Category: Other

Guest Post by Priit from All Pets Life

Dogs have been around for quite some time. Ever since dogs were first domesticated centuries ago, humans and dogs have had quite a remarkable relationship. Dogs have assumed a variety of roles, from helping out with certain types of labor, to being therapy animals, to simply providing companionship.

There are many reasons why people want to have a dog around, especially as another member of your family. Dogs offer this source of joy and happiness, a feeling that helps calm your soul even. Just ask any dog owner, and there’s a chance that they’ll share a story about heir special pet that conveys just that.

Dogs can even make perfect companions for children! So if you’ve been thinking about getting a dog for your child or wondering what it would be like for your child to grow up with a dog, you’ll be happy to know that there is an immense amount of good a dog can do for your child.

Having a dog can teach your child many good things such as responsibility and demonstrate unconditional friendship. But, aside from that, there are also the health benefits that living with a dog can offer your child. Certainly the health benefits your child can experience from a canine companion are a compelling reason to let your child grow up with a loyal furry friend!

So, if you’ve been considering getting your child that goldendoodle, pittie, or any other dog breed, think about all the benefits they’ll have for your kids!

Kids and Dogs

Kids and dogs have a lot of similarities. They’re both very playful and love having someone to keep them company. It only makes sense that they’d be a perfect match for each other!

There are some steps you can take to help ensure a successful friendship forms between your child and your new puppy. First, do some intentional training and socializing for both your dog and your child. If you’ve had a family dog for quite some time, you’re child is probably already familiar with how to interact with them. If so, you can help work that into how your child gets accustomed to the new family member.

On the other hand, if you get a new dog for your child, you’ll have to learn how your dog is around people. You’ll have to know how they feel about their personal space and how comfortable they can eventually get. Your child will have to learn that with you too. That way, they can both learn how to be comfortable with one another.

But once that’s all sorted out, your dog and your child will eventually become the best of friends! They’ll both have playmates that can keep them entertained and just keep them company. Eventually, you can teach your child how to take better care of your dog. It’ll help them learn how to understand their dog’s needs and learn how to meet those needs. That will not only teach them how to be responsible, but it’ll also help build a stronger relationship with their canine companion!

(Source: https://pixabay.com/images/id-2119335/)

What About The Health Benefits?

Aside from teaching your child how to be responsible and how interact with dogs, there are some health benefits that having a pet dog can have for your child.

Keeping Them Active

Dogs are known to be playful and also love being taken out on walks. It’s for this reason that having one around can help give your child a more active lifestyle.

Your dog will definitely want to have some playtime. With your child, this playtime can involve things like running after them, playing fetch, and maybe even some hide and seek. Your dog may also want to be taken out for a walk.

These are all activities that can help your child stay active. As a result, your child will get the exercise they need to help with their cardiovascular health. It’ll also help them avoid staying sedentary, especially when your dog just happens to always ask nicely to the point that you can’t say no.

Immune Health

Studies done on the pediatric age group have found that those who had pets, such as dogs, had a more robust and healthier immune system compared to those without any pets. In addition, it was seen that babies who were exposed to dogs during their first year of life got sick a lot less and didn’t have to seek out medical care as often.

This could probably be attributed to the early exposure to the pet dander and the microbes that pets like dogs brought along with them. The earlier the exposure, the sooner their immune system worked to build itself up to resist these things.

Allergies

In relation to immune health, studies also discovered that children who had at least one parent with allergies or asthma had a lower chance of growing up with the same issues if they had a dog around. Just like with the immune system, exposure to their pets help their bodies adjust accordingly. Unfortunately, this benefit was only observed if the child had exposure to a dog during their first year of life.

Mental Health Benefits

You might’ve heard someone say that dogs are sources of joy and happiness. Not surprisingly, there is some scientific evidence to substantiate this claim!

The US CDC found out that children who had pet dogs with them at home had lower anxiety and stress levels. This could be attributed to the increased oxytocin levels in the brain whenever a child would interact with their dogs. So, dogs really are a source of joy!

(source: https://pixabay.com/images/id-5801275/)

Dogs have been faithful companions to humans for as long as time can tell. They’ve provided humans with many things, from being assistants in work to simply being trusty companions. Ask any dog owner, and they’ll let you know that having them around is definitely a good thing. So, it makes sense that they’d also be great companions for children.

But, when it comes to children, there’s so much more they can offer than just being a canine playmate. Having a dog around also has many health benefits. Dogs can help keep your child active and even boost their immune system. They can also be an excellent way to help with your child’s mental health.

There’s so much good that a dog can bring your child! So, if you’ve been on the fence about thinking about whether it would be good to have a dog around your child, perhaps these benefits can help you decide!

Guest Post by Priit from All Pets Life

These sweet babies will be ready to go to their forever homes October 1st-3rd. 

happy birthday: August 6, 2021

Ivy & Boaz are the proud parents of three gorgeous new baby boys. These little ones are absolutely precious. When puppies are first born, they depend heavily on their mama, so we’re blessed that Ivy does such a great job caring for them. She nurses them almost constantly it seems. How sweet are these faces? The pups are about 24 hours old in the picture above. Our children have named the puppies: Tonka (red), Cookie Dough (blue), and Dump Truck (green).

At first puppies can’t yet walk. Their eyes and ears are closed. They can’t go to the bathroom on their own. And they can’t maintain their own body temperature. Fortunately God gave puppies a natural instinct to pile together for warmth, so they snuggle together in a giant puppy heap. And they also cuddling around Ivy as she snoozes contentedly, surrounded by her new family. EEGs have revealed that the brain activity of infant puppies is the same when asleep and awake. But these little pups are busy eating, growing, and developing. Ivy’s puppies twitch and pop in their sleep, as all healthy newborn puppies should. This activated sleep helps them build muscle tone.

weekly puppy tip #1: nap time is essential!

Think about a napping place – The puppies spend most of their lives sleeping now, but did you know that your new furbaby is going to need lots of sleep when you bring her home, too? Puppies, just like small children, require naps throughout the day. When your puppy is sleeping, try to allow her to rest untouched (it’s okay for noisy life to carry on around her while she snoozes, but it’s best not to physically disturb her as much as possible). This may mean that you need to guide her to a different spot than the one she’s initially chosen. AKC gives some helpful insight into the importance of puppy sleep:

Although puppies may seem like little bundles of energy, in fact, they sleep 15-20 hours a day. One minute your puppy may be a miniature tornado, and the next he’s fallen soundly asleep, almost mid-activity. Sleep is essential to healthy growth: during sleep his central nervous system, brain, immune system, and muscles are developing. All of that sleep also helps him rest up during growth spurts… household members, especially children, should leave your puppy alone while he is sleeping. Plan his day so that active time is followed by quiet time for sleep. He’ll most likely be ready for a nap after playtime or a walk, sleep for a while and then wake up ready for anything. Your puppy may nap every hour or so, sleeping from 30 minutes to as long as two hours. All of this sleep is perfectly normal.

Jan Reisen from the American Kennel Club (AKC)

You can read the rest of the article here.

one week

These puppies may still seem incredibly small but in just one short week they’ve doubled their birth weights. They’ve each crossed over the one pound and two pound marks (all three boys weighed less than 1lb at birth). These sweet little pumpkins continue to dedicate their entire lives to eating and sleeping. They twitch and pop involuntarily during their sleep, developing muscle tone for the near future. This phenomenon is known as “activated sleep.” The puppies received daily doses of petting, stroking, holding, and kisses. 

In addition to snuggling these sweet nuggets, we also introduce a new scent each day and we’ve also started doing early neurological stimulation (aka ENS) with them. ENS involves stressing the puppies just slightly in very specific ways in order to improve their physiological response to stress in the future.

The puppies have now had their toenails trimmed for the first time. When you take your puppy home, it’s important that you continue to regularly trim her nails. Right now we trim the puppies’ nails with human baby nail clippers. For our adult dogs, we use a dremel to keep their nails short. We like to keep the puppies’ nails short so they don’t accidentally scratch Ivy while nursing. Plus nail trimming is going to be a regular activity throughout their lives, so we want to introduce them to it at an early age.

weekly puppy tip #2

Make a puppy experience plan – Compile a list of places you want to take your puppy and experiences you want your puppy to encounter. Any day now, these little eyes will be ready to soak up the sites, and we’ll now start introducing the puppies to items that differ in appearance. We have a thought out socialization plan, working hard to expose your puppy to as much as possible during her time with us. When you take your puppy home, that responsibility then shifts to you as you continue the socialization process. Exposing your puppy to new people, situations, sounds, smells, textures, etc. is extremely important. Give your new puppy a few days to adjust to her new home and new routine. Then begin giving her short, positive experiences (yummy treats make everything more positive!). Don’t try to do too much in one day, as you don’t want to overwhelm or stress her. Start developing ideas of how to want to socialize your new puppy. 

Your goal is for your puppy to meet a minimum of 100 different people by the time she’s six months old. Dr. Ian Dunbar, a puppy socialization expert, raises the bar even higher by recommending that puppies meet 100+ people during the first month at home. If you hope to visit a local nursing home or hospital when your puppy gets older, secure some crutches, walkers or wheelchairs to expose your puppy to at home. Meeting people is just one component of socialization. Think about outdoor experiences that you and your puppy can safely enjoy together. Consider what predictable dogs you can introduce your puppy to (dogs who are predictable, friendly, healthy, and will model good behavior for your pup). Remember, adult dogs aren’t always fond of puppies so be sure to monitor them together. Do you know anyone with a woods or creek where you can take your puppy for a short romp? Remember, you want every experience to be POSITIVE (i.e. bring yummy treats and hand out the praise). Making a plan now, before you bring your puppy home, will help ensure that you follow through with a variety of positive exposures once you have your new little fluff ball at your side. 

Check out AviDog’s free e-book for more ideas about what to add to your puppy experience plan. Baxter & Bella also has some great ideas for socializing your puppy.

two weeks

Hello world! The puppies’ eye have just started opening over the last few days. It’s so fun to see them looking back at us. Eye opening is a process that doesn’t happen all in one day. The puppies are still in a calm, quiet environment. Soon they’ll be ready for the chaos of our main living area but not quite yet.

