Preparing Mentally to Bring Home your New Labradoodle Puppy

You have scheduled the pickup date for your new Standard F1 Labradoodle puppy to come home. It is normal to have different emotions running through you, excitement, joy, eagerness, perhaps some nervousness. We are human and we are able to feel the joy of anticipation along with all the emotions that may bring. I love to remind families to focus on patience, connection and love when they first bring home their new puppy.

Starting when our puppies are still inside their mother, our goal is to keep the mothers well fed, having a healthy amount of attention and exercise, and keeping them in a calm and predictable/familiar environment. I believe that the first step in healthy stable Standard F1 Labradoodle puppies is a healthy stable mother while the puppies are inside of her. After birth until they go home, my entire mission and goal is to safely expose them to as many people, places, sounds and situations to help them transition from my home to yours, relatively easily.

But please remember, that no matter how much preparation I give the puppy to prepare them to join your family, they will never understand or comprehend that they are getting ready to literally leave behind everything that is familiar to them: their littermates, their mother, their "people", their home, their environment, their playpen, their yard, their potty spot. To quote Kathy Callahan, you should think about it this way, “This is a baby that I kidnapped from another planet.” So I am begging you to keep in mind, that as exciting as coming home to you is, your puppy does not understand what is happening. Your job is to be a safe haven and support for your puppy and you need to help your puppy learn new routines, new patterns of going potty, etc. They will adjust, and quickly, but they need you to be patient, calm and encouraging as they adjust. Please take on the role of their patient teacher, their loving advocate and their wonderful new family. I promise, that understanding what they are going through will help them to quickly bond with you. Focus first and foremost on the relationship and everything else will follow!

When you first take them home, please introduce them to their new potty routine. Show them the path to the door, if you in have a bell for them to ring, or a method you want them to use to alert you that they need to go outside, pause at the door and give the signal. Then take them out to their potty spot. Remember, that your puppy is driven by smell. A potty spot smelling like a potty spot is extremely helpful to your puppy. So if they have an accident, it can be helpful to place the poop where you want them to go. The smell will help them! Please run through this routine several times and continue to do it frequently until your puppy has caught on to the new pattern. Remember that they are in a totally new environment and they don't know what to do unless you show them.

I recommend helping expedite their bonding with you by hand feeding them some of their first meals. Sit with them and talk to them gently. You are their new family and they gave left behind everyone else that they grew to know and love. Show them how special they are and give them lots of time and attention. Take time to just be with them. If you can clear your schedule and just spend the first few days with them, this will help your puppy feel more secure, more quickly. Again, please be patient with your sweet puppy.

Remember that while it is not safe to set them down in public places, that you can take them with you (carrying them or using a pet purse) anywhere that you go where pets are allowed. Maybe give them a couple days to transition and get used to you, your smell and that you are their family, but the more they are with you and the more places they go, the better adjusted they will be long term as a confident, beloved dog.

While we do start early create acclimation, it is normal for your puppy to go through an adjustment period with a crate in a new home. I would start off with a puppy play pen with the crate on one side of it. Leave the door open at first. Give them the chance to get acclimated to their new crate by feeding them in it, by hiding special toys/treats in it, and even by playing fetch into the crate. Make sure that they know it is a safe and happy place for them. Here, this is how we start create acclimation at 6 weeks, them we start having them sleep in one at night with a sibling. I try by the time they are 8 weeks to have them be okay with being alone in the crate, but again, this will take some patience in a new setting.

Thank you for being dedicated to giving one of our puppies the best life ever. I truly believe that by being prepared to patiently help them transition into your home, that you will help build a lasting friendship with your new Labradoodle puppy! Your patience, understanding and love will help them overcome the trauma of losing our home, their mother and their littermates, and will make them your best companion for a lifetime! If you would.