We recommend crating your goldendoodle till at least a year old.
Did you know that here at Rainfield we start crate training your goldendoodle puppy before they go to their new homes? By the time you pick up your little cuties, they will have been sleeping in their crates at night for several weeks. From what we hear, our puppies generally make the transition to their new homes fairly well. They sometimes miss their litter mates and may whine for a short while before settling down, but they do settle and generally sleep through the night.
In addition to night time crating, however, depending on your puppy set up, we recommend that you keep your puppy in their crate whenever they are not being supervised to keep them safe, protect your home, and give them a space to calm down if they get too hyper. You can leave your doodle in their crate for up to 2 or 3 hours at a time. The general rule is that they can last about 1 hour per month of age. So a 3 month old puppy can generally keep his crate clean for up to 3 hours at a time before they need to be let out to run, play and do their business.
You can extend this time frame a bit by putting their crate inside of a larger play yard. We use North States Puppy Play Yard because they can be expanded with additional panels. We keep food and water and a litter box inside of this play yard. With this set up, puppies can be in their crate and then come out to do their business and eat and drink. Of course they will still get lonely and need their puppy snuggles, so don’t stretch your away times too far, but if you work and need an extra hour or two so you can come back at lunch and let them out, this has worked well.
When it comes to sizing when crate training your goldendoodle, we recommend the 36 or 42 inch wire kennel that has the divider that comes along with it. You can remove the divider as the puppy grows. You might want to arrange an exercise pen that attaches to their kennel and has a potty area, similar to what we have and what they are used to.
Our indoor exercise/play pen is 6’ x 8’. We highly recommend having an indoor play area or pen as puppies need to feel a part of the household but not to left to roam the home at this early age. We keep our indoor play area in our living room. It also has their food and water dish, sleeping area and a litter box as well as toys. If you have a multi- level home, it is good to have a play area on each level. They also love their bed with the high sides so you might want to get a doughnut bed at first.
We recommend crating your pup when unsupervised until they are at least one year old. Goldendoodles grow quickly and can seem like full grown, adult dogs by 10 or 11 months, but they are still immature and unreliable. Until they are about a year old you can still expect puppy behavior such as chewing, eating socks, raiding the bathroom trash or breaking into your candy bag.
Doodles do need lots of exercise and they need time to run and stretch their legs, play, interact with their family, and so on, but crate training your goldendoodle and making use of that crate often during their younger years can make all the difference between a smooth transition or a wild one.
A goldendoodle puppy taking a breather on his dog cot
If you’re getting ready to bring a new goldendoodle puppy home, congratulations! You’re in a for a real treat. Here are a few tips to help you get your home and yard puppy-ready.
1. Look for Choking Hazards
Puppies, much like young children, learn about the world around them by putting everything in their mouth and tasting things. Puppies have been known to swallow all kinds of objects which can result in an emergency trip to the vet to clear the obstruction. So before you bring your goldendoodle puppy home, it is recommended to get down on the floor and check out your home from a puppy’s viewpoint. Our puppies are used to being in a safe play area as well as we have gates to limit their play area in our home. We also have a safe play pen area in our home as well as an area outside.
2. Chew Hazards
Similar to choking hazards, a teething puppy can be pretty creative when it comes to finding things to chew on. This is one more reason to never leave your goldendoodle puppy unsupervised. Puppies can chew everything from your electric wires to your baseboards and even drywall if left on their own. So besides making sure you give your puppy plenty of safe chew toys, make sure the areas your puppy spends his or her unsupervised time in are free of chew hazards.
3. Poison Patrol
Check out your yard for poisonous plants or flowers, such as oleanders, sago palms berries, azaleas and lilies, as well as check out any indoor plants. For a complete list of plants that are toxic to dogs, click here.
4. Toxic Foods and Medications
There are foods we humans eat, that are toxic to dogs. Grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts and chocolate are just a few. Xylitol is a sweetener that is great for humans but very toxic to dogs. It is used in many products such as sugarless gum, baking products and even peanut butter. If you have young children in your home, be mindful of foods children may unknowingly share with their puppy or drop on the floor. Be mindful of medications as well. We have heard of instances of dogs becoming very sick or dying from medicines. Vaping devices, catridges and capsules are also very poisonous for dogs, so keep these out of reach from your little pooch as well.
