10 Tips To Prep for a New Goldendoodle Puppy

10 Tips To Prep for a New Goldendoodle Puppy

Getting Ready for Your New Goldendoodle Puppy

Tips for Bringing Your New Goldendoodle Puppy home
New Puppy Joy!

So the big day is right around the corner. Any day now you’ll be bringing your new goldendoodle puppy home for the first time. Are you ready? We often get questions from new families on how to prepare for the big day and what our recommendations are to make those first days, weeks or months just a little bit easier. Here are our Top 10 Tips To Prep for a New Goldendoodle Puppy.

Bringing a new puppy home is exciting, but a little preparation can mean a lot less stress and easier transition for you, puppy and everyone involved. During the 8 to 10 weeks of your doodle pup’s life we get them started on basic manners and early traninig. Puppies learn and pick things up very quickly, so a little bit of training can go a long way to getting them off to a good start. By the time they go to your home they have started crate training, potty training, have been expected to sit to be petted or picked up and more. In this post we’ll go over our recommended set up. This is based on what we use in our home for the puppies, but also for new puppies that join our families.

Tip #1 – Crating Your New Goldendoodle Puppy

Crating your new puppy is very important both to potty training, but also for your new puppy’s safety. When you get an 8 week old puppy, it’s like getting a toddler in your home. They need to be watched or kept in a safe place unless they are being overseen. An unsupervisored puppy can chew or eat things that are dangerous or expenisve. Potty training is much harder if they are not contained while they are learning.

We crate our puppies at night, but also for brief periods of an hour or two throughout the day. If they are in the playyard, day time crating is not as essential, but you do want them to look at their crate as their bed and THEIR safe place. You need to close the crate door at night, but during the day if the crate is in a playyard, you can leave it open for them to come and go.

If you are not using a play yard, you can crate your puppy for a few hours at a time. They will need to be taken out to do their business and to run around. This set up works well if you work from home or are home pretty much full time.

Tip #2 – Using a Puppy Play Yard

Apricot goldendoodle puppy in a playyard
Our recommended set up for the first couple months with your new goldendoodle puppy.

If you need to leave your puppy at home for stretches longer than a couple hours, or your work outside the home and plan to come home at lunch to let the puppy out, a play yard will give you more flexibility to leave your pup alone for a little longer while still contained. You can put a smaller crate inside the playyard, or just put a good bed in one corner. Their food and water can be out, and you can have some sort of pee pad in the corner or a litter box. We start training our puppies to use a litter box at about 3 weeks old, so they are generally pretty good by the time they go to their new homes. A pet gate where you puppy is contained in a safe area of your home can work too, but be sure there is nothing your puppy can chew on or damage if they get bored while you’re gone.

You also want to be aware of how your goldendoodle puppy is growing and changing as some learn to jump out of the crate at an earlier age than others which means you either need to try to train them not to jump out, or move on to new methods.

Tip #3 – Chew Toys and More

Your puppy will sleep a lot, so they don’t need to be constantly entertained while in their crate or play yard, but having some good chew toys or meaty bones can give them something to do to keep them busy. We do not recommend cow raw hides as they are not digestible and can cause intestinal blockages, but pig raw hides are fine. Filled cow hooves are a favorite — anything that will take a little time to work through. Just be sure to mix it up every so often..

Tip #4 – Should You Use Puppy Pee Pads, a Litter Box or Astro Turf?

If you plan to contain your puppy using either a pet gate or a puppy play yard, having a potty area can help keep things clean in between outdoor potty times. Puppy pads are great –as long as the puppies don’t chew them. The plastic isn’t good for their tummies. We use a litter pan or box with pine pellet type litter or pelletized horse bedding. There are different types of litter boxes, but your want something with a little depth and that is durable and not too expensive as puppies sometimes will chew it up a little if they’re bored. For older puppies, we like the smaller/medium mortar mixing tubs from Home Depot. Of course this should not take the place of taking your dog outside regularly so they get to doing their business in their outside potty area, but if you have to leave them for 3-5 hours or if it’s a rainy, cold day when it’s hard to take them out, having a potty area will keep their area cleaner.

