Teddy Bear Schnoodles

Puppy Care

Get Prepared For Your Puppies Arrival

Read our Forum everyday! The forum is a great place to meet other Smeraglia's TeddyBearGoldendoodles & TeddyBearSchnoodle puppy owners, stay in touch with littermates, share stories, pictures and share helpful advice.

Please visit the TBDOODLES Store at Cafe Press for exclusive TeddyBearGoldendoodle & TeddyBearSchnoodle Merchandise. This is where you can get adorable puppy shirts, coffee mugs, hats and all kinds of great items, which feature our cute exclusive Goldendoodle and Schnoodle Logo.

Vaccinations:

What Vaccinations did my puppy get prior to coming home? Each Puppy will come home with a health record chart and Health Guarantee enclose in their puppy kit, please take the health record to you vet when you go in for your puppy's first check-up.

Great Articles for New Puppy Owners:

Doctors Foster & Smith Pet Information Center

Crate Training:

We begin crate training once the puppies are weaned and highly recommend that you continue the training once your puppy arrives home.

Have a crate on hand for the first few weeks and keep your puppy in it when you are not with him, but not for more than a few hours at a time. Make sure the crate is not too big. It should be large enough for the puppy to stand up, turn around, stretch out, but no larger. Dogs do not want to soil their bed and the use of a crate teaches them to control their urge to eliminate. Your puppy has already begun some of his crate training before he arrives to you. He has already learned along with his litter mates that his crate is for sleeping and not for going potty in. Because of this per-training, most pups are very easy to crate train, But, please be aware: a dog that is left in a crate all day long, gets let out in the evening after work for a few hours and then put back in the crate for the night can become a very unhappy, destructive dog.

If you work all day, it is recommended that you find someone who can let you dog out for a potty break and play time midday if you intend on crating your dog while you are gone. If this is not possible, then only use the crate at night. If you must leave your dog all day long every day and you have nobody to let the dog out during the day, you should find a room that he can be contained in and put down food, water and toys. A kitchen, bathroom, or utility room works great. You should set up the room so that a bed and food are at one end and pee pads or newspaper at the other. They need to find something to occupy their mind, so give your dog plenty of toys. Dogs are den animals and will usually come to like the crate, but even a den animal would go crazy if it was locked up all day long.

Puppy Prep School

(Private Boarding School For Puppies Only)

We realize that while very exciting, bringing a new puppy into your home can be a frustrating, life-interrupting event. With the new information now available about canine behavioral development, we know that the first few days, weeks, and months of your puppy's life are critical for his happy and healthy development, as well as a lifetime of harmony in your home.

The puppy prep school program was developed exclusively for our special TeddyBearGoldendoodle & TeddyBearSchnoodle puppies, 20 weeks and under.

Our program is very different than most other puppy training programs because our focus is on preventing undesirable behaviors from become habit while developing desired behaviors in the appropriate way for each individual during key developmental stages to insure behavioral soundness for the companion (family) animal that is functional in a real world setting. The program consists of at least 2 weeks of boarding in a real home environment, complete with young children, a police K9 trainer husband and training done by a Certified examiner for the AKC'S CGC program and the Delta Societies Pet Partners program, in addition to numerous other professional group affiliations and endorsements. During this time, your puppy will be given, round-the-clock care while receiving daily training, custom tailored to your individual situation and needs. We can only enroll two puppies at a time so you must reserve a spot early, limited Availability.

Behavioral & Obedience Training

It is important to start training your new puppy as soon as you bring him home. Local dog training classes are often available. Ask your veterinarian to recommend a trainer or look in your local newspaper for a trainer in your area.

Puppy Proofing

As with children, you will likely want to puppy proof your house. Part of it is to keep the pup safe, and the rest is to keep your stuff safe from the pup. Puppies chew things. Everything below four feet is fair game. Expect it and prepare for it. One of the best solutions is to offer a wide variety of puppy safe chew products all over each accessible floor in the house. If the pup is going to chew, you might as well control what he is chewing.

Use child proof locks to keep substances like pesticides, meds, cleaning products, plants, etc. locked up in cabinets and away from your pup.
When pups are very young, even rawhide strips can be dangerous, never give these to your puppy unsupervised.
Be aware that some foods and plants are toxic to dogs.
Avoid heat stroke and don't leave pups or dogs locked in cars.
After your puppy comes home, There are Health Risks for Parvo!
You should NOT allow your puppy to be out in public places until after the Parvo vaccinations have been completed, 12-16 weeks.

