10 weeks old Goldendoodle

[Ghazal A]

Hi

I got my mini goldendoodle, Hana, 2 weeks ago from a breeder. She is great! She has only had 2 accidents in the last 2 weeks, and is great with potty training. She also sleeps through the night and I have no serious problems with her. Only 2 questions:

1) The vet said dry food is better than wet food for her. But she LOVES the wet food and totally ignores the dry food. I tried adding a bit of water to the dry food. No success.

2) she chases my 1 year old ragdoll around the house and grabs a chunk of her hair and eats it!! she doesnt really bite her, and I can tell they're just playing because the cat keeps coming back to play more... But I think she will be bald if they keep going this way! What I do when I see her do this, is to say NO! and try to take the cat and put her somewhere higher up where the dog can't reach her until they calm down. Should I separate them? Any ideas?

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

be careful with adding toppers.  you can cause your doodle to be a picky eater and that is a real pain to deal with (I've been there).

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

No advice- but they are both so adorable!  

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Did your vet say why dry food is better?  Dry food will definitely be a lot cheaper to feed than wet.  You can try mixing the wet in so that it coats the dry food.  Then she won't be able pick out the dry and just eat the wet.  You can then start using less and less of the wet and hopefully get her over to just dry.  You can also try using the dry kibble as rewards when doing training and get her to eat it that way. 

 

I don't have a cat so I don't have much advice there, but I worry that chasing the cat will lead to chasing anything small that runs which could make walking through parks with squirrels and chipmunks difficult.  When Hana starts chasing the cat, maybe remove Hana and not the cat.  Refocus her attention on something else and see if that helps at all.

[Ghazal A]

Thank you so much!

The vet said dry food is better for their teeth as it helps clean them where wet food makes it worse... I tried a bunch of different treats that are supposed to be good for her teeth. She didnt like them much. She is very picky...

I will definitely try to mix dry and wet food to see how it goes. Thanks again.

[Tina]

Hey, I'm in the same boat over here with the cat. Roger is almost 13 weeks and does the same thing. My cat is just as guilty with the chasing thing so I know it's just playful. I let them just hash it out. Roger has learned not to get too rough with Zuri because it usually end in a firm bop on the head or bite from Zuri. Maybe I'm lucky with a great cat because its never been to hard to break any skin or have any blood drawn from either of them. Truth be told, I was more worried about Roger because I know the cat can take care of himself. ;) for the most part nowadays, there is never a time when the puppy is chasing the cat when one doesn't want to play or I should say when the cat doesn't want to play. Is he really pulling his hair out or is it just the hair the cat is shedding that is coming out?

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

that cat bops the dog on the head?  too funny.

[Adina P]

I'm not sure dry food really does much more for their teeth.  Crackers don't clean my teeth anyway, mostly get stuck in my teeth ;-)  Have you checked out our Food Group here on this site for good information on healthy foods?

[Lisa, Charlie & Archie]

We have turned a corner with our puppy Charlie and our cat, although she was a little too much for the cat at times chasing etc the cat did like a bit of rough and tumble too so they sorted it out. But now she is 17 weeks Charlie has calmed down quite a bit with the cat and just walks up to her sniffs and lets the cat get on with whatever she's doing, so it's just time really. Lovely pictures of your puppy and cat!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I would separate the cat from the dog simply because I would be worried that the dog might hurt the cat because rag dolls are so docile. Your pup will learn to eat what you give her.  Dry kibble is fine. You can soften it with water if you think she is too young to have only dry.