Aren’t they getting cuter and cuter each week?! These sweet dumplings are getting so big! The puppies continue to enjoy nursing regularly. It’s a crazy, active puppy pile as they all search for the perfect milk tap. Once the milk starts flowing, they all settle down and enjoy the delicious warmness filling their chunky bellies.

weekly puppy tip #3: age appropriate exercise

Glance over Puppy Culture’s exercise chart. Familiarize yourself with what sorts of activities are appropriate for your puppy at different stages of development. You want to give your puppy a variety of unique positive experiences, but your puppy is still growing & developing, so you don’t want to push your puppy too far. For instance, climbing up one to two stairs is an appropriate challenge but climbing a flight of stairs is not a good idea for a young puppy (a study done on 500 dogs showed that puppies allowed to climb a flight of stairs before 3 months old were more likely to develop hip dysplasia). Remember, free running and playing is a great option because your puppy can rest whenever she feels the need to do so. If you’d like to read more about puppy exercise, check out AviDog’s puppy exercise guidelines. This article from AKC also gives some helpful puppy exercise tips.

three weeks

The puppies are really beginning to look and act like little dogs. They are starting to play with each other, but it looks like they are playing in slow motion. It’s entertaining to watch.

These guys went on their first road trip yesterday. We know they each have a lifetime of car rides ahead of them, so we want to make sure they’re familiar with the feeling of being in a moving automobile. The pups sprawled out leisurely in a crate together and cruise around town. While neither Ivy or Boaz struggle with car sickness, we want to do everything we can to set these sweet puppies up for success. There is some thought that early exposure to car rides helps decrease the risk of a dog being prone to car sick as an adult.

When your puppy joins your family, continue to take your puppy on car rides to fun places. If your puppy only rides in the car when he’s going to the vet or groomer, he’ll learn to associate the car with those things and won’t want to go on rides. Remember, puppies are highly impressionable at a young age, so a few “bad” trips can give them a distaste for the car. Make sure the good, fun trips outnumber the bad trips. Our parent dogs LOVE the car because they go to the park, to the nature center, to the homes of friends and family, to dog friendly stores, and so forth. Sometimes they even ride in the car to pick up our ClickList order with us. Our dogs associate the car with fun and always eagerly hop in whenever we tell them to “go for a ride.”

These little sausages have started listening to their habituation CD, which is aimed at helping them become accustomed to various sounds. They listen to doorbells ringing, dogs barking, babies crying, vacuums running, thunder booming, and a variety of other sounds to help them become accustomed to loud noises. Right now, we play the habituation CD somewhat quietly and we’re gradually increasing the volume as the pups are ready for it. We continue to introduce new items in the puppy pen for the pups to explore. It’s fun to watch them curious sniff and check out each day’s new toy. We have also clipped the puppies’ toenails for a second time now. Toenails grow quickly. Be ready to trim your new pup’s nails every few weeks when he joins your family.

weekly puppy tip #4: be the leader your puppy wants you to be

It’s essential that you establish yourself as the pack leader. Your puppy doesn’t want to be in charge – that’s a scary place to be! Your puppy wants to look to you as the leader, but you have to show yourself as worth of the role by being the leader. Some easy ways to establish your leadership include:

• Sit down with your puppy each night before bed and briefly touch your puppy EVERYWHERE. Kneel on the floor with your puppy sitting between your legs. Start by petting your puppy’s head and tell him “head, head.” Then check his mouth, telling him “teeth, teeth,” and look inside his ears telling him “ear, ears.” Briefly go over your puppy from nose to tail in this fashion. This helps establish that you’re allowed to touch your puppy anywhere and everywhere.
• Set boundaries so there is at least one place in your home that your puppy isn’t allowed to go in your home (i.e. not allowed to jump on your bed, not allowed to sit on a particular couch or not allowed into a certain room).
• Teach you puppy to sit and wait for you to walk out the front door before her and give her the “okay” before she is permitted to walk through it. When she’s old enough to start walking freely up and down stairs, teach her to wait for you to finish climbing/descending the stairs before she comes.
• Encourage your puppy sit and wait for you to give her the “okay” before she is allowed to approach her food bowl. Periodically pick up your puppy’s food bowl while she’s eating, reward her with a yummy treat, and return the food bowl. See the Toy Trade Game from last week’s puppy tips.
• Teach your puppy to do a long down during meal times. Buy a soft rug or bed and teach your puppy to go lay on it on command. We have our own adult dogs lay on a rug in a down stay during dinner. Maple was doing a down stay along side them at 6 months old for the entire length of our meal – which means your puppy can do it at a young age, too!

four weeks

These puppies have grown so much! You’ve seen these the newborn group picture before, but I want to put it side by side with the four week group picture so you can appreciate just how much they’ve changes in just one month.

In just one month, these pups have gone from being unable to walk to playing with each other. In just month month, they’ve gone from having eyes & ears that are shut to curiously exploring the world around them. In just one month, they’ve gone from being entirely dependent on Ivy to using a potty area in their pen and lapping goat milk from a bowl (they’re still primarily nursing, but they have tried goat milk several times now!). It’s truly amazing how much puppies mature in just four short weeks!

Earlier in the week, the puppies enjoy lapping warm goat milk from a bowl and licking it off each other for the first time today. Shout out to D & L Meadows for supplying us with fresh, local goat milk for these little pups to enjoy. Hopefully you were able to enjoy the Instagram video of them trying goat milk for the first time. Soon the puppies have transitioned from milk to a softened kibble/goat milk blend. Your little one will be accustomed to eating TLC puppy food. You should be receiving an email directly from TLC in the next on to two weeks.

In our weekly puppy tip below, you’ll learn about the trade game. Once your new fluffball is adjusted to your home, you can periodically use your puppy’s dinner bowl to play the game, working on preventing resource guarding. Taking a few minutes to work with your puppy while she’s young can go a long way in preventing unwanted behavior. Pick up a pack of hot dogs or other delicious treat and occasionally pick up your pup’s bowl while he’s eating, exchanging his kibble for a sliver of hot dog, and then returning his food bowl to her (see the trade game from weekly puppy tip #5).

The biggest news of the week is that the puppies have now moved downstairs. At first they needed a calm, quiet environment without too much stimulation. But now they’re ready for the chaos that exists in the main part of our home! The pups moved into a small puppy area earlier in the week and we set up the puppy play yard for them yesterday. They had fun exploring everything! We continue to play the habituation CD for them and we continue to give them new toys to spark their curiosity. And we continue to snuggle them! They shower us with kisses, and we shower them with kisses, too!

weekly puppy tip #5: Get ready to play educational games with your puppy!

Did you know that there are fun games you can play with your puppy that teach him beneficial skills? It’s great to incorporate regular educational games into your puppy’s routine, so read through these suggestions, add any needed supplies to your puppy shopping list, and get ready for puppy playtime!

• Ball On The Wall – Encourages retrieving
  • Supplies: A ball that your puppy can carry in her mouth
  • How to play: Sit on the floor about 1-5’ from a wall. Put your legs in a “V” and sit facing the wall with your puppy between you and the wall. Toss the ball at the wall, encouraging your puppy to go after it. Give your puppy lots of praise when she brings the ball back! 
  • Variation: Once you’ve mastered Ball On The Wall, try playing retrieve in a hallway with all the doors closed (so your puppy can’t run away from you with the ball).
• Toy Trade – Prevents resource guarding
  • Supplies: A toy that your puppy likes but doesn’t highly value and a high value treat
  • How to play: Briefly play with your puppy using the toy. Ask your puppy for the toy by offering her a high value treat. Reward & praise her for giving you the toy, and give the toy back to her as soon as she finishes chewing. Gradually work on having her give you objects of higher value (i.e. a bone).
  • Variation: Work on teaching your puppy the command “give” and ask her to drop the toy/bone on command in exchange for the high value treat.
• Hide & Seek – Encourages recall
  • Supplies: Yummy treats
  • How to play: Run away from your puppy, hide behind a corner, tree, couch or other object, and call your puppy to encourage her to find you. When she does, give her lots of praise and a yummy treat.
  • Variation: Have a partner play with you and take turns hiding. While the first person is rewarding the puppy for coming, the second person hides.

five weeks

This is such a fun age! These puppies are cuter every day! Their individual personalities are showing through. They’ve transformed from little guinea pigs who can’t see or hear to actual miniature dogs who run around and play and give kisses. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the short video clips on our Instagram story.

These puppies are so chunky! It’s adorable! They have started eating a much of softened TLC puppy kibble mixed with fresh goat milk. They’ll be chowing down on dry kibble in no time.

The puppies are walking about, exploring the world around them. They enjoy playing with the different toys in their pen, and they enjoy playing with each other, too. In between their short bursts of energy, they still spend much of their time sleeping. If you sit on the floor, you’re sure to have a lap full of puppies! The pups were able to experience the great outdoors for the first time this past week! And they’ve been outside a number of times since. Just today they went outside at least four times. It’s fun to watch the pups pick up leaves, explore behind plants, and trot around the yard after our kiddos. The pups don’t sit still for long, except for when they’re on your lap or sleeping, so pictures are challenging!

Weekly Puppy Tip #6

Pick out and sign up for a puppy class – A puppy class is essential both for socialization and manners. Look for a class that emphasizes positive reinforcement, as learning & training should be a fun game at this point. Clicker training is a plus. This article from AKC gives some pointers about what to look for in a puppy class. Many dog training facilities will allow your new friend join their puppy class around 12 weeks of age, once she has received her second set of immunizations. Allison Camp from Pups Unleashed offers a local puppy class. She’ll be temperament testing the puppies in a little over 2 weeks and assisting with matching. Temperament testing always an exciting day!

We prefer in person puppy class over virtual hands down. But we certainly understand that these aren’t ordinary times! Timberidge Goldendoodles is excited to be partnering with Baxter & Bella. In a time where it’s challenging to attend an in person puppy class, Baxter & Bella’s online resources, virtual classes, and video training tips are an amazing option for every puppy owner. Plus membership is for a lifetime, so you can access Baxter & Bella’s tools repeatedly over the years ahead for each and every furry child that joins your family. Even if you participate in an in person class, I think you’ll find Baxter & Bella is an amazingly helpful resource.

Use the discount code TIMBERIDGE to save 25% when you join Baxter & Bella!

Here’s a short video from Baxter & Bella’s about how to train your puppy to respond positively the someone ringing your doorbell.

If you’re up for doing additional puppy prep, Puppy Culture offers a FREE online course about the first few weeks of your puppy’s time in your home (you do have to create an account even though it’s free). You can listen to much of the course without watching the video footage, although there are certainly parts that are helpful to watch.