Check out workingdogs.com for more information on Parvo. The surest way to avoid parvo infection in your dog is to adhere to the recommended vaccination schedule which begins when puppies are 6-8 weeks of age. Puppies should not be allowed to socialize with other dogs or frequent areas where other dogs have been until 2 weeks after they have had their last vaccination. Immunization for parvo is usually included in your dog's distemper vaccine. This shot gives protection against several potentially fatal canine diseases all at the same time.

New Puppy (Shopping) Checklist

General:

Paper towels (a lot of paper towels)
Old Towels for Crate. Once puppy is reliably crate trained, a "real" crate bed can be used.
Old Blanket or Towel(s) to cover wire Crate
Cotton balls for cleaning ears
Hydrogen Peroxide (to induce vomiting, if necessary)
100% Pure canned Pumpkin (from the baking isle of your grocery store)
Pumpkin is a good source of fiber. When puppy has diarrhea or constipation, a tablespoon or two with every meal for several days should help alleviate symptoms. Freeze excess in ice cube tray.
Baby Gate(s)
Try baby supply stores - generally more choices and cheaper than pet stores (Beware that horizontal bars provide a foot-hold for climbing puppies. Also consider spacing between bars, as some times it is large enough for little puppies to get caught)

General from your Pet Supply Store:

BioDeodorizer Spray & Floorwash Concentrate
Bitter Apple (bitter taste deters dogs from biting, licking, and chewing)
Pooper Scooper & bags
Food and water bowls (stainless steel or ceramic)
Storage bin for dry food
Adjustable Nylon collar w/plastic clasp
10 - 14 inch size for standard or medium Doodle puppies, Smaller for mini Doodle puppies.
I.D. Tag
(e.g. See http://boomerangtags.com for their flat collar tags for adjustable collars. They also sell collars with tags included for the smaller sized dogs).
6 foot leash
15 foot or longer (up to 50 foot) training leash(es)
Plastic Crate for crate training
- Another good idea is the Double door folding crate with divider (we like both Midwest and Precision brands)
- Medium - Standard Sized Doodles need at least a 42 inch crate, we recommend the 48. Mini Doodles can use a 36 inch crate.
Travel Crate for car until puppy is big enough to wear a car harness

FOOD , TREATS & POTTY

Life’s Abundance Premium Health Food for Puppies & Adult Dogs

The healthy goodness of a home-cooked meal

This is a wonderful food that can be dropped ship to your home. there are 146 cups of food in a 40lb. bag. A 50lb dog would get 2 cups a day. A 40lb bag will last a 50lb dog approx. 10.5 weeks. Puppies get 1/2 three times a day, therefore the food last 12 plus weeks. The is the freshest most healthy food on the market.

ORDER YOUR PUPPY PAK : Get your precious puppy off to a healthy start with a Puppy Pak. Each Pak contains: ORDER NOW!

Life's Abundance Premium Health Food (20 lb. bag)
Antioxidant Health Bars (24 ounce jar)
Tasty Rewards Training Treats (4 ounce bag)
Medium Porkhide Bones (4 bones in a bag)
Ear Care Formula (4 ounce bottle)
Revitalizing Shampoo (12 ounce bottle)
Bath Fresh Mist (8 ounce spray bottle)
The Truth About Pet Food DVD (FREE)

Please go to this website and listen to the DVD : Do you really know what’s in your pet’s food?

Treats:

As pet parents, we know that our companion animals depend solely upon us for their nutritional intake. And since good nutrition is important for our pets to live a long and healthy life, it is important to choose a nutrient-rich treat that can be a part of your pet’s overall diet. To fill this need, we’ve recoomend

numerous treats for your dog. See All Of Our Treats Now!

Puppy Food & Water :
Your puppy has been started on Life's Abundance Premium Health Food
Puppies should be fed ½ cup of dry puppy food 3 times per day. After the puppy has consumed what they want of the food offered, remove the dish and discard the uneaten food. Do not leave the food down at all times. The puppy should only be allowed access to the food during feeding times.
* If you decide to change your puppies food please do gradually, a sudden change could cause intestinal distress.
Day 1 -Start by mixing the first meal with 50%Life's Abundance Food / 50% New Food
Day 2 - Mix 75% New Food / 25% proplan
Day 3 100% New Food

Water:
Water should be offered with each meal and should then be removed. The puppy should not have water available at all times. Water should also be offered after a walk or any exercise. Do not offer food or water after 7 pm in the evening.

