It’s a personal decision as to whether or not you want to crate train your puppy, but it’s a great way to keep both puppy and your home protected as it learns it’s new environment. It’s also really helpful during initial potty-training. We like to get a larger crate like this one that is comfortable for the dog’s entire life - it comes with a divider to make the space more cozy while puppy is growing.
This is optional, but very nice if your puppy will spend much time alone during the day. We use these metal playpens to “expand” puppy’s safe area while we are gone during the day. All our adult dogs have free reign of the house, but we don’t leave them free to roam until they’re fully potty trained and trustworthy as far as knowing what is acceptable to chew on! These metal style pens can be attached directly to the sides of puppy crate so you can have a separate “sleep” vs. play/eat/potty area during the day. I felt a lot better when they were alone knowing they had a bit of space to roam. These types of pens come in a wide range of prices and styles - we used the traditional metal one with both Annie and Dottie, but if I were starting over I would have considered investing in one of the upgraded styles with clear plastic sides. We had to stop using this with Annie before we actually wanted to because she was so smart she figured out how to climb out of it (it’s 48” high) - the first time it happened I stopped using it because I was afraid she would injure a leg trying to jump over the top. It was great for those first few months though! https://amzn.to/2ZPkbqO
All dogs love to feel secure and snuggled while they sleep, which is why we love these donut cuddler beds! The 23” is plenty big enough for puppy, they will likely need to upgrade to a medium once they reach their full adult size.
The Furbo dog camera is probably my favorite purchase ever for our dogs. We both work outside our home, and this lets us keep in touch with our fur babies from wherever we are. It’s a 2 way camera that lets you see and hear your dogs, and talk to them if you choose. It also comes with a treat dispenser so you can let your babies know you’re thinking about them during the day. The video service is free, and there’s an upgraded paid option that will even send you a text if your dog is doing something out of character, like barking continuously. Again, not an immediate necessity, but it’s a really really nice product! https://shopus.furbo.com/
CLEANING AND SANITARY SUPPLIES
Accidents are inevitable as puppy learns where its acceptable to go to the bathroom. This cleaner is by far the best we have found for soft surfaces or hard flooring. Simply wipe up the mess, spray with this enzymatic cleaner, and wipe away excess with a damp rag. It leaves no odors or sticky residue behind!
Some absorbent potty pads are an absolutely necessity for us! A puppy can only “hold it” for as many hours as it is months’ old - so for example a 2 month old puppy can only reasonably wait 2 hours to relieve itself. We always leave a pad out for our girls in case of emergency while we are out of the house. If you have a Costo membership, these can’t be beat - they’re super absorbent and very large! If no Costco membership, here’s an Amazon option: https://amzn.to/2M4flxP
If you do decide to use potty pads in the house, we highly suggest using a pee pad holder similar to this one - it’s just a simple frame that the puppy has to take a step onto before they use the potty. It’s a simple way of differentiating their “potty pad” from a towel dropped on the floor or a piece of clothing you’re putting away - it’s another way to recognize where it’s acceptable to go!
Caution: Make sure to check the size of whatever potty pads you decide to purchase, and select a holder that fits that specific pad shape/size
GROOMING
Let me preface this section by saying this - the single MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do initially for your doodle is develop a strong routine to care for his/her coat. The goldendoodle coat requires continual upkeep, and it’s much easier to be proactive and have an easy daily brushing routine than to try to deal with mats and dangles that can end up requiring your dog to be shaved. Plus, tangles/mats are painful to your doodle, and noone wants that for their new family member. If you’re going to splurge on any area of high-quality products for your new family member, this is the area to do so.
We produce goldendoodles with curly coats. Just like curly-headed humans, doodle curls require special love and care to look their best. It is absolutely essential to use a high quality conditioner when you bathe your doodle at home. We love the Espana silk line of shampoos and conditioners - they’re very gentle on the hair, and smell amazing!
Shampoo: https://amzn.to/2XsHDro Conditioner: https://amzn.to/36sQsFw
We also really love this dog cologne by Fursions! I typically order this from Chewy - it is temporarily out of stock but I wanted to go ahead and share it with you for future reference. This scent is Puppy Chanel, and it smells dreamy! Our groomer introduced us to it, and we can’t get enough! I spritz our girls with it at least once a week. https://www.chewy.com/top-performance-fursions-chanel-5/dp/237085
While your groomer will be doing most of the “heavy duty” bathing and fluffing - this dryer has been a lifesaver for us. We’ve found that our girls’ coats thrive the best when we bathe them every 2 weeks If we go out on the lake or they do something especially dirty outside it can be more frequent. This heated forced air dryer saves a huge amount of blow-dry time, and it creates a strong enough current of air flow that it fluffs the hair into that “show dog fluff” that you get after a grooming session. It’s not an immediate essential by any means, but it’s a great addition to save you time and energy!
