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List of recommended items to have ready for your puppy.
What is provided for you and your puppy at pick-up.
A reminder of what we go over at our appointment
Food, Vet, Grooming, & Training for your puppy's first 6 months.
All our puppies are introduced to CRATE TRAINING! We highly recommend crate training your new puppy. This is an excellent tool for both house training & safety. All our doodle puppies can use a small size crate (24 in) but puppies under 5lbs at 8 weeks would benefit from starting with an even small size. Crates should be metal and not fabric or plastic. Any questions about crates please ask Kelly.
The ideal setup to start with when your puppy arrives home is a playpen. Space should be 4'x4'-4'x6' and 24"-36" tall. Inside, place the crate to one side with the door open, and a litterbox on the opposite side. Food & Water dishes can also be placed inside for meals & don't forget the toys! Any questions about this setup please ask Kelly.
All our puppies are LITTERBOX TRAINED from 4-7 weeks old! This not only serves as a way to maintain a clean & sanitary environment for our puppies while they're with us, but also a tool to help them transition to your home and avoid accidents. We recommend continuing to provide your puppy with their familiar bathroom setup for the 1st two weeks at home. This is completely optional and should be paired with indoor/outdoor potty training as well. Any questions please ask Kelly. (Artificial turf + pee pad is a good substitute for a litterbox.)
We recommend starting your puppy with a size small adjustable nylon collar. 1/4" wide for puppies under 5lbs at 8 weeks, and 1/2" wide for all larger puppies. Puppy should only wear it while supervised until they're older. NO TAGS until they are older. While your puppy should not go for real walks until they're fully vaccinated, its good to introduce them to leash walking around your home and yard. Use a 4-6' leash, NOT the retractable kind. Small doodles can be walked on a harness for safety, but a collar is the best training tool. We discourage using harnesses for doodles who mature over 25lbs.
~ Food and water bowls. Ceramic or metal non-tip/skid, no plastic.
~ Puzzles & Chews to stay busy. Elk antlers and Bully Sticks are favorites.
~ A bed to use outside the crate. In the living room, home office, etc
~ Any other items you like! Shopping for a new puppy is so fun!
Your Sunny Ridge Puppy goes home with a 1lb bag of the food he/she has been eating. Puppies over 20lbs (anticipated adult weight) eat Purina Pro Plan Performance 30/20 All Life Stage (Chicken). Puppies under 20lbs (anticipated adult weight) eat Purina Pro Plan Focus Small Breed Puppy (Chicken). Please have a full bag of food ready at home for your puppy. Our provided bags are excellent for travel and usually lasts 1-4 days depending on the size of your puppy. It's important to wait at least 2 weeks before changing your puppy's diet. If you switch to a new brand of food, its best to stay with a chicken formula for 1st transition. Any 1st treats should also be chicken. We then recommend a rotation between multiple proteins/formulas throughout the year.
We send each puppy home with 3 of our favorite toys! One to squeak, one to tug, one to chase! Toys will vary from litter to litter and are size appropriate for your puppy. We recommend toys with reinforced edges and without stuffing!
A blanket is a wonderful security item for your puppy to have during transition from our home to yours. Each puppy will have a soft cozy blanket that smells like their Momma. We recommend using it in your puppy's crate instead of a bed. Its washable and puppy can move it aside if they get too warm. NO heavy stuffed beds in crates!
Each puppy will receive a Slicker Brush. This is the appropriate tool for doodle hair and should be used frequently to maintain a tangle free coat. As adults, this brush should be paired with a metal comb for best results. Brush thoroughly before and after every bath!
*** Inventory may vary, apologies in advance if we cannot provide a brush.
We include your puppy's medical history which includes the health certificate from our vet, info on vaccines given & when next vaccines are due, Microchip information, & signed copy of Purchase Agreement/2 year Health Warranty.
Our bags are pretty cool too! They are reusable shopping bags & we hope you enjoy them.
*** Sale Priced puppies $2,500 and under may have a modified selection of items.
THREE things you MUST do the day you pick up your new puppy:
Sign up for the FREE 30-Day Insurance!