I recommend for everyone to watch: Class 1 part 2 about setting up your puppy’s spot at home and Class 2 part 1 about structuring your puppy’s day. If you have the time to watch the entire program, you’ll certainly learn a lot. Jane Killon covers clicker training with your puppy, observations to make about your puppy, why you should avoid legumes in your dog kibble, and much, much more. There are also online resources within the course materials about puppy fitness, a puppy nipping plan, etc. This is a great collection of resources, and it’s free!

6 weeks

It’s been another busy week for Ivy’s puppies. They went on several car rides in the past few days. We’re working hard to expose them to a variety of sights, sounds, smells, environments – and in just a few short weeks, it will be your turn to continue that socialization process with your new pup.

The pups have also had their nails clipped for the third or fourth time and had their bottoms trimmed with clippers. It’s helpful to have a pair of dog clippers at home if you’d like to extend the time between haircuts.

weekly puppy tip #7

Get ready to groom! – Your puppy has had his nails clipped and hair trimmed during his time with us, so he has already had his initial introduction to his lifetime of being groomed. Take him to the groomer for a puppy clip after his 16-week immunizations. The groomer will bathe him, trim the hair out of his eyes, give him a sanitary clip, and trim his nails. Since he will need regular grooming throughout his life, both he and his groomer will benefit if he becomes accustomed to being groomed from a young age, even before he’s ready for a full haircut. 

When should he have his first big boy haircut? The wavy, curly adult coat will start replacing the soft, fluffy puppy coat around 5-6 months of age. You’ll notice the new hair coming in is kinkier than the pure fluff on top. Waiting to cut the hair until the adult coat makes its debut beneath the layers of puppy plush helps ensure that the adult coat remains soft. Many poodle groomers and poodle fanciers claim that shaving a poodle or goldendoodle down before her adult coat starts coming in could damage the adult coat, affecting the texture. While there isn’t any substantiated evidence that this is true, it’s worth avoiding just in case. That doesn’t mean that your puppy might not benefit from a puppy clip in the meantime! Don’t let your puppy’s hair get out of control! As aforementioned, take him to the groomer for a puppy clip after her 16-week immunizations. When the time comes, check out the grooming section on our website for a variety of goldendoodle haircut pictures. Learn more about your Goldendoodle puppy’s first trip to the groomer.

Waiting until 6 months for the first full big boy clip does not mean you’re off the hook for grooming at home! You should regularly groom your puppy: brushing her hair, cleaning her ears, brushing her teeth, clipping her toenails, and checking her for any anomalies (i.e. ticks, cuts, etc.). You want your puppy to become accustomed to being brushed and handled all over from a young age. It’s easy to incorporate different parts of grooming into your nightly bonding exercises. We have a plethora of haircut resources under the “grooming” tab in the main menu bar.

seven weeks

The puppies are so much fun! They bound around outside, finding things to chew and places to explore. They also sneak around the house, trying to investigate new places. The pups have discovered the big dogs’ crates and go in them hunting for food. We continue to take the puppies on new and different adventures. It’s fun to see their curiosity!

Be sure to pick up a special extra yummy chew that your puppy only gets during (daytime) crate time.

weekly puppy tip #8

Fostering the children/dog relationship – Goldendoodles are family dogs by nature, but there are a few steps you can take to help set your puppy and your kids up for a lifetime of friendship:

1. When your puppy is sleeping, let her sleep – your puppy is growing & developing and she NEEDS that sleep. Teach your children to respect a sleeping puppy by not interrupting her. Your puppy’s crate should be her safe retreat. When she’s in her crate, allow her to enjoy safe, undisturbed quiet time- this doesn’t mean that you all need to tip toe quietly around when the puppies napping! It just means that when the puppy is napping, let her enjoy that peaceful sleep untouched and wake up on her own good time.
2. Involve your children in daily puppy care – allowing your children to participate in caring for the puppy will help grow the bond between them and their furry friend. It also helps the puppy learn associate good things with little people and helps her see the children as above her in the pack order. Younger children particularly love being helpers. Our kids enjoy (aka fight over) feeding the dogs, letting them out of their crates, opening the back door to let the dogs in/out, etc. We let them help brush the dogs with much supervision (remember, we want all puppy experiences to be POSITIVE!). Our children also love holding leashes on walks (children should only take your dog on a walk with adult supervision). If you don’t trust your puppy to not pull a young child over, you can attach two short leashes to one dog so both you & your child have a leash to hold. Be cognizant of your child’s age and maturity level. Older children can be more actively involved and younger children can be involved in smaller ways.
3. Encourage your children to play with the puppy – puppy nips and jumps can be intimidating for some children. Teaching children how to act calmly around a puppy and how to play intentional games such as fetch and educational games (see some suggestions under week 3) can help both the children and the puppy learn how to interact with each other. Explain to your children that your puppy isn’t trying to hurt them when she’s nipping – she’s asking them to play with her.
4. Include your children in puppy training – when you enroll your puppy in a puppy kindergarten class, ask about bringing your child along (assuming he’s old enough and mature enough to participate). Our children enjoy practicing sits and downs with our dogs, dolling out hotdog slivers to the eager participants. Our dogs think it’s great! Be sure to always supervise children/puppy training sessions.
5. Teach your children to respect the puppy – sometimes it’s challenging for children, especially young ones, to distinguish between their favorite stuffie and a real-life fluffy puppy. Many children need to be patiently taught to be gentle and kind with animals. “No hugging dogs” is a rule in our home because a preschooler bear hug around the neck is too much our small dogs (our dogs don’t mind but we’re afraid they might accidentally get hurt since they’re significantly smaller than the ones dolling out the hugs). If there are times when you aren’t able to supervise your children’s interaction with your puppy, it might be best (and safest) to put your puppy in her crate. Remember, that crate should be your puppy’s safe place. This article by AKC has more helpful tips about teaching children to respect dogs.

vet check: September 24th

The puppies visited our friends at Hopewell Animal Hospital this afternoon. Going to the doctor is exhausting! I am please to report that all three boys puppies are healthy! 

The pups received their first of three doses of the DHPP vaccine. You should schedule an appointment with your vet for your pup to receive his second dose when he is around 12 (around 10.29.21) weeks of age and third dose at 16 weeks of age (around 11.26.21). 

In addition to immunizations, your puppy will also need a monthly parasite preventative that covers a range of parasites (heart worms, hooks worms, etc.) as well as fleas to help keep her healthy. Your puppy received one dose of Interceptor on 9.25.21. Be sure to administer heart worm medication with a meal, as the medication can be hard on your puppy’s stomach. Happily, no one had any tummy troubles with their medication today.

getting ready for your puppy

We’ve created a puppy shopping list to help guide you as you prepare to bring your new pup home!

Baxter & Bella is an online resource that offers a wealth of knowledge about raising everything dog/puppy.

Puppy Culture offers a free online course about the first few weeks of your puppy’s time in your home. I recommend watching: Class 1 part 2 about setting up your puppy’s spot at home and Class 2 part 1 about structuring your puppy’s day.

Finding a good groomer can be tough! Here are four doodle groomers located in the Cincinnati area. Each picture is of a dog clipped by that salon.

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Know an exceptional groomer in the Cincinnati area? We want to know!

Send us an email goldendoodles@timberidgefarms.com

Memorial Day is a special day because on May 30th, 2021 these five special pups will be five years old! Abria & Moses are such proud parents! It’s fun to compare their one year birthday update with today. Their 6 week old puppy video is at the end. It’s crazy how fast time flies! What a special crew 🙂

Otto

Otto and Cooper are together, inseparable, and living their best life in Tampa, Florida. (Cooper is Otto’s full sibling/younger brother)

Royal

Royal is the perfect family dog. Relaxes all day, quick to cuddle as soon as a lap is empty, and our neighbors fight each other to keep Royal for us when we leave town 😆 his best friend is Murphy, the German Shepherd who lives next door. We do car trips around the State of Ohio, since COVID began, so Royal has gone on some varied and exciting hikes! He still expects us to be quiet when it’s his bedtime, and moans and groans if we bother his beauty rest.

Jasper

Jasper is the “protector & companion” of all little human beings. He is most gentle and tuned in to all little ones. He loves the beach but is afraid of the waves. 

Penny

Woodford

more pictures of this special birthday crew

five years ago: Abria X Moses 2016 litter’s puppy video

These sweet babies will be ready to go to their forever homes May 2nd-8th. All of these puppies have already found forever families. We do not have any puppies available for adoption at this time.

happy birthday: March 7, 2021

Maple & Boaz are the proud parents of EIGHT gorgeous new babies: four beautiful girls and four handsome boys. These little ones are absolutely precious. And they’re teeny tiny, not even weighing an entire pound yet. It’s fun to see the rainbow of coat colors. When puppies are first born, they depend heavily on their mama, so we’re blessed that Maple does such a great job caring for them. She nurses them almost constantly it seems. Maple often lounges with her pups, laying on her back with her belly up in the air and puppies nestled in all around and even on top of her.

How sweet are these faces? The pups are less than 24 hours old in the picture above and they’re about 3 days old in the picture below. Isn’t amazing how much they change in from one day old to three days old?! Can you see how they’re already chunking up and their faces are already looking more mature?

At first, puppies can’t yet walk. Their eyes and ears are closed. They can’t go to the bathroom on their own. And they can’t maintain their own body temperature. Fortunately, God gave puppies a natural instinct to pile together for warmth, so they snuggle together in a giant puppy heap. And they also cuddle around Maple as she snoozes on her back surrounded by her new family. EEGs have revealed that the brain activity of infant puppies is the same when asleep and awake. But these little pups are busy eating, growing, and developing. Maple’s puppies twitch and pop in their sleep, as all healthy newborn puppies should. This activated sleep helps them build muscle tone.

weekly puppy tip #1: nap time is essential!

Think about a napping place – The puppies spend most of their lives sleeping now, but did you know that your new furbaby is going to need lots of sleep when you bring her home, too? Puppies, just like small children, require naps throughout the day. When your puppy is sleeping, try to allow her to rest untouched (it’s okay for noisy life to carry on around her while she snoozes, but it’s best not to physically disturb her as much as possible). This may mean that you need to guide her to a different spot than the one she’s initially chosen. AKC gives some helpful insight into the importance of puppy sleep:

Although puppies may seem like little bundles of energy, in fact, they sleep 15-20 hours a day. One minute your puppy may be a miniature tornado, and the next he’s fallen soundly asleep, almost mid-activity. Sleep is essential to healthy growth: during sleep his central nervous system, brain, immune system, and muscles are developing. All of that sleep also helps him rest up during growth spurts… household members, especially children, should leave your puppy alone while he is sleeping. Plan his day so that active time is followed by quiet time for sleep. He’ll most likely be ready for a nap after playtime or a walk, sleep for a while and then wake up ready for anything. Your puppy may nap every hour or so, sleeping from 30 minutes to as long as two hours. All of this sleep is perfectly normal.

