It is the best and the safest choice to have your puppy ride home in a crate, especially if traveling a distance. Don’t forget a leash and collar along with some water and treats, a snuggle puppy, chew toy, and a puppy pee pad to line your crate in case you experience traffic or an emergency that would delay you getting home.

REMEMBER that your puppy has only had one round of vaccinations and has not yet received its parvo vaccination. They are not completely covered for viruses.

On your way home, if you feel the need to stop and get your puppy out, never get your puppy out at a rest stop - they are prevalent with parvo. Be selective where you stop if you feel you must get puppy out.

It's better for your puppy to use the bathroom in its crate rather than chance an environment where it can pick up contagious illnesses. Do not allow your puppy to go near poop on the ground or to go nose to nose with an unknown dog.

Wire crate with adjustable panel

Crate cover

Exercise pen

Crate bed to be used after the first few months

Bed for outside of the crate

Water bowl

Food bowl

Nylon collar

Harness for walking

6 foot leash

Harness

Shampoo

Slicker brush

Metal comb, known as a Greyhound comb

Waste bag tote and bags

Nail clippers and or Dremel for grinding nails

Stain and Odor eliminator spray

Bitter Apple deterrent spray

Approximately 5 age-appropriate toys

Feed dry kibble 4 times/day - early morning, lunch, late afternoon, and a smaller evening meal at least 2 hours prior to bedtime. Give them enough food for them to eat all they want for 10-15 minutes, then pull the food up and store leftovers. Give all the water they can drink after each of those 4 meals.

After the first 2 weeks, eliminate the evening meal but continue to give 4 offerings of water.

After the first 4 weeks, you can eliminate the noon meal.

It’s important to play with your pup as much as possible during the evening to keep him awake and tire him out. No evening naps. You’ll BOTH sleep better!

In case no one has told you yet, your Goldendoodle puppy will be high maintenance when it comes to taking care of its coat.

It is important that you purchase a quality slicker brush and a “greyhound” metal comb and brush your dog no less than every other day! We strongly recommend you save up for a Chris Christiansen Coral Slicker (although expensive, if you buy from an approved CC website and not Amazon, you’ll get a lifetime guarantee) You can purchase your metal comb from Amazon.

While they still have their baby coat you won’t notice many mats, but once their adult coat comes in, around 7 months, you’ll need to be aware of checking for mats on a regular basis.

We recommend grooming every 6-8 weeks, beginning around 5 months old, by a professional groomer who has a good reputation grooming Goldendoodles.

Remember to continue desensitizing your puppy to having his nails trimmed by deliberately touching his paws daily and giving him short toe massages.

Rub your puppy's ears daily to ensure they will be comfortable with the process when you apply ear wash.

Please schedule your puppy's first vet visit within the first 5 days of the puppy going home. Schedule ahead of time as vets fill up. Vets usually do not see pets that are not patients and, in case of emergency, you will need to see an emergency vet, so we highly recommend you get your puppy established as a patient at the vet of your choice as soon as possible.

We will send a “well-check report card” from our vet home with you. Please take this with you to your vet so they know what your pup has had so far, i.e. worming, vaccines, food, etc. These should be documented on your puppy’s vet chart.

We administer the first set of Vaccines, the rest is your responsibility.

New evidence within the AVMA indicates early neuter or spay may contribute to multiple negative outcomes, such as an increase in cancer, lack of masculinity or femininity, negative behavior issues, joint pain, and obesity, among other things.

Click here to read the article “When is a Good Time To Spay or Neuter?” by the Whole Dog Journal.

It will explain some of the details surrounding this important issue. Even my vet, who is ultra-conservative and didn’t believe my concerns about early neuter/spay many years ago, has now joined my team and recommends waiting a bit longer.

As your breeder, I am recommending you wait until just before, or right at, one year of age. The exception is IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER INTACT DOG IN OR AROUND YOUR HOME, in which case, spay or neuter at around 6-7 months of age. If there’s any risk of that happening, please get it done early!

If you have an existing family pet, you’ll want to introduce them carefully and correctly. Google introducing a new puppy to an existing pet and you should get an education on proper practices. There are many great articles to be found on this subject, so please, PLEASE, do your due diligence and take your time to ensure a cohesive family life.

We are able to provide a scented blanket ahead of bringing puppy home to get existing family pets familiar with their scent.