Trupanion provides a code for 30 days of coverage to all our puppies as part of their Take Home Day Offer. This offer is ONLY Valid for 24 hours after pickup. I can provide this information before pickup as well by request. Please don't forget to activate your puppy's coverage. You can choose to continue coverage or not but we highly recommend you do.
Register your puppy's MICROCHIP!
Microchips are already implanted in the back of your puppy's neck/shoulder under the skin. However, the chip needs to be registered to you as the new owner with your names address & phone number etc.
Schedule next Vaccine Appointment!
If 8 weeks old at pickup, your puppy needs their follow-up health exam and next DAPP booster in 3 weeks. If your puppy is older, be sure to ask us when your puppy should see a vet for vaccines.
For the first 2 months at home, offer your puppy 3 opportunities to eat per day. They should be allowed to eat their fill at each meal in a time frame of 10-20 minutes. Preferably dry kibble only. Take uneaten food away and repeat. Recommended schedule is 7am 12pm & 5pm. This can be adjusted, but early dinner is important. Puppies in our care from 4-8 weeks old have food and water available to share 24/7 so It may take a few days for your new puppy to adjust to a 3 meal schedule. Young puppies cannot over eat but they can eat too frequently! "Grazing" on their food bowl makes potty training much more difficult.
At approx 4 months old or as needed, your puppy can switch to breakfast and dinner only. At this time, measure the amount your puppy chooses to eat and continue providing that amount. Do not 100% rely on the portions written on the food bag.
Puppies are bathed, blow-dried, and have nails trimmed the day of meet & greet/pickup. Bathe at home as needed but not more frequently than every 2 weeks to avoid dry skin. Always brush their coat thoroughly before and after each bath. A velocity blow-dryer is a tool we highly recommend along with a slicker brush (provided) and a metal comb. Schedule a "Bath & Tidy" at 4 months old (after Rabies vaccine) and a full groom at 6 months old. Follow up with professional grooming every 6 weeks or as recommended by your groomer to maintain the coat and style of your choice. If your puppy has a tangled or unbrushed coat and they get wet, they WILL become matted. Diligence is the key to keeping your doodle looking their best!
Between 6-7 weeks old, puppies are introduced to sleeping in a crate and will do so until take home day. Continued crate training at home is highly recommended. The crate routine will help immensely with safety, potty training, and keeping your puppy out of trouble when unsupervised. This will become your puppy's safe place that they enjoy! At 8 weeks old, puppies are not ready to sleep through the night. Two options are to start with the crate in the bedroom where you can hear your puppy wake up and immediately take them out for a potty break. This may be 1 or 2 times per night at first. By 10 weeks old, puppies should be sleeping a full 8 hours and crate can be relocated to another location in the home. Other option is to build a playpen with a litterbox and let puppy sleep with crate door open allowing them access to the litterbox overnight for the first 2 weeks. During the day, your puppy can be crated intermittently for up to 2 hours at a time. Establishing a routine is key!
Another overnight option is to provide your puppy with a playpen and a litterbox. Puppies are litterbox trained from ages 4-6 weeks old and with that foundation, can easily restart at 8 weeks. This is a transitional tool recommended for ages 8-10 weeks old. However, some households with patios, balconies, or limited access to ta yard may benefit from utilizing this skill for life. Playpens should be 4x4' for puppies under 5lbs or 4x6' for larger puppies. Height of fencing should not exceed your inseam to allow you to safely step inside. Inside the playpen, the crate and litterbox should be at opposite ends to clearly separate your puppies bed & bathroom.
At 8 weeks old and during transition, puppies should be given an opportunity to potty outside every 30 minutes and never be left unsupervised. Be mindful that it may take a few weeks for your puppy to understand what their task is when taken out. Being active gets their system going (like coffee!) so if they want to run around, stay outside longer to avoid accidents in the house. After 2-4 weeks of settling in, maturing, establishing a meal schedule, and getting to know your puppy's needs, a potty routine should develop. We also recommended "tethering" your puppy to you with a leash while in the house for added control and training benefits.
We follow the vaccine schedule recommended for California residents. This includes Neopar given at 5 weeks old as an added safety precaution (not listed on the paperwork), DAPP/5way given at 8 weeks along with nasal Bordetella at 8 weeks (listed on your puppies Health Exam).
