Common questions we always get asked is how should I prepare for my Labradoodle puppy or what should I buy for them?
Here’s a list of what we suggest you have:
Here is a link to our amazon page it is broken down by Puppy essentials, grooming tools, helpful books, and just for fun! It is a quick and easy way to shop our favorite products that we use on a daily basis and goes above and beyond what is listed below.
https://www.amazon.com/shop/cnrfarms
Collar and Leash: We suggest using a 4ft or 6ft non-retractable leash or a Leashboss leash(can be found on leashboss.com) for dogs learning how to walk on a leash. This way you can control how much leash your dog has. As far as a collar goes pick which ever style fits you. We love Blueberry brand collars and The Foggy Dog collars. They come in so many fun colors and patterns. Use the code CNRFARMS10 for a discount with www.thefoggydog.com
Harness: I only recommend a harness for older dogs. Using a harness for a puppy can teach them to pull on the leash but once your dog is older and walker loosely on a leash feel free to use a harness. I prefer a padded harness. Harnesses are great for car rides though to connect to a dog seat belt.
Food bowl: We recommend ones that sit on the ground and then placing them on a mat. We use stainless steel or glass ones as they absorb germs less. Also ones that have non skid on the bottom are better. A mat will catch any fallen food and save you a huge mess on the floor. If you have a puppy that eats really fast and and definitely if they throw up after eating I recommend getting a slow feeder bowl. I do use plastic ones of these as they come in many shapes and can be switched every week or so to make it a game. I run them through the dish washer if they need a good cleaning.
Water bowl: We recommend the Slopper Stopper. It is well worth the money. I kept putting one in and out my cart in Amazon for a couple months before finally deciding to try it and then I asked myself why in the world did I wait so long. No more trails of water through the house, no more wet beards(my favorite part), and no more drinking too fast.
Crate: For our minis we suggest 36” crate for adults and a 42” or 48” for mediums/standards. A crate that is a little bigger than needed is better than one that is too small. We suggest you get the adult size crate that comes with a moveable divider so the puppy can grow with it instead of you having to buy several crates as he/she grows. Or either a 24” crate to start and then get an adult size one with a divider when they outgrow that one. Also one with actual latches instead of a pickup door is better.
Puppy Food: We feed Life’s Abundance All Life Stages. We highly recommend you keeping your puppy on this food for at least the first month but we will extend the health guarantee to 3 years if you feed them the entire 3 years and extend it 10 years if you feed the Life’s Abundance and NuVet vitamins the entire 10 years. They are experiencing so many life changes when they go to their new homes we believe changing their food right off shouldn’t be one of them. You can click here lifesabundance.com/cnrfarms to purchase it.
Toys: You can buy toys of all kinds but remember ones that are soft and filled with stuffing probably won’t last too long. These are our dogs favorites. We have so many GoDog dragons around our house..our dogs LOVE them. Kong toys are also great because they are tough, they last, and the dogs love them. We also love outward hound toys.
Shampoo: Make sure you read the back some shampoos are not made for dogs under a certain age. Our favorite shampoo is Life’s Abundance revitalizing shampoo not only does it wash good but the smell is amazing! For parti puppies we recommend using a natural whitening shampoo every other wash but make sure it is natural and doesn’t contain any bleach as this will bleach out the color.
Crate bed: We recommend waiting until they are crate trained to get one of these to avoid having to wash it. This is not a necessary item just a little extra if you want it for you dog. These come in a big price range and you can spend as much or as little it’s up to you. We are a fan of basic crate beds as ours don’t spend a lot of time in their crates and if they get messed up we can just get a new one.
Grooming Tools: We have so many grooming tools but my favorites that I would suggest would be a slicker brush, and a metal comb. A Pin comb and a de-matting brush are extras you can have in your set of brushes if wanted. I do use them on occasion. Again there is a huge price range in brushes. Here is what we use. We have bought so many found these work the best and really are worth the money. I have edited to add the Chris Christensen slicker brush..my new favorite!