Astro Turf or artificial grass is another option. We’ve had some families use astro turf on their patio, especially those who live in apartments. You probably don’t want to use this for a large, full grown dog, but with a puppy, you often need to get them out quick in the mornings, so having a potty area close by is helpful. Just be sure to either get the cheaper variety from Home Depot that that you can cut into smaller pieces and throw out when it’s soiled, or have a way to keep it clean so it doesn’t breed bacteria or get too smelly.

Tip #5 — Introducing your Puppy to Young Children or Older Pets

A new goldendoodle puppy can be so much fun
Using a chew toy to teach puppies not to bite our mouth us

The playyard option, a gated area or just plain old crating is really important if you are bringing your new goldendoodle puppy into a home with smaller children or older pets. Puppies are very playful, but they have sharp little teeth and need to learn to respect your child or older pet’s space. So do go slow and do introduce them, but don’t give your new puppy run of the house too soon. Take it slow and keep an eye on how interactions are going and be aware if a break is needed either for the puppy or the child or older pet.

Tip #6 — Constant supervision

Puppies, even those that don’t LOOK like puppies anymore, which to us means a puppy that is under one year of age, can’t be trusted on their own. They are teething, exploring and curious about the world around them. We recommend you keep your goldendoodle puppy contantly supervised until they are a year old. With our dogs, we keep them crated at night or when we are not at home until they are a year old and then we see how they do and ease up gradually.

Tip #7 – Start an Online Training Course

We like to start our puppies on early training exercises and get them used to simple commands like, “Watch me” or “Look”, “Leave it” etc., but, as you will soon discover, puppies learn in stages and it’s a process. One day they’ll be doing so good on the training your giving them. and the next they go through a new stage and seem to have forgotten everything they learn. Be patient. Your efforts to train your puppy will pay off if you stay consistent and keep at it. We recommend starting your new goldendoodle puppy on their training right away. If they have not had all three of their puppy shots yet, they are not ready to attend classes with other dogs, but you can still start their training by using an online training course such as the one month Pupford Course by Zak George, or The Baxter and Bella Training Course. The Pupford Course is free, Baxter and Bella offer a lifetime membership for a reasonable price. You can use our Rainfield Coupon of RAINFIELD25 to get 25% off the Baxter and Bella dog training course. What we like about the Baxter and Bella option is that if you run into a particular problem, say, your puppy is excitement peeing, or resource guarding, etc, you can do a Zoom call with the B&B team and they can see what your puppy is doing, how you are handling it and give you specific instruction on how to deal with that issue.

One your puppy is old enough, you also have the option of taking them out to an outside training course with other dogs, but just make sure you have the go-ahead from your vet.

Tip # 8 Use a Dog Crate Cover

Wire dog crates are our personal favorite. They are light weight, yet sturdy and look pretty good alongside other furniture. If you notice that your puppy is doing a lot of barking though when they see you or other pets or children going about your daily activities and you’re not in a position to let them out right then, go ahead an cover up the crate and it should help them to calm and quiet down.

The same goes for night time. We recommend having your goldendoodle puppy’s crate somewhere quiet and dark, maybe the laundry room or your bedroom, but if they have trouble settling down for the night, go ahead an cover up their crate and make sure it’s dark. We like to put on some night sounds or white noise on our Alexa or Google Home at night.

Tip #9 – Using a Dog Cot

Dog cots are a lightweight, mesh type raised platform that keeps your goldendoodle puppy off the ground. Our dogs love theirs and we go through several of them a year once they wear out. Dog cots are low cost, but pretty durable for the amount of use they get. We love our dog cot for teaching our goldendoodle puppies the “place” and “stay” commands.

Tip #10 Hands Free Leashes for Tethering

One way we have found to intergrate our older puppies into our home life while still keeping them supervised is to use a hands free dog leash or a tethering leash. A hands free tethering dog leash fastens around your waist and limits how far the puppy can go allowing you to keep a close eye on them, but frees up your hands so you can cook, do laundry, etc. If they are tethered to you, you are more likely to notice when they do something they shouldn’t, such as chew on the furniture, and can correct and train them on the spot.

Want to know if we have a goldendoodle puppy available?

If you’d like to know if we have a Rainfield goldendoodle puppy available, contacts us at laurie@rainfieldgoldendoodles.com or by phone or text at 281-235-3272. You can also click here to find out How to Get a Goldendoodle Puppy, including current pricing, .

