.

Responsible Dog Ownership

We took an informal poll on the forum and asked owners what they felt was involved in responsible ownership.  It was interesting to note that the vast majority of suggestions were for decisions that should be made before the pup even comes home. Responsible dog ownership begins before the pup arrives, and is a lifetime commitment. We hope that this page provides you insight and acts as a guide to the responsibilities of doodle ownership.

BEFORE YOU CALL A BREEDER

• Is this the right time to bring home a new pup? • Consider the breed and size of dog best suited to your family and home. • Goldendoodle or Labradoodle - what are the differences? • Are allergies a concern? • What are the health issues affecting the breed of my choice? • Kennel or Home Raised • Rehome or Rescue dog • Shipping a Pup • Early Spay/Neuter

BEFORE YOUR PUP COMES HOME

• Training Techniques • Puppy Proofing your house • Decisions on Food • New Puppy (Shopping) Checklist • Veterinary Care

AFTER YOUR PUP COMES HOME

• Health Risks of Parvo • Sleeping Crates • Trained to the Bell • Teething & Chewing • Proper Exercise for your pup • Puppy Etiquette • Microchipping • If you have a pool • If there is a problem with your dog

IF YOU HAVE YOUNG KIDS

• Advice from parents of young kids • Great website teaching kids to handle dogs BACK TO TOP