Nail Trimmers: If you will be taking your dog to the groomer regularly this is something you can just let them do but if not again a huge price range too choose from. We have several pair like these but they have new ones that detect the quick so you don’t cut it but they are a bit pricey. Most like these have a guard so you don’t cut too much.
Ear Cleaner: We recommend getting Ear Care Formula and cleaning out your dogs ears about once a week to help prevent ear infections. We do this as a part of our routine with our dogs to keep their ears staying healthy.
Stay and Wash: This is something we have found so helpful in washing our dogs. Even the ones who like baths like to hang their head over the side of the tub and it helps keep water in and not all over the floor:) This is something we use every single bath time.
Flea and Tick prevention: We personally use Heartguard Plus and Bravecto. While I’m not a big fan of oral flea and tick meds because of adverse side effects. I have done a lot of research and both of these are some of the VERY few that are approved for breeding dogs. The number one side affect of most oral flea and tick meds is diarrhea and no one wants a constant battle of that and several have caused the death of dogs so please do your research.
Puppy Culture: I very strongly suggest purchasing the DVD for Puppy Culture. This is the program we use to raise our puppies and it continues until the puppy is 12 weeks of age but most of the principles can even be applied to older dogs. Although some of the DVD is for the breeder side of raising I think it is helpful for you to see how your puppy was raised and started so that you can continue the training and continue to build on the foundation we have started.
Just for fun: I have an Etsy store and have some Doodle themed shirts there. I love a good doodle shirt.
https://dapperdoodleco.etsy.com
How big is my puppy going to get?
~If it is a standard male the average puppy is going to be 45-55lbs.
~If it is a standard female the average puppy is going to be 40-55lbs.
~If it is a medium male and female the average puppy is going to be 30-40lbs with some going slightly out of this range.
~ Minis are on average 15-30lbs. Depending on the parents is may lean towards the lower or upper end of this range.
Of course there are always exceptions and those we will list as being the smallest in the litter etc.
What kind of food do ya’ll feed?
~We use Life’s Abundance All Life Stages, it is a highly nutritious food. It has no artificial flavors or colors
and no corn, wheat or corn/wheat glutens
Click here to compare your dog food and find out more info.
The All Life Stage Food is perfect to get your puppy off to a great start!
How do ya’ll raise your puppies?
~ Our puppies are raised in my home. We use Puppy Culture to raise our puppies. We start at just 3 days of age with Early Neurological Stimulation and continue until they leave us at 8 weeks of age. We will work with them on noise and touch desensitization, crate training, clicker training, starting on potty training, and so much more. It helps to create a well rounded confident puppy. We work on manding(sitting for attention) starting around 5-6 weeks. We start the potty training process at 3-4 weeks old with a litter pan. Then at 5 weeks we will begin taking them outside every 2 hours. They will begin to learn that when we go outside that, that means go potty. At 5 weeks we begin crate training by introducing it in the pen and working up to individual time. I like the puppies to be comfortable in their crates for a couple hours upon going home but I always work with where the puppies are developmentally. Puppy Culture has been a game changer for us and our puppies. It really does help shape your puppy into the best puppy it can be.
Is shipping a puppy safe?
~Yes it is completely safe. We have shipped about 30 puppies and we have had several of our puppies shipped to us. We have never had any problems. Our puppies will ride in cabin with us and be hand delivered to you at your nearest airport.
~ You can also fly to us and ride back with the puppy in the cabin with you. We will meet you at the airport with the puppy, soft sided crate, and health check for flight.
How do I make one of your puppies a part of my family?
-The first thing is to make sure you have read the website in its entirety. I work very hard to provide useful information for you as well as our policies are on these pages. For sure check out the Purchasing/Pricing page and the Puppy Benefits page.
