Hardware for your Puppy:
What supplies should you have on hand when you bring home your new family member? (Each of these items is linked to more detail farther down)

•   Bowls for water and food
•   Dog food (initial bag provided by Naper Doodles)
•   Crate or wire frame kennel for containment
•   Collar and ID tags and Leash
•   Bed or Sleeping pad
•   Pooper Scooper and poop baggies (for trips away from your yard)
•   Snacks, treats for training, chews
•   Toys
•   Grooming tools, nail trimmers, shampoo
•   Carpet spot remover (no, they don’t come fully trained, sorry!)
•   Invisible Fence or another dog-friendly containment plan
•   Training Plan: Some of our thoughts on training, including chasing kids, nipping, chewing and potty training!  We have also provided our favorite list of Training Words. 

Water bowl and food bowl
There are two good options in food and water bowls: either the no-tip, skid proof stainless bowls or heavy, flat-bottom ceramic bowls.  They are both easy to clean; the stainless ones won't break, but the ceramic are more decorative.  Puppies and dogs should have fresh water available all day, but until they are potty trained you will want to move it out of reach a couple hours before bedtime.  You may want an additional water bowl for outside as they get older.  

Dog Food
It is best to start feeding with what your breeder is feeding.  Naper Doodles has been feeding your puppy Kirkland Puppy Food (from Costco).  Although we think this is a terrific food for your pup, you don’t have to stay with the same brand.  Please take a look at Sarah Irick's Dog Food Scoring Guide before you decide on which food to use.  It is very important to your dog’s health! 

Customers will receive a bag of Kirkland Puppy food, an ample amount to transition their puppy to a different food if necessary. When changing feeds you should mix 25% of the new feed and 75% of the old feed for two days. Then mix 50% new and 50% old for two days.  Finally, mix 75% new and 25% old for two days, then you can start feeding 100% of the new food. 

You will want to feed your young puppy three times a day.  Naper Doodles has been feeding at 8am, 12 Noon and 4pm.  Put the food down for 15 minutes and let the puppy eat all he wants with few distractions.  You should make sure the puppy eats at least a couple of hours before he goes to bed.  For potty training it might also help to take up the pup’s water a couple of hours before he goes to bed in his crate.  If he gets diarrhea, you can feed him a tablespoon of 100% Canned Pure Pumpkin at each meal until it stops.   

Crate or Kennel
You will need a crate. There are many styles of crates available, but I use the hard sided plastic kind because they tend to be more den-like and the dogs prefer them.  Wire crates allow more visibility and can be turned into a cave by draping with a big towel. Another crate I've fallen in love with is a soft sided travel crate available from Costco for about $40. These fold down to travel and then zipper up into a full size Large crate once you arrive at your destination.

Size? Your puppy will eventually be a 25-35 pound dog, and a comfortable crate for the upper end of that scale is 20" x 32" and 26" high.  I like to have a crate available for the car when they are puppies (and not potty trained), so if you don't mind purchasing a smaller crate for puppy-hood then a smaller crate (approximately 18" x 24" and 18" high) will last until the pup is about 6 months old.

It is most important to have the proper crate size while potty training your puppy.  He should have enough room to turn around and lay down. For the first few months, you can add a snug-fitting box to the back end of a larger crate to make it smaller. If the puppy has too much room then he will soil in one corner of the crate, sleep in the other corner, and crate training will be harder.  Once the puppy is potty trained the box can be removed.  Place your crate near a door, but also in a location where your puppy can be part of the family. Always take the puppy out the same door to potty until the skill is mastered.  If he soils the crate it should be cleaned immediately so he doesn't become familiar with being near the smell.  

Collar
Your puppy will wear a 10-12” collar when he/she comes home. When your puppy has its collar on, you should be able to fit two fingers under the collar.  Because puppies grow so rapidly, you should check the fit often.  While they are still young, try to find a collar that has many size adjustments so it can be let out while your puppy grows.

As your puppy gets a bit older you may want to try the Easy Walk™ Harness in the appropriate size (15 pounds and up).  I have found these are very useful and my girls think they can’t cross the “Invisible Fence” line without wearing their harness (of course they don’t notice that I took the Invisible Fence collar off at the same time I put the harness on).  

Identification Tag
Boomerang Tags™ can be ordered online and are shipped quickly.  They have a terrific I.D. tag design that fits inline with your dog's collar, instead of hanging off and jangling or begging to be chewed! We like the stainless steel version. 
 