5. Other Odds’n’Ends
Enjoy those goldendoodle puppy days. They go by so fast.
]Last, but not least, do a visual sweep of your home or apartment and look for things that might catch your puppy’s attention. Keep purses, shopping bags, garbage bags and children’s toys, out of reach. Shoes are another item that can be very enticing to a teething puppy. While not necessarily dangerous or a choking hazard, no one want to find their favorite pair of sneakers all chewed up from being used a teething ring. So take a good look.
Once you’ve got everything squared away with puppy proofing your home, the crate is set up, toys are in place, sit back and get ready to enjoy your new little bundle of joy. Goldendoodle puppies grow so fast, so enjoy their baby days all you can.
We have a sweet little female goodledoodle puppy available. Little Daisy is 10 weeks old and ready to go her new home. She’s an F1B doodle pup with a beautiful goldendoodle mom and a handsome poodle daddy, so she’s going to have a fluffy, more hypo-allergenic coat. We expect her to be on the smaller side at around 40 to 45 pounds.
Besides being 10 pounds of cute, Daisy has got a bubbly goldendoodle personality and loves to bounce, play and explore. Daisy loves playing with sticks and is always trying to get the cat to play with her. After playing hard, she loves a good snuggle and smothering you in doodle kisses. She is doing well on her crate training and sleeping through the night.
For more information on Daisy, a female goldendoodle puppy available now, please contact us at laurieclaire@rainfieldgoldendoodles.com.
“Just come on over and play, Bluebell”
Daisy, full of personality and always ready to play.
Taking a breather after playing hard.
If you are new to Rainfield and would like to know more about our dogs and how to go about going on our list for new puppies, click on this link for our 10 steps to getting a goldendoodle puppy
Rosie and Bowser, F1B mini-goldendoodle pups, enjoying the fall foliage
Nothing much to see here, just some goldendoodle puppies having fun, being cute and loving this fall weather. 🙂
Rosie and Peach love the feel of those cool stones on their little paws
Each season brings its joys. Spring brings the flowers, summertime, the water play, winter means extra goodies and toys for all the good doodle girls and boys, and fall… well… there’s just something about fall that makes you want to spend all day long outdoors lounging and soaking in the weather.
Bowser found a quiet spot
These little guys can play their little hearts out, but then when they come over and want to snuggle and curl up for a little snooze, there’s nothing like it! Goldendoodles are the best stress relief ever!
Are two doodles are better than one? These little playmates think so.
Goldendoodles are such social dogs. If you ever go to a dog park during one of those doodle romps, you’ll see what I mean. The doodle gang will be having the time of their life and making everyone else look dull. BUT… they do have their limits. They need their down time to recoup their strength a little and clear their fuzzy little heads, but it’s not long before they’re back at it showing everyone what fun is all about.
All played out and ready for a nap
These mini doodles know what stopping to smell the flowers is all about, you just have to be sure they don’t take it to the next level and try to “taste” the flowers.
Dog photography can be a challenge. I’ve always wondered how people get those awesome portraits and shots of their harder to photograph or more active dogs. One of our doodles is the perfect poser and every photo she’s in is picture perfect, but the others, not so much. Of course having a great camera with a fast shutter speeds would help a lot, but most of the cutest moments are spontaneous and happen quickly. Often I only have time to grab my cell phone and hope it’s not set to video.
Try this…
Two are better than one
It turns out getting your dogs to pose is easier than you think. My daughter is babysitting two of my dogs this week. I got these beautiful images back from her today and couldn’t figure out how she did it until she sent me the pull back shot. She just got out her dog throwers and, voila, picture perfect poses. Good job, Maya! I’ve had such a hard time getting pictures of these two. I’ll have to get myself a few of these.
Maple, a fun-loving F1B Goldendoodle who travels the US with her mom in tow
If you’re not familiar with the differences between an F1 and F1b goldendoodle, you are not alone. In fact, as goldendoodles have become more popular, so have the different types of doodles. We won’t go into all the different types, which include F2s, F3 and multi-gens because here at Rainfield Goldendoodles we focus on F1s and F1bs.
The F1 Goldendoodle
An F1 is the original mix between a standard poodle and a golden retriever. A litter of F1 goldendoodle pups can range in coat types from shaggy wavy to a bit of curly. A curly F1 doesn’t typically have the real tight, poodle-like curls of an F1B, but as you can see from the pictures of Cash in one of the pictures below, that boy has got some curls on him.
