Welcome Wall-E

[Rebekah Williams]

Hi! This is our new puppy, Wall-E (Wall-E Waffles Williams).

He is a "Cinnamon" F1 Standard Goldendoodle and he's 9 weeks old (weighs a little over 10lbs). 

He is not shedding right now but I know that (and their coloring) can change as they get older.

We have only had him for 5 days but he is kind of figuring out how to use the bells on the door to get outside and he's so very good at his kennel training. He goes inside quietly and chews on his moose toy for a bit then passes out. Wall-E loves playing fetch in our back yard and trying to bite the tails of our cats (which they do NOT love haha).

I know he is just a baby but he does not seem to enjoy his first few attempts at walks very much. He seems to get very distressed. I hope my husband and I can find a way to make them more fun or less stressful for him so he learns to like them. If anyone has any advice would love to hear it. I don't want to traumatize him. We are runners and hoped to have a companion for shorter distances.

I kind of hope he gets a little curlier but I can't really tell what he's going to look like as a grown-up and I really don't even care because his face is so adorable. I love his wavy ears and the way his hair sticks up on his head. We've wanted a dog for forever and after finally buying our first home, this dream has become a reality. We love him and have learned a lot about how to prepare for him from this group. Wall-E brings us a lot of joy...I hope he brings some to you, too.

[Debbie and Toby]

Wall E is adorable! When we got Toby, he also didn't like to walk. He tired very quickly and would lay down during our walks. We found just trying very short walks to start, using a little bribery with a treat, and since he is so young, don't walk in public places. It does take some time for them to get use to walking on a leash.

[Rebekah Williams]

Hi Debbie! Thank you so much for the advice. My husband and I brought treats with us on our walk today and that did help get us around the block with fewer stops and whimpering. :)

[Wendy and Myla]

Wall E is so cute!  He looks so much like Myla did as a puppy!  When we first got Myla, we found that every time we took her for a walk and she heard a strange sound (like a cow mooing, or a bird chirping) she would just sit down and we figured she was processing.  It took a long time for us to get anywhere as there were always new sounds but we just let her do her thing.  Maybe Wall E is overwhelmed with all of the different sounds and smells and is getting distressed from that.  As Debbie and Toby said, I would do frequent very short walks so that she can become confident in her area.  

[Rebekah Williams]

Oh thank you, Wendy. And Myla is such a beautiful dog. I do think that you are right about all the sounds being overwhelming for him. We bribed him with some treats and a fantastic stick to keep him distracted and positive on our walk today. He's still cautious but there was progress! Thank you for your feedback and advice. I love having people to talk to about all this.

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

My 8 month old goldendoodle hated walks as a puppy and we thought the same thing. Now she practically does a does a back flip when we get the leash out! I read somewhere that you really should not walk them for long distances (or run them) as it is bad for their developing joints. He is a really cute doodle. Sounds like he may be pretty big if he is 10 pounds at 9 weeks. Our girl is big and we love it!

[Rebekah Williams]

This is such encouraging feedback to hear. All my dogs growing up would sell their own mothers to go on a walk or a ride so I'm inexperienced with my puppy's temperament. We will be gentle and take it easy with him and I can't wait for him him to be excited to walk with us *fingers crossed*. I also get the feeling WallE might be a big dog. I just look at his paws and think "boy, for a baby, these are huge!" haha

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Just remember that he is still an 'infant' so don't expect too long of a walk at first.  :-}    There are lots of ways to expose him to all of the sights and sounds of his new world at this stage without exposing him to illness where other  (perhaps un-vaccinated) dogs have been. Take him for rides in the car, stop in parking lots, by schools at dismissal time, etc.  Take him to a pet  or other store where you either carry him or put him in a cart with you own blanket lining the bottom. Others can pet, but no exposure to other dogs.  Little walks around your yard help with leash training too.

[Janne and Darius]

Wall-E is so adorable, I love his cinnamon colour! 

Darius is NOT good with the bells...all my other dogs in the past have used them but he thinks they are chew toys and he rears up and pulls at them and shakes them till they come down, lol! So for now I've kind of given up on them and put them away, which means I have to watch him like a hawk for any signs of needing to go outside. I do put him out of course after eating, playing, sleeping etc but sometimes he's not productive. ;) 

I've taken him for a few little walks outside the yard for a very short distance but like Wall-E, he's a little fearful yet. He doesn't want to go too far from home and that's ok. I did try to get him into the car a few times in prep for his vet checkup tomorrow but that was a no-go. So that'll be interesting. 

[Kelly]

Sweet boy! I love his little dog tag. Where'd you get it?

I hope to get a reddish colored pup for my next doodle.

[Rebekah Williams]

I got it from Etsy! There are so many cute choices on that site.

And thank you. He is the best dog!