. He has already learned along with his litter mates that his crate is for sleeping and not for going potty in. Because of this per-training, most pups are very easy to crate train, But, please be aware: a dog that is left in a crate all day long, gets let out in the evening after work for a few hours and then put back in the crate for the night can become a very unhappy, destructive dog.

If you work all day, it is recommended that you find someone who can let you dog out for a potty break and play time midday if you intend on crating your dog while you are gone. If this is not possible, then only use the crate at night. If you must leave your dog all day long every day and you have nobody to let the dog out during the day, you should find a room that he can be contained in and put down food, water and toys. A kitchen, bathroom, or utility room works great. You should set up the room so that a bed and food are at one end and pee pads or newspaper at the other. They need to find something to occupy their mind, so give your dog plenty of toys. Dogs are den animals and will usually come to like the crate, but even a den animal would go crazy if it was locked up all day long.

Puppy Prep School

(Private Boarding School For Puppies Only)

Here At Smeraglia Kennel, we realize that while very exciting, bringing a new puppy into your home can be a frustrating, life-interrupting event. With the new information now available about canine behavioral development, we know that the first few days, weeks, and months of your puppy's life are critical for his happy and healthy development, as well as a lifetime of harmony in your home.

The puppy prep school program was developed exclusively for our special TeddyBearGoldendoodle & TeddyBearSchnoodle puppies, 20 weeks and under.

Our program is very different than most other puppy training programs because our focus is on preventing undesirable behaviors from become habit while developing desired behaviors in the appropriate way for each individual during key developmental stages to insure behavioral soundness for the companion (family) animal that is functional in a real world setting. The program consists of at least 2 weeks of boarding in a real home environment, complete with young children, a police K9 trainer husband and training done by a Certified examiner for the AKC'S CGC program and the Delta Societies Pet Partners program, in addition to numerous other professional group affiliations and endorsements. During this time, your puppy will be given, round-the-clock care while receiving daily training, custom tailored to your individual situation and needs. We can only enroll two puppies at a time so you must reserve a spot early, limited Availability.

Behavioral & Obedience Training

It is important to start training your new puppy as soon as you bring him home. Local dog training classes are often available. Ask your veterinarian to recommend a trainer or look in your local newspaper for a trainer in your area.

Puppy Proofing

As with children, you will likely want to puppy proof your house. Part of it is to keep the pup safe, and the rest is to keep your stuff safe from the pup. Puppies chew things. Everything below four feet is fair game. Expect it and prepare for it. One of the best solutions is to offer a wide variety of puppy safe chew products all over each accessible floor in the house. If the pup is going to chew, you might as well control what he is chewing.

Use child proof locks to keep substances like pesticides, meds, cleaning products, plants, etc. locked up in cabinets and away from your pup.
When pups are very young, even rawhide strips can be dangerous, never give these to your puppy unsupervised.
Be aware that some foods and plants are toxic to dogs.
Avoid heat stroke and don't leave pups or dogs locked in cars.
After your puppy comes home, There are Health Risks for Parvo!
You should NOT allow your puppy to be out in public places until after the Parvo vaccinations have been completed, 12-16 weeks.

Check out workingdogs.com for more information on Parvo. The surest way to avoid parvo infection in your dog is to adhere to the recommended vaccination schedule which begins when puppies are 6-8 weeks of age. Puppies should not be allowed to socialize with other dogs or frequent areas where other dogs have been until 2 weeks after they have had their last vaccination. Immunization for parvo is usually included in your dog's distemper vaccine. This shot gives protection against several potentially fatal canine diseases all at the same time.

New Puppy (Shopping) Checklist

General:

Paper towels (a lot of paper towels)
Old Towels for Crate. Once puppy is reliably crate trained, a "real" crate bed can be used.
Old Blanket or Towel(s) to cover wire Crate
Cotton balls for cleaning ears
Hydrogen Peroxide (to induce vomiting, if necessary)
100% Pure canned Pumpkin (from the baking isle of your grocery store)
Pumpkin is a good source of fiber. When puppy has diarrhea or constipation, a tablespoon or two with every meal for several days should help alleviate symptoms. Freeze excess in ice cube tray.
Baby Gate(s)
Try baby supply stores - generally more choices and cheaper than pet stores (Beware that horizontal bars provide a foot-hold for climbing puppies. Also consider spacing between bars, as some times it is large enough for little puppies to get caught)

General from your Pet Supply Store:

Nature's Miracle (gallon size) or similar stain/odor neutralizer
Bitter Apple (bitter taste deters dogs from biting, licking, and chewing)
Pooper Scooper & bags
Food and water bowls (stainless steel or ceramic)
Storage bin for dry food
Adjustable Nylon collar w/plastic clasp
10 - 14 inch size for standard or medium Doodle puppies, Smaller for mini Doodle puppies.
I.D. Tag
(e.g. See http://boomerangtags.com for their flat collar tags for adjustable collars. They also sell collars with tags included for the smaller sized dogs).
6 foot leash
15 foot or longer (up to 50 foot) training leash(es)
Plastic Crate for crate training
- Another good idea is the Double door folding crate with divider (we like both Midwest and Precision brands)
- Medium - Standard Sized Doodles need at least a 42 inch crate, we recommend the 48. Mini Doodles can use a 36 inch crate.
Travel Crate for car until puppy is big enough to wear a car harness

FOOD AND TREATS

Puppy Food
Your puppy has been started on Purina "Pro Plan" Chicken & Rice Puppy Formula

NuVet Plus Vitamins (click to order)

Your puppy has been on Nuvet Plus Vitamins since 6 weeks of age. I highly recommend this vitamin for your new puppy. You need to place your order before your puppy comes home. You can click on the Nuvet Plus Vitamins link above to order.

Training Treats
Soft & tiny treats work best for training. Pieces of cheese, hot dogs, or homemade Liver Brownies

Good Chews and Toys:

Medium or Large Kong Toy
Stuffed Dog Toys w/ squeakers
Balls (squeaky rubber balls)
Rope toys (e.g. Booda bones)
cow hooves or bully sticks for chewing

TeddyBear Grooming Instructions:
Goldendoodles & Schnoodles are groomed the same way

Grooming Supplies

Les Pooch Brush (Order From Smeraglia Kennel $85)
Medium tooth Comb
Blunt tipped curved blade scissors
Toothbrush Kit
Puppy Shampoo
Puppy Conditioner / Grooming Spray
Ear Wash solution - Ear care is very important!
We use the DermaPet Malacetic Otic Ear/Skin Cleanser after every bath, swim and groomer appointment
Plier-style nail clippers w/nail guard
Blood Stop Powder (in case you cut the nail too short)

Additional Items:

Ownership & Training books
Recommendations include: "The Dog Listener", "Puppies for Dummies", and many more...
Make appointment with Vet for new puppy wellness check up.
Start shopping for Obedience classes
Snuggle Puppy

Teddy Bear Goldendoodles.

A Specialty Line of English Goldendoodles.