New dog/doodle owner

[Mae]

Hi! Finally got the dog I have wanted my entire life. (We finally own our own home, have a fenced backyard, and I'm a stay at home mom...heck, the previous owners even installed a doggy door...) I adopted a 4 month old (17 week) F1b goldendoodle named Charlie. He came from a trainer who had some major life changes and decided to re-home him. He came with very nice manners and has the sweetest, gentlest disposition.

I overthink everything (severe anxiety, another reason for getting the pup) so despite my best research efforts, I have tons of questions.

First, what type coat does he have? I need to know what is required for his coat type in terms of grooming and clipping. At 17 weeks he doesn't appear to shed at all, despite me spending hours scratching his head and petting him. (I've found maybe 4 hairs in that many days) Will he stay that way when his adult coat comes in? (I'm fine if he sheds while blowing his puppy coat... but the mostly non-shedding is appealing to me...)

Second, he likes to chew stuffed animals and I guess the pet bed I got him was too minky, like a stuffed animal. Any recommendations for good beds? We are keeping him in the kitchen as he learns the rules of our house so he isn't chewing the kids toys, either. (Or eating dangerous foods because they drop grapes, raisins, and M&M's all the time so I'm paranoid) Also, I got a large 42" crate with a divider. Do I get a bed that fits his smaller sized crate and then get a bigger bed later? (I'd rather not)

What are your favorite toys for a puppy with itchy gums and to keep him stimulated? He likes his medium hardness Nylabone, the regular red kong, the Kong Wobbler, and tennis balls. He also loves to find and chew sticks, he tentatively chews on the wooden kids chairs but I can't tell if he likes the wood or the food that is most likely still in the grain. He also likes the little toy plastic construction cars we have but is pretty good at dropping them when I tell him to. He doesn't appear too interested when I throw the tennis ball very far but other times he will chase after it and go chew on it.

And at 17 weeks he weighs 32 pounds. The previous owner said his parents were both "small standard" and if I recall, each about 45 pounds. But at just 4 months, won't they eventually double their size? I actually am hoping for a large dog to provide pressure by leaning on my thigh for anxiety.

Overall he is an excellent puppy. All these walks and playing romps we've been giving him in the last 4 days has actually made my severe anxiety 75% better! (My 4 year old, while ambivalent to the dog, is also better behaved.)

Thanks for bearing with me! I will no doubt have more questions.

[Jeremy Little]

I have read that at 16 weeks you can double the weight plus 5-7 lbs to get final adult weight. Looks like a straight fleecy coat to me, but I am pretty new at this as well. 

Ours isn't into the ball yet either, but I think it is because everything is so new.

Great looking pup.

[Mae]

Thanks! Good to hear your experience, too. I didn’t really expect him tonfetch yet but I thought he might want to dash after a ball more. He does love them when he finds them but he doesn’t chase them. Yet. 

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Welcome to the world of dogs and to Doodle Kisses.  You are about to find out how comforting the weight of dog up against you can be.  We just got our third doodle, Murphy, she is also 17 weeks.  I think the double the weight and add five pounds is a general best guess putting Charlie at about 70 full grown.  Murphy is 18 pounds at 16 weeks, hoping she makes 40 pounds.  Our Tigger is about 55 pounds and ten years old.

You are doing everything just right.  Charlie does not need to be really professionally groomed regularly until his adult coat is in.  Just brushing him to bond with him is enough. I find brushing to be very soothing to me, the repetitive action I think.  Do not expect him to put up with more than 5 minutes, even with treat, even if he is very mellow. He is old enough to "get acquainted" with a groomer.  Look for someone that grooms someone else's doodles without complaining.  A good groomer will treat you nicely also and not tell you that they have to shave them down.  A good groomer will also let your dog visit for free,  Stay away from the chains if possible.

Orvis makes the best beds for chewers, expensive but last literally forever.  They offer one that has a "chew proof" guarantee.  Use old large towels ( thrift store is good source) for bedding in crate until he needs the whole crate.  Old towels wash easily and are great for lots of doggy related cleanup as well as for bedding.

Exercise and the outdoors is good for everyone, keep it up.  I spend my "bad" time (usually 4-5:30 or so) outside with the dogs unless it is pouring rain.  Then again I do live in So California.

No wood chewing, nylabones are great,  as are zogoflex toys (available online),  My dogs like Antlerz. Anlerz is the brand name, there are many others like the ANTLER MAN that sell sterilized, naturally shed antlers from moose and deer.  Buy the medium size now, the large size later.  They are expensive, but worth it,  they last several months of hard chewing and are very safe.

Some teething dogs like to chew on ice cubes. Put a towel down in the kitchen and make him chew the ice on the towel.

We got our first dog as a couple when my first child was one.  Murphy is our 11th dog (we have two at a time).  I wish you as much fun, love, and good times as we have had with our dogs and children.

 

[Mae]

I’ve gotten to experience a 70 pound doodle learning on my leg and it helped me realize ideally I want a full size pup. I love the warmth and weight. It’s very soothing. 

