Getting a new Goldendoodle, advice??

[Ruby Goldendoodle]

We will be getting a new Goldendoodle puppy in about 5 weeks. This will be our first dog other than dogs when we were kids. What size crate should I get for the first few months or 6 months? She is an Standard F1b. I am so confused with everything to buy and don't know what we really need. I bought a small 14 inch collar it was listed as small and is adjustable. Bought a puppy kong, a rope toy, a puppy nylabone and a stuffed heart toy. I am thinking about feeding Taste of the Wild, it got 5 stars on an independent food analysis website. I am thinking of doing NuVet vitamins, does anyone do this? My Mom has lost so many dogs (Golden Retreivers) to cancer so I want to be sure to feed the best and do the best I can. Thanks for any advice. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

You sound like you are on a great roll! Good job with the choice of food. There is a food group on DK and they have TOTW listed as a good option. I have two standard GD's I would advise you to get a very large crate and if need be section a part off to keep the puppy from eliminating in the far corner of it. Neither of our dogs did that but I have read on here that some pups do. Our 17 month old doodle still sleeps in his kennel even though it isn't closed on him. 

[Kim and Kashi]

My advice would be this - read up on Grooming.  Goldendoodle coats require A LOT of care.  There are a lot of little things you have to do that I was not aware of prior to having my doodle.  Luckily, I enjoy grooming him and don't mind the upkeep. 

 

Some things you may want to learn about: 

 Keeping his Ears clean.  This is a huge one.  Because their ears lay flat and can be extremely hairy, you need to keep them clean (and plucked in my doodle's case). 

 Also, his Rear End.  LOL  Gross, I know, but that area needs to stay clean and trimmed as well.  It can lead to big problems for him if this area gets...  shall we say...  Backed Up!  :/

 Keeping his Feet matt free.  This area matts extremely often if you decide to let your goldeddoodle remain untrimmed. 

 Keeping the Hair out of his Eyes

You have definitely come to the right place.  Whenever I have a question about our doodle, I come here first.  I can usually find the answers I am looking for.

Good Luck!

Kim

[Carol and Banjo]

You are off to a wonderful start!   We've had good luck with TOW food...although you may want to introduce it very gradually into your puppies diet...slowly transitioning from what ever the breeder is feeding it.   If you were to purchase a medium crate I think they all come with dividers that can be positioned anywhere you choose.   Read through the many great posts here on DK - in the food group....the puppy madness group, etc and you'll be pretty well prepared for you new bundle of joy.   Best wishes to you!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Congratulations on your upcoming new Best Friend!!!  I have an F1 Standard Goldendoodle who is the love of my life (well, DH (Dear Husband or Doodle Husband), kids and grandkids count too).  Doodles are very smart (that is the Poodle in them).  They are easy to train and they also outsmart you from time to time.  What Kim said about grooming is very important.  I do my own grooming but didn't for the first two years.  Join the Grooming Group, Food Group, Medical, Training and Obedience and any others that interest you.  Then when you have time, start scrolling back to past discussions from even as much as a few years ago.  There is a wealth of information in each and every one of these groups.  We have very serious discussions and also very silly light-hearted discussions as you probably have noticed.  But we all have one thing in common...we love our Doodles and want only the best for them!  As for the crate.  I always have heard that you want them in a crate that is just big enough for them to stand, turn around, lay down and go to sleep.  If it is too big they might use the front of it for potty and then sleep in the back.  They really do not want to live or sleep in their waste but by getting too large of a crate it makes it a bit more convenient to potty if they must...which you do not want.  With Ruby being a Standard she is going to get big and you will go through maybe up to three crates.  I would suggest getting one of the LARGE wire crates (the kind that you can collapse) that has the interior divider.  That way you can expand the crate as Ruby grows.  We started out with the hard shell crates and within a month had the wire crate.  Then if you want to make it cozy or if there is a draft you just drape a blanket, quilt or towel over it...usually I would do it a night.  There are all kinds of pads you can put in the crate but lots of Doodles will eventually chew them up so many go with a towel.  Gracie has always run on HOT so she doesn't like to be snuggled up in blankets and pads.  I have never seen her cold...even after coming out of the ocean in the winter!  We gave up the crate at 6 months by choice and now where ever she lands is her bed for a few hours but she is with us on our bed at night (she is a human size Doodle too!). 

