Whipple Tree Labradoodles - A Great Beginning


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A Great Beginning

We start to train and work with our puppies from the first day they are born. We use sounds, influences and small jobs that help make our puppies easy going, fun loving and social animals. The most important time in your puppy’s life for training is between 8 and 11 weeks and we recommend the following:

Spend as much time as possible training your puppy. Puppies are happiest with boundaries and being taught what you want from them with love and respect. Good training results in big rewards both for your puppy and you. Labradoodles are trained very readily and possess a strong desire to please you. Within 6 weeks of having picked your dog up, he should be fully housebroken. By 3 months, he should be able to sit, stay and shake a paw as well as understand the basics of retrieving. Jumping up is likely still occurring at this time and takes a great deal of consistency and time to break this habit.
Crate training is highly recommended. To your puppy it is a safe den to feel comfortable in safe from harm and scary noises. To your puppy it is his den where he is able to relax and sleep with total peace of mind. The crate needs to be just big enough for your dog to stretch out in and turn around in. It is essential that the crate not be too big as the puppy will not gain the feeling of security in a crate that is too big for him. Your puppy’s crate should have toys in it and as your puppy will not be able to last all night without having to pee, be sure that you use bedding that can be easily cleaned or disposed of each morning. Feed puppy for the last time by 5pm at night so that he is totally empty by the time he retires for the night. If possible, get up twice during the night for the first few weeks to let puppy outside to pee. This will help with housebreaking immensely.
When you first bring your puppy home, putting the crate in your bedroom next to your bed is a good choice to make puppy feel safe and secure. As he is older, you may move the crate into whatever room you would like it to ultimately remain in. NEVER LEAVE YOUR PUPPY IN HIS CRATE WITH HIS COLLAR ON OR FOR MORE THAN 4 HOURS AT A TIME.
After puppy has become used to being in his crate and not peeing you can start to leave him in a room for periods of time. Remember once again to be sure puppy has had a chance to go outside before placing him in the room for further training. Once he is able to stay in his room without any accidents, you can start to give him full run of your house without worry.

Using wee pads does help with training your dog. Put the pad to one side of the room and eventually only at night. I don’t punish my dogs for using the pad but I don’t congratulate them either. I do, however, make a huge fuss over them when they go outside whether they have asked to go out or not. They will soon choose to do what pleases you and then, mission accomplished!

FOOD:

Your puppy should be fed on a regular schedule to help with housebreaking him. We allow our puppies to self-feed but if you wish to feed on a schedule then please feed your puppy 3 times daily at 7:00am, noon and 6:00pm until 6 months of age. After 6 months you may switch to feeding your dog twice per day.

Other than removing all food and water an hour before putting puppy into his crate or room, if possible, leave him free access to food and water all day. We have researched and tried a variety of dog foods. Your puppy will be started with Orijen Puppy Food. This is an excellent food made in Alberta and well priced. After your puppy reaches 1 year, you should switch to an adult food. We have found that the best adult food is Innova Evo. It is a natural food, contains a good amount of omega 3 and is well priced. All our dogs have gorgeous coats, good teeth and maintain an ideal weight on this food. We NEVER feed our dogs any human food from our hands or at the table. They eat only their own food from their own bowls. We feed your puppy only the dry food to make it easier for you to transition him into your feeding routine. It is essential that you do feed your puppy well for his continued good health. Feeding your puppy grocery store dry food will void his health warranty. Allowing your puppy to become obese will also void your warranty.