Puppy Owner Resources

Crate Training

Want a step-by-step guide for crate training your new pup? Positive crate training, as outlined in the above link, is the preferred approach. AKC offers some quick tips for crate training your new puppy. Having a stuffed Kong or other special toys to occupy your puppy inside the crate can be helpful. Not sure what to put inside of the toy? Here are some suggestions.

Exercise And Puppies

Many puppy owners rightfully wonder: how much can my puppy exercise? While there are no easy answers and every puppy is different, this article by AKC provides some helpful insight and suggestions. Puppy Culture’s exercise chart, which breaks down puppies’ abilities based on activity and age, is an incredibly helpful resource. Avidog’s puppy exercise guidelines provide helpful examples of activities in which puppies should participate at different ages.

Socialization

This article by AKC explains the importance of socialization by comparing two dogs from the same breeder that were socialized differently.

Taking your puppy with you to a variety of places helps expose her to different places, sights, sounds, smells, people, etc. Did you know some stores are pet-friendly? Find out where you can take your pup so she never misses out!

Puppy Books

Pick up a copy of The Art of Raising A Puppy by the Monks of New Skete. You’ll be glad you did. The combined knowledge of numerous monks raising countless litters of German shepherd puppies provides a great resource, guide, and reference for all puppy owners.

Baxter & Bella Free Podcast

Baxter & Bella is a super affordable online puppy school that provides puppy owners with a lifetime of resources, videos, online classes, and so much more. The Baxter & Bella Podcast is free, so be sure to listen in. Also, consider joining Baxter & Bella. Use the code TIMBERIDGE to save 25% off your lifetime membership.

Bonding Exercise

Bonding exercise. 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 first video shows bonding exercises being done with a new puppy. Yes, your puppy will resist and squirm at first. The second video shows bonding exercises being done with an older puppy. 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!).

 

I thank my lucky ⭐️s every single day I look at Little Ro that I found @timberidgegoldendoodles . One thing I am eternally grateful for is their recommendation to do a bonding exercise with your puppy every single night, or as close to as possible. We have done this exercise with Royal almost every single night (both me and my husband do it) since the night we came home with him. The idea came from Swiss Ridge, and possibly further back than that, but the idea is that every night before you crate your pup you do a basic visual physical exam, that in turn, bonds your puppy to you. In the beginning, Royal fought this. He was uncomfortable letting us touch his paws, in between his pads, checking out his teeth, and barring a ‘crazy’ evening, he LOVES doing this with us now. When we say ‘let’s bond!’ Royal will come over and sit in between our legs facing out all by himself. You want to talk to your dog and tell him what you’re doing as you do it (“I’m checking your ears now, I’m checking your teeth now.”) and do a basic overview. You want to smell the ears (infection SMELLS you WILL know!), look into the eyes, pull up the gums and examine the teeth, feel his chest, examine each paw pad and feel in between, and feel over his entire body for bumps, or anything ‘out of the norm.’ I can’t recommend this enough! And perseverance is the key! If your dog bites at you or tries to get up, hold his head down and say ‘Still’ or whatever word you use for calm/stay/relax. You will no longer need to do that once your pup knows who is in charge and has a trusting/loving relationship with you. Anywho, please ignore me and my awkwardness of looking at the camera 😬 just thought I’d share, as it’s made such a deep bond between us and Royal! #bondingexercise #timberidgegoldendoodles #doodlelove #doodletales #minigoldendoodle #f1bgoldendoodle #goldendoodlesofinstagram #cbusdoodle #ohiodoodle

A post shared by Royal (@royal.doodle) on Oct 12, 2016 at 8:22pm PDT