Kents Hill Australian Labradoodles Basic Training
Dear Friends,
Your puppies eat dry grain-free puppy formula, Taste of the Wild (any kind) twice a day.
The first meal may be given anytime before noon. The second meal is very important to be given the same time every day, roughly between 5 and 6pm. These eight week old puppies may be crated for the night, 5 to 6 hours after their second meal.
Between these meals don't give any snacks, treats or other food until they reach 16 weeks of age. During this early training period your pups will learn the timing of the feedings and will be hungry at a particular time. Soon they will come to the feeding area / bowls by themselves asking for food. This will help you understand how their digestion clock is working. Provide fresh water between meals during the day. After the second meal, remove all food and water until the next morning meal.
At eight weeks of age your pup will eat about 1/2 cup of dry food a meal, more or less per the size of the puppy.
At ten weeks of age your pup will eat about 3/4 cup of dry food a meal.
Every two weeks your puppy will have grown and need more food for their meals. If there is food left after their meals remove until the next meal.
 After sixteen weeks you can add healthy grain-free snacks or meal for your puppy (vegetables: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, greens. All cooked or fresh. Also fruit for snacks: banana, blueberries, apples, one section of a peeled orange. Try to see what your puppy likes ).
Extra protein: one raw or cooked egg a week. After 6 months to a year you may give two a week, your preference.
Any kind of cheese or milk product. Ricotta, Cottage cheese or any hard cheese with a mild taste mixed together with dry food and vegetables. Give only once a day at the morning meal not more than twice a week. Plain low or non-fat yogurt is also very healthy for your puppy. Vanilla ice cream or yogurt, low or non-fat, in moderation is also good on hot days.
Remember, any addition to your puppy's diet will make their stools softer. Start with small amounts initially
Potty training, crate training and walking on a leash can be done simultaneously.
To prevent surprises at night and keep your puppy dry and clean in their crate, as I mentioned previously, from the second meal to crate-time should be 5 to 6 hours with no food or water.
At eight weeks of age your puppy can go to bed around 11pm until 6-7 in the morning with no accidents. You don't need to take your puppy to the potty during the night
The key to keep the crate clean at night is the following:
Start in the morning.
When your puppy awakes, before you take them from the crate have the leash in your right hand and squeezed cheese in your left hand (scent of cheese only not crumbs).
Open the crate, attach the leash to the puppies collar then hold the puppy in your hands. For the first 2-3 weeks when removing puppy from the crate, do not allow him to walk on the floor in the house to the door because the puppy likely needs to go potty urgently. If put on the floor the puppy will instinctively go potty. In any situation when you are holding your puppy in your arms , on your lap, lap in the car or in a confined area of the crate he is unlikely to go potty and will resist the urge longer.
Proceed to the one door used for going in and out for the training period to prevent confusion for the pup. Have a bell or rattle attached to the door or handle (done previously). At the door with your cheesy hand rub the cheese scent on the bell or rattle, leaving the scent on that object. Next shake the object and touch the puppy's nose gently to it and allow him to lick and smell. At this same time use a positive command such as "going to potty", "good puppy", "going outside," etc. Open the door and take the puppy to the potty place.
In time the puppy will rattle the object or bell to go outside, giving you the command to open the door. Be sure the object is within the puppies reach, so he doesn't jump to reach it.
The smell of your cheesy hand, sound of the bell, touch to the nose, the tone of your voice and noise of the door opening allows puppy to learn this procedure for going outside to potty. This is part of potty training and going outside
Continue carrying the puppy all the way to the potty place. Put puppy on the ground, then if you like, your choice, drop the leash or hold it gently-taught and don't pull on the leash, rather follow the puppy as if the puppy is walking you, not you walking the puppy.
It's important to keep the puppy on the leash so that in the future he will be comfortable going potty in an area where he must be kept on the leash, Road, Street, some parks and roadside rest areas, etc. For the first week in the back yard don't clean puppy's droppings from the ground so he easily finds and remembers the potty place.
After potty, puppy can play for the amount of time you have available. When going back inside allow puppy to smell and lick your cheesy hand. Use positive commands such as "come puppy", "come inside","come boy/girl" etc. Pull leash gently toward the same door. At this time you have complete control of the puppy who's following your directions while you are using your cheesy hand to lead the way to the door. If there are stairs at the door, lift the puppy over them or lead your puppy up a ramp you have provided previously (To help prevent hip and elbow displasia during puppies stages don't allow walking up or down the stairs until the bones stop growing at about 9-10 months of age.). Now at the door, use a positive command like "good job boy/girl" "come inside", etc.
Walking back to the house after potty on the leash takes about 2-3 minutes each time you take your puppy outside. (This is leash training, totaling about 20 to 30 minutes per day. After 3-5 days your puppy will be comfortable walking around house or property on the leash. After 7-10 days your puppy will walk longer distances, perhaps in your neighborhood with complete leash control.)
If you like, after first potty trip you can crate puppy 2 more hours in the morning with no food or water (between 8-10 weeks of age you can leave your puppy alone in the crate for 2 hours during the day, increasing the time as the puppy grows older. Not longer than 4-5 hours as an adult).
You can provide the first meal at 6-7am or later, usually puppies aren't hungry in the early morning but will drink water. After each meal make sure to take your puppy outside for potty immediately as I explained above. Don't wait 10 or 15 minutes inside. Spend this time outside with your puppy. Return to the house also using the above procedure.
Be sure to take your puppy outside every two hours. This is very important. After ten weeks of age extend the two hours to three hours.
After the second meal the puppy, at eight weeks of age, needs to be taken outside four times prior to being crated for the night. (for example 5,7,9 and 11pm)
With an empty bladder and bowel the puppy will easily wait to do his business the next morning.
Again I remind you no drink, snack or food after second meal until the morning.
The sleeping area in the medium size crate should be divided to provide 1/3 of the crate bottom area (similar to a large shoe box size. Just a little larger than the puppy.) Enlarge the area as the puppy grows.
Beginning at 10 weeks, the puppy may be crated at 9-10pm until 7 or 8 in the morning.
As the puppy grows older, its system has changed to resist the urge to go potty longer.
Biting and jumping issues:
When you first receive your puppy he is playful and may sometimes jump on your legs and bite at your hands. To stop this behavior you need to immediately use the back of your hand to tap the puppy's nose firmly. To command your puppy to come to you, never slap your hands on your legs or body as this will invite your dog to jump on you. Rather, snap your fingers or clap your hands. The puppy remembers the cheesy smell on your hands and will come to you. Also use positive commands and affection. Don't allow you're puppy to jump on your bed or furniture on their own accord. When you're on your bed or couch call the dog to you as I described (also not patting the bed or couch with your hand), praise him, then lift the dog yourself onto the bed, furniture or your lap only as you decide
Sometimes it works best to begin training your puppy with your hands (cheesy smell remembered by your puppy) instead of using treats or tools. This method will lead to understood commands using just your hands as the tools, since you will not always have treats or tools with you. Puppies attention is focused primarily on smell, vision, sound and only after, touch.
I hope this basic information will help you understand puppy behavior and make the training process easier. It's also very important to attend obedience classes and to socialize your puppy with other pets, children and adults at public places.
Please don't hesitate to give me a call if you have any questions.
Warmest Regards
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