Labradoodles at Rainmaker Ranch
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International Labradoodle Association

Labradoodle Dog Care
 
 
 

Labradoodle and Australian Labradoodle Care

 Problem Behaviors are best left to the experts. We recommend the following excellent resources: We follow and recommend: A great beginning: We start to train and work with our puppies from the first day, socializing as well as following the suggested guidelines of the best trainers in the US. Using sounds, influences and small tasks to help your puppy be a easy going, fun loving, social and well trained adult. Trainers tell us that the most important time for your puppy is between 8 and 11 weeks so we work with you to understand what you can do to continue to prepare your puppy for the world.

Training: We recommend training your puppy as much as possible. The best puppies know their boundaries and are taught what is expected with love and devotion. The sooner your puppy is trained the sooner it is given more freedom. Therefore, strict training results in big rewards for puppy and owner. Labradoodles are easily trained. They should be completely potty trained within 4 to 6 weeks after pick up. Most are sitting, staying, shaking paws, and retrieving by 3 months of age, many can get the newspaper and more by then with proper attention. Puppies will jump up and it takes time and consistency to break this habit early.

Crate training or room training is recommended. First I will cover crate training then room training.

Crate Training: First get over the fact that to you it is a cage, to them it is a safe place when they are alone, safe from outside things and noises puppies have yet to become fearless of. They view it as their cave, a place they can sleep with the piece of mind. The crate should be just big enough for them to stand up, walk in a circle, and lay down. This is a different size at 8 weeks as it is at 4 months. Therefore I like something like the Life Stages Ultima Triple Door Folding Dog Crates from Petsmart where there is an additional wall that can be adjusted to increase the crate size as the puppy grows. It should contain toys. Bedding is typically used to pee on so do not use bedding until later once the dog can easily go all night without "going". I think the crate should be in a room, a selected safe room that later when the crate is no longer used becomes the place that when visitors come over who are not "dog people", the dog would stay in while these visitors are there. The first night the crate can be in a bedroom close to people and then later moved into the safe room if you desire. Some puppies pee in their crate at first and some don't, have patience. The point of the crate is to discourage peeing for a period of time. First an hour or two and at night, then gradually longer. The point is to take the dog out before it has to go to the bathroom and as time goes by it can hold it longer and longer. Never more than 4 hours except at night when at first I recommend you get up twice during the night and let the puppy out, after two days wait and let the puppy out once in the middle of the night, gradually extend the wait time an hour until finally they have gone all night. After a few months I recommend graduating to room training. Remember to remove food and water an hour or more before leaving the dog in the crate, the puppy should be let outside and empty when left in the crate. At night take food/water away by 5pm so the puppy is really empty for the night. NEVER LEAVE A COLLAR ON IN A CRATE.

Room Training: Select a safe room that when visitors come over whom are not "dog people", the dog would stay while the visitors are there. For example an extra bathroom or utility room. It should contain a wee pad (if needed) and toys. Bedding is typically used to pee on so do not use bedding until later. Some puppies pee in their space at first and some don't, have patience. This is the reason for the wee pad, see "wee pad" for how this is used and gradually removed. The point of the room is to discourage peeing for a period of time and keep them out of trouble. First an hour or two and at night, then gradually longer. The point is to take the dog out before it has to go to the bathroom and as time goes by it can hold it longer and longer. Never more than 4 hours except at night when at first I recommend you get up twice during the night and let the puppy out, after two days wait and let the puppy out once in the middle of the night, gradually extend the wait time an hour until finally they have gone all night. The room should be used up to a year when you are gone and at night. The sooner the puppy is trained and you can trust them the sooner they have free roam of the house. Remember to remove food and water an hour or more before leaving the dog, the puppy should be let outside and empty when left in the room. At night take food/water away by 5pm so the puppy is really empty for the night.

