Bonding Exercise

Bonding and getting to know your Kadli Cottage Australian Labradoodle puppy is important right from the start. This is a nice exercise Kadli Cottage clients and families can perform with their Australian Labradoodle puppy to begin establishing your wonderful life-long bond.

Four Reasons for the Bonding Exercise

1. Establishes your dominance (leadership) over your Australian Labradoodle puppy in a non-aggressive manner.

2. It will help you develop a close bond between you and your Australian Labradoodle puppy.

3. Allows you to give your Australian Labradoodle puppy a complete body check everyday. Things such the start of an ear infection, small lumps, ticks, cuts, etc. can go unnoticed and if you catch them early it will be easier to treat.

4. Teaches your Australian Labradoodle puppy that it is OK for you to touch all parts of their body. For example if you need to put eye drops in your puppy’s eyes it will make things a lot less challenging if you have done this exercise right from the start.

Set the Tone

Wait until your Australian Labradoodle puppy has settled and is not in a heightened state of excitement – after a good hearty play session with a few minutes to settle down is a good opportunity. Have the room quiet or with soft mellow music playing. You relax and settle yourself. During this whole exercise, use a slow calming voice. When touching the puppy you should use soft slow stokes. Moving too quickly, pressing too hard can activate and excite the puppy.

Position your Australian Labradoodle Puppy

Sit your Australian Labradoodle puppy facing away from you: kneel, or sit with your legs spread outward, behind your puppy and put them in a sitting position by placing your arm behind and just under their bum and push his chest back with your other hand. Gently tuck him into a sitting position. Do not press down on his bum because it is bad for his hip joints. You can also utilize a treat to lure the puppy in a sit position.

Down your Australian Labradoodle puppy: lift both front legs gently place the puppy in a down position or lure the puppy to the down position utilizing a treat. Do not force them down by pressing on their shoulder blades because this is bad for the shoulders. If your puppy goes to get up at any point during this exercise growl at them (GRRRRRRR) a loud forceful growl like his mother would do and place them back into the down position. You may have to repeat this numerous times initially but this will calm your puppy right down and they will become relaxed.

Begin the Exercise

1. Gently massage the shoulders. Tell your puppy what you are doing throughout the entire exercise (say “shoulders” over and over while you are doing this)

2. Move your hands down the front legs pads of the feet, under the arm pits and under the tail and massage them (say “legs”)

3. Touch between all the webs (between their toes) (say “webs”)

4. Touch all the nails (say “nails”) you can clip them/file them at this point.

5. Move your hands up to the head and start massaging the head (say “head”) your puppy should be very relaxed at this point.

6. Look in the eyes and pull down the eyelid (say eyes) you are making sure everything looks normal, no cloudiness, no guck or rolling in/out of the eye lids etc.

7. Lift up the lip (say “teeth”) you can take a finger toothbrush and brush your puppy’s teeth and massage their gums.

8. Lift up the ears (say “ears”) make sure they are clean and pluck or trim any hair that may be accumulating inside the ear. You can do this by taking your fingers and just pulling it out. It comes out fairly easy and doesn’t hurt them if done a little bit at a time.

9. Move your hands down to the chest and start massaging the chest (say “chest”)

10. Place your puppy on their left side. Check under the stomach, check the pads of the feet, under the arm pits and under the tail. In male puppy’s that are un-neutered check the testicles for lumps because un-neutered males can develop testicular cancer.

11. Place your puppy on his right side by gently rolling them over on their back and then onto their other side. You do this roll by taking hold of all legs and just guide them over. Check under the stomach, check the pads of the feet, under the arm pits.

Once you have completed all these steps say “release” or “free” and give your Australian Labradoodle puppy lots of praise! Then take your puppy outside for potty.

Information found from www.idog.biz

Here is an insightful article found from www.dog.com.

Housetraining your Kadli Cottage Australian Labradoodle puppy doesn’t have to be a headache.

