While not yet able to master complex or fancy tricks, between 6-8 weeks of age smart little goldendoodle puppies catch on very quickly to some of the earliest, but most basic, training techniques and pre-training exercises. We start by teaching our young Rainfield goldendoodle pups to sit and pay attention or to “Watch me!” which is one of the very first things every dog has to learn in training . Pups that have mastered this basic skill go on to be much easier to train once they mature and are able to retain more information.
If you’ve ever visited with a litter of puppies, you know that it’s no small feat to get three pups to sit nicely on a dog cot, watching you and waiting at attention. Enter our early Rainfield Puppy Training tips.
We actually teach the whole litter to Mand or “Watch ME” at the same time. We start by using high value soft treats initially. At first the puppies are in their own little puppy world, romping around, tumbling and playing. We stand at the edge of the pen and use a hand motion, waiting for one of the pups to notice. The most attentive pup in the litter will be the first to notice and curiously sit down to see what we’re up. We quickly treat the pup with our high value treat. That pup is now sold on this new trick and goes on to repeat it over and over again as they get more treats. Pretty soon, a second notices that something is up and one of their siblings is getting something special. One by the one, the pups stop playing as they realize what’s going on and join in on the activity. Pretty soon we need 10 hands to quickly treat all the little cuties as they sit and wait *not so patiently* for their treat. Later we add a verbal cue. I use ‘watch me’ and ‘sit’.
Adult goldendoodles sitting at attention.
If you are looking for a goldendoodle puppy to add to your family, click here to find out more about our summer litter of goldendoodle puppies for Sale now.
Are you Looking for Crate Trained Goldendoodle Puppies?
We often get asked if we have crate trained goldendoodles puppies and what new doodle owners can expect. The short answer is, yes, crate and potty training is going well and your new doodle already has some other training as well! As small breeders who home raise our goldendoodle puppies, we are always finding new ways to give our/your new goldendoodle puppy the best possible start by crate training, potty training, teaching basic manners and more. Getting a new puppy is a big step, but there are a few things that we feel make it easier to introdue a new puppy into your home. We’ll go over a few of those steps here.
This little boy has learned the place command using a dog cot
Puppies have started potty training, but need reinforcement and constant oversight
Your new goldendoodle puppy is making good progress towards potty training, however, it’s important that you reinforce it by continuing to crate train your pup and following a good schedule. Puppies under a year old should kept in a crate or a playyard when unsupervised to prevent potty accidents, but also to keep them safe and keep your home undamaged. A puppy under a year old is not reliable, no matter how sweet, well-behaved and potty trained they are. Puppies under a year of age may look full grown, but they tend to get those funny ideas to chew your favorite shoes, baseboards, chair legs and so on when bored and left to their own devices.
Playyards are a great way to give your puppy more room to play while keeping them contained. Food, water and a potty area are provided.
Your goldendoodle puppy sleeps through the night in a dog crate.
By the time our puppies go to their new homes at between 8 and 12 weeks of age, your new goldendoodle puppy is generally sleeping through the night in a dog crate. Dogs naturally try to keep their sleeping areas clean, so that night time crate training goldendoodle puppies is an important first step to potty training. If the pups are just 8 weeks old, they have been sleeping with their litter mates, so they may have an adjustment period the first night or two. It’s important to not take them out during the night and to let them learn to settle or else they will quickly learn that whining and barking in the middle of the night is much more fun than settling down to sleep.
Little Rudy just woke up from a nap and is ready to go out to potty
Puppies are eating dry kibble
We start our puppies on dry dog kibble at around 6 weeks old, so by 8 weeks of age, they are generally eating their dry food pretty well. We do suggest that you talk to your vet and determine which dog food they recommend. It should be a high quality dog food that is specifically made for puppies. Once you choose your new dog food, you can start trasitioning your puppy to the new food.
Your doodle pup has their first shots and parasite treatment
Your new puppy has their first of three puppy vaccines. Puppies need a series of three to be fully vaccinated against parvo and other canine illnesses, so you will need to keep them at home or away from places where sick or unvaccinated dogs may have been, such as parks, sidewalks, grassy dog areas, etc. If you take them shopping at pet-friendly stores, keep them in the shopping cart until they’re fully vaccinated.
Doodle puppies all seem to love their first vet visits — or they love all the attention they get from vet and staff
We Have Started Teaching Some Basic Commends and Early Training
Kenny was the smartest little guy. He caught on to everything so quickly.
Your young goldendoodle is smart and learns very quickly. The earlier they are introduced to training concepts, the quicker they catch on to what you are trying to teach them. So before your puppy leaves our home we like to teach them to “Watch Me,” (pay attention), mand (to sit using a hand motion) and to sit before being petted. Any puppies that we have that are older than 8 weeks may also have started learning “Place” on a dog cot, “Settle” and “Go Potty” to teach them to do their business quickly when put outside.
When you pick up your new goldendoodle puppy, we will spend a little time to show you what your puppy is learning and how to keep it up. We will also give you a copy of our schedule that we have the puppies on. You are free to adjust it to your own, but it’s important that when potty and crate training goldendoodle puppies that you do have a good schedule in place.
8 week old doodle puppies know that “Settle” and ‘Place” means treats.
We hope that gives you a little more confidence in adding a new puppy to your home. We know it’s a big decision, but we feel it is so worth it. Goldendoodles are such wonderful dogs, inside and out. Our goldendoodles have added so much to our family, we want to share the love.
Goldendoodle Puppies Available Now?
Little Honey with her new mama
If you would like to add one of these beautiful goldendoodle puppies to your home, call or text Laurie at 281-235-3272, or email laurie@rainfieldgoldendoodles.com. At the moment, we have a beautiful, smart and very sweet litter of cream and apricot F1 Goldendoodle puppies. To find out more specifics about our current pups, click here. We also are expecting another litter later this summer. To see more examples of our grown doodles and puppies with their families, you can visit our Rainfield Goldendoodles Facebook or Instagram.
F1 Cream and Apricot Goldendoodle Puppies Available Now
In our summer travels this year, we noticed more than a few goldendoodles being great travel and vacation buddies. When you meet a dog with good manners, they always stand out. Doodles seem to do really well and are generally very social, but as we like to tell new families, a little early training can go a long way.
Nala is not only a quick learner; she’s on her way to being a Goldendoodle model in Austin, TX
A puppy is so cute, it’s hard to find fault with anything they do, but what’s cute at 2 months could be a whole different cup of tea at a year old. A well bred and well socialized puppy has a good head start, which is what we aim do at Rainfield Goldendoodles, The goal is to raise a dog that’s always welcome and interacts with the world around him or her in a positive, well mannered way.
Cash, an F1 doodle loves to be out and about
Training classes with your Goldendoodle puppies are a lot of fun. They’re such a fun-loving, smart breed and are generally easy to train. We get a lot of reports back of the doodles quickly becoming the stars of their training classes.
Albert, an F1 red goldendoodle, loves outdoor dining at Chuys in downtown Houston
We have had some of our puppies go unto further training for a variety of jobs. There are some great trainers in Houston that can take your puppy through the basics and on through the Canine Good Citizen test and beyond. Doodles love challenges and training opens new possibilities. Get started today!
We hear that Moka, an F1 goldendoodle is already the star of her puppy training class.
