It is important for your puppy to get into a regular routine as soon as possible upon arriving at your home. Your puppy will have to adjust to leaving it's littermates, and mother, and needs to feel secure. Please remember that this can be a stressful time, so be sure to give the puppy space and some quiet time to get used to the new surroundings. At 8 weeks I feed the puppies three times a day, which the puppies are used to, and if followed, will most likely help with the transition. We feed our puppies Iams (Smart Puppy) dogfood, (yellow bag), and I would suggest that you keep them on it for the first few weeks after arrival. I also use Petsmart's Puppy Dog Biscuits to reward good behavior and help with training, however I caution you not to give the puppies to many treats at one time. You can break them in half or fourths, as it only takes a small amount for your puppy to know he is being rewarded!
Your vet may suggest a different brand of food, however I would caution against changing the food to quickly. Be sure to gradually introduce a new food to your puppy's diet and be sure that your puppy has access to fresh water at all times. I would also suggest crating your puppy during the first few months to assist in potty training. You can purchase absorbent pads to place in the puppy's crate if necessary for nighttime. It is very important that they are given an "area" that they know is their new bathroom. Be sure to take the puppy to this same location EVERY time you take it outside. And, of course, all puppies will make mistakes, however I have always had the best success praising a new puppy often for doing good, rather than dwelling on his mistakes. If you keep him on a regular feeding schedule and potty time, he will get the idea quickly and be housebroken before you know it! Be sure to supervise your puppy when he is out of the crate, and the mistakes will be minimized. Watch his actions, and if he starts lowering his head and sniffing, he is most likely going to "go", so quickly take him outside to his "potty". A good routine would be to take your puppy outside first thing in the morning to "go potty", then return inside to feed him breakfast, then wait about 5-10 minutes and take him back outside to "go potty", bring him back in for playtime, and let him out once more before returning back to the crate. I would give him a mid-morning potty break, and then repeat for lunch, afternoon, dinner, and before bedtime. He needs to know that he can count on going outside (regularly) and the more regimented you are, the more he will understand and become potty trained. Of course, crating is only a teaching tool and not a punishment, and I say that if you take them out to the same spot, more than they need to go, it speeds the process. Be sure you take your puppy out the same door and to the same spot until they "get it". Also, if there are any inside solid mistakes, transfer it to the designated "outside" potty area and this will help also. And PLEASE do not restrict water intake, as puppies need to be hydrated at all times, and water restriction really does the exact opposite of promoting potty training. You can also purchase a crate with a divider, which allows the puppy room to stand up, turn around comfortably, but not to much room so that he can sleep at one end and eliminate at the other end. A divider crate gives you the flexibility of expanding the crate space as needed.
And ....if you think crates are ugly, you might want to consider a crate cover. Once your puppy has finished with the potty training stage, covers can provide privacy for your pup and the crate looks awesome.... I love the crate covers by BowhausNYC.com.
Puppies take a few days to adjust to their new homes, and they may not eat very much over the first day or so...this is normal. Just encourage your puppy to eat, and he/she will start getting into the flow of your household in no time. I keep the puppies in a large puppy open top "playpen" (approx. 12' x 12') and they sleep in a wire crate at night. Some puppies will resist the crate at first and if needed you can get a playpen like the one below, and it will usually solve the initial crying at night.
If your puppy barks/crys at night when left alone, this should only last a short period of time. If the barking or whining continues, you can try a couple of things. You can place the puppy in a storage "tub" and place it by your bed to reassure the puppy that he/she is OK, usually just the sound of your voice is the reassurance they need to settle down and go to sleep. You can also get a puppy playpen similar to the one below (place a tarp under it), and allow the puppy to move freely in that space. Sometimes they just need to figure out where they are and get comfortable, and they will be sleeping through the night before you know it. Of course, if you are losing to much sleep with barking, it is much better to place them in a crate/playpen and put them in a room away from the family so that everyone can get a good nights rest vs being mad or irritated at the puppy for keeping you awake. The puppy will eventually settle down and go to sleep. Also, Amazon sells a "Snuggle Puppy" which you can purchase to sleep with your new puppy. It has a simulated beating heart and warmth, which can calm your puppy and allow him to fall asleep, as it will help him/her to feel more secure and not alone.
