How to Raise Labradoodle Puppies
"Labradoodles are sociable, friendly, non aggressive, and extremely intuitive," reports Labradoodle-dogs.net. Whatever your reason for choosing this popular and lovable mixed breed, you need to know a few basics when raising your labradoodle puppy. Your puppy's "intelligence and high trainability" (also mentioned by Labradoodle-dogs.net) give her the potential to be an ideal dog. Don't wait to get started on insuring she develops good habits and stays in good health. Here are several considerations and ways to get started raising a healthy, happy, and well-behaved labradoodle puppy.
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Things You'll Need
- Veterinarian
- Dog Crate
- A Variety of Positive Experiences
- Grooming Aids
- Dog Toys
- Small Pieces of a Savory Treat
- Clicker or Marker Word
- Leash or Fenced-in Yard
Instructions
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How to Raise Labradoodle Puppies
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Find a reputable veterinarian who will check your puppy for any health concerns and vaccinate her against damaging canine diseases. If your dog is not intended for breeding, have her spayed (or neutered for male dogs) when she has reached the appropriate age. This will prevent any unwanted puppies.
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Purchase an appropriate food for your growing puppy. There is a large variety of dog foods to choose from. Take some time and read some ingredients. Your labradoodle puppy is going to be a good-sized, high energy dog. Make sure she is getting the protein and vitamins she needs in her diet.
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Introduce your puppy to a crate for easy house-training as well as providing your puppy with a safe place to make her own. Your puppy's crate will fulfill her natural instinct to have a den, and it will provide you with a place to keep her out of trouble. Your labradoodle puppy is naturally curious and should never be left unsupervised because that is the best way for her to learn a bad habit or do damage. A puppy can only be crated for an hour more than the number of months she is. After that she can not be expected to not have an accident. Her crate should be a comfortable get-away for her, not a jail cell. Never punish your puppy by placing her in her crate.
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Socialize your labradoodle puppy by exposing her to a variety of enjoyable experiences. Take her for car rides. Walk her gently on a leash. Introduce her to grooming by gently brushing her and handling her toenails and teeth. Introduce her to dog toys. Let her be handled by gentle children. Let her have playtime with other dogs. If there are any special circumstances your dog will need to be used to (for example: people in wheelchairs, living with cats or other animals, riding on boats, the sound of gunshots) be sure to expose your dog to these experiences in a positive way. Re-enforce the exposure with lots of attention, praise, affection and treats. The key age for socialization is somewhere between three and twenty weeks according to The Power of Positive Dog Training.
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House-train your puppy. Prevention is the best way to house-train. Leaving her unsupervised will lead to accidents which may make her think it is okay to potty indoors.When you take your puppy out of her crate, immediately take her outdoors and reward her--without startling her--as soon as she eliminates. After she eats and drinks are also perfect times to take her outdoors and praise her for pottying. If she does squat indoors, interrupt her with a noise or a clap, scoop her up, take her outdoors and allow her to finish. Praise her for her business.
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Introduce your puppy to basic commands. You can teach an old dog new tricks, but why not get an early start? Labradoodles are highly intelligent which means you should train your puppy with appropriate behavior before she teaches herself bad habits. Using small pieces of savory treats, lure your puppy into the behavior you would like to teach. Re-enforce the behavior, as it occurs, with the treats. In addition to treats, you can mark the behavior with a clicker or a marker word such as "perfect." This allows your puppy to associate the clicker sound or word with yummy treats and will allow you to use that marker in place of a yummy treat as your puppy advances.
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Don't forget to play with your puppy. Puppies need a lot of stimulation to grow up healthy and to stay out of trouble. Puppies tend to get into trouble if they get bored so supply your puppy with lots of appropriate toys to chew on and play with. Avoid games of tug-and-war and rough-housing with her as these games tend to teach a puppy bad habits, instead throw a ball for your labradoodle--she has that natural retriever instinct and should love a good game of fetch. Labradoodles have a lot of energy and need a lot of exercise to stay out of trouble. Be prepared to devote time and energy to your labradoodle puppy.
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Tips & Warnings
Puppy classes are an excellent resource for socializing and becoming familiar with dog training techniques. Research your local classes to insure they use positive re-enforcement rather than punishment as a training technique. Be gentle but firm with your labradoodle puppy. She should respect you as her leader, not fear you.
While socializing your puppy, make sure all of the dogs are properly vaccinated to avoid exposing your puppy to illness.