Jan Reisen from the American Kennel Club (AKC)

You can read the rest of the article here.

11 days new

I realized that I forgot to share the special temporary names that our kiddos picked out for these sweet nuggets. The girls are: Emmy (a favorite name in our home), Rosie, Frosty, and Charlotte. The boys are: Wilbur, Dump Truck, Tonka, and Peter Puppy Tail. In case you can’t tell, we’ve recently been enjoying reading Charlotte’s Web and Petter Rabbit 🙂

These puppies may still seem incredibly small but in just one short week they’ve nearly doubled their birth weights. They’ve each crossed over the one pound mark. These sweet little pumpkins continue to dedicate their entire lives to eating and sleeping. They twitch and pop involuntarily during their sleep, developing muscle tone for the near future. This phenomenon is known as “activated sleep.” The puppies received daily doses of petting, stroking, holding, and kisses. 

The puppies have now had their toenails trimmed for the first time. When you take your puppy home, it’s important that you continue to regularly trim her nails. Right now we trim the puppies’ nails with human baby nail clippers. For our adult dogs, we use a dremel to keep their nails short. We like to keep the puppies’ nails short so they don’t accidentally scratch Maple while nursing. Plus nail trimming is going to be a regular activity throughout their lives, so we want to introduce them to it at an early age.

weekly puppy tip #2

Make a puppy experience plan – Compile a list of places you want to take your puppy and experiences you want your puppy to encounter. Any day now, these little eyes will be ready to soak up the sites, and we’ll now start introducing the puppies to items that differ in appearance. We have a thought-out socialization plan, working hard to expose your puppy to as much as possible during her time with us. When you take your puppy home, that responsibility then shifts to you as you continue the socialization process. Exposing your puppy to new people, situations, sounds, smells, textures, etc. is extremely important. Give your new puppy a few days to adjust to her new home and new routine. Then begin giving her short, positive experiences (yummy treats make everything more positive!). Don’t try to do too much in one day, as you don’t want to overwhelm or stress her. Start developing ideas of how to want to socialize your new puppy. 

Your goal is for your puppy to meet a minimum of 100 different people by the time she’s six months old. Dr. Ian Dunbar, a puppy socialization expert, raises the bar even higher by recommending that puppies meet 100+ people during the first month at home. BUT THERE’S A PANDEMIC RIGHT NOW! How do you socialize your puppy during a pandemic? AviDog has some great ideas about different ways to creatively and safely socialize your puppy during these unique times. So make a plan about how you will start introducing your puppy to new experiences. Since your puppy can’t meet tons of people right now, YOU might be the one donning different hats, hoods, and sunglasses. If you hope to visit a local nursing home or hospital when your puppy gets older, secure some crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs to expose your puppy to at home. Meeting people is just one component of socialization. Think about outdoor experiences that you and your puppy can safely enjoy together. Consider what predictable dogs you can introduce your puppy to (dogs who are predictable, friendly, healthy, and will model good behavior for your pup). Remember, adult dogs aren’t always fond of puppies so be sure to monitor them together. Do you know anyone with woods or creek where you can take your puppy for a short romp? Remember, you want every experience to be POSITIVE. Making a plan now, before you bring your puppy home, will help ensure that you follow through with a variety of positive exposures once you have your new little fluff ball at your side. 

Check out AviDog’s free e-book for more ideas about what to add to your puppy experience plan. Baxter & Bella also has some great ideas for socializing your puppy.

two and a half weeks

Apparently, our photo session was boring this week because we captured a number of puppy yawns and sleeping puppies! But aren’t puppies yawns darling?

My amazing sister-in-law helps with puppy pictures on Thursdays, for which I am incredibly grateful. Taking puppy pictures becomes increasingly difficult with each week that goes by because the puppies become more and more mobile (and less inclined to sit still), so I am very grateful to have an assistant. The best new development since the puppy photoshoot last week is that these cuties have opened their eyes!! Eye opening is a process that doesn’t happen all in one day. It’s so fun to see them looking back at us.

Aren’t they getting cuter and cuter each week?! These sweet dumplings are getting so big! The puppies continue to enjoy nursing regularly. It’s a crazy, active puppy pile as they all search for the perfect milk tap. Once the milk starts flowing, they all settle down and enjoy the delicious warmness filling their chunky bellies.

Now that their eyes are open and these chunky pups can see where they’re going, they have started climbing out of their whelping box. Consequently, they’ve graduated to their first puppy pen. The puppies are still in a calm, quiet environment. Soon they’ll be ready for the chaos of our main living area but not quite yet.

weekly puppy tip #3: age appropriate exercise

Glance over Puppy Culture’s exercise chart. Familiarize yourself with what sorts of activities are appropriate for your puppy at different stages of development. You want to give your puppy a variety of unique positive experiences, but your puppy is still growing & developing, so you don’t want to push your puppy too far. For instance, climbing up one to two stairs is an appropriate challenge but climbing a flight of stairs is not a good idea for a young puppy (a study done on 500 dogs showed that puppies allowed to climb a flight of stairs before 3 months old were more likely to develop hip dysplasia). Remember, free running and playing is a great option because your puppy can rest whenever she feels the need to do so. If you’d like to read more about puppy exercise, check out AviDog’s puppy exercise guidelines. This article from AKC also gives some helpful puppy exercise tips.

(almost) four weeks

The puppies are really beginning to look and act like little dogs. The pups are starting to let out little barks (much to my kids’ delight). They’ve added a variety of little squeaks and squeals to their repertoire. Sometimes the sounds that come out of their mouths seems to surprise the puppies themselves! The puppies are having fun playing with each other now.

The puppies are already friendly and enjoy human attention. They love showering us with kisses. Hopefully you saw the Instagram story video today of sweet Rosie handing out kisses.

These cute puppers went on a road trip this morning. They have already been on a few road trips. We know they each have a lifetime of car rides ahead of them, so we want to make sure they’re familiar with the feeling of being in a moving automobile. The pups all piled together into a two crates and cruise around town. While neither Maple or Boaz struggle with car sickness, we want to do everything we can to set these sweet puppies up for success. There is some thought that early exposure to car rides helps decrease the risk of a dog being prone to car sick as an adult.

When your puppy joins your family, continue to take your puppy on car rides to fun places. If your puppy only rides in the car when she’s going to the vet or groomer, she’ll learn to associate the car with those things and won’t want to go on rides. Remember, puppies are highly impressionable at a young age, so a few “bad” trips can give them a distaste for the car. Make sure the good, fun trips outnumber the bad trips. Our parent dogs LOVE the car because they go to the park, to the nature center, to the homes of friends and family, to dog friendly stores, and so forth. Sometimes they even ride in the car to pick up our ClickList order with us. Our dogs associate the car with fun and always eagerly hop in whenever we tell them to “go for a ride.”

The biggest news of the week is that the puppies have now moved downstairs. At first they needed a calm, quiet environment without too much stimulation. But now they’re ready for the chaos that exists in the main part of our home!

weekly puppy tip #5: be the leader your puppy wants you to be

It’s essential that you establish yourself as the pack leader. Your puppy doesn’t want to be in charge – that’s a scary place to be! Your puppy wants to look to you as the leader, but you have to show yourself as worth of the role by being the leader. Some easy ways to establish your leadership include:

• Do bonding exercises each night with your puppy (see below) to establish that you’re allowed to touch your puppy anywhere and everywhere.
• Set boundaries so there is at least one place in your home that your puppy isn’t allowed to go in your home (i.e. not allowed to jump on your bed, not allowed to sit on a particular couch or not allowed into a certain room).
• Teach you puppy to sit and wait for you to walk out the front door before her and give her the “okay” before she is permitted to walk through it. When she’s old enough to start walking freely up and down stairs, teach her to wait for you to finish climbing/descending the stairs before she comes.
• Encourage your puppy sit and wait for you to give her the “okay” before she is allowed to approach her food bowl. Periodically pick up your puppy’s food bowl while she’s eating, reward her with a yummy treat, and return the food bowl. See the Toy Trade Game from last week’s puppy tips.
• Teach your puppy to do a long down during meal times. Buy a soft rug or bed and teach your puppy to go lay on it on command. We have our own adult dogs lay on a rug in a down stay during dinner. Maple was doing a down stay along side them at 6 months old for the entire length of our meal – which means your puppy can do it at a young age, too!

https://youtu.be/uaL8xcjPVvw

Bonding Exercises – Do this every night with your puppy just before putting her in her crate for bed. Puppies benefit from a routine plus everyone benefits from a puppy learning that you’re the leader and that you are allowed to touch her anywhere and everywhere. The this video shows bonding exercises being done for the first time with a new puppy. Yes, your puppy will resist and squirm at first. Eventually, your puppy will come to LOVE and EXPECT you doing bonding exercises with her. Take 30 seconds each night and do it. You’ll be thankful that you did (and so will your vet and groomer!). There’s a second video of bonding exercises being done with an older pup here at the bottom of the post (notice how much he has grown to enjoy doing bonding exercises). It’s easy to periodically incorporate parts of grooming into bonding exercise time, trimming nails one night and cleaning ears a different night.

five weeks (almost)

This is such a fun age! These puppies are cuter every day! Their individual personalities are showing through. They’ve transformed from little guinea pigs who can’t see or hear to actual miniature dogs who run around and play and give kisses. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the short video clips on our Instagram story. The puppies are walking about, exploring the world around them. They enjoy playing with the different toys in their pen, and they enjoy playing with each other, too. In between their short bursts of energy, they still spend much of their time sleeping. If you sit on the floor, you’re sure to have a lap full of puppies! The pups were able to experience the great outdoors for the first time! It’s fun to watch them pick up leaves, explore behind plants, and trot around the yard after our kiddos. The pups don’t sit still for long, except for when they’re on your lap or sleeping, so pictures are challenging!

Earlier in the week, the puppies enjoy lapping warm goat milk from a bowl and licking it off each other for the first time today. Shout out to D & L Meadows for supplying us with fresh, local goat milk for these little pups to enjoy. Now the puppies have transitioned from milk to a softened kibble/goat milk blend. Your little one will be accustomed to eating TLC puppy food. You should be receiving an email directly from TLC in the next week.

