Soon to be doodle owner

[LaurieC]

Excited to join doodle kisses! We are picking up our f1b goldendoodle next Tuesday.
He will be 7 weeks old. Signed him up for training classes starting at 9 weeks.
We recently lost our family dog to cancer last month. She was a pit bull/lab mix. She was 12 and so good with my small children (1 and 3 years old).
We are so ready to have a new little guy to love on. A little nervous about raising a puppy since it's been so long, especially since I will have little ones around!
This will be our first doodle, but I've heard nothing but good things! I have a small crate for him and just ordered a snuggle puppy. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Here is a picture of our baby Quincy!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

You can carry him around to loads of places to ensure that he meets lots of people and different sounds and places before he is safe to let down. Those early weeks are so important from a socialisation point of view and it is a bit of a challenge to work it out so he is safe too but it can be done. I carried both mine and sat outside school gates to meet children, stood near heavy traffic. Downloaded sounds of thunder and lightening, ambulance and fire engine sirens, motorbikes all from YouTube and started them low and gradually turned them up over time. We went out of our way to meet men with hats, women and men with umbrellas and everything else I could think of. We invited people with dogs over to our garden who we knew were up to date with their shots and safe, to have a puppy party.  All this work was so worth it as my boys are totally cool with everyone, every dog and everything and they are 4 and 5 and a half years old now. I wish you the best of luck, do enjoy those puppy weeks and months, they are challenging but so so rewarding and enjoyable too..

[LaurieC]

I took my past dog everywhere with me. Since she was part Pit bull, I worried about her having the tendency to be aggressive with people and other dogs. Socialization really helped her. She turned out to be the biggest, sweetest lap dog!
I will definitely be taking our new puppy to hang out with our friends who have dogs/puppies (all up to date on shots)
Also really lucky because our in laws already have a crate at their condo, so she will be joining us on family vacations next year, instead of boarding. I am just so thrilled to have this little guy be a part of our family!

I like the idea of introducing him to sounds of thunder, people with hats, etc. I hadn't thought about that!

[DonMarie and Picco]

What a cutie!   No need to rush into training.  Get all shots and be selfish and keep the little guy all to yourself and bond with him!  Since your not a first time dog owner so you might know this - check out different training methods and get insurance.

[LaurieC]

We did not have insurance with our last dog. She ended up having ACL surgery among other expensive vet visits. What pet insurance is the best? We currently have insurance through Nationwide.... wonder if they offer for pets?

[DonMarie and Picco]

There are plenty of forums on pet insurance companies on this site. They are very competitive with rates.  I have ASPCA and have no complaints. I have make a couple claims and they pay promptly. It doesn't seem to be popular on this site but I'm happy with my choice. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

I also would say to wait until after all puppy shots before getting around other dogs.  That is usually more around four months than 9 weeks.  Better to be safe than have a sick puppy.

[Kat and Winston]

I'm sorry about your other dog. I'm sure that was hard.

We are getting our new miniature doodle puppy this Saturday. He's 8 weeks old today, so will be 8wks 3 days when we bring him home.

We should be going through the same stages together. Our youngest child is 8 though so not quite as worried about that aspect.

Congrats. He looks really cute!

[Lynda Kamrath]

I may be prejudiced but I think F1b goldendoodles are the BEST.  I had one and when he died at 8 years old of cancer, I just wanted to replace him.  He had the most wonderful coat (never matted and very soft) and was a beautiful dog.  They were not doing this same breed - phantom goldendoodle - so I got a sheepadoodle with the same breed for her father.  She is also a wonderful dog.  I do not use crates, but he will outgrow a small crate very quickly.

[Rebecca]

We're collecting Pablo tomorrow he'll be 9 weeks old. I'm excited, but nervous! I've spent most of the evening sorting out cables and hiding them from view. Any advice on pick up would be really welcome. Thanks. Rebecca