Labradoodle puppies are curious and they love exploring their new home as they make it their own. As such, you’ll want to make sure that anything potentially dangerous or things you don’t want chewed are completely out of the way. For example, electrical cords, shoes, small choking hazards, etc.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want toTo minimize accidents, I would recommend putting them in a crate while they are napping. This will make it so they have to ask to be let out and will discourage accidents on the floor.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want toI have found that using a squirt bottle of water is a very effective training tool.  It quickly gets their attention when they are doing something they shouldn’t be, like barking or chewing, and is a great distraction to divert their attention.

It is recommended that you avoid dog parks, boarding, pet stores and socializing your puppy with other dogs (outside of your home) until you have completed all 3 of your puppy’s vaccinations.

Up around 6:30 or 7:00am and they immediately go outside to pee and poop. They then play for about an hour and then potty again and then a two hour nap in their crate. When they wake up, I take them outside to go potty and then they play for about 1/2 hour or 45 minutes. This continues all day long (potty, play, sleep) until about 8:30 or 9:00pm at which they are put in their crate for bed.

I found when Piper was a puppy, it was helpful to get her a kitten collar with a bell on it. This allowed me to be able to hear where she was and made it so I did not accidentally step on her or kick her across the floor.

If your puppy does have an accident inside, and they will most likely do so initially as they get used to a new routine, make sure to clean the area thoroughly with disinfectant. It is important to get rid of the urine smell as the lingering smell of urine could encourage continued accidents. I would suggest picking up all rugs and avoiding carpet until you feel like they are doing well with potty training.

Depending on how big your house is or if you would prefer to have a bell over your dog barking or whining, bell training is a great option. Just put a bell at the door that leads to their “outside” and every time you take them potty touch their nose or paw to the bell and eventually they will set off the bell when they need to go outside. 

Some verbal commands that your puppy has been introduced to are:

“Outside” or “Potty”
“No” or “Psst”
“Come” or a kissing sound
“Treat” and the crinkling of a bag
“Good boy” or “Good girl”

The puppies are eating a mixture of soft and dry puppy food (Purina Puppy Chow, chicken flavor). I would recommend doing soft food (just wet down their dry food with water) for at least the first week as it is easier to digest and will help if they have any stress or anxiety over the transition to your home. We are “always available” feeders, so food is out all day long and they can eat when they want. We have not had weight issues with any of our labradoodles feeding them this way, but if you have other pets or choose to just offer food twice a day, they will adapt to that as well.

I recommend that you get your puppy microchipped. Your vet can recommend the best time in which to do this. It usually costs about $40 and will help ensure that your puppy is returned to you if they ever run away.

Talk with your vet about the appropriate timing for this, males can usually be done as early as 6 months, but it is usually recommended that you wait until after your female’s first heat cycle before you spay them. This allows their hips to fully develop so they are less likely to have hip issues in their later years. With their small size, it is not as big of a deal though.

The puppies have not been introduced to stairs yet, so you will need to be careful if you have stairs in your house.

We love seeing photos and getting updates of our puppies, so any time you feel like it, we would love updates.