Wee pad: We put wee pads in the utility room when the puppies move into there, the wee pad is placed to one side. They have some chemical that draws the puppies...anyway if given the choice I am sure the puppies would "go" outside if they could go at anytime. Take them out as much as possible, the point of the wee pad is an emergency situation only. Eventually they only use the wee pads at night. I suggest the wee pad be placed close to bed, in their "room" or at the back door in case someone doesn't notice them at the door. It works like this...don't punish them for using the wee pad but don't congratulate them either, congratulate them when they go outside. Eventually they select to please you versus the wee pad and then they just stop using the wee pad. When it is dry for a few days take it a way....done.

Food: We recommend free food and water all day if you are home. Remember to remove food and water an hour or more before leaving the dog in the crate/room, the puppy should be let outside and empty when left in the crate/room. At night take food/water away by 5pm so the puppy is really empty for the night. We use the best puppy food available, IVD, Innovative Veterinary Diet, puppy for our puppies, it is only availabe through a vet. We provide a supplement of ProBalance Canine; it is a powder we stir into the food each day. We do not feed people food to our dogs ever. When you pick up your puppy we give you a bag of food so you can continue it or mix it with whatever you desire slowly decreasing the amount of IVD over time. ProBalance is also only availabe at the vets office. If you are interested you can call AVN Global Sciences, ProBalance Canine, at 888-877-8482 to find a distributor in your area.

Vet Visits: Your new puppy will have been to our vet 5 times by the time you get him/her at 8 weeks, received deworming meds as well as 1st puppy shots. You will need to follow a series of follow-up puppy shots every 3 weeks for 3 more visits. You can start heartguard and frontline at 10 weeks of age. We use both and puppies receive heartguard via the nursing mom. Then the puppy goes to regular vet checks every 6 months. Labradoodles are typically very healthy and if breed correctly have little health problems.

Home Care: F1B and Multigen Labradoodles require the following care.
  1. Grooming Process- A labradoodle can keep the long coat and be scissor cut about once or twice a year only. Leave the coat grow to about 6 inches and cut back to 2 inches and start all over again.
    1. Brush
    2. Thin mats with thinning shears
    3. Trim shorter around lips, eyes and tush (under the tail) and around edge of feet and under feet
    4. Wash with shampoo and spray with a detangler
    5. DO NOT brush again, treat it like a human perm. either air dry or dry without brushing. This keeps hair corded not fuzzy.
    6. For short term mat care, thin area with thinning shears, brush just the area, spray with water and let air dry.
  2. Winter months if in snow we trim the feet edge and under more often to reduce ice from forming in paws and around paws.
  3. Summer months, labradoodles love to swim so keeping them clean is not as hard as keeping them dry. We cut our labradoodles shorter at the beginning of each summer...we live in Florida so it makes sense. A groomer can do this as above, just ask for a 2 inch cut all over, make sure they know it is a labradoodle and don't cut it like a poodle!
  4. Ears require pulling out the excess hair. You can do it yourself with tweezers, your fingers, or go to a groomer 3 times a year and they will do it with the regular bath and brush. If wax builds up ask the vet for an ear cleaner solution, you simply squirt it in and paper towel it off. Keeping ears clean and hair free is very important.
  5. For healthy teeth I like and use Dental Ring by Omega Paw at Petco and our dogs have the whitest teeth. We give them these about every other month to chew on, they leave a small mess of cardboard after, but it is well worth the trouble.
  6. Toe nails, the groomer and occasionally you can do it with a trimmer, I just trim the curl off to avoid bleeding. We do not amputate dew claws, they can be cut just like the other toe nails. You don't need your little finger either but you would not remove it.
  7. For the big stuff, here in Orlando we use Furry Clean 407-468-4944 .


Our favorite training book is Good Owners, Great Dogs,by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson.
Top Dry Dog Foods

Our Beautiful Labradoodles

(c) 1995-2007 Photos and Text, Rainmaker Ranch Labradoodles