Leash
We like to use a 5-6 foot leash. These come in ½” width nylon, 1” width and thick ropes.  I find that 2-3 of the thinner five foot long leashes are very handy in the beginning.  Keep one by the door, one in the car, etc.  I believe the leash is a powerful tool for this challenging time.  Try keeping the puppy on one end of the leash and an adult on the other (on your wrist or tied to your belt) whenever they are out of the crate.  For potty training, nipping and chewing, I find it works well to have the puppy right next to me so that I can catch them doing things right and reward them.  They also learn that being close to humans garners more attention, so they will prefer to be with you in the future and to look for your attentions.
Please do not purchase retractable leashes…they are not good for training.  

Matt or Cushioned Bed
Thinner cushions are nice because you can throw them in the wash.  Make sure to buy them large enough as your tiny puppy will be 25-35 pounds when full grown.  Costco often carries big dog beds we like which have a zippered cover that can be removed and washed.

Pooper Scooper, Baggies
The scooper that we like best allows you to pick up poop using one hand and standing upright.  It is plastic and has a spring action long handle that you squeeze to open, then it closes firmly.  These are available at Pet Smart (called JAWS™) or on the web (by many different names) and they look like the photo at right.  I would stay away from the two piece rake/dustbin type scooper as they get VERY messy.  Also stay away from anything that requires you to bend over to use it!               

You can find baggies from the most basic all the way to designer fashion.  They can be shaped as a bag or as a glove.  The important thing is that they do the pickup job and close/tie tightly to eliminate the smell during your outing!   

Invisible Fence™
This is a fairly large investment ($1-2K depending on the size of your yard), but we have found that with a few months of training the Invisible Fence™ has changed our lives and allowed our dogs much more freedom.  When you pick up your Naper Doodle I will provide you with a $100 gift certificate for Invisible Fence Brand™.  There are many other brands available, including the type you install yourself, but I have heard of people struggling with other brands. I have everything positive to say about Invisible Fence brand, both the product and the service.   

Baby/Dog Gates
Not a requirement, of course, but a great option as a puppy learns where his areas of the house are.  We love “The First Years” Baby Gates… they allow you to step on a release and bump with you leg if your hands are full.  

Carpet Spot Cleaner
Nature’s Miracle™ Spot Remover is excellent and can be purchased at most pet stores.  Lately I've also been using Resolve™ "For Pet Stains" which is available in most grocery stores.

Doggie Treats & Chews
Using kibble as a treat is a great idea, especially in the beginning when you can hand feed the puppy in order for them to learn just who the "good stuff" is coming from, and thus who is Master.  When you are truly training, though, I'd use something tastier than kibble.  I like to use string cheese or liver treats when training, something very small but with a big punch of flavor.  Since my kids like to hand over treats more readily than I do I usually have a bag around of something more like a cracker.

•   A great treat to use for very young puppies is Cheerios (or Honey Nut Cheerios).  Giving the pup a low-calorie treat like Cheerios gets him used to the idea of treat-training without giving him so many calories that he cuts down on his nutritionally balance puppy food.
•   Triple Crown Treats smell good and break in half.  They can be found at DOG.com.
•   Nylabones for *aggressive chewers* and Bully sticks are both safe chews. Don't get the Puppy (soft & chewy) Nylabones because they break apart and get lodged in the intestine. The ones for aggressive chewers are infused with either chicken or liver taste and our dogs will spend hours working at them, never breaking off a piece that might hurt their intestines.
•   Note:  Do not give your puppy/dog raw hide treats.  Raw hides are dangerous if any dog swallows large chunks. The hide expands as it is warm and wet and can lead to an intestinal obstruction.
•   Kongs™ are a good tool to use when you are away from home, or you need your puppy to spend some time alone in their crate.  Kongs keep them focused on something pleasurable rather than focusing on you leaving.  They are hard rubber toys that can be stuffed with snacks, but since it’s difficult for the puppy to get the treat out they spend minutes to hours working at it.  I stuff Kongs with their dog food and peanut butter.  A trick I have learned is to stuff the Kong before I leave, toss it in the crate with the puppy watching, and shut the door.  By the time you are ready to leave the only place they will *want* to be is in that crate with their Kong!
•   Pet Smart and Discount Pet Direct each have a good selection of chews for your new puppy.

Toys
Playing with toys helps puppies develop motor skills.  When they come home they will be teething, just like a human child teethes-- it is uncomfortable and they will want to chew on things (anything!) to make their gums feel better. Just make sure you choose indestructible toys that don’t have parts that can be chewed off.  Kongs, mentioned above, are great to stuff and all dogs love them!  Cotton squeaky toys and rope bones are favorites.   Empty milk jugs or water bottles work in a pinch-- just take off the lids and throw them away, clean the jugs and let the puppies chew and play.  Take the jugs away if the puppy starts to chew off small pieces.  