Most puppies will potty within an hour after eating. Once you set your puppy's feeding schedule, you will have some control over when he needs to go.
Schedule your puppy's dinner times so that you will be available to let him out after eating.
Avoid giving your puppy a large meal just prior to confining him or he may have to go when you’re not around to take him out.
Schedule feeding three times daily on a consistent schedule.
Have food available for only 30 minutes then remove it.

Potty:

A six- to eight-week-old puppy should be taken outdoors every one to three hours. Older puppies can generally wait longer between outings. Most puppies should be taken out:
After waking in the morni....... After naps.......After meals...After playing or trainin.... After being left alone....Immediately before being put to bed.

Tips for Housetraining Puppies and Dogs:
As with most things in life, there are right and wrong ways to get things done. Rubbing a puppy's nose in a mess is not the right way to housetrain. Using ample amounts of supervision and positive reinforcement is. Use the following puppy house training tips to get started on the road to proper puppy potty training.
Getting On the Right Track
The first course of action in housetraining is to promote the desired behavior. You need to:
Designate a potty area outdoors.
Guide your dog there to do his business.
Heartily praise him when he goes.
By occasionally giving him a treat right after your dog finishes, you can encourage him to potty in the desired area. The odor left from previous visits to that area the pup to dwill quickly mark it as the place for o his business.

Pottying on Command:
To avoid spending a lot of time waiting for your puppy to go, you may want to teach him to potty on command. Each time he is in the act of eliminating, simply repeat a unique command, such as "hurry up" or "potty," in an upbeat tone of voice. After a few weeks of training, you’ll notice that when you say the command your puppy will begin pre-potty sniffing, circling and then potty shortly after you give the command. Be sure to praise him for his accomplishments
Expect Some Mistakes
Left on his own, the untrained puppy is very likely to make a mistake. Close supervision is a very important part of training. Do not consider your puppy housetrained until he has gone at least four consecutive weeks without pottying in the house. For older dogs, this period should be even longer. Until then:
Your puppy should constantly be in your sight.
Baby gates can be helpful to control movement throughout the house and to aid supervision.
Keep them in the crate when unsupervised.

Don't Make Things Worse :
It is a rare dog or puppy that can be housetrained without making an occasional mess, so you need to be ready to handle the inevitable problems.
Do not rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This approach usually does not work, and may actually delay training.
An appropriate correction consists of simply providing a moderate, startling distraction. You should only do this when you see your dog in the act of pottying in the wrong place.
A sharp noise, such as a loud "No" or a quick stomp on the floor, is all that is usually needed to stop the behavior. Don’t be too loud or your pet may learn to avoid going in front of you, even outdoors.

:
If your puppy squats and urinates when he greets you, he may have a problem called submissive urination. Dogs and puppies that urinate during greetings are very sensitive and should never be scolded when they do this, since punishment inevitably makes the problem worse.
Most young puppies will grow out of this behavior if you are calm, quiet and avoid reaching toward the head during greetings. Another helpful approach is to calmly ask your dog to sit for a very tasty treat each time someone greets him.

Practice Patience:
Don’t continue to scold or correct your dog after he has stopped soiling. When he stops, quickly take him outdoors so that he will finish in the appropriate area and be praised.
Never rub your dog's nose in a mess. There is absolutely no way this will help training, and may actually make him afraid of you.
Success!
We hope you’ve found these puppy housetraining tips helpful. The basic principles of housetraining are pretty simple, but a fair amount of patience is required. The most challenging part is always keeping an eye on your active dog or puppy. If you maintain control, take your dog outdoors frequently and consistently praise the desired behavior, soon you should have a house-trained canine companion.

NuVet Plus Vitamins (click to order)

Your puppy has been on Nuvet Plus Vitamins since 6 weeks of age. I highly recommend this vitamin for your new puppy. You need to place your order before your puppy comes home. You can click on the Nuvet Plus Vitamins link above to order.

Training Treats