Remember that trade game in weekly puppy tip #4? Once your new fluffball is adjusted to your home, you can periodically use your puppy’s dinner bowl to play the game, working on preventing resource guarding. Neither Maple or Boaz display food aggression and neither one greedily inhale their food (in fact, it’s not uncommon for them to  leave some kibble in their bowls after eating their fill), so likely your puppy naturally won’t either. Even so, taking a few minutes to work with your puppy while she’s young can go a long way in preventing unwanted behavior. Pick up a pack of hot dogs or other delicious treat and occasionally pick up your pup’s bowl while she’s eating, exchanging her kibble for a sliver of hot dog, and then returning her food bowl to her (see the trade game from weekly puppy tip #4).

Weekly Puppy Tip #6

Pick out and sign up for a puppy class – A puppy class is essential both for socialization and manners. Look for a class that emphasizes positive reinforcement, as learning & training should be a fun game at this point. Clicker training is a plus. This article from AKC gives some pointers about what to look for in a puppy class. Many dog training facilities will allow your new friend join their puppy class around 12 weeks of age, once she has received her second set of immunizations. Allison Camp from Pups Unleashed offers a local puppy class. She’ll be temperament testing the puppies in a little over 2 weeks and assisting with matching. Temperament testing always an exciting day!

We prefer in person puppy class over virtual hands down. But we certainly understand that these aren’t ordinary times! Timberidge Goldendoodles is excited to be partnering with Baxter & Bella. In a time where it’s challenging to attend an in person puppy class, Baxter & Bella’s online resources, virtual classes, and video training tips are an amazing option for every puppy owner. Plus membership is for a lifetime, so you can access Baxter & Bella’s tools repeatedly over the years ahead for each and every furry child that joins your family. Even if you participate in an in person class, I think you’ll find Baxter & Bella is an amazingly helpful resource.

Use the discount code TIMBERIDGE to save 25% when you join Baxter & Bella!

Here’s a short video from Baxter & Bella’s about how to train your puppy to respond positively the someone ringing your doorbell.

six weeks (almost)

It’s been another busy week for Maple’s puppies! They’ve played outside A LOT! They LOVE the great outdoors! It’s fun to watch the pups pick up leaves, size up big sticks, squeeze under bushes, and frolic through the grass.

The puppies also went on several car rides this week. We’re working hard to expose them to a variety of sights, sounds, smells, environments – and in just a few short weeks, it will be your turn to continue that socialization process with your new pup.

weekly puppy tip #7

Get ready to groom! – Your puppy has had her nails clipped and hair trimmed during her time with us, so she has already had her initial introduction to her lifetime of being groomed. Take her to the groomer for a puppy clip after her 16-week immunizations. The groomer will bathe her, trim the hair out of her eyes, give her a sanitary clip, and trim her nails. Since she will need regular grooming throughout her life, both she and her groomer will benefit if she becomes accustomed to being groomed from a young age, even before she’s ready for a full haircut. 

When should she have her first big girl haircut? The wavy, curly adult coat will start replacing the soft, fluffy puppy coat around 5-6 months of age. You’ll notice the new hair coming in is kinkier than the pure fluff on top. Waiting to cut the hair until the adult coat makes its debut beneath the layers of puppy plush helps ensure that the adult coat remains soft. Many poodle groomers and poodle fanciers claim that shaving a poodle or goldendoodle down before her adult coat starts coming in could damage the adult coat, affecting the texture. While there isn’t any substantiated evidence that this is true, it’s worth avoiding just in case. That doesn’t mean that your puppy might not benefit from a puppy clip in the meantime! Don’t let your puppy’s hair get out of control! As aforementioned, take her to the groomer for a puppy clip after her 16-week immunizations. When the time comes, check out the grooming section on our website for a variety of goldendoodle haircut pictures. Learn more about your Goldendoodle puppy’s first trip to the groomer.

Waiting until 6 months for the first full big girl clip does not mean you’re off the hook for grooming at home! You should regularly groom your puppy: brushing her hair, cleaning her ears, brushing her teeth, clipping her toenails, and checking her for any anomalies (i.e. ticks, cuts, etc.). You want your puppy to become accustomed to being brushed and handled all over from a young age. It’s easy to incorporate different parts of grooming into your nightly bonding exercises. We have a plethora of haircut resources under the “grooming” tab in the main menu bar.

seven weeks

The puppies are so much fun! They bound around outside, finding things to chew and places to explore. They also sneak around the house, trying to investigate new places. The pups have discovered the big dogs’ crates and go in them hunting for food. The puppies have transitioned to dry kibble, and think it great fun whenever they discover a stray kibble that belongs to the big dogs.

Be sure to pick up a special extra yummy chew that your puppy only gets during (daytime) crate time.

weekly puppy tip #8

Fostering the children/dog relationship – Goldendoodles are family dogs by nature, but there are a few steps you can take to help set your puppy and your kids up for a lifetime of friendship:

1. When your puppy is sleeping, let her sleep – your puppy is growing & developing and she NEEDS that sleep. Teach your children to respect a sleeping puppy by not interrupting her. Your puppy’s crate should be her safe retreat. When she’s in her crate, allow her to enjoy safe, undisturbed quiet time- this doesn’t mean that you all need to tip toe quietly around when the puppies napping! It just means that when the puppy is napping, let her enjoy that peaceful sleep untouched and wake up on her own good time.
2. Involve your children in daily puppy care – allowing your children to participate in caring for the puppy will help grow the bond between them and their furry friend. It also helps the puppy learn associate good things with little people and helps her see the children as above her in the pack order. Younger children particularly love being helpers. Our kids enjoy (aka fight over) feeding the dogs, letting them out of their crates, opening the back door to let the dogs in/out, etc. We let them help brush the dogs with much supervision (remember, we want all puppy experiences to be POSITIVE!). Our children also love holding leashes on walks (children should only take your dog on a walk with adult supervision). If you don’t trust your puppy to not pull a young child over, you can attach two short leashes to one dog so both you & your child have a leash to hold. Be cognizant of your child’s age and maturity level. Older children can be more actively involved and younger children can be involved in smaller ways.
3. Encourage your children to play with the puppy – puppy nips and jumps can be intimidating for some children. Teaching children how to act calmly around a puppy and how to play intentional games such as fetch and educational games (see some suggestions under week 3) can help both the children and the puppy learn how to interact with each other. Explain to your children that your puppy isn’t trying to hurt them when she’s nipping – she’s asking them to play with her.
4. Include your children in puppy training – when you enroll your puppy in a puppy kindergarten class, ask about bringing your child along (assuming he’s old enough and mature enough to participate). Our children enjoy practicing sits and downs with our dogs, dolling out hotdog slivers to the eager participants. Our dogs think it’s great! Be sure to always supervise children/puppy training sessions.
5. Teach your children to respect the puppy – sometimes it’s challenging for children, especially young ones, to distinguish between their favorite stuffie and a real-life fluffy puppy. Many children need to be patiently taught to be gentle and kind with animals. “No hugging dogs” is a rule in our home because a preschooler bear hug around the neck is too much our small dogs (our dogs don’t mind but we’re afraid they might accidentally get hurt since they’re significantly smaller than the ones dolling out the hugs). If there are times when you aren’t able to supervise your children’s interaction with your puppy, it might be best (and safest) to put your puppy in her crate. Remember, that crate should be your puppy’s safe place. This article by AKC has more helpful tips about teaching children to respect dogs.

vet check: April 26, 2021

The puppies visited our friends at Companion Animal Medical Centre this afternoon. Going to the doctor is exhausting! I am please to report that all eight puppies are healthy! 

The pups received their first of three doses of the DHLPP vaccine. You should schedule an appointment with your vet for your pup to receive her second dose when she is around 12 (around 5.31.21) weeks of age and third dose at 16 weeks of age (around 6.28.21). 

In addition to immunizations, your puppy will also need a monthly parasite preventative that covers a range of parasites (heart worms, hooks worms, etc.) as well as fleas to help keep her healthy. Your puppy received one dose of Interceptor today (4.26.21). Be sure to administer heart worm medication with a meal, as the medication can be hard on your puppy’s stomach. Happily, no one had any tummy troubles with their medication today.

getting ready for your puppy

We’ve created a puppy shopping list to help guide you as you prepare to bring your new pup home!

meet the parents

Learn more about Maple & Boaz by visiting their personal pages. There are videos of their past puppies if you’re curious what this litter will look like in a few weeks. Don’t forget to check out Instagram for more pictures of the parents, past puppies, and this current litter.

happy birthday and happy Valentines Day: February 14, 2021

Phoebe & Boaz are the proud parents of four gorgeous new babies: three beautiful girls and one handsome boy. These little ones are absolutely precious. And they’re teeny tiny, not even weighing an entire pound yet. Phoebe does an amazing job caring for her new crew and hardly leaves her puppies’ side. It’s heartwarming to watch her snuggle her little ones under her chin and nestle them close. When puppies are first born, they depend heavily on their mama, so we’re blessed that Phoebe does such a great job caring for them.

How sweet are these faces? Enjoy those little pink noses while you can because they’ll blacken up in no time. And don’t those cute black & pink lips make it look like the puppies have little pouty faces? The pups are less than 24 hours old in these two pictures.

At first puppies can’t yet walk. Their eyes and ears are closed. They can’t go to the bathroom on their own. And they can’t maintain their own body temperature. Fortunately God gave puppies a natural instinct to pile together for warmth, so they snuggle together in a giant puppy heap – and Phoebe snuggles them close too. She loves cuddling with her pups. EEGs have revealed that the brain activity of infant puppies is the same when asleep and awake. But these little pups are busy eating, growing, and developing. Phoebe’s puppies twitch and pop in their sleep, as all healthy newborn puppies should. This activated sleep helps them build muscle tone.

weekly puppy tip: nap time is essential!