The next section focuses on brushes - a good set of tools is a must-have for making coat maintenance an enjoyable process for you and your pup! We use these brushes for different purposes - we’ll be posting a grooming video soon to show you how we use each one depending on the condition of the coat!
I always start with a basic human “wet brush” when we brush our girls. This doens’t do much in the way of detangling for a dog, but it breaks apart the clumps of curls to help you identify areas of resistance, and our girls really like that it doesn’t pull at all! This is also our go to if we need to brush while we are blow-drying since it doesn’t pull the hair.
Next, we move to a metal pin brush. This one does start to detangle and breaks large tangles apart into more manageable sections, but still is pretty easy on the dog. This is just an example - any sturdy pin brush will do! The exact one we use I found in-store at PetSmart, I can’t find the exact model online. But this is a good example!
Next, we use a metal comb to start working through the hair. When combing, we use a technique called “line brushing” - we’ll show you in a video! Basically you start at the base of the tail and work in small sections in a straight line all the way to the top of the head. Once that section is complete, move to the left or right and repeat the process all the way up the length of the dog, finishing with the legs, tail and beard. The brand doesnt matter much here, just make sure the comb is solid metal and feels sturdy. Some have plastic handles, in our experience those don’t hold up as well as solid metal. https://amzn.to/3c9pbJq
When you do run into a tangle while combing, this brush is your best friend! This style is called a slicker brush. The bristles on this one are sharp, so be very gentle in this step. Again, see our video (coming soon) for specifics on how to use, but when you find a tangle, separate it as best you can from the surrounding hair and begin slowly brushing over the tangle with this. It takes time and patience, but there are very few tangles that can’t be resolved with this brush, time and patience. https://amzn.to/2XCN1rJ
TOYS
The Snuggle Puppy is amazing for those first few transitional weeks when you bring puppy home! With a “beating” heart and a heat pack, it gives your puppy that comforting feeling he had when he was snuggling with mama. https://amzn.to/2X0XkXv
You’ll want a good set of rope toys! These are great for chewing, and we actually use “tug of war” with a rope as a reward during many of our training sessions. We learn to “fetch” using a rope as well.
When your puppy comes home, they will be actively cutting teeth. As their gums hurt, they chew to relieve the pressure. You want to provide them positive healthy things to chew on during this time! We really like having a variety of Nylabone chews on hand. It came take some trial and error to find the flavor your puppy prefers, but they last forever! A tip on this area: stay away from chew toys with strange shapes, specifically those made in circles or with “holes/openings” - puppies can actually get their jaws stuck in certain styles of chews.
All our dogs have absolutely LOVED bully sticks! Fair warning - they stink! But they hold up well for strong chewing and are great for cutting teeth. I’m not sharing a link online because they are MUCH more affordable in-store at Walmart.
Anything from the Kong product line is great and durable! We like these stuffable chew toys, and love the Kong genius puzzle toys! We have bought the Kong stuffing before, but our dogs prefer a small amount of plain creamy peanut butter. Good for hours of entertainment for pup! https://amzn.to/3c8g7Vt
You’ll want a good mix and variety of toys - the above items are specific things we’ve found that perform really well. In addition you’ll want a mix of balls, soft stuffed toys for puppy to carry around, and “interesting” things that make fun squeaking sounds or crinkle paper toys! With these they’re all pretty much made equally, we haven’t found any particular brand that outlasts another.