Grooming Tools & Directions
You should brush your puppy often to get him/her accustomed to the routine. The biggest mistake most people make is not brushing all the way down to the root where mats start. As your puppy’s adult coat starts to come in (around 6-9 months) there is often some matting of their fur. The hair in your dog’s brush or comb is the puppy hair coming out.  Many Doodle owners choose to shave their dogs during this time to eliminate matting. Usually, once the adult coat has finished coming in, a good brushing each week will keep matting at a minimum.

Some owners don’t want to deal with regular brushing and prefer to keep the coats of their doodles cut to 2-3 inches. You can do this yourself, or you can pay to have a groomer do this. If you choose to keep your doodle clipped shorter, you can expect to do this about every 3-4 months. Other owners like the shaggy look, and want a Doodle’s coat as long as possible. Leaving this amount of hair requires some maintenance in the way of brushing, combing, and keeping tangles from forming. Brushing and combing your Doodle at home not only helps keep him looking good and keeps your grooming costs down, but also provides for special bonding time between you and your dog.  

Some grooming tools that you may want to try are steel combs and slicker brushes. I use a steel comb to brush my dogs out weekly. A Slicker Brush is a good product for general brushing. I have heard wonderful things about Les Poochs brushes for dogs with Wool coats. They are too expensive for my blood (over $40 each) but I understand they are well worth the money on coats that have more problems with matting.

If your Doodle gets badly matted, you will most likely need to have a groomer remove their coat and let them grow it out again. De-matting at a groomer can be uncomfortable for the dog and very expensive. Regular brushing will keep you away from this problem!  

Nail Trimmers
I like the side trimmers that look similar to a pair of pliers in shape, rather than the guillotine tool.   If you clip their nails yourself, it’s best to get a quick training session from your Veterinarian or a Groomer so you understand the location of the vein inside each nail and how to clip only the excess nail. I’d also recommend buying a Styptic powder, called Kwik-Stop, or styptic sticks just in case you clip the nails too short. This stops the bleeding quickly. If this all sounds like too much to handle then your Vet or Pet Smart can easily take care of clipping the nails for you.  
 

Shampoo
The best canine shampoo that we've found is called MinkSheen from Touch of Mink. MinkSheen combines shampoo, conditioner, antibacterial formula and insect repellents in one solution.  This can only be found online, so we purchase it by the gallon and it comes with a great pump spout. Our dogs smell wonderful and their fur is beautiful because of this shampoo. I highly recommend it! We like this shampoo so much that customers will receive a 2oz sample, complements of Naper Doodles, with your puppy kit.  

There are a few suggestions that we can make to ease your first few days home.  Your Naper Doodle has been living with siblings in a room just off our kitchen with attention to the whole litter from our family.  Living in a new home, without siblings but with the sole attention of a whole family, will be a transition for your pup and I hope the items below might help.

SCHEDULE  Your puppy has been on a schedule at Naper Doodles that works for us. I will detail that schedule, but please be assured that your pup is VERY malleable and needs to be reset to your family's schedule as soon as possible. Your puppy has started crate training at night (more on that below).

•    They wake at about 7am and are brought out of their crate to go potty.
•    They immediately receive food and water and the food is left down for 20-30 minutes.
•    Water is left down for the whole day and taken up at 6pm.
•    They eat again at 12 Noon and again at 5pm, both times with the food available for 20-30 minutes. We put down more food than they will get through and alter the amount if we see them getting through it during the time it's down-- you should do the same.
•    The pups play together and sleep alternately for the whole day, with frequent visits from our family during sleepy and waking times.
•    The pups don't get any food or water after 6pm and they have about 4 hours to clean out their systems before bedtime. We love them up plenty during both day and evening! 
•    At 10pm they go into their crates, and by the time they are 8 weeks old they are sleeping in their own crate. They are sleeping from about 10pm till about 7am by the time they come home.

SLEEP  You can expect your Naper Doodle to be able to sleep from 10-11pm until 6-7am, without crying or going potty in their crate, when they come home at 8 weeks.  This "night time span" is a huge advantage of Naper Doodles as pups aren't typically trained to sleep in their own crate.  If you don't experience this then I would ask you to make very sure you are stopping food and water at 6pm, and making sure they have a final potty trip outside right before bed.  If there are night time wakings you have the choice to either take them outside-- and make sure it's a "business" trip and not a playful trip --or to enforce the rules. 