Think about a napping place – The puppies spend most of their lives sleeping now, but did you know that your new furbaby is going to need lots of sleep when you bring her home, too? Puppies, just like small children, require naps throughout the day. When your puppy is sleeping, try to allow her to rest untouched (it’s okay for noisy life to carry on around her while she snoozes, but it’s best not to physically disturb her as much as possible). This may mean that you need to guide her to a different spot than the one she’s initially chosen. AKC gives some helpful insight into the importance of puppy sleep:

Although puppies may seem like little bundles of energy, in fact, they sleep 15-20 hours a day. One minute your puppy may be a miniature tornado, and the next he’s fallen soundly asleep, almost mid-activity. Sleep is essential to healthy growth: during sleep his central nervous system, brain, immune system, and muscles are developing. All of that sleep also helps him rest up during growth spurts… household members, especially children, should leave your puppy alone while he is sleeping. Plan his day so that active time is followed by quiet time for sleep. He’ll most likely be ready for a nap after playtime or a walk, sleep for a while and then wake up ready for anything. Your puppy may nap every hour or so, sleeping from 30 minutes to as long as two hours. All of this sleep is perfectly normal.

Jan Reisen from the American Kennel Club (AKC)

You can read the rest of the article here.

four days new

Isn’t it amazing how much the pups have changed in just four days? Their noses are black and their lips don’t have the pink centers that made them look pouty just three days before.

Our kiddos LOVES having puppies. They have been so excited for Phoebe’s puppies to arrive (we’ve been without puppies for more than three months, which is apparently too long for them!). Our toddler named the little boy Firetruck (which also happens to be the name of his chicken – if you find a good name, reuse it). Our preschooler named two of the girls Gingie (aka Ginger) and Star. “Gingie” is another name that is frequently used in our home. Our kindergartener named the last puppy Jay after a special friend.

weekly puppy tip #2: plan positive experiences

Make a puppy experience plan – Compile a list of places you want to take your puppy and experiences you want your puppy to encounter. Any day now, these little eyes will be ready to soak up the sites, and we’ll now start introducing the puppies to items that differ in appearance. We have a thought-out socialization plan, working hard to expose your puppy to as much as possible during her time with us. When you take your puppy home, that responsibility then shifts to you as you continue the socialization process. Exposing your puppy to new people, situations, sounds, smells, textures, etc. is extremely important. Give your new puppy a few days to adjust to her new home and new routine. Then begin giving her short, positive experiences (yummy treats make everything more positive!). Don’t try to do too much in one day, as you don’t want to overwhelm or stress her. Start developing ideas of how to want to socialize your new puppy. 

Your goal is for your puppy to meet a minimum of 100 different people by the time she’s six months old. Dr. Ian Dunbar, a puppy socialization expert, raises the bar even higher by recommending that puppies meet 100+ people during the first month at home. BUT THERE’S A PANDEMIC RIGHT NOW! How do you socialize your puppy during a pandemic? AviDog has some great ideas about different ways to creatively and safely socialize your puppy during these unique times. So make a plan about how you will start introducing your puppy to new experiences. Since your puppy can’t meet tons of people right now, YOU might be the one donning different hats, hoods, and sunglasses. If you hope to visit a local nursing home or hospital when your puppy gets older, secure some crutches, walkers or wheelchairs to expose your puppy to at home. Meeting people is just one component of socialization. Think about outdoor experiences that you and your puppy can safely enjoy together. Consider what predictable dogs you can introduce your puppy to (dogs who are predictable, friendly, healthy, and will model good behavior for your pup). Remember, adult dogs aren’t always fond of puppies so be sure to monitor them together. Do you know anyone with a woods or creek where you can take your puppy for a short romp? Remember, you want every experience to be POSITIVE. Making a plan now, before you bring your puppy home, will help ensure that you follow through with a variety of positive exposures once you have your new little fluff ball at your side. 

Check out AviDog’s free e-book for more ideas about what to add to your puppy experience plan.

10 days

Just look at those sweet faces! It amazing how much older and bigger these puppies look in just one short week. They’re growing like crazy! Now scroll back up and look at the newborn pictures – can you believe how chunky these little sausages have gotten in just two short weeks?!

Everyone has passed over the 1 pound mark and they’re heading towards 2 pounds rapidly. All of that dedicated sleeping, eating, and growing is paying off. Their chunky bellies are adorable. It’s truly amazing how much they’ve grown in just two short weeks. These little sausages still spend most of the day sleeping and continue to have activated sleep, building their muscles in preparation for the running and exploring they’ll be doing shortly. We intentionally have the floor of their whelping box covered with a surface that gives them good traction to aid their developing muscles and bones. The puppies already take wobbly steps around their whelping area and crawl all over each other as they attempt to find the coziest sleeping nook in the puppy pile. They’ve started the transition from the tiny guinea pigs they were at birth to beginning to look like little dogs. We continue to hold, cuddle, and pet them daily – and we love every minute of it. And Phoebe also loves lounging with her puppies. It’s so cute to watch her snuggle in close with them like a mother hen.

weekly puppy tip #3: exercise guidelines

Glance over Puppy Culture’s exercise chart. Familiarize yourself with what sorts of activities are appropriate for your puppy at different stages of development. You want to give your puppy a variety of unique positive experiences, but your puppy is still growing & developing, so you don’t want to push your puppy too far. For instance, climbing up one to two stairs is an appropriate challenge but climbing a flight of stairs is not a good idea for a young puppy (a study done on 500 dogs showed that puppies allowed to climb a flight of stairs before 3 months old were more likely to develop hip dysplasia). Remember, free running and playing is a great option because your puppy can rest whenever she feels the need to do so. If you’d like to read more about puppy exercise, check out AviDog’s puppy exercise guidelines. This article from AKC also gives some helpful puppy exercise tips.

3 weeks

Well, the puppies aren’t actually 3 weeks yet, but my awesome sister-in-law helps take puppy pictures mid-week, so we’re going to call them 3 week pictures even though the puppies are more like 2 1/2 weeks! Taking puppy pictures becomes increasingly difficult with each week that goes by because the puppies become more and more mobile (and less inclined to sit still), so I am very grateful to have an assistant. The best part since the puppy photoshoot last week is that these cuties have opened their eyes!! Eye opening is a process that doesn’t happen all in one day.

Aren’t they getting cuter and cuter each week?! These sweet dumplings are getting so big! The puppies continue to enjoy nursing regularly. It’s a crazy, active puppy pile as they all search for the perfect milk tap. Once the milk starts flowing, they all settle down and enjoy the delicious warmness filling their chunky bellies.

weekly puppy tip #4: learning can be fun!

Get ready to play educational games with your puppy! – Did you know that there are fun games you can play with your puppy that teach her beneficial skills? It’s great to incorporate regular educational games into your puppy’s routine, so read through these suggestions, add any needed supplies to your puppy shopping list, and get ready for puppy playtime!

• Ball On The Wall – Encourages retrieving
  • Supplies: A ball that your puppy can carry in her mouth
  • How to play: Sit on the floor about 1-5’ from a wall. Put your legs in a “V” and sit facing the wall with your puppy between you and the wall. Toss the ball at the wall, encouraging your puppy to go after it. Give your puppy lots of praise when she brings the ball back! 
  • Variation: Once you’ve mastered Ball On The Wall, try playing retrieve in a hallway with all the doors closed (so your puppy can’t run away from you with the ball).
• Toy Trade – Prevents resource guarding
  • Supplies: A toy that your puppy likes but doesn’t highly value and a high value treat
  • How to play: Briefly play with your puppy using the toy. Ask your puppy for the toy by offering her a high value treat. Reward & praise her for giving you the toy, and give the toy back to her as soon as she finishes chewing. Gradually work on having her give you objects of higher value (i.e. a bone).
  • Variation: Work on teaching your puppy the command “give” and ask her to drop the toy/bone on command in exchange for the high value treat.
• Hide & Seek – Encourages recall
  • Supplies: Yummy treats
  • How to play: Run away from your puppy, hide behind a corner, tree, couch or other object, and call your puppy to encourage her to find you. When she does, give her lots of praise and a yummy treat.
  • Variation: Have a partner play with you and take turns hiding. While the first person is rewarding the puppy for coming, the second person hides.

three and a half weeks

Well, posed group pictures are basically impossible at this point! These puppies are up and moving – and they have no desire to sit still in a cute little line! They are quite happy to snuggle on our laps though, which we love. And they also like showering us with sweet puppy kisses.

The puppies are really beginning to look and act like little dogs. The puppies enjoy lapping fresh goat milk from a bowl and licking it off each other for the first time today. Shout out to D & L Meadows for supplying us with fresh, local goat milk for these little pups to enjoy. The pups will start enjoying soften kibble before too long. But right now the pups think warm goat milk is AMAZING, but they’re not completely sure which end actually does the eating. They kept sticking various body parts in the bowls of milk this morning! Phoebe is quite happy to help lap up any mess the puppies make during their mealtimes and she lovingly licked the goat milk off of each puppy once they finished filling their little round bellies. It’s adorable to watch the puppies lick the milk mustaches off of each other! Sweet little puppies kissing their littermates! The sound they make when eating is precious, too.

We give the puppies a new item each day to look at and investigate. It’s so fun to see their little eyes taking in the sights. The pups are starting to let out little barks (much to my kids’ delight). They’ve added a variety of little squeaks and squeals to their repertoire. Sometimes the sounds that come out of their mouths seems to surprise the puppies themselves! The puppies are having fun playing with each other now, as Jay & Gingie are doing in the picture below.

