New Goldendoodle owners!

[AbbyD]

Hi all!

We will be the new owners of a Mini Goldendoodle october 6th.  Our newest family member is a female and we can't be more excited!!  We think we have the name "Jersey" picked out, but hubby is not quite sold.  ;)  

Few questions....

We plan on crate training, she will be 8 weeks when we pick her up.  Is this too early to get her?  We have 4 kids at home, 8,7,4,and 1.  Also, what is a good crate?  I noticed Petco has their crates on sale and was looking at a Midwest?!  I have read that keeping her in our bedroom until she is well adjusted would be best?  At such a young age, can they make it through the night or how does the training process go?  

And as far as dog food....  I picked up Science Diet for puppies but think I bought the wrong kind, the more research I have done.  Any suggestions?  

Thanks so much everyone!  I am sure I will be asking many more questions.  ;)  

Abby 

[AbbyD]

Thanks Sandy!  :)  I figured once I got home that I probably didn't buy the best dog food.  Oops!  I will also have to talk to the breeder and see what they have the pups on.  And great advice on the crate, I wasn't sure on the size for the simple fact that she will be so tiny when she gets home.  

[F, Calla & Luca]

The Food Group usually recommends keeping the pups on the breeder's food for 2 weeks before transitioning them to the new food so that the pup has one fewer adjustment to make initially. * weeks is an average age to bring a pup home. And yes, at 8 weeks a trip outside in the middle of the night is to be expected. Good luck with your pup.

[Leslie J]

Welcome to DK!  Your puppy is adorable.  I would suggest joining the Groups Puppy Madness and Food Group.  I learned so much about puppy care from those Groups.  There's a list of recommended dog foods in the Food Group which is very enlightening- after a couple of weeks you can begin to transition her to one of those foods.

We have a Midwest crate and have been very happy with it. Cocoa could sleep from 11pm to 6:00 am when she was 9 weeks old... I think all puppies are different, though.

I raised Cocoa with young kids in the house and found that crate training and keeping her on a leash when the kids were around kept my sanity!  I think dogs that grow up around kids are really amazing. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Yes, join the food group! You will need to buy the breeder's food, but then make the switch after a few weeks--very gradually. I use Wellness "Just for Puppies" which is a corn and wheat free food--I buy corn and wheat free treats too--rawhide is a big no-no as is most of the food and treats found in grocery stores. If you go to a high end pet store or feed store, you can usually find the good stuff.

There is so much info on this site that answers all your questions and then some--just go to the forum and search for key words like "crate training"--you will be busy reading all the answers for a long time!! I think 8 weeks is a fine age to bring her home. With 4 little kids you will have your hands full....make sure the pup is gated in one room when not in the crate and that the kids respect her space and need for rest--a quiet place for the crate is a must. Too much activity and attention can rob a pup of their much needed sleep.

Also there will be lots of tail and ear pulling from very young children and you want to be sure the puppy is not being abused too much. On the other hand, young puppies will nip with their sharp little teeth at first (until you train them not to!) and kids can be very upset about that when they think they are actually being bitten....so lots of education will be needed on both sides. The worst thing the kids can do when the puppy nips or chews on their hands is to pull them away fast--they will get more hurt that way--they should startle the pup with a high pitched "OW" and then gently remove their hand.

Good luck--get all the sleep you can NOW!! And feel free to ask more questions!

[Susan, Schuester and Olive]

My breeder sent a small blanket with the litter mates scent on it. That went into the crate at night. The crate was right next to me on the floor so if she woke up during the night, I would just put my hand down so she knew someone was there. No crying and she slept from 11 p to 6 a. The breeder expected me to use quality food from the beginning so I used the same brand that the breeder used. Now, we have moved on to "grown-up" food, but keeping both my babies on the breeders suggestion really helped! Congratulations!

[Carol and Banjo]

You've gotten some great advice here.   I'd like to just say that in my opinion I think it may be a good idea to leave the puppy with the breeder for another week or two.   We got Banjo at ten weeks (he stayed with most of his liter mates for that time).  I think it helped tremendously with bite inhibition.   Nipping and biting (so very common for all pups) was not a big issue in the first few weeks after getting him.     This might be especially beneficial with having young children.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Just here to say, "Welcome to DK!" You are n for a treat! DK has so much helpful information and wonderful members with good advice. You will love being on this website. Be sure to join groups: Puppy Madness and The Food Group. Enjoy!

[AbbyD]

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful information!  What an experience this will be, but such a good one at that.  Tons of learning to do but I can get it done, just by the handful of threads I have already read.  :)  Being a stay at home mom will hopefully help!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Here's my best advice, you are already a busy mom and it is going to get a whole lot busier for awhile. As much as you can, keep the puppy tethered with you, it cuts down on potty accidents, saves you from constantly having to look for her and also is good for bonding. Puppies can be really nippy and have razor sharp teeth, teach your children to play quietly with the puppy because an excited puppy is one that is really nippy and is inclined to have accidents. Kids also like to run around and have the puppy chase them, this is not a good idea and often will get a pup too wound up and see the children as play toys. I think a good way to have the kids play with the puppy is to sit on the floor with her and have them roll a ball for her to chase. Good luck, enjoy that new little fluff ball.