What were your first few days like with your new puppy?

[Jessica Girardot]

Hi everyone!  

Just curious to hear the experiences of other doodle owners.  What were the first few days like with your new puppy?  

Our girl is about 8 weeks and we have had her for about three days now. So far so GOOD! She is doing extremely well with potty training. No accidents yet! ( I am watching her like a hawk and crate training her) She also sleeps through the night quietly with only 1 potty break! I feel like she is being so good that it can only get worse...

I'm sure she will start being more wild as shes growing up, but as of right now, shes pretty lazy :-P

[BG and Gavin]

Oh how adorable!! Enjoy it while it lasts!

[DJ & Chance]

Enjoy!  Chance was an angel for about four days, and then he started acting just like the adorable but sometimes bratty pup that he is.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Sedona is now three and (just like human childbirth) I think I have forgotten some of the "pain" of those early days/weeks.  Overall, she did quite well, but we did have our moments.  Just when we thought she was really potty trained, she'd have a day or two of "accidents".  She became a very picky eater.  I remember sitting on the floor by her food bowl, trying everything I could think of the get her to eat.  

So glad things are going well for you.  Hope it continues!!!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The one thing that I remember the most about when the girls first came home is that prior to that I had been bored.  So bored in fact that I had put in an application for a part time job as a "meals on wheels" driver.  The day after they came home I came home to find a message on the answering machine that they wanted me to come in for an interview.  I didn't get around to calling them back for a day or two and when I did they said they had already interviewed and filled the position.  They said they would keep my application on file.  I remember telling them that would actually work out best because since I sent in my application I had gotten two new puppies and there was no way that I could go back to work right now!  lol  I've never heard from them again! 

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

We got Quincy at 11 weeks at the start of my 2 weeks summer vacation.  He slept on my lap the first few days out in the yard so potty training was easy.  Any accidents he had in the house were my fault- the one bm accident  when he went into a room that had been closed off just after his dinner and before I took him for his post meal walk.  One or two urine accidents, but nothing major and always in far ends of the room where he seemingly did not identify as his "den".  I always knew where he was and what he was doing.  (That's still true at 9 months, but for chewing issues, not potty).  We gradually introduced him to other rooms in the house, expanding the "den" where he knew not to pee and taking him out 10-15 minutes after each meal to the same spot and rewarding his efforts with a treat.  We introduced the bells early as we had done that with or lab and he took to that really fast.  Chewing and jumping are the issues now, but these too are working their way through.  He is a joy and really a very good boy who is, however, still a pup!  Enjoy your doodle! 

[Jessica Girardot]

Thanks everyone! She is still doing extremely well! She didn't even wake up to go out last night. :)

[a.k.a. Rodney]

Ok, I am about to get my pup in 2 weeks. not my first dog, but first was 18 yrs ago. I am not ashamed to admit a wee bit nervous. Had a PERFECT Maltese 7 lb'er before. This one might be 15 if I am lucky.my 2 big questions are...do I leave her in the crate with a soft bed/covering on the floor...worried about potty issues
Also any suggestions on the bells...treat as she uses them or when she actually goes potty outside or both..yikes sounds like this could be treat heaven for a pup....if she is contained in a crate & play pen...would it make sense to put the bells closer to her than at my front door?
I guess this shows how manic I am about this new territory I am entering into....Doodleville!! YIKES

[Debra Ekstrom]

Hi Rodney, We were very nervous also.  Our last puppy had been 15 years ago.  We used a crate put along side of our bed  We used a fleece dog bed in it.  When we brought Bailey home he was only 9 weeks old.  He is now close to 7 months.  Not once did he have an accident in his crate/den.  My husband took him out in the middle of the night the first two nights.  (he woke the puppy up to do this).  I told him to let the puppy sleep.  We did and never had a problem.  As for the bells we placed them at our mud room door.  Every time we took the puppy out we would ring them.  He has been ringing them on his own since he was 4 months old.  Bailey still loves his crate. When he gets tired at night he will go into our bedroom and try to open the door to it.  Relax and enjoy your wonderful puppy.  And yes, it is treat heaven while training him.  We are just now using less treats.  We are very lucky as Bailey is a very bright dog.  

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Bailey is a cutie, too! 

[rebecca fairhurst]

Great news about getting a full night sleep! Iv just seen Debra's reply and It warmed my heart and we agree, the training is such a pleasure those puppy days and they go so fast - Maui is now 6 months and it all seems such a long time ago already!

As for the amazing magic of crate training- Maui managed to find something (maybe even water) in the forest on her walk which upset her stomach when she was 5 months old and we hadn't realised.  After she had gone to bed she barked in the middle of the night to wake us up from her crate @ 4.45am and we went down to her and let her out, where she relieved herself and returned straight back to her crate for more sleep and woke up the next morning feeling much better.

Just one bark to let us know.........they are quite brilliant- adorable - enjoy 

[Julia M.]

The first few days I was a bundle of helicopter puppy mom nerves- every little thing (how much they sleep, how often to take them out, normal puppy behavior) warranted a full on internet search for answers ha ha. Thankfully, our little one settled in within just a few days and began sleeping through the night within 3 or 4 days of being brought home. The best advice my mom gave me was just to relax, so many things seem new and foreign but are totally normal (strange puppy breathing!) and the best thing you can do is offer your puppy a low stress environment to settle into. Dogs definitely pick up on stress and benefit from calm and happy owners :)

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Julia that is very true!  We feel Libby is very mellow due to the fact we are both retired and we made of point of being calm and low keyed with her from the beginning.  She does have her moments of being wild and crazy especially when our granddaughters come over, but that is good and we love it and so does Libby:)