These cute puppers have also been on their first road trip. We know they each have a lifetime of car rides ahead of them, so we want to make sure they’re familiar with the feeling of being in a moving automobile. The pups all piled together into a crate and cruised around town. The road in the car for an hour twice this past week. While neither Phoebe or Boaz struggle with car sickness, we want to do everything we can to set these sweet puppies up for success. There is some thought that early exposure to car rides helps decrease the risk of a dog being prone to car sick as an adult.

weekly puppy tip #5: be the leader your puppy wants you to be

It’s essential that you establish yourself as the pack leader. Your puppy doesn’t want to be in charge – that’s a scary place to be! Your puppy wants to look to you as the leader, but you have to show yourself as the worth of the role by being the leader. Some easy ways to establish your leadership include:

• Do bonding exercises each night with your puppy (see below) to establish that you’re allowed to touch your puppy anywhere and everywhere.
• Set boundaries so there is at least one place in your home that your puppy isn’t allowed to go in your home (i.e. not allowed to jump on your bed, not allowed to sit on a particular couch or not allowed into a certain room).
• Teach you puppy to sit and wait for you to walk out the front door before her and give her the “okay” before she is permitted to walk through it. When she’s old enough to start walking freely up and down stairs, teach her to wait for you to finish climbing/descending the stairs before she comes.
• Encourage your puppy sit and wait for you to give her the “okay” before she is allowed to approach her food bowl. Periodically pick up your puppy’s food bowl while she’s eating, reward her with a yummy treat, and return the food bowl. See the Toy Trade Game from last week’s puppy tips.
• Teach your puppy to do a long down during meal times. Buy a soft rug or bed and teach your puppy to go lay on it on command. We have our own adult dogs lay on a rug in a down stay during dinner. Maple was doing a down stay along side them at 6 months old for the entire length of our meal – which means your puppy can do it at a young age, too!

https://youtu.be/uaL8xcjPVvw

Bonding Exercises – Do this every night with your puppy just before putting her in her crate for bed. Puppies benefit from a routine plus everyone benefits from a puppy learning that you’re the leader and that you are allowed to touch her anywhere and everywhere. The this video shows bonding exercises being done for the first time with a new puppy. Yes, your puppy will resist and squirm at first. Eventually, your puppy will come to LOVE and EXPECT you doing bonding exercises with her. Take 30 seconds each night and do it. You’ll be thankful that you did (and so will your vet and groomer!). There’s a second video of bonding exercises being done with an older pup here at the bottom of the post (notice how much he has grown to enjoy doing bonding exercises). It’s easy to periodically incorporate parts of grooming into bonding exercise time, trimming nails one night and cleaning ears a different night.

four and a half weeks

This is such a fun age! These puppies are cuter every day! Their individual personalities are showing through. They’ve transformed from little guinea pigs who can’t see or hear to actual miniature dogs who run around and play. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the short video clips on our Instagram story. The puppies are walking about, exploring the world around them. They enjoy playing with the different toys in their pen, and they enjoy playing with each other, too. In between their short bursts of energy, they still spend much of their time sleeping. If you sit on the floor, you’re sure to have a lap full of puppies! The pups were able to experience the great outdoors for the first time! It’s fun to watch them pick up leaves, explore behind plants, and trot around the yard after our kiddos. The pups don’t sit still for long, except for when they’re on your lap or sleeping, so pictures are challenging!

The puppies have transitioned from milk to a softened kibble/goat milk blend. Your little one will be accustomed to eating TLC puppy food. You should be receiving an email directly from TLC in the next week.

Remember that trade game in weekly puppy tip #4? Once your new fluffball is adjusted to your home, you can periodically use your puppy’s dinner bowl to play the game, working on preventing resource guarding. Neither Phoebe or Boaz display food aggression and neither one greedily inhale their food (in fact, it’s not uncommon for them to  leave some kibble in their bowls after eating their fill), so likely your puppy naturally won’t either. Even so, taking a few minutes to work with your puppy while she’s young can go a long way in preventing unwanted behavior. Pick up a pack of hot dogs or other delicious treat and occasionally pick up your pup’s bowl while she’s eating, exchanging her kibble for a sliver of hot dog, and then returning her food bowl to her (see the trade game from weekly puppy tip #4).

Weekly Puppy Tip #6

Pick out and sign up for a puppy class – A puppy class is essential both for socialization and manners. Look for a class that emphasizes positive reinforcement, as learning & training should be a fun game at this point. Clicker training is a plus. This article from AKC gives some pointers about what to look for in a puppy class. Many dog training facilities will allow your new friend to join their puppy class around 12 weeks of age, once she has received her second set of immunizations. Allison Camp from Pups Unleashed offers a local puppy class. She’ll be temperament testing the puppies in a little over 2 weeks and assisting with matching. Temperament testing is always an exciting day!

We prefer in-person puppy classes over virtual hands down. But we certainly understand that these aren’t ordinary times! Timberidge Goldendoodles is excited to be partnering with Baxter & Bella. In a time when it’s challenging to attend an in-person puppy class, Baxter & Bella’s online resources, virtual classes, and video training tips are an amazing option for every puppy owner. Plus membership is for a lifetime, so you can access Baxter & Bella’s tools repeatedly over the years ahead for each and every furry child that joins your family. Even if you participate in an in-person class, I think you’ll find Baxter & Bella is an amazingly helpful resource.

Use the discount code TIMBERIDGE to save 25% when you join Baxter & Bella!

Here’s a short video from Baxter & Bella’s about how to train your puppy to respond positively the someone ringing your doorbell.

six weeks (almost)

It’s been another busy week for Phoebe’s puppies! They’ve played outside A LOT! They LOVE the great outdoors! It’s fun to watch the pups pick up leaves, size up big sticks, squeeze under bushes, and frolic through the grass. They’re so lively! 

The puppies have had their bottoms shaved for the second time. If you wish to spread out how often your pup goes for professional grooming, a pair of dog clippers to enable you to trim your dog between grooming appointments. Goldendoodles have such thick coats that you’ll burn through your pair of human clippers, so a pair of dog clippers is well worth the investment.

The puppies also went on two adventures to new places this week. We want puppies to ride in the car numerous times during their time with us for two reasons: 1) to help them become used to the sensation of being in a moving vehicle and 2) so that they can experience new places, sights, sounds, etc. The puppies cruised around town in contently lounging plastic crates alongside a buddy. When your puppy joins your family, continue to take your puppy on car rides to fun places. If your puppy only rides in the car when she’s going to the vet or groomer, she’ll learn to associate the car with those things and won’t want to go on rides. Remember, puppies are highly impressionable at a young age, so a few “bad” trips can give them a distaste for the car. Make sure the good, fun trips outnumber the bad trips. Our parent dogs LOVE the car because they go to the park, to the nature center, to the homes of friends and family, to dog-friendly stores, and so forth. Sometimes they even ride in the car to pick up our ClickList order with us. Our dogs associate the car with fun and always eagerly hop in whenever we tell them to “go for a ride.”

weekly puppy tip #7

Get ready to groom! – Your puppy has had her nails clipped and hair trimmed during her time with us, so she has already had her initial introduction to her lifetime of being groomed. Take her to the groomer for a puppy clip after her 16-week immunizations. The groomer will bathe her, trim the hair out of her eyes, give her a sanitary clip, and trim her nails. Since she will need regular grooming throughout her life, both she and her groomer will benefit if she becomes accustomed to being groomed from a young age, even before she’s ready for a full haircut. 

When should she have her first big girl haircut? The wavy, curly adult coat will start replacing the soft, fluffy puppy coat around 5-6 months of age. You’ll notice the new hair coming in is kinkier than the pure fluff on top. Waiting to cut the hair until the adult coat makes its debut beneath the layers of puppy plush helps ensure that the adult coat remains soft. Many poodle groomers and poodle fanciers claim that shaving a poodle or goldendoodle down before her adult coat starts coming in could damage the adult coat, affecting the texture. While there isn’t any substantiated evidence that this is true, it’s worth avoiding just in case. That doesn’t mean that your puppy might not benefit from a puppy clip in the meantime! Don’t let your puppy’s hair get out of control! As aforementioned, take her to the groomer for a puppy clip after her 16-week immunizations. When the time comes, check out the grooming section on our website for a variety of goldendoodle haircut pictures. Learn more about your Goldendoodle puppy’s first trip to the groomer.

Waiting until 6 months for the first full big girl clip does not mean you’re off the hook for grooming at home! You should regularly groom your puppy: brushing her hair, cleaning her ears, brushing her teeth, clipping her toenails, and checking her for any anomalies (i.e. ticks, cuts, etc.). You want your puppy to become accustomed to being brushed and handled all over from a young age. It’s easy to incorporate different parts of grooming into your nightly bonding exercises. We have a plethora of haircut resources under the “grooming” tab in the main menu bar.

seven weeks

The puppies are so much fun! They bound around outside, finding things to chew and places to explore. They also sneak around the house, trying to investigate new places. The pups have discovered the big dogs’ crates and go in them hunting for food. The puppies have transitioned to dry kibble, and think it great fun whenever they discover a stray kibble that belongs to the big dogs.

We have started closing the puppies briefly in crates individually with a pig ear to chew, as you saw in the Instagram story video a few days ago. The puppies sleep in larger crates, two puppies per crate. While we strive to give them positive crate experiences during their time with us, they aren’t crate trained and will still take time to adjust when you bring them home. Be sure to pick up a special extra yummy chew that your puppy only gets during (daytime) crate time.

The puppies continue to enjoy going to road trips to explore new places. Hopefully you saw the Instagram video of them meeting their first goats! It’s enjoyable to watch them bound around exploring new places and eagerly greeting new people.

weekly puppy tip #8

Fostering the children/dog relationship – Goldendoodles are family dogs by nature, but there are a few steps you can take to help set your puppy and your kids up for a lifetime of friendship:

1. When your puppy is sleeping, let her sleep – your puppy is growing & developing and she NEEDS that sleep. Teach your children to respect a sleeping puppy by not interrupting her. Your puppy’s crate should be her safe retreat. When she’s in her crate, allow her to enjoy safe, undisturbed quiet time- this doesn’t mean that you all need to tip toe quietly around when the puppies napping! It just means that when the puppy is napping, let her enjoy that peaceful sleep untouched and wake up on her own good time.
2. Involve your children in daily puppy care – allowing your children to participate in caring for the puppy will help grow the bond between them and their furry friend. It also helps the puppy learn associate good things with little people and helps her see the children as above her in the pack order. Younger children particularly love being helpers. Our kids enjoy (aka fight over) feeding the dogs, letting them out of their crates, opening the back door to let the dogs in/out, etc. We let them help brush the dogs with much supervision (remember, we want all puppy experiences to be POSITIVE!). Our children also love holding leashes on walks (children should only take your dog on a walk with adult supervision). If you don’t trust your puppy to not pull a young child over, you can attach two short leashes to one dog so both you & your child have a leash to hold. Be cognizant of your child’s age and maturity level. Older children can be more actively involved and younger children can be involved in smaller ways.
3. Encourage your children to play with the puppy – puppy nips and jumps can be intimidating for some children. Teaching children how to act calmly around a puppy and how to play intentional games such as fetch and educational games (see some suggestions under week 3) can help both the children and the puppy learn how to interact with each other. Explain to your children that your puppy isn’t trying to hurt them when she’s nipping – she’s asking them to play with her.
4. Include your children in puppy training – when you enroll your puppy in a puppy kindergarten class, ask about bringing your child along (assuming he’s old enough and mature enough to participate). Our children enjoy practicing sits and downs with our dogs, dolling out hotdog slivers to the eager participants. Our dogs think it’s great! Be sure to always supervise children/puppy training sessions.
5. Teach your children to respect the puppy – sometimes it’s challenging for children, especially young ones, to distinguish between their favorite stuffie and a real-life fluffy puppy. Many children need to be patiently taught to be gentle and kind with animals. “No hugging dogs” is a rule in our home because a preschooler bear hug around the neck is too much our small dogs (our dogs don’t mind but we’re afraid they might accidentally get hurt since they’re significantly smaller than the ones dolling out the hugs). If there are times when you aren’t able to supervise your children’s interaction with your puppy, it might be best (and safest) to put your puppy in her crate. Remember, that crate should be your puppy’s safe place. This article by AKC has more helpful tips about teaching children to respect dogs.

vet check: April 5, 2021

The puppies visited our friends at Companion Animal Medical Centre this afternoon. Going to the doctor is exhausting! I am please to report that all four puppies received a clean bill of health! 

