happy birthday
Your puppy’s birthday is May 26th
Misty & Franklin are the proud parents of four squishy new babies: two boys and two girls. These little ones are absolutely precious. When first born, puppies depend completely on their mama, so we’re blessed that Misty does such a great job caring for them. Misty nurses them almost constantly and snuggles with them. How sweet are these faces?
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 love cuddling around Misty as she snoozes contentedly, surrounded by her new family. Misty seems to love being surrounded by her tiny ones. She only leaves her new crew a few times a day for a quick bathroom.
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. It’s amazing how quickly puppies grow! At 24 hours old, Misty’s puppies have already surpassed their birth weight. The little munchkins twitch and pop in their sleep, as all healthy newborn puppies should. This activated sleep helps them build muscle tone. They also climb all over each other as they search for the perfect eating nook, and that sibling trek also helps the puppies develop their muscles. They will be strong enough to walk in just a few weeks.
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. Puppy Culture estimates that an 8-10 week old puppy sleeps 3 hours and then is awake for 1 hour before going back down for another nap. Puppies are like little children – sometimes they don’t realize that you’re tired and need you to put them down for a nap. Puppies can get over stimulated and become overly tired just like toddlers. It’s your job to help regulate them. AKC gives some helpful insight into the importance of puppy sleep (You can read the whole of the article here.):
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
one week new
It’s hard to believe that these little chunky munchkins are already one week old! They have grown so much! These puppies may still seem incredibly small, but they’ve really packed on the pounds! These sweet little pumpkins continue to dedicate their entire lives to eating and sleeping – and it shows! They are becoming fat little sausages with adorable wrinkles and rolls. They’ve officially reached (and passed) the one pound mark.
Even though the puppies spend most of their lives sleeping, they actually are doing baby workouts as they snooze the day away. These little pups twitch and pop involuntarily during their sleep, developing muscle tone for the near future. This phenomenon is known as “activated sleep.” In a few short weeks, these rolly polly puppies will be bouncing around playfully. Their legs, while still wobbly, have already gotten stronger and the puppies wobble around on them some instead of just army crawling as they did initially.
weekly puppy tip #2: make a puppy experience plan
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. Go ahead: start making a list of ideas for 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 stable, friendly, healthy, and will model good behavior for your pup). Keep in mind that 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 new
Isn’t it amazing how much puppies grow in just one week? They’re already looking so much more like little dogs.
You’ll probably notice how nicely they’re chunking up! But do you also see those tiny little eyes staring back at you?! The puppies started opening their eyes on Saturday. Eye opening is a process that doesn’t happen all in one day. Right now, we keep the puppy room dim as their eyes adjust to seeing the world around them.
Misty is a great mama. The ever increasing rolls on these babies are strong evidence that she is doing an excellent job nursing her crew! At this point, the sleepy little dumplings still snooze away most of their days and fill any awake time with stuffing their little bellies. We enjoy snuggling them every day, and the puppies have fun snuggling down for a nap on our laps. Our kids are absolutely smitten with these babies!
Our kids thoroughly enjoy giving puppies their temporary names, and we’re excited to share their choices for these special pups with you: Toast (orange), Betsy (pink), Taz (red), and Waffles (blue). The puppies have grown enough (they’ve reached 2lbs now!) that they’ve transitioned into wearing their special break-free collars that they’ll wear during the rest of their time in our home.
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 regularly 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 inclined 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 new
Aren’t these little sausages really looking like little dogs now? These pumpkins are so stinking precious. The puppies sit awkwardly and attempt to walk around now, albeit a bit clumsily. Aren’t they so cute?!
Look at those open eyes! When puppy eyes first open, they’re blue and cloudy but as the eyes change from their cloudy blue appearance, they open more and the puppy’s vision becomes crisper. The pups still spend the majority of their time snoozing… or eating! Pretty much any waking time is spent slurping down Mama Misty’s delicious, nutritious milk. These chunky monkeys continue to grow like crazy. These little munchkins have been busy growing in every way possible!
The puppies have ventured outside a few times while in our arms. We’re looking forward to introducing them to the outdoors increasingly more in the upcoming weeks.
I have shared a few short videoclips on my Instagram story today, so hopefully you enjoyed watching them. I’ll continue to share more and more video clips that way as the puppies get older.
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 (this also helps set your kids apart as ranking higher in the pack than your new pup). Some easy ways to establish your leadership could 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. (see the video below)
- Set boundaries so there is at least one place in your home that your dog 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. If you’ve been consistent, your puppy will offer a sit and wait for a release word (i.e. “okay”) before coming inside by 3 months old. 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. (we’ll talk about the Toy Trade Game and other educational games you can play with your puppy next week).
