Getting ready to bring our F1B puppy home in 4 weeks

[Raj and Teddy]

Hi Everyone,

My kids ( 15 and 12) and myself have been reading the various forums and getting ourselves prepared to bring our F1B puppy home in 4 weeks.  We are # 4 in the priority list for a  litter of 12.  We are most likely to get a male in apricot as the litter is primarily cream or apricot with straight/wavy hair.Thanks to a lot of information on these forums, it has really been very helpful in choosing a breeder ( we put a deposit last Dec and targeted a summer puppy) and also what are all the things we need to buy. 

I have currently multiple things put on "wish list" on Amazon and in a cart on Chewy.com. It feels like "how we were getting ready before our first child was born". Before I finally push the button to buy everything I wanted to get feedback from experts on the forum. Please let me know if I am over thinking or this setup would work.

1. For Crate/Play Pen: We are thinking of getting Richell 3-in-1 pet gate/play pen convertible with a tray that will be used as a playpen so that the puppy will have enough space in the initial stages of training. I plan to buy Richell travel dog carrier (medium size upto 17.5 lbs ) that we will use to bring the puppy home ( we have a 2 hr drive from our bay area home) and will also use as a crate and place it inside playpen during the potty training. Should I get midwest pet bed in fleece or use some old blankets.?We can at times leave the puppy for an 1-2 hr in play pen till he is 1 yr old or we start feeling comfortable with him. We have a open space floorplan at home and later plan to use it as a gate.
2. For Potty Training: We have a backyard which is fenced and plan to train the puppy there. Should we even think about puppy pads for certain situations or avoid it completely? Richell has a mesh training tray that we were thinking but don't want to confuse the puppy.
3. Chew Toys: We are thinking of adding the usual chew toys from west paw and kongs. Someone had posted a PDF "After you get your puppy", that was a great read and good recommendations.
4. For Food Bowls: We are thinking of getting Petfusion Elevated Pet feeder in Aluminium, as Aluminium is easy to clean.
5. For Food: We plan to not make any changes to puppies food and treats as recommended on Food Group for first 2 weeks, but plan to switch to Orijen Puppy food. Can we mix treats from Fromm and Orijen? Will get a Gamma2 Vault Storage box (30lb). What about bully stixs, when should we introduce those?
6. For Leash/collar: We ordered multiple size collars from Lupine to account for puppies growth. The collars are 1/2inch wide and meant for small dogs. This should we sufficient and we should not have to get a wider collar?
7. Pet Insurance: Will get a pet insurance from Petplan, if any one has recommendations and things to consider while signing up for the pet insurance, that will be great. Primary goal is that there is coverage for those extreme emergencies.
8. Grooming: We will get the shampoos, steel comb, activet soft green brush and pet grooming scissors to trim hair around eyes. We plan to take our dog to a groomer every 6 weeks.

Appreciate all the feedback.

Thanks,

Raj

[Amy and Annabelle]

Congratulations on your new puppy.I have a mini but she has only gone through 2 sizes of collars. She had the smallest they made for a toy breed up until she was about 16 weeks and then went to the extra small size about 5/8 wide that she is in now. She is small but mighty and is a puller so needed a strong collar for her.  I am not sure about how often  medium or standard doodles grow out of theirs. Now I do have to replace them occasionally because of wear and tear but not size. Mine is 9 months old now and has stopped growing.

I made the mistake of getting a fabric playpen to keep her in when we brought her home. She used it maybe 3 weeks before she started chewing her way out of it. She now has a wire one. I also have a travel crate for her. I trimmed her nails myself until she was 16 weeks and had most of her shots. I didn't want her to pick something up from the groomers.

[Raj and Teddy]

Thanks Amy,

I have seen pictures of Annabelle and she is really cute. I did initially buy a fabric crate (K&H) brand that Costco was selling during Christmas but realized it will to be able to use it as the dog will easily be able to chew through it. Luckily I never opened it, so I could return it to Costco. 

Thanks for the suggestions for nail cutting, we primarily have wood and tile floors in our house, so we will have to keep the nails trimmed frequently.