-Then fill out a puppy form
-Lastly place a deposit either on the puppy of your choice to hold it or to get on our master list.
Is my deposit refundable?
-No, your deposit isn’t refundable but is transferable to another litter or another puppy for up to a year.
If I have a deposit down on a puppy how and when do I pick mine out?
– Puppy picks will be at 7 weeks. Temperament testing will be done at 7 weeks and results will be sent out then to assist with your decision. Each family will be given 24hrs to choose though most litters picking goes very fast. We will have a meet and greet day at 6 weeks for all the puppy families to come and meet the puppies. If you are unable to make it to meet and greet we can video chat. I am always happy to answer any questions about coats or personality preferences.
What are the best treats for my puppy?
– We recommend Life’s Abundance Tasty Rewards, Buffalo Bully sticks, Turkey & Berry Chewies, hooves, and antlers for your heavy chewers. Our dogs LOVE the bully sticks and will do anything for one. They are a great distraction from chewing on unwanted things like your favorite pair of shoes. The tasty rewards are my favorite treat to use for training.
Please do NOT feed raw hide treats as made contain harmful chemicals and they are a major choking hazard.
Do you have a recommended groomer and what cost should I expect?
-If you are local I highly recommend Guyton’s Wizard of Paws. You do need to book your appointment about 3-4 weeks in advance but they do an awesome job. The pricing of grooming varies depending on the groomer. It can be as little as $65 a groom and up to $200 a groom. I have found groomers in bigger cities charge more.
How often should I brush my dog/take it to the groomer?
-I recommend brushing your puppy daily to start with. You want them to be fully comfortable with the process. When they are 4-5 months old if they are doing well you can change it to 2-3 times a week or every other day depending on the coat type. During coat change though I do go back to daily brushing to prevent matting. This happens around 7-9 months and can last a couple months.
-How often you go to the groomer really depends on how much brushing and maintenance you want to do at home. If you are doing weekly baths and making sure you are brushing to the skin every 6-8 weeks is fine. If you don’t want to bathe at home and want minimum brushing then you probably want to keep your doodle shorter and stick with a every 4 week schedule.
What do the Health Testing ratings mean?
-For hips the rating is done is normal, borderline, or dysplastic. Only dogs in the Normal range with good genetic background are breeding prospects. Any dog that falls into the borderline or dysplastic categories are not to be bred. The Normal rating has 3 subcategories Excellent, Normal, and Fair all of which are good breeding prospects with good genetic background. The Elbow are more simple they are either Normal or Grade 1, 2, or 3. For more information check out www.ofa.org. For DNA clear means simply that they are clear and carrier means they are a carrier of it. You can breed a carrier to a clear and it is safe.
Do you remove the dew claws?
No, and here’s why. For dogs their dew claws are like their thumbs. If you watch when they hold things with their feet they are using those dew claws to help. Their dew claw is attatched to a joint and removing them can cause arthritis later in life.
How much should I feed my dog?
When they come home they will be eating between 1/2-1 1/2 cups depending on the size range of the puppies. While they are growing they will be eating a lot. This is why we suggest going with a higher quality food because you will have to feed less while meeting their nutritional needs. All of our dogs are fed separately according to their weight and the bag recommendation. This has helped to maintain them at a good weight. It is very easy to have an overweight dog which causes stress on their joints. We only increase food by 1/4 of a cup at a time to make sure they are not being overfed.
Do you have a recommended trainer?
Yes, yes, and yes! If you are local to the Savannah/Hinesville area I highly recommend Happy Hounds Dog Training. Her classes are fun and informational. She also offers one on one training and board and train. I have personally used her and she is great.
I also highly recommend Baxter & Bella. This is an online step by step Do-it-Yourself dog training program. It is super informational and will help get you and your new family member off to a great start. I am also a member of this and am super impressed with it. Use our discount code of CNRFARMS to receive a 25% discount on Lifetime Membership. (Click on Logo for link to site)
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