The pups received their first of three doses of the DHLPP vaccine. You should schedule an appointment with your vet for your pup to receive her second dose when she is around 12 (around 5.10.21) weeks of age and third dose at 16 weeks of age (around 6.6.21). 

In addition to immunizations, your puppy will also need a monthly parasite preventative that covers a range of parasites (heart worms, hooks worms, etc.) as well as fleas to help keep her healthy. Your puppy received one dose of Interceptor today (4.5.21). Be sure to administer heart worm medication with a meal, as the medication can be hard on your puppy’s stomach. Happily, no one had any tummy troubles with their medication today.

getting ready for your puppy

We’ve created a puppy shopping list to help guide you as you prepare to bring your new pup home!

meet the parents

Learn more about Phoebe & Boaz by visiting their personal pages. There are videos of their past puppies if you’re curious what this litter will look like in a few weeks. Don’t forget to check out Instagram for more pictures of the parents, past puppies, and this current litter.

Guest post by: Jim Smith

Goldendoodles are hybrid dog breed born from the cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle, commonly of a medium or standard size. This breed is praised for its skills as a guide dog and therapy dog, something it inherits from the Golden Retriever, famous for its traditional joy of work.

The goldendoodle requires basic essential daily care to maintain optimal health. These dogs need to exercise on a daily basis, as well as maintain a balanced and strict diet. Here are 5 natural ways to keep your Goldendoodle in excellent health that you could try are:

1. Take a minimum of 3 to 4 walks a day

Goldendoodles LOVE walks. But not only do they thrive from getting in the great outdoors, a walk allows them to engage their muscular and mental health, both of which are stress releases. Also, your furry will undoubtably take advantage of relieving themselves. If you have a fenced in backyard, your goldendoodle will have lower walk requirements, although they’ll still thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to go on one.

2. A diet adjusted to your dog’s nutritional and energy requirements

It is very important that golden retrievers are not fed excessively, because most will not stop eating, even if they are already full, which can lead to issues with them becoming overweight. Many goldendoodle owners transfer this same mindset over to the goldendoodle, however goldendoodles generally are not over eaters. Like their poodle ancestors, many goldendoodles prefer to graze over eating larger meals. Once your puppy’s growth slows and food enthusiasm tapers, it may be helpful to leave food out all of the time so your dog can eat as she pleases (this, of course, assumes that there aren’t other pets in your home who may also enjoy your goldendoodle’s food). Fresh, clean drinking water is equally important. Always leave fresh and portable water at your dog’s disposal, and regularly run the water bowl through the dishwasher to help keep it clean.

3. A deep hygiene

With its low to non-shedding coat, the Goldendoodle is dog breed that requires professional grooming at least once a month or every two months, depending on how long you prefer to keep your pet’s hair. Please be sure to regularly brush your goldendoodle’s coat to keep it from from burs, dirt, and mats. A densely matted, dirty coats could lead to diseases that are generated as a result of the dirt accumulated between its fur and skin.

4. Fun Recreation

Recreation as well as sport is considered essential for this breed of dog, so that they remain active, stand out and have the ease of socializing. It is in this way that they maintain a good state of both physical and mental health. Games are also recommended, if there are children in the family, both parties can have fun and play together. For this we can take long walks, go for hikes or practice sports with our dogs such as running, swimming or playing fetch.

5. Medical assistance and natural medicines

 Going to the vet is always recommended to keep the animal in good health and prevent possible diseases. However, natural medicines have taken a great boom in recent times among the dog world, to maintain their health at 100%.

• Apple cider vinegar and wine vinegar are the champions in the fight against fungus in pets. This relieves itching caused by fungi, restores the pH of the skin, and provides shine to your pet’s coat.
• Oatmeal has numerous benefits for when your dog has reactive skin or just won’t stop scratching. Oatmeal calms itching, relieves irritation, restores elasticity to the skin, fights dryness, and helps with hypersensitive skin. You may choose to regularly bathe your dog with an oatmeal-based shampoo such as Fresh & Clean.
•  Chamomile has soothing properties on the skin. Applied to our Goldendoodle dogs, it can relieve itching or reduce inflammation.

Quality Dog ​​Food

The best quality food for your Goldendoodle will depend on what its breed demands and the nutritional needs that it is present. There are certain important factors when choosing a food for your canine, but there are basic characteristics that you can take into consideration to provide them with a good food:

• No controversial chemical preservative
• No unknown meat ingredients
• No artificial colors
• It must not have energy animal fats
• It should have substantial amounts of meat-based protein (meat meal is a higher percentage meat that plain meat, as meat must be dehydrated to produce kibble)
• Fat to protein ratio of 75% or less
• Moderate carbohydrate content

Apart from choosing good quality food for your Goldendoodle, you should also include probiotic chews in their diet to help maintain their gut health and keep seasonal allergies at bay.

Goldendoodle Socialization

The behavior of the Goldendoodle is considered the ideal for companionship because it is a calm, friendly breed who likes to please. However, as recommended with all canines, it is pertinent to have training that ensures their good behavior under different scenarios and circumstances as well as facilitating socialization with their environment and reaction to other animals or unknown people.

These are very intelligent dogs and excellent companions, which under proper treatment will be the most educated and secure. Their behavior does not require great training, on the contrary, it is teaching them what kinds of behaviors are expected. Treats and praise are both good forms of affirmation to reinforce wanted behaviors. As you introduce your dog to new environments, be sure to give lots of verbal praise and physical affection to help them have the best reactions and ease any fears about the new environment.

The life expectancy of the Goldendoodle breed is 12-15 years, but this is dependent on you, as the owner, helping your dog maintain a good state of health and care.

We hope that your four-legged friend enjoys good health thanks to your care, do not forget to share this article with friends and family, thanks for reading.

Guest post by: Jim Smith

Timberidge Goldendoodles is excited to be partnering with Baxter & Bella. In a time where it’s challenging to attend an in person puppy class, Baxter & Bella’s online resources, virtual classes, and video training tips are an amazing option for every puppy owner. Plus membership is for a lifetime, so you can access Baxter & Bella’s tools repeatedly over the years ahead for each and every furry child that joins your family.

Use the discount code TIMBERIDGE to save 25% when you join Baxter & Bella!

Guest post by Brett Elliot

Goldendoodles are bundles of pure joy, bringing with them the best of both breeds. Intelligence, an abundance of love, and the happiest faces ever seen on a dog. But with Goldendoodles, as with all dogs, comes responsibility.

Grooming requirements will differ depending on the genetics of the goldendoodle you have, and a little bit on the luck of the draw, unless you know the parent dogs’ coat genetics. F1b, F2, F3 and multigenerational goldendoodles tend to have minimal or non-shedding coats, inheriting more of the poodle. F1 Goldendoodles, which are a cross between a purebred golden retriever and a purebred poodle, are a toss-up and more likely to have a slightly shedding coat. You can use genetics to select a goldendoodle that has minimal to non-shedding coat.

There are pluses and minuses to each. But here’s a few things you may not have thought of:

Retriever Fur vs Poodle Hair

Brushing should be a regular part of grooming your goldendoodle regardless of what type of coat your fur-baby has. You’re not just caring for the coat, you’re also checking for ticks, burs, mats, and scratches. If you do get burs or mats or ticks, it’s easier to remove those from retriever-type fur. Poodle ‘fur’ is really just ultra-soft hair, and it’s a bit more sensitive to pulling which happens a fair bit after romping through thistle in late summer. And because it’s hair you need to give extra special attention to regular grooming. Letting a small problem fester too long can become a really big problem that is painful for your pup.  

Heavy shedding gets everywhere. Literally.

If you’ve owned a heavy shedder, you probably already know this. Or if you have multiple dogs who are light shedders, you may be overwhelmed with dog fur as if you had a full-grown husky in the house. But when we say everywhere, we mean everywhere, and it can actually cause unexpected wear and tear on your home.

One HVAC company has even noted the importance of grooming your pets as all that fur gets sucked into the ductwork and makes its way to the furnace. If the furnace filter gets clogged up, it forces the entire system to work harder, potentially causing premature component failure. Who knew?

Similarly, owners of heavy shedders should be sure to do a little special maintenance on the washing machine. Dog hair goes onto your clothes, your bedding, their bedding, etc. and when you wash it, it comes off…right into the washing machine. Consumer Reports suggests that wet clumps of hair from our favorite furry friends can clog the drains, which doesn’t sound good. They have some helpful tips as well to get rid of all that hair.

For both HVAC and washing machines, the number one recommendation to prevent problems is to take good care of your pup with regular grooming, bathing, and cleaning.

You can train your dog to be calm during grooming

Some goldendoodles love being groomed. And some don’t! And others like it but cannot sit still and will lead you on a merry chase across the house. Here’s a couple of tips to get your goldendoodle acclimated to regular grooming.

First, you should be starting when your goldendoodle is just a puppy. You don’t need to wait for them to hit a certain age before you’re brushing them regularly. Because both poodles and golden retrievers are retrieving breeds, goldendoodles are notorious for putting anything and everything in their mouths and keep themselves occupied by tearing up whatever they can get their teeth on.

Pro-tip: keep the tissue box away from the puppy!

But you can use their natural mouthy proclivities to your advantage. Bring your puppy’s toys to one spot within arm’s reach while you groom your dog. Give them something to keep them occupied while you get them used to the sensation.

Spend extra time inspecting paws and ears while they’re distracted. Vets need to be able to inspect these areas, and grooming rituals desensitize them to the practice. And finally, get yourself some training treats to keep on hand. Whenever your pup lets you brush her calmly, reward her. Goldendoodles are very smart and commonly motivated by food. If they begin to associate regular grooming with treats and toys, they will be conditioned to behave politely while you groom them.

Guest post by Brett Elliot