I'd love a Puppy Plan

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

Wouldn't it be great to have an all-in-one Puppy Plan or manual?? I have training books and experience, but it has been soooo long since we had a puppy (we lost our senior sheltie last Nov.). Anyway, I'm a list-maker and I'm worried I'll forget something. Right now, I don't even have an organized list! Maybe that's making me anxious, lol. I'm sure there is a post here that outlines things you should do to prepare for a puppy, but I'd love a binder with tabs and a nifty shopping list too. If I were bringing a sheltie home, I'd know which crate to buy, etc. Doodles are different sizes, but can you make a good guess for a crate? All that said, I guess I should gather info from here, print it and put it in my own binder. Did I mention I have three boys to keep up with? Not so much free time anymore -- I even outsource my crafting to Etsy, ha! Just wanted to share and commiserate with other organized puppy parents-to-be.

[Alissa Edwards]

LOL - yes, I am the same. And I have three kids under 7 to keep up with myself. :) 

Here's what I bought:

Food, dishes

Treats (training and chew)

Crate, bedding for inside, crate cover

Chew toys

Soft plush toys
Basket for toys
Bed for floor
Collar, leash

Puppy shampoo, clippers for nails, brush, spray

I hope that helps!

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

Thank you!  I have all of those except the food and crate.  We did have those electric nail filers somewhere and I can't find them (an "as seen on tv" thing that I never actually used on my shelties!).  I don't have one of those "slo-bowls" and am wondering if I should go ahead and buy one.  What size crate did you go with?  Did you get a travel/collapsible one for the car too?  My doodle should be medium sized, no more than 35 lbs. or so.  Thanks so much =)

[Jennifer & Truffle]

Hi there! 

Truffle is now about 7 months (and approx 30 lbs) and we initially bought a Midwest two-door collapsible crate with a divider.  At about 5 months we realized that he had grown out of it, so we bought a larger one:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OXAES6/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_....  He has plenty of space in it and I don't anticipate needing to change it again.  With the divider, you can start with a larger size crate and not have to get another one like we did.

If Truffle follows in the path of his parents, we think he'll be 35-40 lbs fully grown. He's definitely started to slow down with weight gain over the last 6-8 weeks.  

The larger crate we bought has only one door, which is fine for us.  Although the first crate had two doors, we never used the 2nd door.  It's very easy to assemble and fold.

We don't have a crate for the car. I use his harness/leash and attach the leash to the head rest, leaving enough lead for him to sit comfortably in the back seat.  We wouldn't be able to fit the crate in the car in any case!

We also moved Truffle from a regular stainless steel food bowl to a slo-bowl.  He ate very, very quickly and the slo-bowl definitely slowed him down, which is great.  We are, however, dealing with resource guarding issues (you can read about it on my blog page if you're so inclined) that became more apparent when he started eating out of the slo-bowl.  I attribute this to the fact that he now has more time to obsess over his kibble than we he scarfed down his food in 30 seconds.  The good news is that we're making progress on the food guarding front, but it's been challenging. You might want to wait to see how your puppy eats before buying one.  They're not expensive and your dog may not be as much of a gourmand as others!

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

Hi! I have read through Truffle's antics -- you have a gift for writing with a quick-wit and sense of humor :). He is also super adorable. The crate tip is very helpful and I may go larger from the beginning. We have a suburban and I like the puppy to ride up front in the neighborhood, but get used to the crate in the cargo area for freeway driving. Sure hope we don't deal with car sickness! After reading all the doodle discussion today regarding disservice, I'm going to bed with an even longer list of things to do to prepare, lol. My oldest son is going to be my co-trainer -- saw that your daughter helps you. Great idea and strength in numbers. Night for now!

[Jennifer & Truffle]

You can totally go larger with the crate and use the divider (which we used for the first few months) - it worked like a charm.  I'm glad you liked reading about Truffle's shenanigans - thanks for having a look. I can't wait to hear about your puppy's homecoming and to see photos!

[Sue & Lily Grace]

Hi, Lily Grace would not be comfortable in a medium sized crate for any length of time. She has long legs like Hershey. She is also about 39 pounds and would guess your new baby will be at least this size. I think Della is somewhat larger.

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

I bought the larger crate with divider -- I think it will be a good choice!

[Sue & Lily Grace]

I think so too. Your pup is going to have lots of playmates. Sydney delivered this week too.

[Cressie Willis and Sadie~Lou]

I printed off a list of things to buy for a new puppy from petsmart. It had everything listed I would think you'd need. My breeder told me to get a crate for 40-70 pounds. I found that chewy.com has been the cheapest. I got a Midwest 36 inch crate with a divider for $64. Hope this helps.

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

This list is great too - copy and paste into Word for easy printing:
http://goldendoodles.com/care/newpuppy.htm