Please continue crating your puppy for its safety as well as your peace of mind. However, the crate should never be used as a punishment. His crate should be his very own safe space. His baby crib, so to speak.

The size of the crate for a Magnolia Doodle should be 30 to 36 inches. We recommend getting a crate that can grow with your puppy - many large crates come with a partition that can be adjusted as your puppy grows.

We recommend placing a wire crate next to your bed so that you can stick your fingers into the crate to soothe the puppy when he cries. Place only a towel or two in there with him, vs a bed, because chances are he’ll urinate on a bed. Make it simple for yourself.

Expect your new puppy to cry during the night for the first week but resist the temptation to open the crate and coddle him. Do your best to ignore his cries, but if he cries for 2 hours despite your best efforts, go ahead, and pick him up and take him immediately outside to potty. Once you place the pup on the ground, walk in figure 8’s around his “potty area.” He’ll bound behind you until he’s ready to go. You’ll need to watch over your shoulder to be sure he goes. Then, put him right back in his crate and try to get some much-needed sleep!

A puppy can hold his urine as long as his age + 1 hour. So when the pup is 8 weeks old, he can hold himself for up to 3 hours. At three months old he’ll be able to hold himself for 4 hours, and so on.

During the day, you must take your pup out every 45-60 minutes, except after a meal when he’ll need to go out to poop immediately after eating. Plan to stay outside with him until he poops. If, after 10 minutes of walking in figure 8’s your pup still hasn’t tinkled, bring him in, place him in his crate for 20-30 minutes. Then let him out of the crate, pick him up, and repeat the process.

We like Potty Bell training. Potty bells can be purchased from Amazon and are a series of 3 bells that hang on the doorknob, low enough for the puppy to use his nose to bump, signaling his need to go out. To train your pup to Potty Bells, you’ll need to bump his nose on the bells for him, then IMMEDIATELY open the door to the outside. Do this until he gets it.

During the day your puppy will need 3 hours alone time in his crate, in a quiet place. Give him a Nylabone to chew on, and a safe toy that requires no supervision to play with. Cover his crate with a blanket or purchase a cover for your crate. They need this time to rest. They’re still babies! Also, this helps with separation anxiety throughout your dog’s life.

We also recommend a “Snuggle Puppy” to comfort him during the night. If you’d like one, we can order it for you and place it in your pup’s crate while with us at the cost of the snuggle puppy.

DO NOT give in to your puppy and put him in your bed unless you plan to continue allowing your puppy to sleep in the bed with you. Let your puppy cry it out, stick with this for a week and you’ll find your pup has adjusted to his routine and enjoys his nighttime bed.

This has worked for me repeatedly through the years with my own pups and just requires perseverance. Feeding your pup in its crate, giving treats every time he must go in, and/or giving him safe toys will help make the crate an enjoyable place for your puppy.

Puppies are NOT ALLOWED TO NIP OR MOUTH YOU! You are not their sibling, and they can’t treat you like you are. Certainly, it’s not done aggressively, but sharp teeth hurt and tear the skin. Stop the behavior immediately and consistently by unlocking the pup’s teeth, grabbing its muzzle, and giving a loud obnoxious “UH-UH!” Goldendoodles are the product of two “mouthy” breeds that retrieve – the Poodle and the Golden Retriever - so it’s a natural thing for them to nip or mouth things. Redirect them using a toy or play a game with them, but if the repetitive correction doesn’t work, remove them from the area, or take them outside.

YOU AND YOUR FAMILY will have to change YOUR bad habits also! No more underwear or socks on the floor. Pencils/pens, paper clips, bread ties, Christmas ornaments, glass, children’s toys, or ANYTHING big enough to fit in their mouth can kill your baby, so be more aware now more than you’ve ever been about what’s within their reach.

JUMPING UP

Using your leg to offset their balance should correct them if used consistently.

This happens to be a common Doodle thing.

We recommend a 1-5 minute car ride daily for the first 3 weeks to condition your puppy. Make it a fun, exciting adventure, always rewarding your puppy with treats and exaggerated praise immediately upon arriving at home again. Please be diligent with this practice, so you won’t miss the limited window of opportunity to change this. You’ll be glad you did.

Until growth plates are completely closed, you can do extensive damage to a puppy’s joints by allowing them to jump off things.

For instance, no jumping from the car to the ground. No jumping onto or off furniture, especially a bed due to the height. Limit exercise to what is appropriate for your puppy’s age.