My new, 10wk old Aussiedoodle

[Jen Smith]

My family just welcomed a 10wk old Aussiedoodle into our family. He is awesomely loved by all 4 children, as well as my husband and I. He didn't have any papers, which doesn't matter to us because we just wanted a family pet, not any show dog, or one to be used for breeding. We call him Bo. :)
We have had him going on 3 days now. His whining as ceased, but seems somewhat withdrawn. I will sit down across from him, and tell him to come here or something, and he will just stare at me, then turn his head away, and lay down with his face covered and facing the opposite direction. Is this normal for a 10wk puppy that just came to their new home? Also, he is not house trained whatsoever. Everytime he pees or poop on the floor, I do what I've always known and stick his nose towards the accident, then immediately take him outside in the grass. Is this method efficient for this breed? This is our very first Aussiedoodle, and I have done quite a bit of research online about this breed. But it's always better to talk to people who actually have them as pets. My 4 children are young, and I want to make sure I train the puppy correctly to avoid any damaging effects he may do when he's full grown. Thank you all for your time in reading this.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

There is lots of great advice here already.  I would add that I think the very best advice I could give you would be to start a formal approach to training with your new puppy.  I have learned with my two Doodles that starting their training right from the beginning saves lots of problems and disappointment later.  I have also found that it really helps to create a wonderful bond with your puppy, especially when your training approach is based on love and respect.  Think of your puppy as a baby who has just been taken away from everything he knows...and he has no idea how to behave in this new situation.  He needs to be taught everything.  Lots of us here on Doodle Kisses have used the Doggy Dan Training Program and found it to be very effective.  I think it's perfect for owners of new puppies and you can learn the techniques online.  There is also the ability to send questions to Dan as you go through the training.  I personally thought the videos were very well done.  Here's the link to the initial discussion....http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/back-to-school-training-wi....

So my advice....

-sign up for the Doggy Dan training or enroll your puppy in a good Puppy Kindergarten class.

-get the puppy on a regular potty schedule and always take him out the minute you take him out of his crate.  If you catch him in the act of pottying inside quickly pick him up and bring him to the potty spot.

-reward, reward, reward....that's how they learn.  Every time he goes outside in his spot that's time for a party.  Treats are a must.

-four young children can be overwhelming for a puppy so be sure he has a place (preferably the crate) where he can go to get away. 

[UggaMugga]

I am no expert in dog training. I have 11 week old doodle. We brought him home 3 weeks ago. The breeder was pee pas training him. We immediately stopped that. The rug in our family room I rolled up. We haven't put it back down yet. The living room one I left down and he loves to pee on it! Even with the natures miracle. He just really likes that rug so I rolled it up last night. When we find him having an accident we pick him up and take him out. We also keep him out of sight while the accident is cleaned up.
Things that helped us initially were as soon as puppy walks away and starts sniffing we took him out. We still do. We use a command word. We end up outside a lot! Our pups stool was very loose when we first brought him home. The breeder had just given the first worming med. Pup did great in the small crate even with the loose stool. However if in the large crate he would have accidents. Puppy does not have free run of the house. If someone isn't able to watch him, it is in the crate or in the puppy playpen. I also found children to be pretty unreliable at helping with housebreaking. Several of puppy's pee accident have been when I have asked the 9 or 11 year old to "watch him".
I don't believe putting a dog's face in their accident is recommended. The book we are using is called "Traing the best dog ever".
Good luck. You haven't had him very long. It can only get better right?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"I also found children to be pretty unreliable at helping with housebreaking. Several of puppy's pee accident have been when I have asked the 9 or 11 year old to "watch him".

YES!!!!

[Patty, Duffy & Oliver]

The not coming thing maybe normal if he doesn't know his name yet or hasn't been trained to know what come means yet.  You said you have 4 young kids, maybe he is just overwhelmed?  I don't have kids so maybe Karen or someone else can chime in about that.  If he doesn't respond at all to a loud noise or a squeaky toy, I would take him to a vet and make sure nothing is wrong with his hearing such as infected ears.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

He definitely doesn't know his name or what "come" means yet. He doesn't know what anything means yet, lol.