I’ve already brushed him once with a slicker brush for a cat. I find is soothing. And my 3 year old daughter loves it, too, because she loves playing hair and makeup. She’s still a little wary of Charlie but I put him in the “down” command and he flops over and we brush and touch him everywhere. (I have experience with horses. I want this dog super socialized!!!) I think it helps teach my daughter confidence with him, too, that she is the boss. (My kids are naturally gentle with animals for the most part)

My neighbor likes their groomer for their doodle so we’ll check them out. He’s so chill that while things make him pause and do a double take he doesn’t suddenly leap away or hug the ground when he gets “startled”. 

If a pile of old towels is sufficient for now we’ll go that route until I can open up his crate fully. Hopefully by then he won’t be as much of a chewer. I don’t let him chew wood, he just seems to lick and want to sort of chew the kids chair when it’s in the kitchen. I have a trip planned to the thrift store tomorrow for old towels, actually!

I love that you have a “bad” time! Mine unfortunately is from 4:30-7:30 (dinner prep, dinner, and bedtime...) However having the baby gate block even the kids from the cooking part of the kitchen was nice! They couldn’t stand at my feet and complain and whine! Funny how just 5 feet of space (on the other side of the counter) made all the difference as I was preparing dinner. 

I saw some antler toys at Petsmart the other day. I bet he’d like one. He’s always finding sticks to chew and it makes me nervous. 

I’ll also try the ice cubes. My kids love crunching them too and will find it funny if I give them all the same treat. 

Thanks for the support!

[Mae]

Just picked up an antler  and he LOVES it. Thanks! And just took him to meet the groomers that our neighbor likes. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

If I may add my two cents to Maryann's comments, I do not agree that you go to the groomer when the adult coat comes in--by then you will have a very large dust mop dog! From what I can see, he has a thick coat and by the time he is 6-8 months old, it will be quite long. Then, the puppy coat will blow out and often gets caught in the adult coat, leading to "felting" at the age of 10-12 months--thick mats at the skin level--this means that his first groom will be a shave-down. 

In order to avoid that, I would recommend a fairly short clip at 9 or ten months of age--so around August when it is hot anyway...and then keep up with it as the adult coat grows in by COMBING through the coat with a steel comb ( a brush will not penetrate to the skin but will merely keep the surface looking good.) 

Another comment is that you want to include the groomer in your socializing--he should visit the groomer NOW to just meet and greet--maybe spend a few minutes on the table and have him hear and sniff the clipper--bring lots of treats ! (By the way, when he has a toy or something you want him to drop, make sure you give him a treat as a trade to keep him dropping things and say "good drop it!") Then at 6 months, he can get some trimming done, especially around the potty area and face...and have him combed and bathed. Then he will be much more prepared for that full groom later and will be much better behaved for the groomer. I groom doodles in my home in a small home business and this has worked well for me.

[Mae]

Thanks! Great advice. That’s what the groomer advised, too. I also love the idea of trading treats to teach him to drop it. Right now it’s pretty easy to just pull the ball from his mouth but I don’t want to teach him tug of war. Toys he’s not supposed to chew I “kshh!” And point with my finger and he actually drops them and backs off. (He loves my son’s plastic construction cars )

[Ginny Nightingale]

Lots of training ideas here on DK--and the Puppy Madness group has had great discussions--you can join it and read over the things folks have shared.

[Mae]

Thanks! I’m still learning to navigate this page. 

[Hua]

Hi~~ My very first doodle (actually dog period) is named Charlie too!  My current doodle is also a F1 standard, named Zoe.  Here are some stuff that I've learned.

Coates - Their coats might change significantly from puppy to adult. My Charlie was super curly when he was a puppy and became more flat as he grew (but still curly).  Zoe started off with a flat coat, and has now become more wavy mix with curly with a more coarse outer coat.

Bed - Don't invest in anything expensive until they are out of the teething phase.  I spent hundreds of dollars on beds for Charlie, which he all destroyed.  With Zoe, I got towels from Walmart and just stack a couple in her crate.  Cheap and easy to clean. 

Toy - Kong!  with peanut butter and/or yogurt stuffed inside and frozen, works really well for me.  Keep them occupied for hours.

Weight - Zoe gains about 1 - 2 lbs every week and is now at just over 45lb (at 7.5 months old).  She's almost the size of a golden retriever, but will probably gain some bulk.  Her parents are both around 60lb.  

Hope that helps!

EDIT:  Both of my doodles shed.  Charlie started off non-shedding, and then sheds seasonally when he's grown. Zoe just sheds 24/7. 

[Mae]

Thanks for the advice. I got a $4 quilt from the thrift store and a few towels. I’ll try the peanut butter in the Kong. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You can also put plain unflavored yogurt into the kong. You can also mix some kibble into either the peanut butter or yogurt.  You can freeze them and bring them out when you want the pup occupied for a time.