Kona's first night home

[Lauren and Kona]

Kona came home yesterday morning and she is just absolutely adorable and so sweet. She did relatively well on her first night, she cried/whined off and on throughout the night but overall, she did very well. Mostly thanks to the SnugglePuppie - that's been a lifesaver so far. We live in an apartment so potty training is going to be a task. I ordered her a patch of grass to put on the patio but it hasn't arrived yet. So, I tried putting training pads on the patio but they flew away and Kona wasn't interested. She's had quite a few accidents on our rug, but that's to be expected. I've tried putting training pads inside but she just plays with them and tries to tear them apart. She gives me such little notice when she goes to the bathroom that it's hard to do anything. I know this is all very normal, though!!

I'm going to buy a baby gate today to keep her more restricted to a certain area. I really want to get started on potty training as soon as possible as the rug is already starting to stink!

And I think she might be a chewer - hard to tell so early on but looks like she is!

Sorry for this all-over-the-place post, just wanted to give an update after her first night home.

[Julie and Max]

Kona is adorable. I think restriction is a good idea. I can imagine that would be tough in an apartment because of the notice thing. Did you think about taking her out every hour on the hour? If she is a chewer just make sure you have lots of things for her to chew on. :) Max is a big chewer but has only had 2 accidental chews in six months. Congrats on your beautiful puppy and all that work will be worth it in the end!

[Lauren and Kona]

Thank you!! I would take her out every hour but we live in an area with a lot of dogs around so I can't take her on the grass until she's had all of her shots. She seems to be scared of the patio for some reason, when I opened the door earlier she cried and kept trying to hide on the couch. Hopefully that is something that will pass. The grass I ordered for her is real grass and was highly recommended here so I'm hoping she'll like it and want to use it. She's chewing on the legs of the chair I'm sitting on as I type this - she is definitely a chewer! Going to make a trip to PetSmart later today to get better chew toys. Thanks so much!!

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

Best to you and Kona.  We hope you enjoy the puppy stage.  It's alot of work but you will have lots of wonderful memories.  Doodles are the BEST!

[Lauren and Kona]

Thank you so much! I know they grow up so fast so I'm trying to take in every moment!

[Miss Ellie]

Yes...puppyhood is not easy...but all these stages will pass very quickly...make sure to use a product called Nature's Miracle every time she has an accident...it removes all the odor, otherwise she will continually go to the bathroom in that very same spot...Good Luck...with consistency, patience and proper training...she will get the idea very quickly:)

[Lauren and Kona]

Certainly not easy, but worth it! And it will pass very quickly like you said, so I'm trying to just take it all in. Thanks for the recommendation, I'm going to order that - would be so helpful!

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

We use "Zero Odor" when they are sick.  You can find it on line.  It breaks down the enzymes which cause the odor and is safe.  Also, we gave our Doodles bullysticks when they were chewing.  You can get the odorless ones on bullystick.com.  Be sure to supervise Kona with any kind of chew stick.  Our second breeder gave her litters large bully sticks.  All of her Doodles had great teeth.

[Lauren and Kona]

Bully sticks are on my list of things to get - need to order them soon. Thanks so much for the recommendations!!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I would not start her on the Bully sticks just yet. 

Only treats food your Breeder used for the first 2 weeks or so.  Bully sticks are very fatty and they will upset her very delicate digestive tract.  Diarrhea is not something you want to deal with now.

Have you thought of just pieces of sod for her potty spot.  You could put them out on your patio....yes, they will eventually die, but this would get her accoustomed to the grass and be safe for her in the interim.

  I would also second the use of the enzyme cleaners...there are a few on the market, that all work well...Nature's Miracle is probably the easiest to find...Stink Free works well too.

[Lauren and Kona]

Thanks for letting me know!! Her stomach got a bit sick last night and I definitely don't want to go through that again.

Haven't thought of pieces of sod - may have to give that a try.

Throughout the day today I've been able to catch when she's about to go to the bathroom and get her on a pad quickly, so that's been helpful, but the smell is still pretty bad. I'm not very fond of training pads, but it's one of my only options right now.

Thanks again!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

She is adorable!  I would bet you will have to really soak that rug in Nature's Miracle or other enzyme treatment- she is probably now thinking that's her spot.  

You may want to pick up some Bitter Apple or equivalent to put on anything she is chewing that she should not.  

Have you tried picking her up and taking her on the patio?  then lots of praise? 

Good luck- it's all worth the hard work.  

[Lauren and Kona]

Thank you!! Every dog I've had has been very fond of the rug, they all seem to think it's theirs. Kona is no different!

I thankfully bought Bitter Apple spray a few weeks ago and it's really came in handy. She's begun trying to chew the bars on her crate (and just about everything else!)

The weather has been very nasty here so we haven't spent much time on the patio yet - but I have tried a few times. I think it will just take some getting used to.