And it's very hard for any dog, let alone a young puppy, to focus when there are lots of distractions around him. 

[Kamela & Beckett]

Agree, Karen, but from the time we brought our Aussiedoodle home he was outgoing and people oriented. He sought out contact from the people in the house. Even if a puppy doesn't know their name, getting down on the floor and talking in a "baby voice" will usually attract their attention. Facing away from you and covering his head is different than being distracted by something else going on. That sounds like avoidance behavior. I'd be concerned the puppy is sick or possibly overwhelmed by too much attention from children.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

What if while you are down on the floor talking in a baby voice and calling the puppy to you, there are a couple of toddlers right next to you, also talking and reaching out for the pup, though. :)

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

I think that it's very easy for a puppy to get overwhelmed.  While I don't have children of my own, I have a five year old niece whom I see every day.  When we first got Ludo, I enforced a rule that she would talk quietly around him, that she could pet him nicely but had to leave his face alone, no hugging and no kissing. It's really hard for kids to understand and I had to constantly remind her that she wasn't in trouble or being punished, we just had to make sure everyone stayed safe and taken care of.  She wasn't allowed to run around him or play tug games with him because he would get too excited and nip at her while she ran or crawled around on the floor.  Kids and puppies don't always mix in the idyllic ways we imagine them becoming best friends. Even now, she isn't alone with Ludo and I still have to remind her not to hug and kiss him.  It's gotten so much better and they've become great friends, but as a puppy, Ludo is still unpredictable and I don't want to risk something happening to either of them. While some dogs may be super outgoing, lots of dogs are not.  Kind of like people, everyone is different.

I think he's probably just overwhelmed by the activity going on around him and being in a new place with new people... however, I do agree that if it doesn't improve, I would probably also be in the camp of wanting to make sure he's not sick.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd add though that I have taken every dog I've ever owned straight to the vet for a "once over" the minute I picked them up from the breeder or shelter, puppies and adults alike. They were in the vet's office before they were in my home. 

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

Lots of good advice and recommendations here from all the doodle lovers.  Puppies need lots of training that continues into adulthood...this training helps them become the dog you've always dreamed about and for the puppy to have an owner they have always dreamed about.  Here's the one of the signs I hang by my dogs' dishes...   The best of luck to you and your new furbaby.

[Claire Ellery]

Congrats on your new puppy! A lot of people responded to the potty training, so I'll just comment on the withdrawn question. If you just got him, I wouldn't worry about it. He might just be deciding he doesn't want to play with you at that moment, and most dogs have to be trained to "come." He has to learn his name too! I'm sure that if you reward him for coming to you consistently that over time he'll be obedient in coming to you. There are lots of fun training games for come you can do with your kids (sit in a circle, all with treats, taking turns saying come, and he'll get a treat when he goes to the right person). I have a 10 month old and sometimes she likes to snuggle and sometimes she likes her space to spread out, so I wouldn't take his behavior as him being withdrawn, just him figuring out his new environment. It probably is overwhelming for him too, with 6 people loving him so much, so maybe sometimes he just needs to have a little alone time to adjust :)

You probably read this somewhere already, but be sure to handle his paws, ears, etc. as a puppy so that he becomes comfortable with being touched there. That will make grooming much much easier in the future. Also, as your family finds a new routine with your pup, make sure he gets enough exercise and attention. Doodles are wonderful family dogs but if they are ignored they can start to act out in bad ways, and generally it starts to be towards children first. Unfortunately a lot of doodles on adoption sites are given up because they've become bad with children. Our Lucy is great with kids, so I'm sure it's the exception and not the rule, but just want to give you a heads up as a preventative measure.

Congrats and good luck! They are wonderful dogs!!

[Jen Smith]

Thank you guys greatly for all the awesome advice! Everyone of you nailed key points that we will definitely do and try. We love our little Bo! I LOVE the circle game with the kids. That sounds FUN!!! I would speak longer, but with 4 kids, my husband, and our Bo, lol...I'm one busy bee. :b