BEFORE YOU CALL A BREEDER

• Is this the right time to bring home a new pup? It's important to have realistic expectations of the amount of time a pup will demand.  Your current lifestyle will/must change and how will you deal with that? Choose a time in your life in which you will have adequate time to devote at first to training a new pup, and later to give the regular exercise that an adolescent dog requires.  A well-exercised dog is a better-behaved dog. Who will be the primary care taker for this puppy?  How will they housetrain the puppy? Where will s/he do her business?  Who will be home to walk the dog during the day? What's the "trick" to successful housetraining and what is reasonable to expect? Where will the puppy eat, sleep, and be crated? What kind of training method will they use? Where will they go for training class? When you go on vacation, who will watch your dog? What will the new puppy's impact be on your current animals? A Dood can live a healthy 15 years. Good food and proper Veterinary care are ongoing expenses and a commitment to the dog's better health.  Other ongoing expenses: grooming, treats, toys and equipment.  Additional expenses include training classes,  books, vacation kenneling, and even doggie daycare.  Budgeting for the new family member is highly recommended. If you've never brought home a pup before, you should be prepared to learn how to raise a dog.  There are smart shortcuts to training and living with dogs available in books and videos.  Spend time learning new methods - it'll likely help you in the long run. BACK TO TOP • Consider the breed and size of dog best suited to your family and home. What energy level are you looking for in a dog?  What size? A standard sized Dood usually starts at 50 pounds and large males are often around 80 pounds - that's a Texas sized dog.  If your family situation is better suited to a dog that generally grows from 25- 45 pounds - then a miniature Goldendoodle or Labradoodle is a likely candidate.  In hybrid breedings the size of the pups falls between the two parent sizes.  Most will be around mid-sized, but some will remain small, and others grow to near standard proportions. Another consideration would be a hybrid of two smaller dogs - such as Aussiedoodles, Cockapoos, Maltipoos or Schnoodles. BACK TO TOP • Goldendoodle or Labradoodle - what are the differences? In temperament, intelligence and allergy friendliness, both Doods are about par.  Both are half retriever and half poodle and are intelligent and moderately active dogs.  Read the breed desciptions for each of these breeds, and believe the breed descriptions.  Doods are not low energy lapdogs. For an inciteful article on the differences between a Goldendoodle and a Labradoodle in training and temperament, please read the article by Gwendy Joysen, author of The Balanced Canine  -   link to article Check out the FAQ pages on the site - https://goldendoodles.com/faqs/goldendoodle_faq.htm https://goldendoodles.com/faqs/labradoodle_faq.htm Their biggest difference is in their appearance.  Goldendoodles tend to have longer fur, are more reliably non-shed and, accordingly, require more grooming.  Labradoodles have shorter fur and are generally lower maintenance. As Goldendoodles require more grooming than Labradoodles, the cost of grooming is something that should also be a consideration.  BACK TO TOP • Are allergies a concern? First generation Goldendoodles and Labradoodles have proven to live successfully with most families with mild dog allergies.   For families with moderate to severe allergies or asthma, a backcross Goldendoodle or backcross Labradoodle is recommended.  These are Dood x Poodle crosses, the pups are ¾ poodle. BACK TO TOP • What are the health issues affecting the breed of my choice? Goldendoodles and Labradoodles are hybrid dogs and as a hybrid cross they generally grow to be healthier and live longer than either parent line.  But genetics can only work with the material given, so it is important to breed only with quality health-tested breeding dogs. The genetic diseases they can be prone are those shared by both the Golden or Labrador Retriever and the Standard Poodle which are mainly;- Canine Hip Dysplasia, PRA, VonWillebrand's,  and elbow and patella disorders. Learn about the health issues affecting Doods from our easy-to-understand primers so that YOU know what to look for in a quality breeder and can understand the issues: Hip Dysplasia -  A Mini-Tutorial for the Puppy Buyer  https://goldendoodles.com/health_hereditary/hd_mini_tuto rial.htm What is CERF Eye Testing? https://goldendoodles.com/health_hereditary/cerf.htm   Eliminating Genetic Diseases in Dogs - A Buyer's Perspective (an essay from the owner of a dog with vWD) https://goldendoodles.com/Health/id247.htm Each breeder runs a kennel by their own standards, and no two are exactly alike.  First try to discover where you stand on some of the more common issues. BACK TO TOP • Kennel or Home Raised Some breeders raise their dogs in kennels where they generally live in small groups, as is their nature.  As licensed kennels they are under guidelines for health and safety standards.  Waiting lists are generally shorter as they have more litters.  Home breeders usually only have up to a few breeding dogs and both breeding dogs and pups live in the home. BACK TO TOP • Rehome or Rescue dog The best site on the net to scout for Rehome or Rescue Doods is Poo-Mix Rescue Their team of volunteers provide a website and forum which is continously being updated.  It's the best place to look for Doods available.  Ken hosts the site and offers this advice: "Key to this for me is always why the current owner is looking to place their dog in a new home and try to assess if the new home is suitable. Obviously, if the dog hasn't been trained properly and jumps up on people, a 70 lb dog and a 2 yr child is not the best place to start a new home. I'm one that believes most behavioral issues can be corrected through good and consistent training." BACK TO TOP • Shipping a Pup Most people would probably prefer to never ship a pup.  Owners would rather visit the kennels and pick up the pup in person, and breeders prefer to meet the owners of their pups.  Most people do it because they can't find a breeder nearby who meets their needs - either in breed, time constraints, testing or warranty expectations, etc. Quality breeders ship their pups via airlines experienced in handling the shipping of live animals.  To ensure their safety, all animals can only be shipped within tolerable temperature parameters.  The pups take shipping in stride, sometimes requiring a bath to freshen them up. BACK TO TOP • Early Spay/Neuter Most people spay their female dogs or neuter their males to stop unwanted litters.  Unless you are planning to breed your dog, and are willing to take responsibility for all of its offspring - then it is strongly suggested that you spay/neuter your pet dog. For years the common practice has been to spay/neuter when the pup is about six months old.  The CMVA recommends spay and neutering as early as 6 - 16 weeks.  Here is a link - https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/dog- and-cat-spay-castration  BACK TO TOP BEFORE YOUR PUP COMES HOME If you have just found the Dood of your dreams, odds are you are on a waiting list and have time to read up.  It is important for young pups/dogs to socialize, to begin to deal with distractions, to interact with strangers and to be trained.  There are some smart shortcuts to training and living with dogs that are available in books and videos.  Each hour you spend in preparation, will save you ten in training.  Check out the different methods used, to find the one that your pup best responds to. Current Popular Favourites:  The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Clarise Rutherford and David Neil Childproofing Your Dog : A Complete Guide to Preparing Your Dog for the Children in Your Life by Sarah Wilson and Brian Kilcommons Page 2