Rainfield goldendoodle puppy
A Rainfield Goldendoodle Puppy
Dog Photography Secrets

Dog Photography Secrets

I finally have a beautiful shot of  Dolly, our Red Goldendoodle and Penny, our Golden Retreiver
To get this….

Dog photography can be a challenge. I’ve always wondered how people get those awesome portraits and shots of their harder to photograph or more active dogs. One of our doodles is the perfect poser and every photo she’s in is picture perfect, but the others, not so much. Of course having a great camera with a fast shutter speeds would help a lot, but most of the cutest moments are spontaneous and happen quickly. Often I only have time to grab my cell phone and hope it’s not set to video.

The magic dog thrower
Try this…
When two ball throwers are better than one
Two are better than one

It turns out getting your dogs to pose is easier than you think. My daughter is babysitting two of my dogs this week. I got these beautiful images back from her today and couldn’t figure out how she did it until she sent me the pull back shot. She just got out her dog throwers and, voila, picture perfect poses. Good job, Maya! I’ve had such a hard time getting pictures of these two. I’ll have to get myself a few of these.

F1 versus F1b Goldendoodle

F1 versus F1b Goldendoodle

Maple, Red/Apricot F1B Goldendoodle
Maple, a fun-loving F1B Goldendoodle who travels the US with her mom in tow

If you’re not familiar with the differences between an F1 and F1b goldendoodle, you are not alone. In fact, as goldendoodles have become more popular, so have the different types of doodles. We won’t go into all the different types, which include F2s, F3 and multi-gens because here at Rainfield Goldendoodles we focus on F1s and F1bs.

The F1 Goldendoodle

An F1 is the original mix between a standard poodle and a golden retriever. A litter of F1 goldendoodle pups can range in coat types from shaggy wavy to a bit of curly. A curly F1 doesn’t typically have the real tight, poodle-like curls of an F1B, but as you can see from the pictures of Cash in one of the pictures below, that boy has got some curls on him.

We usually tell people that F1s are low shed as some do have a little shedding. It’s not anywhere close to the shedding you will see with a golden retriever, but you may find dust bunnies here and there if you don’t brush them out once or twice a week. The curlier the doodle, the less they tend to shed, but the more they tend to mat, which means more consistent grooming.

Shaggy wavy F1 Goldendoodle brothers, Willie and Wayland
Wayland and Willie Nelson are good examples of the F1 Goldendoodles with a shaggy wavy style of coat

The shaggy wavy F1 doodles may have a little more shedding, although not always, but because they don’t generally mat as easily, you can more easily keep their coats longer. This coat type can often be kept mat free and looking good with a good brush/comb out once a week.

Lola, F1 Goldendoodle with a curlier coat
Lola is a gergeous F1 Goldendoodle who has a little more curl to her coat

Another aspect of F1 Goldendoodles is that they are a good mix of poodle and retriever because they are half and half. Some in the litter may take a little more after their poodle parent and others more after the retriever, but personality and looks wise, it’s more a balance between the poodle and retriever characteristics with this original mix.

Cash, a handsome F1 Goldendoodle with a curlier coat type
Cash is a good example of an F1 Doodle with a very curly coat and a whole lot of love for his momma

Since F1 doodles have either shaggy wavy coats or curlier, but not as tight as a poodle or an F1B, keeping their coats long is easier to do. The shaggy wavy sheep dog look is very popular, but when you want to, you can take them to the groomer and get the more manicured look. Just be sure you ask your groomer for pictures of doodles they have groomed or get recommendations from other doodle owners. Some groomers will tend to “poodle your doodle” if you’re not careful. This is less of a problem now that doodles are becoming more common, but it’s good to double check.

Nala, an F1 apricot goldendoodle, after her first haircut
Before and after shots of Nala a shaggy/wavy goldendoodle, after her first haircut

The F1B Goldendoodle

An F1B goldendoodle has one goldendoodle parent and a standard poodle parent, so they are three quarters poodle. These cuties usually have tighter curls and have more of that poodle look. Standard poodles are wonderful dogs and have a reputation for being very loyal and fast learners. So if you like that poodle-like temperment with a little of that friendly, gregarious retriever thrown in, an F1B might be perfect for you.

