RHYTHM AND ROUTINE
Having a consistent rhythm is great for our puppies. It's good for owners too because it takes away a lot of guesswork. Our routine starts at around 7:30 when the puppies are ready to eat. After we feed them we take them outside right away to potty. Next is an activity where they get some stimulation, an important puppy and dog need. They can chase and play outside, or if they come inside to their confined area they can do some training, play with family, take a bath, or chew on their toys. All this takes about 15-20minutes when we start to see them winding down. They are usually pretty tired and curl up to go to sleep in their space. The cycle starts again about 2-3 hours later when they wake up and want to eat.
Each step in the routine is important. We don't feed them on demand, we give them a mealtime. If they whine that something's wrong, we look where we're at in the routine- are they hungry, bored or sleepy? Sometimes after feeding or playing they are still restless, and we realize they might need more food or water, or they didn't get enough play. Sleep is also very required, and as they start to slow down it's important they get their chance to settle, often with a chew toy, and rest.
CREATING A HAPPY CONFINED SPACE
I really like having a confined area for the puppies because they are so curious and they are teething and this takes some of the stress away from having to always supervise them. It's essential for potty training also. When they leave this space they usually know it's time to potty, whereas they need time to figure out bigger spaces and often have accidents. I like this fence because it's very lightweight and easy on the floors. It's got stakes that go into the ground if you want to take it outside. It doesn't have a gate but we have one of these with a gate and never use it, it just adds cost. It's recommended to always take them outside to potty. If it's not possible to take them to potty outside as frequently as they need and they can potty in a designated area with pads or newspapers (I just use newspapers) inside their space. I like to have the crate in there also. Until they are able to be in the crate longer, this is a great stepping stone. $58
As puppy outgrows their playpen area, and when you take them out for supervised training, this works well to continue confining the area where puppy can go. I like this one because it's lightweight and easy to move around, and it's adjustable if baseboards give a different width to the walls. It doesn't have a gate, but I find this just adds cost and we don't use it very much. It's pretty easy to just step over. $19
Crate training is a must. Some trainers say puppies can be in their crate whenever they aren't eating and playing, others say they can really only tolerate 1-2hours a day to start. We have introduced the puppies to the crate at any early age so they feel comfortable with it. It's a great place for them to chew on toys and have some time to be calm. We started out with a large, heavy crate with metal grid. There was an adjustable divider to re-position as the puppy grew which was difficult to release and reattach. We found it unwieldy and difficult to move around. This hard sided carrier is so much more portable and easier for car travel, and I think it's snugger and easier for our dog to sleep in. The only issue is it's not adjustable as the dog grows, and you really need for it to be the right size. If it's too big the dog will pee in there and make potty training more difficult. However these are fairly inexpensive, we purchased a small size then a medium size for about the same price as a second-hand metal crate. $26
PUPPY BLANKET
I really love these Simply Total Health pet products. The soft, scented puppy blanket, puppy chew toy and roll on scent are honestly magic and really helps puppy to calm and gives them that oral stimulation they crave. I can't recommend these enough for crate training.
Inside the puppies' confined play and sleep area is a corner away from where they sleep with layers of newspapers (you can also use pads but the newspapers work well for us) that I spray a little with this attractant. It really helps the puppies to go in the right spot and makes clean up easy. They are still learning and have accidents, but about 80% of the time they go in the right place so this really helps. It can also be used for outside to train them to go in the same place.
I noticed a big difference for some of the pups to be more consistent when I started using this spray along the edges of the newspaper and in areas I didn't want them to go. Again it doesn't solve everything but it really helps. Also good if they have an accident in the house to help them know not to go there.
Toys are a must for puppies to have something to pull on, stretch their muscles and chew with their teething. Goldendoodles are very oral dogs. Playing with these in their space as a wind down activity can stimulate and tire them out. They can be really pricey individually, which is why a kit like this gets more bang for the buck, and it's nice for the pups to have variety. I recommend rotating the toys through. Pups love old socks, towels and stuffed animals, which I like to get at garage sales. $23
It's not recommended to take pups on outdoor walks until they are about 15-16 weeks and have had their final puppy shots. But well before they walk outside I'd recommend leash training, starting lightly around 9-10 weeks with introducing the leash. One of the worst habits puppies naturally want to do is pull on the leash. Many dogs never get trained out of it. Leash training should start inside where it's quiet and there are less distractions. They can even start inside their confined space after they've pottied outside. It's about pulling up on the slip leash to stop the puppy if they are walking past your heel. Treats and praise can be given when they walk the right way. This leash is a good one to start with until the puppy gets bigger. See more on leash training under Key Behavioral Commands $9
Some trainers like just using regular dog food as a treat, and I think sometimes that works very well and I recommend trying that to start. While it really depends on what you're doing, I've found sometimes treats like these just work better, it gets results more quickly. $7
This one will take some time, and introducing it now is helpful. The idea is that every time you and puppy go out to the potty, puppy will hear the bell ring, and then will touch the bell (with your help) with a paw or nose, until they understand they need to ring the bell when they go outside to potty.