We usually tell people that F1s are low shed as some do have a little shedding. It’s not anywhere close to the shedding you will see with a golden retriever, but you may find dust bunnies here and there if you don’t brush them out once or twice a week. The curlier the doodle, the less they tend to shed, but the more they tend to mat, which means more consistent grooming.
Wayland and Willie Nelson are good examples of the F1 Goldendoodles with a shaggy wavy style of coat
The shaggy wavy F1 doodles may have a little more shedding, although not always, but because they don’t generally mat as easily, you can more easily keep their coats longer. This coat type can often be kept mat free and looking good with a good brush/comb out once a week.
Lola is a gergeous F1 Goldendoodle who has a little more curl to her coat
Another aspect of F1 Goldendoodles is that they are a good mix of poodle and retriever because they are half and half. Some in the litter may take a little more after their poodle parent and others more after the retriever, but personality and looks wise, it’s more a balance between the poodle and retriever characteristics with this original mix.
Cash is a good example of an F1 Doodle with a very curly coat and a whole lot of love for his momma
Since F1 doodles have either shaggy wavy coats or curlier, but not as tight as a poodle or an F1B, keeping their coats long is easier to do. The shaggy wavy sheep dog look is very popular, but when you want to, you can take them to the groomer and get the more manicured look. Just be sure you ask your groomer for pictures of doodles they have groomed or get recommendations from other doodle owners. Some groomers will tend to “poodle your doodle” if you’re not careful. This is less of a problem now that doodles are becoming more common, but it’s good to double check.
Before and after shots of Nala a shaggy/wavy goldendoodle, after her first haircut
The F1B Goldendoodle
An F1B goldendoodle has one goldendoodle parent and a standard poodle parent, so they are three quarters poodle. These cuties usually have tighter curls and have more of that poodle look. Standard poodles are wonderful dogs and have a reputation for being very loyal and fast learners. So if you like that poodle-like temperment with a little of that friendly, gregarious retriever thrown in, an F1B might be perfect for you.
Charlie, an F1B goldendoodle inherited that doodle love of travel… and posing
F1Bs tend to shed less (if at all) than even an F1 doodle, so if you have more severe allergies and are looking for the more hypo-allergenic option, an F1B is probably the safest bet.
Their temperment is quite similar to the F1s, however some F1Bs get a little more of that poodle love of jumping. Unless they are a mini, you should either look up Youtube training videos or enroll in puppy classes so they learn early on to get attention by sitting and waiting instead of jumping up. They are such fast learners and do so well that’s it’s a shame not to get them into training early. They love to learn and are often good role models for other dogs in the classes.
Lily Grace, an F1B goldendoodle, has a flare for style
Grooming your F1B doodle may be too much for you to totally handle on your own. Brushing them out is easy enough, but to actually give them a good hair cut, you will need clippers and some know-how. Most owners of F1Bs say they take their doodles in for grooming and maintenance every 6 weeks to 2 months to keep them looking sharp. They can have long beautiful coats, but you have to work at keeping those long beautiful locks.
Maple, an F1B Doodle always looks great even though she’s always on the go
Grooming and F1B is also a little different than an F1 Goldendoodle. As we said earlier, an F1B will have a curlier coat with tighter curls, similar to a poodle. With this type of coat you will need to keep an close eye out for matting as they don’t lose that undercoat naturally. You can think you are keeping them well brushed out, but unless you get down to the skin when combing them, it’s common that they will have mats at the base of their coat. When that happens your groomer will usually suggest a pretty short haircut.
A Word on Training
Goldendoodles are fast learners and usually the star of their training classes
We touched on this earlier but both F1s and F1Bs are generally very easy to train. Both doodle types love to please and are usually the star of their training classes as they are generally fast learners. We do recommend doing some form of training for your goldendoodle. They are wonderful dogs, but are not born angels. They need to be taught manners and love to learn new things. Also, if you have any problem behaviors, regular contact with your trainer can often help you nip things in the bud.
Many doodles make excellent service dogs or companion dogs, so whether you take them to the more basic training classes that are offered at many pet stores or go with a more skilled and in depth trainer, early training is highly recommended. A little bit early on can go a long way.
