Adopting a 4 month old Goldendoodle this Friday

[Peter Romano]

I am excited about bringing home our 4 month Goldendoodle in two days.  We have prepared this week by purchasing supplies i.e. crate, chew toys.  We are waiting to hear from the breeder when we pick up our pup what food he likes.

 

My questions are, what treats do people use to train their dogs?  I am assuming we can use the puppy food that will be her main food, but are there other treats people can recommend?  Also, we will be home with our dog for 4 days before my wife and i go back to work.  We will crate train our pup, and will have a dog walker come for a midday walk.  My question is, since our dog will be in the crate for 4 hours prior to the dog walker coming, do people attach a small water bowl to the crate in the event the dog gets thirsty or will this promote accidents in the crate? What are good treats to leave with him in the crate?

 

Thank you all for your info!

 

Pete

 

[Frances S]

Congratulations!  Bella is 5 month as of yesturday.  She is crate trained,,We have her take her last pee pee around 10:30/11:30 at night, then she goes straight into her crate for the night.  She was waking us up at first around 4:30, but I started to notice that all she wanted to do was roll around in the back yard, so knowing 4:30 was not a urgent call for nature we have slowely dragged her crate opening so now she is not waking us up until 6:00, which I think is a more reasonable time to get up.  As far it treats we use Wellness, and as far as a chew for the crate we bought a Elk antler which are great for puppies.  For a big treat we give her a trachea which are also awsome for puppies.  Both a bit pricey but worth it.  Hope this helps..enjoy

 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Great suggestions--and pay attention to the ingredients of treats--some are made of cornstarch and sugar--ew. There are lots of high quality treats now and I like to look for wheat and corn free. Also, cow hooves (plain with no filling!) are available for chewing time as well as antlers--hooves are a bit smelly once they get chewed on a bit, but pups love them 4 months old is the time the baby teeth start falling out and the adult teeth come in, so lots of chewable stuff should be around when you are there to supervise the puppy.(BUT please, no RAWHIDE!) 

I was talking to a woman in the neighborhood today with  a new 3 month old portuguese water dog pup (i thought it was a Labradoodle) and she was asking me about the chewing problem. I brought a hoof out to her puppy who was on the front lawn and she laid down and started happily chewing on it--she didn't want to give it up when it was time to move on so I let her have it. You need to watch them that they don't break off too big a piece and take the hoof away when it gets really small and could cause choking. They are cheap, though and I always have a lot on hand for my three doods. You can get them in bulk from Drs Foster and Smith or Petedge. 

[Kyoko]

Congratulations!!! How exciting! I do use regular kibbles for Charlie's training, and that's how she gets fed. We work about 10 min in the morning and in the evening. She also likes Zuke's mini. I use more high value treats when we are doing something new, and/or near trial, like pieces of cheese and "dog Joy" treat from Deli Fresh ( in refregirated section of the pet food) Good luck! I cant wait to see the picture of the puppy!!

[Leslie J]

Enjoy your new puppy!  The one thing I learned here on Doodlekisses is to avoid any treats from China.  A lot of the dried chicken breasts and other dried meat products are imported from China, and several dogs have become sick from them.  I suggest that you join the Food Group- there is a wealth of information there.

I bought a little water bowl for my crate at Petco- it attaches to the side of the crate.

[Diane and Alma]

Congrats! 

A friend of ours used a huge hamster type water bottle in the crate with their dog.  They were afraid she would tip over or play in a regular dog dish while they were away.  Maybe you can start with a regular water dish and if she plays in it you can teach her how to use the water bottle. 

When we leave we give Alma a treat ball that we fill with a small amount of kibble (a different flavor than her regular food).  We also give her kongs filled with cheese or peanut butter.  Sometimes I will give her an empty cereal box and put a treat in it.  She loves tearing at the box to get at the treat - she has never eaten the box. 

You didn't mention training treats but liver treats were too rich for our dog for the first 9 months or so.  I treat her with cubes of chicken breasts that I cook.  I have also found Fruitables (Pumpkin and Apple) dried treats at a local pet store - the ingredients are healthy and she likes them. 

We also hand fed Alma her kibble for the first month or so.  I have 2 kids so they helped out.  Alma has always been really gentle with her mouth.  Hard to say if our hand feeding led to this result.

Have fun and take lots of pictures!

[Bryce P]

Chicken Nibbles are pretty good, or peanut butter (for crate training), jerky of any kind, freez-dried liver treats are great for training, milkbones, train-me treats ect ect...

Leave him with a femur bone or antler chew (no rawhide it is not good if they swallow big peices) I wouldent give him a knuckel bone either (they break easily). Or a kong full of peanut butter, or a Starmark brand Treat ball.

[Diane and Alma]

Please clarify why you don't give your dog kongs or treat balls.  Is it because they eat them?  Alma is very gentle with her mouth and she is not a "chewer" so I can give those to her without a problem.

[Susan Blacharczyk]

Pete,

 

You are entering the most exciting time of your life.  Owning a doodle is just well there are no words I must mention I have 5 kiddos of my own.  This is comming from a person that DOES NOT LIKE DOGS,  However I dont think I could live without my babies.   I have three Ebby is 21 months old, Nelson is 14 months old and Alubrey is 11 weeks old the cool part about my babies is that they are 100% siblings just 3 different litters.  Ebby the oldest is the leader of the pack.  She rules the roost and the funny thing is the other two know it and they follow.  She is very protective of her siblings.  By 4 mo old your baby should be able to hold it for a few hours.  You will see how he does through the night.  Doodles are very smart and they learn very fast.  Since we have three they teach other other.  Im telling you they are better behaved than teenagers.  They are loyal and always willilng to please expecially boys.  Girls well nuff said.  lol  we have a mind of our own even the canine kind.   Example if I have food in my hand and I have it at their level all I have to say is DOG CATCHER and they wont even touch it.  It took me only ONE day to teach them that and to be honest my oldest Ebby WILL NOT TAKE a treat from OBAMA or BIDEN the funny pare is that we did not teach her that.  I think she watched to much TV.  On that note Good luck with your new baby.  The sky is the limit.  Love him teach him and he will reward you with the utmost respect.

Susan, Ebby, Nelson and Aubrey

      

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Treats for training? It depends on what I am asking of them. "Potty or Sit"- then a Charlie Bear Treat. "Stay" - I up the ante with the length of time for a "Stay" so that could be boiled chicken or cheese. "Come, Leave it" - Liver treats, and I usually make my own, Come and leave it could be life saving commands so I want that one to be done quickly and without a second thought so the liver works for me.

Regular every day chews are Antlers and Nylabones, Raw Beef Bones or sometimes Bully Sticks. I do give rawhide, but that is a personal preference and I know what my dogs can tolerate, so be well informed about those and as was mentioned, the first choice should always be items made in the USA. Our regulations are a tad bit better than some other countries.

So congrats and have fun. 4 months old is nice. Probably even potty trained?