How to Bring Home Your Lady Paws Puppy

Welcome to the Lady Paws Family. Congratulations on this exciting time! 

We put together this information so you will be well prepared to bring home your puppy. Please let us know when you’ve had a chance to read this and if you have any questions. Thank you!

Your $500 non refundable deposit will hold your picking spot until puppies are 5-6weeks old. When puppies are this age We will schedule “Puppy Picks” over a weekend. We will accommodate picks in person or over video. We will do everything We can to schedule a pick time that is convenient for you. But ultimately if you are unable to make your assigned time work we will have to do the pick over video call, if you do not show up you will be skipped and be giving up your spot in picking order.

We will also try to schedule puppy pick ups around the weekend at 8weeks old but ultimately you will have a 7 day window to bring your puppy home. If you are unable to pick up your puppy in that 7 day window there will be a 10$ a day boarding fee. If you are making arrangements to fly, or to travel your puppy please contact us as soon as you have made arrangements so We can put it on our calendar.

****Important note*** 

• Your Puppy will not be  fully vaccinated when you bring them home and will not be   immune to life threatening Parvo, and several other diseases, until the puppy has finished all 4 rounds of vaccines, about 16 week old. DO NOT take to parks or other common areas until vaccines have a chance to take effect to protect your puppy. Make sure you talk to your Veterinarian and complete all recommended vaccines, medications etc. If you wish to socialize your puppy in common areas remember to keep their feet off the floor, you could simply carry your puppy, get a pet stroller or pet carrier.

• • Here is a great guide to puppy vaccines
    • Dogs are first vaccinated for Rabies between 3 and 6 months of age. They need a booster one year from that date. They are then generally vaccinated every three years, although some states still require annual rabies vaccinations for dogs. Some people believe the two shots are sufficient for life. This is a good conversation to have with your Veterinarian. 

• Heartworm

• • • When your puppy is around 12-to-16 weeks, talk to your vet about starting them on a heartworm preventive

Expectations-

Puppies are a lifetime commitment. They take a lot of time and energy to become well mannered family members. I often compare bringing home a puppy to bringing home a Newborn baby or a wild toddler. You wouldn’t expect a newborn to sleep through the night. You wouldn’t expect a toddler to never have a potty accident. You wouldn’t expect a child to never to accidentally ruin something. So why would you expect this things of an animal? It’s likely while your puppy is kennel training you won’t get a good night of sleep. It’s also likely while your still  puppy proofing your home your puppy may destroy something beloved or expensive. It’s also likely that while your puppy is learning they may have accidents. Frankly all these things can happen with well trained adults dogs as well, and it is our responsibility as pet owners to be understanding, but also well informed and consistent on training and caring for our pets. 

Training tips-

I highly recommend Finding a local Professional dog training class to take your puppy to after fully vaccinated. We paid around 100-200$ for our class and are so grateful for the wealth of knowledge we learned that will last us a lifetime and provides us with well mannered pets every day. Such a great investment! “Worth every cent!!” 

Basic obedience-

• Biting: Puppies are a lot like little babies, they learn about their environment with their mouths. First you want to make sure their environment is safe. Put up electric wires, and anything the puppy could chew or choke on. Second, if your puppy bites you the best way to teach them to stop is to make a loud high pitched “OW!” sound. Try to make this noise sound like a puppy yelping. Your puppy doesn’t want to hurt you, so when you make this noise they will usually immediately stop to make sure you are okay. Some puppies will respond really quickly if you consistently use this method. But some might need extra help with lots of exercise and chew toys/bones. “A bored puppy, is a mischievous puppy”
• Praise  before Scold: Example- Praising your puppy with a treat and excited words of encouragement when they go potty outside will be more effective than scolding your puppy when they have an accident in the house. So please make sure you are consistently praising your puppy for good behavior. If you do need to scold your puppy, use a strong deep sound like “NUH-UH” and have your family all use the same sound and be consistent. It’s great for your puppy to learn boundaries. But remember to praise more frequently than scold!
• Potty Training: I highly recommend reading up on Kennel training and the Misty Method. The Basic idea is you want to teach your pet to keep their sleeping area “kennel” clean. It works faster if you keep your puppy consistently kenneled at night, during naps, when you leave the house and any other time you are unable to supervise playtime. Frequently take your puppy to the designated potty area and give lots of high pitched praise and treats when they successfully eliminate it in the correct area. “Consistency is key”
• Sit: You can immediately teach your puppy basic commands like sit by only  giving them treats and physical affection when they sit nicely. You may have to push your puppies bottom down gently to encourage the sit position but as soon as they sit give them lots of praise, affection and treats. Just be patient puppies are jumpy and wiggley but will respond quickly if you’re consistent.