Charlie, an F1B Goldendoodle wants to be a model when he grows up
Charlie, an F1B goldendoodle inherited that doodle love of travel… and posing

F1Bs tend to shed less (if at all) than even an F1 doodle, so if you have more severe allergies and are looking for the more hypo-allergenic option, an F1B is probably the safest bet.

Their temperment is quite similar to the F1s, however some F1Bs get a little more of that poodle love of jumping. Unless they are a mini, you should either look up Youtube training videos or enroll in puppy classes so they learn early on to get attention by sitting and waiting instead of jumping up. They are such fast learners and do so well that’s it’s a shame not to get them into training early. They love to learn and are often good role models for other dogs in the classes.

Lily Grace, an F1B Golhdendoodle has a flare for style
Lily Grace, an F1B goldendoodle, has a flare for style

Grooming your F1B doodle may be too much for you to totally handle on your own. Brushing them out is easy enough, but to actually give them a good hair cut, you will need clippers and some know-how. Most owners of F1Bs say they take their doodles in for grooming and maintenance every 6 weeks to 2 months to keep them looking sharp. They can have long beautiful coats, but you have to work at keeping those long beautiful locks.

Maple, a curly F1B goldendoodle
Maple, an F1B Doodle always looks great even though she’s always on the go

Grooming and F1B is also a little different than an F1 Goldendoodle. As we said earlier, an F1B will have a curlier coat with tighter curls, similar to a poodle. With this type of coat you will need to keep an close eye out for matting as they don’t lose that undercoat naturally. You can think you are keeping them well brushed out, but unless you get down to the skin when combing them, it’s common that they will have mats at the base of their coat. When that happens your groomer will usually suggest a pretty short haircut.

A Word on Training

Goldendoodles love learning new things and are fast learners
Goldendoodles are fast learners and usually the star of their training classes

We touched on this earlier but both F1s and F1Bs are generally very easy to train. Both doodle types love to please and are usually the star of their training classes as they are generally fast learners. We do recommend doing some form of training for your goldendoodle. They are wonderful dogs, but are not born angels. They need to be taught manners and love to learn new things. Also, if you have any problem behaviors, regular contact with your trainer can often help you nip things in the bud.

Many doodles make excellent service dogs or companion dogs, so whether you take them to the more basic training classes that are offered at many pet stores or go with a more skilled and in depth trainer, early training is highly recommended. A little bit early on can go a long way.

Rainfield Goldendoodles at Work and Play. A word on training…

Rainfield Goldendoodles at Work and Play. A word on training…

In our summer travels this year, we noticed more than a few goldendoodles being great travel and vacation buddies. When you meet a dog with good manners, they always stand out. Doodles seem to do really well and are generally very social, but as we like to tell new families, a little early training can go a long way.

Nala, an F1 Apricot goldendoodle, is done with her puppy training. but is finding it hard to be this good-looking. Austin, Texas
Nala is not only a quick learner; she’s on her way to being a Goldendoodle model in Austin, TX

A puppy is so cute, it’s hard to find fault with anything they do, but what’s cute at 2 months could be a whole different cup of tea at a year old. A well bred and well socialized puppy has a good head start, which is what we aim do at Rainfield Goldendoodles, The goal is to raise a dog that’s always welcome and interacts with the world around him or her in a positive, well mannered way.

F1 Doodle Cash will work for treats.
Cash, an F1 doodle loves to be out and about


Training classes with your Goldendoodle puppies are a lot of fun. They’re such a fun-loving, smart breed and are generally easy to train. We get a lot of reports back of the doodles quickly becoming the stars of their training classes.

Albert, a red F1 goldendoodle, enjoying the Houston weather on the Chuys patio with dad.
Albert, an F1 red goldendoodle, loves outdoor dining at Chuys in downtown Houston

We have had some of our puppies go unto further training for a variety of jobs. There are some great trainers in Houston that can take your puppy through the basics and on through the Canine Good Citizen test and beyond. Doodles love challenges and training opens new possibilities. Get started today!

Moka, an F1 goldendoodle is the star of her puppy class. She'll be a barista in no time.
We hear that Moka, an F1 goldendoodle is already the star of her puppy training class.