- 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!
three and a half weeks new
Sometimes, I just can’t wait an entire week to share pictures of our amazing babies! And this was one of those weeks. These guys are just so stinking cute, and we’re having so much fun with them! We’ve started taking the pups outside each day, and it’s fun to watch them relish the feel of grass squishing under their baby toes. I frequently find one of our older kids with a puppy snuggled on his or her lap. These little chunky monkeys are absolutely the sweetest! They’re looking more and more like little dogs each day, and they are going to be such gorgeous adults. Those wavy, cream coats will be show stoppers and those boxy heads promise will grow into stunning teddy bear faces. Can you tell that I’m smitten with these precious little ones?!
four weeks new
Four weeks is such a fun age! The puppies are enjoying going outside and they also are enjoying snuggling. Their little tails wag, which is absolutely precious! They’re such friendly little pups, and it warms your heart to see how excited they get to see you!
The puppies have now had their toenails trimmed for the third 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 Misty 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. We’ll continue to clip little nails frequently over the next four weeks.
The puppies have also had their little bottoms shaved for the first time. Goldendoodles are non-shedding, so hair grows everywhere, which makes for some fluffy little bottoms!
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 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: Play Ping Pong by having 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 new
These puppies are cuter and fluffier every day! Their individual personalities are starting to show 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. And they already enjoy belly rubs, which is fun, too. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the short video clips on our Instagram story. I’m trying to share short videos there so you can see what the puppies are up to each day.
The puppies have started eating softened TLC puppy kibble. Soon they’ll be chowing down on dry kibble, but for now while their teeth are coming in, the soften food makes for a perfect meal. Misty continues to nurse them throughout the day. If you have not received an email from TLC, please let me know.
The puppies trot about, exploring the world around them. They enjoy playing with the different toys in their pen, and they enjoy playing with each other, too. 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: select and register for a puppy class
Participation in 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 about 2 weeks and assisting with matching. Temperament testing always an exciting day!
We prefer in person puppy class over virtual hands down, but having online recourses is incredibly helpful, too. Timberidge Goldendoodles is excited to be partnering with Baxter & Bella. These online resources, virtual classes, and video training tips are an amazing option for every puppy owner – there are even a variety of resources to help you now as you prepare for your new furry family member. 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!
Here’s a short video from Baxter & Bella’s about how to train your puppy to respond positively the someone ringing your doorbell. You can take this same principle and apply it to a variety of other circumstances, such as teaching your puppy to walk calmly past another dog who is going crazy. Additional free puppy training videos are linked at the bottom of this blog post, so if you haven’t already checked them out, please take the time to watch at least a few of them. Remember, the best thing you can do to prepare for your new puppy is to prepare yourself!
six weeks new
These little babies are just scrumptious! The puppies are so very curious and playful and friendly. We let them run around the main part of our house for small segments now. They have a blast sniffing noses with the older dogs, exploring every nook and cranny, looking for chews that belong to the big dogs, and squishing their little fat bellies under the couches. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the Insta videos of the pups in action! We made sure to supervise any interactions the pups have with the big dogs and to provide a safe place where the puppies could hide if they became overwhelmed for any reason. When you introduce your pup to new canine friends, you’ll want to do the same. Always supervise, especially the initial interactions with a new dog. And always provide your puppy with a safe “get away” spot in case she needs a break. For our home, the pups could duck under the coffee table or even squirm under the couch and pop out at will, giving them the freedom to control their interactions with the big dogs. Outdoors, a kiddie picnic table or something similar works well. Additionally, be sure to provide the big dog with a way to get away from your puppy in case he becomes overwhelmed with the puppy energy. Spending time around other safe dogs is great for your puppy!
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 a lifetime of being groomed. You’ll want to schedule her first spa day at the groomer after her 16-week immunizations. At that initial introductory appointment, she’ll receive a puppy clip. The groomer will bathe her, trim the hair out of her eyes, give her a sanitary clip, and trim her nails. Since your pup will need regular grooming throughout her life, both she and the 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 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 (at least that I can find), 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! Your goldendoodle’s coat is extra prone to matting in the transition time between puppy fluff and adult coat. 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. We have a plethora of haircut resources under the “grooming” tab on the main menu bar.
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. We HIGHLY recommend doing regular bonding/body handling exercises with your puppy (demonstrated in the video shared on weekly puppy tip #4). Goldendoodles are a breed that appreciates routines (thanks to those poodle ancestors), so it’s nice to do bonding exercises every night just before your put your puppy in her crate for bed. It’s easy to incorporate different parts of grooming into your nightly bonding exercises, just doing a little here and a little there since young puppies don’t have the attention span for lots of grooming at once.
Getting ready for your new puppy
As you begin shopping for your new bundle of fluff, be sure to scroll through our puppy shopping list to be sure you get all of the essentials. The shopping list will also answer questions like what size collar your puppy will need and how big of a crate you should purchase.