Raj

[Amy and Annabelle]

Thank you, I can't wait to see photos of your new pup.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I would forget the puppy pee pads.  This is just another step you will have to eliminate down the road.  Unless of course, you intend on using pee pads for the lifetime of the dog.  They are very confusing for a young pup....no peeing in the house, EXCEPT for on the pad???? 

  Start by taking her right out to the lawn....every 45 minutes or so, after waking and after eating.  Let her pee and praise like no tomorrow and treat.  Right back in.  You might also consider a set of puppy potty training bells to help her alert you when she needs out.

[Raj and Teddy]

Thanks Rosemary, I agree with your feedback. Given that its summertime and we have a fenced yard with grass, its best to train the puppy to go to yard. The only reason I was contemplating using pee pads were for those middle of the night situations for the first couple of weeks, but agree it will be confusing for the dog. 

Yep I do have a dog bell in the list of things from Amazon, should we just hang by the sliding door that leads to the backyard.

Raj

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Yes....hang on the door you will exit with the pup. Each time you go out with him, have him hit the bells with his nose or paw. It is amazing to see how quickly they catch on!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I would not get an elevated food dish for a puppy.  I would not use pee pads but the back yard.  I would only buy one collar for now - get one that has adjustments - either buckle holes or slide adjustments.  It is fun to choose new collars and leashes so if you wait, you will have that fun again - plus you might find that your dog needs a certain style of collar.  My doodle that mats must have either a rolled leather collar,  or a Hydro (water collar) from HotDogsAllDressed. I would only get a couple of chew toys so that you figure out which ones interest your pup.

[Raj and Teddy]

Thanks for your feedback, I will skip the elevated food dish and get floor ones. Agree on the feedback for collars, I had similar thoughts but kids went ahead and ordered a 8-12" and 10-16" collars and leash from Lupine. I had also looked at rolled leather collar, was not aware of HotDogsAllDressed site, will check it out.

For chew toys, my plan was to have couple of toys where we can hide kibble and peanut butter, frozen yogurt to help keep puppy occupied and his mind working.

Raj

[Shoney & Ruby]

Oh, how fun! Someone gave us puppy pads and we never used one--I would skip them. We paid very close attention to Ruby's cues and let her out when she needed to go. She never had an accident. We took turns getting up every few hours for a pee break for the first month.

 She had a "baby" crate which we used in the car and for her sleeping crate--she outgrew it at 5 months. I'm still glad we had the first crate as she loved it. It was cozy and easy to put into and out of the car. 

I wouldn't worry too much about the grooming products, other than shampoo for the first month. I combed her a few times--she likes a wide-toothed human comb better than the expensive brushes we bought.

Enjoy!!!

[Raj and Teddy]

Thanks Shoney,

Ruby is really cute. I appreciate the feedback on pee pads, travel crate and grooming supplies. We will be skipping pee pads as it seems like it will make matters more confusing. 

The only reason I was thinking about those expensive grooming brushes was that given it will be summer and hot, so we may end up bathing the puppy more often and then drying and wanted to make sure we don't cause the puppy to matt.

Raj

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

At first it doesn't matter much what kind of brushes and combs you use.  When the pup starts getting more coat, you may or may not need a better brush.  I have one doodle that sheds and I could use most brushes (although the Activet one and a steel comb work best) and a doodle that mats and must have high quality grooming tools (steel comb and Acitvet brushes works perfectly on him and I have several of the different "stiffnesses" from green to purple to red).  A good quality DOG shampoo is what I recommend - one not too perfumy or drying to the skin.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I would agree with Nancy! But do brush and comb your pup daily, getting him/ her use to the whole idea. Hate to say it, but brushing and combing are a big part of Doodle ownership. As he grows and you can finally figure out what type of coat he will have, then you can buy an appropriate brush. A green Activet brush, a slicker brush and a moving toned comb, are our main go too utensils. I can almost say, I use the comb even more than the brushes. It does best at reaching down close to the skin. Whereas the brush sometimes glide right over the tiny little knots that plague most Doodles.