The more vigilant the family is about eliminating your Australian Labradoodle puppy’s opportunity to have accidents and rewarding successes, the quicker and easier the pup is trained, says Julie Jackson, canine behavior coordinator for the Dane County Humane Society in Madison, Wis.

Begin training the first day you take your Australian Labradoodle puppy home.

How often you’ll need to take your Australian Labradoodle outside depends on his activities. Puppies normally need to go to the bathroom after they eat, drink, play, chew, or sleep.

After each of these activities, take your Australian Labradoodle puppy outside on a leash and take along a tasty treat about the size of a pea.

Try to go to the same spot each time. The odor from the previous visits will remind your Australian Labradoodle puppy why he’s there.

Once your puppy starts to eliminate, softly give them praise. (If speaking interrupts your puppy, though, don’t say anything.)

When your Australian Labradoodle puppy finishes, immediately give your puppy the treat and more praise.

Sometimes puppies urinate or defecate more than once per outing. After your puppy relieves himself, don’t rush back inside. Wait a few more minutes just in case.

If you’re outside for more than 10 minutes and your Australian Labradoodle puppy has not gone to the bathroom, but you think your puppy has to, go inside. Wait 10 minutes. Then return outside and try again. Keep this up until your puppy goes.

Make your Australian Labradoodle puppy’s elimination schedule will become more predictable by feeding him the same amount of food, at the same time, everyday. (Sudden diet changes can cause diarrhea.)

To prevent indoor accidents, keep close tabs on your Australian Labradoodle puppy. Jackson recommends using a lightweight, 10-foot leash with a clasp on one end. Tie the leash around your waist or belt loop, and hook the clasp to your dog’s collar.

Now everywhere you go, he goes too. Look for signs that your puppy may need to eliminate, such as sniffing the floor in circles, or trying to run out of sight.

If you’re not home during the day, use a baby gate to confine your pup in a room with tile or linoleum to make cleaning up accidents easier.
During your lunch break, go home to let your puppy outside. If you can’t, consider hiring a pet sitter, or asking a neighbor.

Housetraining pads are an unnecessary step in the housetraining process, according to Jackson. Your puppy is capable of learning right from the start that the appropriate place to eliminate is outside.

When an accident happens, don’t yell, hit or rub his nose in the mess.

If you catch puppy in the act, clap your hands and startle them, she says. Then scoop him up, take him to the backyard, and reward the puppy for finishing out there.

If the puppy goes to the bathroom but you didn’t see him do it, just clean up the mess. Don’t say or do anything.

Your pup will start reliably going outside within several weeks, but Jackson warns not to let the puppy have too much freedom, too soon.

The first night for a new puppy can be very frightening. If it is possible the best way for you to get
a good night sleep and have a contented puppy is to have a crate available at least for the first few
nights or until the pup is house trained. Other wise you can tether your pup near your bed on some
warm soft bedding.
Take the puppy out to the toilet before you go to bed. Then put the pup in the crate with some
bedding even an old piece of your clothing would help and put the crate beside you on the floor. If
the puppy cries during the night, and you don’t believe its because it needs to go to the toilet, it is
then easy to reassure puppy with soothing whispers and some fingers in the crate. The puppy
shouldn’t need to go to the toilet before early morning (if it cries persistently it’s a good idea to
take him outside just to make sure) and most times will sleep contentedly with you nearby for
reassurance.
Once you feel the puppy has grown comfortable with its new surroundings you may want to move
the crate to the place where you want the puppy to sleep. It’s a good idea to keep the puppy
confined at night till you are confident that it is house trained.
If the puppy is to sleep outside I would still keep it locked in the crate for the first few nights to give
it a sense of security and for your piece of mind. Make sure its bed is in a draft free area, with
lots of blankets. Your puppy at the very least should have a raised bed undercover but a doghouse is
much more suitable. Don’t forget it’s been use to sleeping with its mum and litter mates and being
outside alone will be lonely and scary.