Assuming the pup didn't receive any food/water after 6pm, you may "enforce" with the use of a plastic spoon rapped on the top of the crate.  It needs to come quick and short, and to be consistently repeated when they start to make noise until puppy gets the idea that it's not time to wake up yet!  This may sound harsh, but I really like my sleep.  Note:  We have never used this on the pups we breed (we don't have to because they naturally grow into their sleep habits here) but we have used it when we brought our bigger dogs home as puppies at 8 weeks.  I wouldn't suggest this to customers if I thought the puppy couldn't "hold it" from about 10pm-7am, but I know that Naper Doodles can because I have prepared them for you to be able to get sleep. Again, this is completely dependent on the pup not having water/food available after 6pm at night and they had a final trip to go potty before 10pm.  It is very important that you keep the linens in your puppy's crate very clean; otherwise they will get used to the smell of pee or poop in their crate, and think it's okay.

POTTY  Your puppy has been introduced to the great outdoors, but has not been taken outdoors for the express purpose of going potty.  They have become used to using the "potty area" indoors.  The rest of their area has been kept very clean, so they are used to going to the bathroom away from where they play and eat.  When removed from their pen for playtime our puppies will nearly always try to move away from humans to find a place to potty.  We can use this to our advantage by "leash training" the puppy, which can work in conjunction with crate training. When your pup is not in his crate it will speed potty training if he is on a 5 foot leash either being held by, or attached to, his human.  If you have a late Fall/Winter puppy you might try using a pee pad, removed from the main living area but in sight and easy to reach.  Once your puppy is trained to the pee pad it can be moved closer to the back door and eventually outside.

FOOD  By the time you get home we've already discussed your puppy's dog food, provided you with a sample bag of what we've been feeding him, and directed you to a Grading System for choosing a new food if you would like to switch.  We would like to suggest that you hand feed your kibble, at least one meal per day, for a first month or two.  Hand feeding really locks in your puppy's head exactly where the "good stuff" comes from.  If you have children then we highly suggest that your kids participate in hand feeding your puppy.

SKIN  When your puppy was 7 weeks old he or she had ESN performed and at the same time had a microchip inserted near their shoulders. The microchip is the size of a grain of rice, so the needle is larger than one used for a vaccination.  You may find a small scab from the microchip needle in the first week. I want to alert you of this so you won't think it's a skin problem!  Your puppy's stitches are the absorbing type so they won't need to be removed by your own vet. 

Some other things to prepare for your puppy:

•   This is a terrific article about bringing your puppy home: Patterns for the First Days Home
•   Link to a great game for children in the family to teach safety around four-legged friends

Puppy Training

The successful integration of a puppy into your family calls for some planning. To shape the puppy into the companion you will enjoy for years to come requires quite a bit of time, especially in the first few days home. Before you bring home your puppy you need to decide on what he/she will be permitted to do and what methods will be used to teach him manners. Map out a strategy for consistency. Decide on everything the puppy needs for a comfortable transition from the breeder to his new home.

A puppy inherits some personality traits from his parents. However, as soon as the puppy is born the environment starts to mold and influence the puppy's genetic temperament. The most critical periods of socialization in a young puppy's development happen before the pup reaches 16 weeks of age. The wiring for fear responses and social behavior can be dramatically affected by the puppy's early experiences. If these experiences are good, the puppy will be more apt to be confident and at ease during life; if the experiences are inappropriate, your puppy might develop into a fearful, anxious dog that stresses easily in everyday situations. (Special thanks to Legacy Canine)

Training is so important and I have included some thoughts to get you started. A dog with manners is enjoyable to be around!  Most dogs you find in shelters are there because the owners neglected to train their dog.  That's one of the reasons that Naper Doodles is very careful to place puppies in homes where they can be around their family for the majority of the time, or be with a family that will commit to "Daycare" when they must be away for more than 3-4 hours.  Doodles are highly intelligent dogs and learn things very quickly.  They learn tricks, commands, and all kinds of things… but they also learn bad habits if they are not taught manners.  Puppy kindergarten can start as soon as they’ve had their last set of puppy shots, usually around 14-16 weeks of age.

One of the most important things you can do for training before your puppy comes home is to decide on consistent training words for everyone in the family to use with the pup. For example, OFF, OUT and DOWN can mean the same thing to different humans, but you want it to consistently mean one thing to your dog. Does “Down” mean not to jump, or does it mean to lie flat? If you have had dogs in the past I’m sure you have training words ingrained in your head, but if you would like a list of words I use, and what they mean to our four-legged family members, I’d be happy to share.

