Bonding with your Goldendoodle

Bonding with your Goldendoodle


If you are a multiple dog owner, it will be your decision if you want your new puppy to bond more closely with you or the other dogs in the family. As a multiple dog owner and breeder, I want to create a Puppy that desires my companionship and attention more that any other animal or person. I want my puppies to watch my every movement looking for clues as to what we are going to do next or what is going on when I am around. I have accomplished this bonding process by not allowing my puppies access to my adult dogs once the pups have been weaned and by trying to be the most important person in their lives by spending as much time as possible with them....speaking to them and interacting with them quite frequently. I do allow my puppies supervised visits with our other puppies of similar ages, several times a day and for up to 1 - 2 hours each. It is very important that our puppies become social with each other and not damage their temperaments by attacking or bullying each other. No contact at all is better than contact that results in harm. This is why supervised interactions are important and this prevents any one puppy becoming the "alpha" in a group. Our puppies KNOW that I am the only alpha and NO means NO. I do socialize my puppies with our other puppies as much as possible. Again, this is supervised . True puppy obedience can only be accomplished by attending puppy kindergarten, however,

I do not recommend doing formalized puppy obedience classes at a young age unless it is totally non compulsive.

The reason for this is because you will want your puppy to be fully vaccinated in case another pup in the class is ill.

The best age for beginning obedience classes is approx. 12-14 weeks. Classes are sometimes held at your local YMCA or school.....sometimes your veterinarian will have information regarding puppy classes.



I also do not allow my puppies to have contact with unknown persons or dogs regardless of their owner’s assurance that their dog is social and that they have NOT previously visited other breeders or handled other puppies. Too many times in the past, we had customers show up and while holding our young puppy, claim they had just left the "Local animal shelter" or another breeder or a pet store. Sadly, this ill-begotten behavior of those who believe it necessary to handle MORE than one puppy just to "find their perfect family pet" can be very detrimental to a breeder’s young puppies. In 2004, We discovered that Goldendoodles do not always respond to certain puppy vaccinations and are not always fully protected if their immune system does not respond to a particular type of vaccine. After much discussion with the company that we purchase our puppy vaccines from, we switched our puppy vaccines to NEO-PAR and have had great success because this vaccine can be given to puppies as young as age 3 weeks. We also decided to stop allowing families to come into contact with any of our puppies...regardless of breed...during their puppy search, unless they had first submitted our puppy application and their payment for one of our puppies. Changing our policy and putting an end to allowing families to make their own puppy selection has greatly reduced the parvo issue for us and by sticking to a strict policy of absolute NO contact until the family is ready to come out and pick up their pre-paid puppy has kept our puppies from becoming ill from parvo and distemper thus far. Too many people who believe they must handle or come into contact with multiple puppies in order to make a puppy purchase are in total and absolute denial. One interaction with an ill dog or puppy can wreak havoc with a breeders' young puppies. We had some people say "Well, you DO vaccinate your puppies don't you? " Why YES...we DO! But one or two puppy vaccines does NOT fully protect a young pup and what that person who makes this statement doesn't realize is...AFTER you've handled a group of puppies just to make a selection of ONE, to take home, the others MUST RETURN INDOORS where other puppies are that are too young for puppy vaccines. Let the Naysayers say NAY....our puppies have stayed alive and well because of our strict change of policy. It is also important to know that it is very dangerous to bring YOUR dog to a breeder's home to "visit" with their young puppies. People who believe their dog is NOT other dog aggressive are also in denial. Older dogs can become jealous or protective of their owner and view a young pup as a threat. Even the calmest dog can turn aggressive towards a new young puppy.

A particularly aggressive dog could permanently disfigure or even kill your puppy. Our puppies who are too young to go outside, are raised indoors. If they are still with us when they are old enough to go outside, they are placed in a safe Kennel run with another puppy or pups their age and size. I bring a toy or treats and act delighted to have the puppy jump on me and greet them each and every time with enthusiasm. I pet , praise and create intense amounts of verbal and physical interaction. It is easy to see a puppy become excited when you change your tone to a higher pitch and speak to them in "baby" talk. I then may play chase, attention or retrieve games. When bonding with your Goldendoodle puppy, it is important that it is only you and the puppy and that this interaction is the highlight of the puppy’s day. When there are others in the home, such as children, one on one time is important with each child in a quiet room until the puppy is old enough to realize that more than one child is NOT a threat, but instead, a greater way to have fun!!! Take your puppy for plenty of walks, off leash if possible, in the park or woods. Again, ONLY after he or she has had all of their puppy vaccinations and especially their Kennel cough vaccine. If their attention lags, quickly run and hide behind a tree. You can use sounds....whistle....use a clicker or make silly sounds. When your Goldendoodle finds you, reward him or her with lots of praise and a nice, healthy treat.