One piece of advice.  You should pull back the water after dinner.  Take her for her last potty just before you go to bed.  Set your alarm to get up around 2 AM and take her outside.  No conversation other than using her "potty word" and then "good girl" and back into the crate.  Even if she is asleep, drag her out of her crate for potty.  This is just for a few weeks until she grows a bit more.  There is a rule of thumb but I can't remember it about their age vs. how many hours between potty.  Something like 8 wks/2 or 4 hours, etc.  Maybe someone here will remember it.  Finally, if she is on an antibiotic for any reason (most likely worms) this will cause her to not be able to control her urine.  Gracie had her first deworming at the breeders but had coccidia when we brought her home.  For the entire time she was on the antibiotic she peed in her crate during the night.  We were at our wits end because nothing was going by the book...we hired a trainer who use to work with a Vet.  First thing she asked was if she was on an antibiotic...sure enough...when she was done with the medication there was never an accident in the crate or house!!!  Why don't the puppy books tell us that? 

Anyway, good luck and keep us updated and post photos.  We all love photos.  We are here if you need help!

[F, Calla & Luca]

What a wealth of great info, Nancie.

[Michael Gurley]

I keep looking for the "like" button!

[Adina P]

I would get the size of crate to fit what you expect this dog's adult size to be.  There are a lot of reasons why you might want or need to crate your dog during adulthood...so better to get a larger crate with a divider than to have a crate too small just when you need it.

[Dori & Rua]

The rule of thumb, Nancie's post, is puppies can hold it 1 hour for each month they are, plus 1 hour.  So, a two month old can hold it for 3 hours.  We took Rua out at least every hour and pulled her water after dinner.  We were pretty lucky...see did really well with her crate at night, and there weren't that many times she demanded to go out in the middle of the night.

 

Get a gallon of Nature's Miracle, and I would HIGHLY recommend the Bissell Spot Bot for pets.  When Rua had a puppy accident, I would put the portable carpet cleaner over the spot (part of the solution had Nature's Miracle in it) and let it run.  It does an EXCELLENT job.

 

Get your puppy used to touch right away.  I spent a lot of time touching and stroking and handling Rua.  She now lets me examine her, groom her and love on her...she's a snuggle bug.

 

Also, get her used to traveling in the car and start socialization right away.  I took Rua to Petco from the start...I carried her in and put her in my purse in the cart (she only weighed 4lbs).  I had a hard side travel kennel that I would put her in and literally seatbelt the kennel in the back seat.  As mentioned by others on crate/kennel size, we bought a crate and kennel based on the size Rua would be (estimated she would be 20-25 lbs since she is an F1B, but actually is 17.4lbs at almost 18 months). 

 

Regarding training...read up on how to handle puppy nipping (it WILL happen) and make sure you and your family are consistent in training.

 

Can't wait to see pictures.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Great reminder Dori...touch, touch, touch.  Even when she is sleeping just play with her ears inside and out, spread the paws open and play around inside and between the toes, open her mouth, roll back her lips and even check under her tail and stroke her tummy every chance you get.  This helps with grooming later and also for the vet to examine or have to administer any care to an area.  Some of our Doodles are so easy going they just lay down and roll over for the Vet...at least mine does!  I also vacuumed around Gracie and to this day I have to pick up her tail or paw to vacuum under her.  She never jumps up and runs away.  Get her used to all of the everyday household noises, garage noises (husband is always working on his car so lots of noise out there).  Socialization...absolutely!  Find a friend who has a "safe" puppy or dog to play with.  One that does not visit dog parks or places where they are surrounded by other dogs.  Just until she has all her shots...then she can run with anyone!  People and dogs...a must in a new puppies live.  Great place is the mall.  Walk her there and you won't get more than 5 ft. without being stopped by admirers.  In fact expect it,  everywhere you go you will never advance more than a few feet and nothing will get accomplished in the way of errands!!  You will be wagging your own tail like no body's business because you will be so proud of your little girl and how much everyone will love her.  It is so much fun!

[Rose Ann and Amante]

Nancie I touched Amante so much poor doodle!! I was and still squeeze and kiss and hug him constantly!!!! I am Italian in every sense of the word LOL! I am a very touchy, lovey squeeze'in DM. If he had cheeks i would be pinching them!!  As I am typing this I think I sound like a crazy lady!! Maybe I should tone down my squeeze fests! ...............................Ok I tried didn't work!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Touching is one thing, hugging and squeezing is another. Nancie is not talking about hugging, squeezing, and "loving on", she is talking about getting a puppy accustomed to being touched and handled.

I strongly encourage you not to hug your dog, and more importantly, not to ever let any child hug your dog. Hugging is an aggressive and dominant behavior to a dog, and while many of our doodles allow us to do it, it's been the cause of many aggression issues, especially towards children. In several instances of doodles being relinquished to rescues and shelters, this was one of the main problems. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Links from Sophia Yin and Victoria Stilwell on this topic:

Why Dogs Bite Children

Body Language

How to Greet a Dog