As mentioned in the Leash section above, I think keeping your puppy with you at almost all times on a 5 foot leash is a great tool for training, and for teaching a dog that ‘with people’ is the best place to be!

Keep tiny but tasty treats in your pockets at all times, and use them liberally (but only one for each accomplishment)... just find loads of positive things the puppy is doing right. With puppies in the training phase I just fill up both my pockets every morning so I was never looking for the box, bag or jar of treats.  :)  

Chasing Kids  -- BE A TREE!
This area of training is for the KIDS, not the puppy. If kids are excited and maybe a bit scared by a puppy, of course the puppy is going to run after them. “What a fun game!” he thinks. The best cure I have found for this is to teach the kids to “Be A Tree” when they don’t want to be chased by the puppy.

•   To be a tree, you need to "Plant your roots". That means putting both feet on the ground and planting them there. No walking around, no jumping, just plant them.

•   Trees have branches, so you need to "Wrap your branches (arms) around yourself". Take your arms and cross them, or for kids, give yourself a hug.
•   Then "Look at the sky". When you stop making eye contact with a dog, he stops paying attention to you.

The child’s branches are wrapped so the puppy knows there's nothing interesting in those their little hands, and the roots are planted so there's nothing to chase. Trees don't talk so there's no high-pitched voice. The puppy will come over and sniff the kids all over, but they won't jump. If they do, it will be for a few seconds before they just go away. Once they do, the child can relax and eventually be more comfortable with the puppy.  If they need it, remind them 1) no screaming 2) no jumping around 3) no hands held up in the air that encourage puppies to jump. Once kids know how to behave around a puppy, the puppy will have an easier time learning manners around kids. (Special thanks to D and L Doodles for the “Be A Tree” description.)   

Nipping
Puppies often bite and nip.  It may be cute as a puppy but it is unacceptable.  My best tip for eliminating this habit as soon as possible is CONSISTENCY. Don’t allow a puppy to do something as a puppy you won’t allow it to do as an adult.  Nipping is how the puppy played with her siblings, and she will try to have the same kind of “fun” with you. If an adult is always attached to one end of the pup’s leash your control is better. The best reaction to a nip is to loudly yelp "OUCH!". If you have children, tell them to use low tones and to be loud and firm about it, a scream or squeal will just make the puppy more excited.

For short training sessions, attach her leash to something stable and in a safe (non chew sensitive) area like the kitchen. Have the kids sit and pet/play with her. If she nips, use "OUCH!" twice, but on the third nip the child says "OUCH!" and walks away. Poor puppy just sits there and is lonely. Give her 3-5 minutes of wondering where her playmate went, then repeat. She'll figure it out. It may not make a visible difference today, but if you are consistent you will see a big difference in how hard she bites over a week or two.

When she puts her mouth on your skin she is trying to figure out 'how hard is too hard?'  Mouthing in itself isn't bad, but if it hurts you need to react quickly and loudly.  This is Naper Doodles' primary reason for not placing pups in homes with very young children-- the reaction needs to come directly from the injured party.  Your puppy needs to learn that "Wow, these silly humans have very delicate skin and just about any kind of bite hurts them!" Now that your puppy has left her “tough-skinned” littermates, she is the perfect age to learn this.  Nipping is definitely a stage and will not continue if the pup is taught appropriate manners.   

Chewing
For chewing, just give her tons of things that she can do RIGHT. I swear by Nylabone "Durable" bones that are infused with chicken or liver flavor.  Be sure to get a size appropriate to your pup as they grow. If your puppy has enough stuff around that she WANTS to chew on, your furniture should be safe while she keeps herself busy on one end of her leash and you sit at the other end  :)  

If she chews something naughty, give her an acceptable substitute.  A product called bitter apple can be sprayed on items to give it a bad taste.  This discourages chewing the wrong items.  

Potty Training
Puppies will rarely go potty inside when they are on a leash and their human is on the other end. If they are on the leash indoors and tied to something (chair leg, handle, etc) they will stretch the leash as far as possible and go potty, but not when they are “attached” to the human. Use the timer if you are fairly busy, set at 20-30 minutes each time, to remind yourself to take them outside for a potty break. Of course reward with treats EVERY time she goes potty outside.  

I usually plan to get up in the middle of the night the first week or two while potty training.  Most pups quickly learn to sleep through the night.  Night time is only for going potty.  Don’t play with the puppy in the middle of the night or your puppy will decide it wants to play every night. 

There is so much more to learn, and I encourage you to visit the library, do some web research, and investigate training opportunities in your area (classes to be taken after your puppy completes the initial series of shots at 16 weeks).

Naper Doodles will always be here to answer questions or point you in the right direction!