FOOD AND TREATS
All puppies will come home eating Purina One Healthy Puppy Formula. Our veterinarian highly recommends this formular - it has the same nutritional content as the prescription-only Purina Pro Plan variety, but is much more accessible - you can have this auto-shipped to your door via Amazon and can easily find it at most Walmart, Target and Kroger stores. Feel free to work with your vet to decide what to keep puppy on for its lifetime, but we have been really happy with this with all of our dogs. Regardless of what food you choose, puppy will need to remain on this food for at least a month after coming home. Changes in diet can cause extreme gastrointestinal issues (diarrhea, vomiting, etc.) If at any point you do decide to change food formulas, mix in the new food very slowly over time. Feel free to contact us for guidance with this process! https://amzn.to/2AgJ43X
Our puppies are fully eating on their own before they come home. However, sometimes the stress of being away from mom and their siblings can lead to some hesitancy to eat in their new environment. Our puppies love goat milk - it’s much easier to digest than cow’s milk. It’s not a bad idea to have a carton on hand to mix with puppy’s dry kibble in case they need a little extra motivation for those first few meals. We purchase this at our local Walmart, you can find a store near you at the following website: www.meyenberg.com
**THIS PRODUCT IS ONLY FOR PUPPIES 6 MONTHS AND OLDER* While your puppy won’t immediately be ready for these, we love these Milkbone chews to help keep our girls’ pearly whites in tip top shape between brushing sessions. We feed one of these chews every day! I wanted to go ahead and link them since we do use them with all of our dogs. https://amzn.to/2X7CllX
Our doodles all absolutely adore these bakery treats! We order ours on auto-ship from Amazon, but you can pick them up at any Walmart or Petsmart. These are great for a “special” reward. They’re soft and chewy, like a cookie for dogs! Our girls’ favorite treat by far! https://amzn.to/2XzSIXB
As you start training your puppy as soon as he/she comes home, you’ll need to find a training treat that your dog LOVES! This was our girls’ favorite brand, but whatever your dog prefers will work just fine. They need to be low-calorie and very tiny so that you can give lots of rewards in a small amount of time. Our girls have always loved the Peanut Butter/Oat and Chicken flavors! https://amzn.to/3c9xDbC
LEASHES AND SAFETY
We strongly suggest waiting until 1-2 weeks before puppy comes home before purchasing your collar/leash and harness sets! Puppies grow rapidly, and you want to make sure you have a secure comfortable fit. We will measure each puppy individually 10-14 days before they are ready to come home and send you all the numbers you need to fit your puppy appropriately.
We suggest two types of leashes depending on circumstance. When training to walk on a loose lead, going to puppy training classes, traveling to the vet, situations where you want to have the HIGHEST level of control, a basic strap style leash is the way to go. We love the Blueberry brand with leather accents! https://amzn.to/2TKkAan
For taking puppy outside to potty, playing outside in the yard, or going to the dog park - situations where you want your dog to have a little more freedom to roam while still being leashed, a Flexi leash is a must have. We have tried so many brands of these retractable-style leads that I’ve lost count, but the brand Flexi is noticeably better, and lasts for YEARS. Make sure you get the “tape” variety - it’s much more durable than the rope style. Be cautious with letting small children use this type of lead - the retractable action is very rapid, and if it is released while wrapped around an arm or a leg it can cause rope burns - take it from my experience, it’s not pleasant! We never let Cason use this type of leash with our dogs - he always uses the standard traditional leash, but Dustin and I both prefer using this style when walking our dogs since we can easily give them a 26’ radius to roam. https://amzn.to/2zEb0Pk
Collars are all basically created equally as far as functionality, but there is a difference in durability, comfort to the dog, and the amount of “tangling” it will create for the hair it touches. As long as you select one that has a strong, sturdy clasp, it will work just fine for all basic purposes! I am going to share our favorite in this section, but I love using fun collar/leash sets to show off your dog’s unique style! Our absolute FAVORITE brand of collar/lead sets is Blueberry. They last forever, and come in a wide variety of patterns and colors. With our girls, we tend to prefer the “leather accent” collars and leashes for two main reasons - they’re softer than nylon varieties and therefore don’t tangle the coat, and they’re softer to the touch and seem more comfortable on our adult girls. While your dog might not be large enough for this style until they’re in the 6-month range, I wanted to go ahead and share in this document - all our adult dogs wear this style in the 12-15” size. https://amzn.to/2M5M85I
Here’s a link to a similar set by Blueberry that is lighter weight and sized for smaller dogs, but any soft variety from Petsmart will do just fine for this early stage of life! https://amzn.to/3d7ngq5
We highly recommend a harness while puppy is small! They’ll outgrow this quickly so there’s no need to buy something expensive, you just want to make sure it’s padded well and soft around the edges so that it doesn’t cause any painful rubbing for your pup. When you go to the vet clinic or in areas where traffic/safety are a concern, a harness is the most secure way to go. For a puppy this small who is still learning how to walk on a leash without pulling, a collar that is the slightest bit too loose can be slipped easily and puppy can attempt to explore in an unsafe situation. During the 4th of July for example - fireworks can be startling and cause even a seasoned adult dog to slip a collar and run for “safety”. With a harness, you have more control, and if puppy does pull or resist the force is distributed around the puppy’s chest and waist since the leash clips to the harness itself, no pressure is applied to the puppy’s delicate neck as it would be with only a collar. This is a great example of what to look for in a harness! https://amzn.to/36xLaJ2
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