Keep Training!!

At Premier Doodles we work tirelessly (and we mean that quite literally!) to make sure that by the time the puppies go to their new furever home, that we have done our part to get them ready. That's our firm pledge to our customers. However, puppies are very situational and are not widgets that have switches that can be turned on and off as we please (would be nice!). From 8-16 weeks there is a tremendous amount of work that has to be done in the form of housebreaking and crate training (we have worked hard to get this part started), obedience training, learning structure and boundaries in their new home, and understanding their role in the family (all of these we work on while here in our home but your home will be different and therefore situationally the puppy has to adapt and this requires patience). But we can't stress the importance of making sure that the 4 pillars of dog health are met: 1) nutritionally; 2) mental and physical work; 3) appropriate love (we love them all the time but we show the love when the dog is doing a behavior we consider as "good" and not showing love when they are demonstrating something that is "bad"); and 4) being consistent with establishing structure and boundaries. With a fast growing large breed like the F1 standard bernedoodle, the last point is critical to having a nice even, well adapted and socialized furry family member. Also one must find safe and unique ways to get thier puppies into situations where they can be socialized but being mindful of the fact that the puppy is not fully immunized against parvo until after they receive their 16 week DHPP vaccine. You can line a shopping cart with a blanket and place the puppy inside and tootle around some different stores that allow dogs. Don't let others touch them (don't know where those hands have been) but let them talk to the puppy and the like. We do lots of driving with the puppies so keep taking them for rides and get them into different situations (e.g. car wash...ok if they get startled but don't give them any attention, don't coddle them, just blow it off and maybe have some treats on hand but maybe wait on this one until between 12-16 weeks and after they have bonded to the family and in a routine). We have a free Puppy Training Guide that was designed for the puppy training that will be needed the first few weeks after they come home and will apply for the critical training period between 8-16 weeks. However training should be lifelong and especially critical between 8 weeks thru 2 years of age. We would highly encourage getting a GOOD trainer that comes with recommendations and referrals. We highly recommend Canine Revolution for those looking for an awesome board and train program after they get their last puppy DHPP vaccine. We have had a number of our puppies go to them with amazing results. Keep training!! Enjoy the process...be patient... and enjoy the results this brings!