I would also recommend getting your puppy used to being brushed early on. I have attached pics of the three grooming tools I use the most. You really need to start brushing your puppy early, as for the first few months, you will think its great....he/she doesn't even need brushing and always looks great. But...at about 8 months of age, the coat will "explode" and you will have to decide if you are going to keep him in a full coat or in a "puppy cut". Most people opt for the "puppy cut" as it is easier to maintain. A "puppy cut" basically keeps the body hair trimmed to around 3 inches all over. One of the most important things to do is to get him/her used to being brushed early on. I comb through all of my doodles ears about every other day. If you do that on a regular basis, you can avoid matting of the ears (which in my opinion is one of the most important areas). I hate to see a doodle that has had the ears shaved...most likely matting. The comb helps you to get all the way through the hair, down to the skin, and eliminate knots. Anyway, if you go to a pet store such as Petsmart, the groomer will happy to show you exactly what they use, and help you decide which tools are right for your puppy's coat type. Be sure to remember that dogs are very heat sensitive. If you bathe your puppy and dry him with a hair dryer, be sure that you keep the hair dryer nozzle far back from his fur so that the air flow is in constant motion to prevent heat from concentrating on any one spot and burning your puppy. ALWAYS use the lowest heat setting if you use a regular hair dryer or you can purchase a pet hair dryer, which provides cool airflow to dry the coat without burning their sensitive skin or causing them to overheat. Andis makes a stand up dryer which gives you an extra hand when drying your puppy. Be sure to use a shampoo formulated for puppies. I use Oster Puppy Shampoo "Oatmeal". It gets the puppies really clean, and doesn't seem to
irritate the skin.
Another area that needs attention is your puppy's teeth. There are tons of different products and treatson the market to help keep their teeth clean. This is really important as many older dogs suffer from poor dental care and have chewing/eating issues later on. Here are a few products that can be found at Petsmart that work well..
And while we are on the topic of teeth.....puppies do go through many
stages of puppyhood, but thankfully, the bad stages can be shortened with
proper correction at the initial onset of bad behavior. Puppies explore
their world through a lot of playing, chewing and reacting to their
surroundings. The main goal is to train your puppy that there are
acceptable things to chew and mouth, which does not include your clothes, shoes or hands. Puppies have to learn to control the intensity of their
biting, which is what they learn from their littermates. If you watch
puppies at play, they will jump, run, chew and bite each other. This is
where they learn the intensity of their "bite", and learn to be gentle
with others. There is a great article on-line that goes into detail
about this issue. See it at
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/biting-puppy-how-train-puppy-bites.
Some puppies never go through this stage, others do.
I ask all of my new puppy families to take their new puppy to their own vet for a full evaluation. I do not administer my own immunizations as some breeders do, and take all of my puppies to my vet at 6 - 7 weeks for a full evaluation and their first round of puppy shots. My vet takes the time to evaluate each puppy, checking heart, lungs and overall health, which gives me peace of mind that the puppies are healthy, as they should be! The puppies are properly wormed at 4 and 6 weeks, and tested for worms at their first puppy visit. Your vet will most likely want to worm your new puppy at least a couple of times more, as puppies can get worms from eating grass, dirt, etc. so even though they leave my care with no worms, they can subsequently get them. Also, for male puppies, especially small males, one or both testicles may not be fully descended, and can take several more weeks. PLEASE be sure that your puppy receives all three series of Puppy shots, as it is extremely important to protect them.....also, I would not allow the puppy on the floor at your vets office as sick puppies may have been there moments before you arrived or pet stores. Better safe than sorry!
MOST IMPORTANTLY, I want you to know that if you ever need to rehome your puppy, please do not take your puppy/dog to a shelter...CALL ME. Seriously...I know that there are times when people must rehome their beloved pets, and I can help! I get several calls a week from people who want older puppies/dogs, and can provide a wonderful home for your goldendoodle.
I hope that your puppy brings you years of happiness as mine have and if I can ever help in any way, please do not hesitate to give me a call.
Tina