MicroChip info-  Microchipping is the only permanent form of identification to protect lost pets. Owners are encouraged to Microchip their puppy at first vet appointment and register their information online so their contact info is on record incase of the event their pet is lost or stolen. Please do not procrastinate registering your puppies microchip number.

Breeding- unless otherwise specified all our puppies are sold as pets only. We want to take responsibility for every puppy we bring into this world and therefore will only sell breeding rights with special approval. Purchaser will provide proof of Spay or Neuter within 2 years of purchase unless other arrangements are agreed to with the Breeder. Any Breeding of the (Goldendoodle) before 2 years of age is dangerous, risky and considered negligent

Environment-. Typically you will need a dog kennel or play pen to keep your dog safe when it is unsupervised inside. You will also need a fenced in yard or plans to take your dog on walks for potty training and exercise. We will not approve homes where a dog is chained outside. These are indoor companions that deserve to have a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment.

Food- Please follow diet recommendations from your vet. Also the feeding amount directions will be on the back of the bag. We typically feed puppies 2-3 times per day at 7am, 12pm, 4pm. -To help with night kennel training We recommend putting up all food and water by 6pm.

Here is what We feed puppies:

•  Purina Pro Plan Puppy   

This is what we feed our Adults- 

• Purina Pro Plan Focus

Grooming your Goldendoodle is important for several reasons:

• Grooming keeps the coat in excellent condition and prevents it from tangling and becoming matted.
• It massages the dog’s skin, improving circulation and promoting good health.
• The time spent paying close attention to your dog is an opportunity to spot skin problems, ear infections, lumps, bumps, etc.
• And best of all, it builds a bond between your dog and you!
• You need a metal comb to get tangles out all the way to the skin and long pin slicker brush.
• You can bathe your dog consistently 1x per week without causing skin problems. If your puppy is very dirty you can bath them more than that, just don’t make it a habit. 
• I wouldn’t go longer than 3-4 weeks without a bath. A clean, well groomed dog is a healthy dog.
• Puppies’ first professional groom should be around 3-4 months (16weeks) of  age or when they have finished all their vaccines, so they can be trained to get used to the process without too much stress. If you wait to long for puppies first groom it may scare them and make them have anxiety or even aggression. Now is the time to train them to enjoy grooming. 
• Grooming is an important responsibility and commitment. You should arrange to have your doodle groomed every 2-4 months with your groomer. Each grooming appointment is likely to cost $100+. It will cost at least double if your dog’s coat is in poor condition with matting. This breed requires a lot of time and money to stay healthy and beautiful.
  

Supplies you might need for puppy

• Puppy Food -Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Food
• Bowls
• Kennel
• Bed
• ID Tags
• Registered Microchip
• Safe play area
• Safe potty area
• Puppy pads
• Chew toys
• Bones
• Treats
• Gentle puppy Shampoo 
• Nail grinder- only use if you have researched how to do so safely.
• Collar/Leash- practice leash training inside your house until fully vaccinated.

Your puppy will be going home with vaccine records, a scent blanket that smells like mom, a small bag of food and treats, and some toys.

We have a more detailed guide to training and an amazon puppy starter list on our Amazon store front that I will be happy to send you guys when you are ready. 

During this time I recommend watching YouTube videos about training and grooming so you are prepared.

Thank you for giving these 4 legged fur babies a place to call home forever. Remember we are here if you ever have questions or concerns. We are always happy to help. We are excited to start this journey together with you and will be giving you lots of updates through Instagram posts, Instagram stories and through the Instagram messaging group we will be for your litters adopters. If you prefer a different method of contact, just let us know.

After your puppies go home with you, We would love to stay in contact to see your babies grow and learn. Please tag us in your social media posts @ladypawspuppies or text us pictures.