Continued vaccines required are DAPP every 3 weeks until the series is complete- weeks 8, 11, 14 & sometimes 17. Refer to your vet for the vaccines and schedule recommended in your region.
Your puppy is also dewormed in our care on the following schedule: Pyrantel Pamoate weeks 2 & 4, Safeguard(Fenbendazole) weeks 6 & 8.
Rabies is the final vaccine and should be given at 4 months old. This will also allow your puppy to be groomed at a salon.
Continued socialization is tremendously important for your puppy. HOWEVER, puppies with an incomplete vaccine series are not fully protected from viruses like Parvo. Managing your puppy's social life weeks 8-17 is a combination of your vet's recommendation and your best judgement as a pet parent.
What to do: Introduce your new puppy to your own healthy and vaccinated pets. Host puppy socialization visits in a safe environment with fully vaccinated, healthy, & friendly dogs owned by people you know and trust.
What NOT to do: Take your puppy on walks around the neighborhood especially high traffic areas- public lawns, parks, trails, beach etc. Allow strangers or strange dogs to come in contact with your puppy. Take your puppy into public places including dog parks, restaurants, & stores.
We recommend continuing to feed the same food your puppy is sent home on for at least the first 2 weeks unless otherwise instructed by us, but ideally until 4-6 months old. When changing food, stay on a chicken formula for first transition and rotate a variety of the brands protein formula options. Once your puppy is spayed/neutered, their metabolism will slow and they will be more prone to weight gain so adjust their intake as needed to maintain a healthy trim physique. Remember that feeding recommendations on food bag labels are only guidelines and every dog and their caloric needs are unique.
*Please refer to DogFoodAdvisor.com for information on different dogs food options.
Your puppy with have Neopar and their 1st set of puppy vaccines (DAPP & Bordetella) when you take him/her home. 2-3 additional boosters are required to complete the puppy vaccine series, and these must be scheduled 3 weeks apart. Please schedule your puppy's vet appointment for 3 weeks after pickup. Puppies who remain in our care past 8 weeks are always kept UTD on their vaccines until sold. All records are provided.
Your puppy will be Microchipped at pickup. This is placed under the skin near the neck/shoulders and will be there for life. The purpose of the Microchip is to reunite you with your dog should he/she be lost or stolen. In order to be effective, the Microchip needs to be registered to your information! PLEASE DO NOT DELAY! Use the brochure provided to complete the registration process and remember to update that information if you move or change phone numbers.
Doodles require routine lifelong coat maintenance! Between 8 weeks and 4 months old, plan to bathe your puppy as needed but no more than once every 2 weeks if possible. A slicker brush is provided in your puppy's Take Home Bag. We recommend also investing in a quality metal comb and velocity blowdryer. Thoroughly brush/comb your puppies coat DAILY but especially before and after they get wet to prevent matting, If your puppies coat is a little tangled, getting it wet will lock in those knots and crate water mats that cannot be brushed out or are very painful to brush out. Blow dry after each bath for a fluffier coat.
At around 4 months old, your puppy will need a "Bath & Tidy". At this appointment, the groomer should be instructed to clear the hair from your puppy's eyes and do a sanitary trim. They should also clean ears, trim nails, trim feet, and thoroughly bathe, blow dry, and brush the coat with minimal or no trimming of the body. This is a practice groom for your puppy and should be a positive experience with a patient groomer.
At 6 months old, your puppy is ready for a real haircut. Be sure the coat is in good condition and bring inspiration photos of the haircut/style you'd like your groomer to accomplish. Remember that grooming can be stressful so proper handling, socializing, and crate training are crucial to prepare them for their lifelong salon visits. DO NOT wait a year to introduce your puppy to grooming! Even if you don't want the hair cut, professional bathing and blow drying is necessary for proper coat upkeep. Allowing the coat to get matted can be painful for your dog and will result in it all being shaved off to the bare skin.
Training begins on day 1! Doodles are intelligent and capable dogs, and require a proactive approach to training and behavior guidance as they mature. We highly recommend hiring a professional to assist in your home, or a Board & Train style program. Effective communication is the foundation of a successful relationship with your puppy. Enrollment age, program style, and length of time should coincide with your puppy's maturity level and capability for the specific training you want accomplished.