The next time you hide, your puppy should find you more rapidly. Eventually your Goldendoodle puppy will always keep an eye on you so that you don’t escape. Teach your puppy to do play "retrieve" of a ball or bone. When the puppy returns with the toy, either trade him or her a treat for the object or throw another toy in the

opposite direction after he drops the first one. Do not create conflict by trying to take your puppy's toy with no reward. Doing this will cause your puppy to stop retrieving and to start teasing you with the toy and playing keep away. Play tug of war with your puppy but never get in your puppy's face and growl at her. If your puppy growls during play, reduce the level of the fight you are giving him or her so that they do not need to growl. Never allow your puppy to bite you in anger. This is very important!

A puppy allowed to do this becomes a dangerous adult that does not understand their place in this world. Do whatever is necessary to correct this behavior but do not go overboard and damage the puppy’s temperament. When having temperament issues, we always advise our customers to locate an "INHOME" canine trainer so that they can come into the home....observe the interactions of the family with their puppy or dog and this way they can help show the family what corrections are needed in order for everyone to get along and live happily together. Sometimes, a puppy owner will mistakenly believe their dog is aggressive when in fact, there is just a misunderstanding between puppy and owner that is correctable. If your puppy steals socks or other off-limits items, make him or her bring them to you and trade the sock for food or a yummy treat. If your puppy drops it en route, make him or her return to the item and pick it up. Then I say, (In an alpha voice) “trade" and make the exchange. Put the object in front of their face and say, “this is a phooey." Then put the forbidden object away and that is the end of it.

Never chase your puppy for stealing things or hit them. As the puppy becomes an adult, they will lose interest in these items because they did not receive negative attention and reinforcement for the undesirable behaviors. We do have house dogs in our home as well as outdoor dogs. However, time in the house is time spent with me, not the pack. Every dog that we own gets daily interaction from us and they look forward in seeing us as well as spending time with us. When I am taking a nap, my house dogs will know that it is time to lay down and all three will pile onto the bed in their respective places. None compete for attention because they know that they will get the attention and our outdoor dogs know that if any show jealousy or begin a spat with each other, that this is undesirable and they will be reprimanded for it. When your puppy is at least one year old, allow them to spend more time with your other dogs, if you own multiple dogs. However, if you have a dog in obedience classes,

continue to allow the dog very limited exposure to other dogs for the duration of their competitive classes.



In many animal-breeding programs the entire process of selection and management is founded on the belief that performance is inherited. Attempts to analyze the genetics of performance in a systematic way have involved some distinguished names such as Charles Darwin and Francis Galton. But it has only been in recent decades that good estimates of heritability of performance have been based on adequate data. Cunningham (1991) in his study of horses found that only by using Time form data, and measuring groups of half brothers and half sisters could good estimates of performance be determined. His data shows that performance for speed is about 35% heritable. In other words only about 35% of all the variation that is observed in track performance is controlled by heritable factors, the remaining 65% are attributable to other influences, such as training, management and nutrition. Cunningham's work while limited to horses provides a good basis for understanding how much breeders can attribute to the genetics and the pedigrees.

Researchers have studied this phenomena and have looked for new ways to stimulate individuals in order to improve their natural abilities. Some of the methods discovered have produced life long lasting effects. Today, many of the differences between individuals can now be explained by the use of early stimulation methods. More can be read regarding Early Neurological Stimulation over the internet.

Leadership is essential to our canine companions. It is important that your dog knows he can trust you to be the “leader." In times of stress or uncertainty a dog that defers to you is getting effective leadership. The leaders communicate a sense of safety and trust that make it clear to the dog that things are under control. It is important that the dog knows that his leader is capable of handling this role. If this is not clear a dog may decide to take charge himself. Many times confusion about leadership roles can lead to undesirable behavior and sometimes injury.

Leaders calmly Control the resources the dogs need, crave and enjoy . More can be learned about Leadership and your canine simply by signing your Goldendoodle puppy up for obedience school. Dog Training Tips and Puppy Training Resources are usually provided to new doodle owners when they begin puppy Kindergarten classes. Proper dog and puppy training is essential for every Goldendoodle, its owner and family. Training your Goldendoodle should absolutely be a top priority the moment you bring him or her home. Learn to train your dog using canine training tips, articles and basic puppy training advice through canine obedience classes so that both you and your Goldendoodle have a healthy and happy start!

*Author/breeder: Dee Gerrish of Goldendoodle World This article is copyright protected-1999. This blog or its images may not be reposted or redistributed without the expressed written permission by its author, Dee Gerrish.


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