Puppy Care and Training
Caring for and training your Australian Labradoodle puppy is essential for their health, happiness, and development. Our Puppy Care & Training Guide provides tips on nutrition, crate training, socialization, and more to help you raise a well-adjusted dog. From feeding schedules and crate tips to addressing normal puppy behaviors like nipping and jumping, our below guide offers practical advice for building a strong bond with your puppy. You’ll also find insights on exercise, vaccination, and preventive medical care, ensuring your ALD grows up healthy and confident in every stage of life.
Nutrition
Puppies normally need to be fed three times a day until they are six months old.
Provide fresh water during waking hours.
Crate Tips
Make your puppy's crate a fun and safe place.
Place toys and chews in your puppy's crate.
Place your puppy's crate by your bed for first few weeks.
Feed all meals to your puppy in the crate.
Normal Puppy Behaviors
​Jumping, nipping, chewing, accidents and limited attention span: all normal.​
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Reinforce wanted behavior with pets and treats.
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​Ignore unwanted behavior.
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Consult puppy training book(s), and/or a positive reinforcement trainer if needed.
Bonding
​Canine brain science studies have proven the importance of bonding.
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​Spend the first few weeks doing bonding exercises with your puppy.​
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Training comes easier when a dog has a loving connection with its human family.
Potty Outside
Take an eight-week old puppy outside every two hours, after eating and just before bed.
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​Increase time between potty breaks by one hour with every month of age.
Keep your puppy on leash or in a confined area. Watch for signs of having to “go”.
Children and Puppies
Supervise young children around your puppy.​
​Teach children how to read signs your puppy does not want to be held or pet.
Teach children gentle puppy handling.
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If your puppy nips, children should be taught to walk away.
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Seek help from a book or trainer if needed.
Exercise
​Exercise your puppy daily by training, romping in the yard or walking short distances.
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Increase exercise time with age.
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Mental exercise is just as stimulating for puppies. The ALD learns best with problem solving in training.
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Add scent games, flirt pole, short tug-a-wars with rope, or puzzle-type dog toys.
Socialization
Expose your puppy to different surfaces, sounds, smells, sights and people of all kinds.
​Ensure all exposures are positive.
​Build confidence by not being overly protective, nor overwhelming your puppy.
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Puppy socialization classes build confidence in puppies.
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Before their last set of core puppy vaccines, usually at about four months of age, your puppy should be kept away from places dogs frequent to avoid disease.
Vaccines
​Bring health records/vaccine records with you to your first vet appointment.​​
Check with your vet and breeder for information on the dangers of over vaccination. After your puppy's one-year boosters of core vaccines, titers can substitute for the core vaccines.​
R​abies and the non-core vaccines for Leptospirosis and Lyme Disease should be given with a four-week window on each side of no other vaccines. Research whether your dog needs these vaccines.
Preventive Medical Care
Oral prevention for flea and ticks can cause significant side effects. Monthly topical, sold in chemical and natural forms, can be substituted.
Heartworm prevention can be given monthly or tested for every six months. Research this topic to make the best decision for your lifestyle.​
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Pet insurance is less expensive if you start it when your dog is a pup.​