Caring for Your Dog
Feeding Instructions for Your New Bow Valley Labradoodle Puppy
Until 6 months of age - Feed your pup 3 times a day (breathfast, lunch and dinner)
6 months to Adult - 2 times per day (breakfast and dinner)
Your puppy has been eating an “all life stages” food. An “all life stages” food has great balance for your puppy through all their development. We recommend the free feed method for our puppies as long as you are able to be at home with them. If you work outside the home than three meals a day with a bathroom break right away outside and some playtime will need to be scheduled. Please have food and water available for your puppy from approximately 6:00am - 6:00pm and then take away to cut down on night time potty breaks.
Please feed your puppy top quality dog or puppy food purchased at a specialty pet food store. We will let you know what food your puppy is on so you can purchase it ahead of time. If you choose to switch your puppies food it is best to change it gradually by mixing the food we have them on to the new food you will be feeding them. Sometime changing their food can upset your puppy's stomach temporarily.
For suggestions on other high quality grain free food options please refer to Best Grain Free Dog Foods
Water
Puppies should have unrestricted access to water from morning until about 6 or 7 pm. Limiting water in the evening will help with the potty learning and prevent accidents or your pup needing to go out in the middle of the night.
Crates
Crate training appeals to a dog's natural instincts as a den animal. Crate training assists with house training and keeps a puppy safe until it learns it shouldn’t chew on electrical cords or furniture. However, if a crate is not used correctly, a dog can feel trapped and frustrated. Never use the crate as a punishment. Puppies under six months of age shouldn't stay in a crate for more than three or four hours at a time. They can't control their bladders and bowels for that long. Click here for more details instructions.
Respectful Interaction
Puppies and dogs deserve to be treated with respect. They are living creatures (not stuffed animals) with their own desire for affection and respect. Puppies should not be carried around, but allowed to walk freely. If they need to be restricted for their safety on a leash is the best place for them to be with you. Puppies should not be restrained or forced to sit with someone they don’t want to. Puppies should be invited to interact. If they accept the invitation, they should be handled gently and respectfully. If they decline the invitation, their refusal should be respected. As a reminder of the importance for respectful interaction, see the video at: Tips for Respectful Interaction
For tips on what deigns respectful interaction, see the posters at: FREE Poster - How Kids and Pets Should and Should Not Interact
Physical Exercise
Puppies have lots of energy and need to exercise. The most common cause of behaviour issues is a lack of exercise and mental stimulation (see below). The following link explains the importance of exercise, as well as the limitations that must be respected with a young pup:
Mental Excercise
Mental exercise is as important as physical exercise. This means challenging your pup to use its brain! A dog’s most sensitive sense is its nose, and challenging its nose is one the best ways to use its brain. Visit this site for more information:
Training and sports (obedience, agility, fly ball, etc) are also great ways to challenge your dog mentally. There are many puzzles and games available for your dog. Here is a site that provides some examples:
Normal Puppy Behaviours
Your puppy is a just like a baby. Just as we don’t expect babies to behave like adolescents or adolescents to behave like adults, it is important you keep your expectations reasonable. Jumping, nipping or biting, chewing, toileting accidents, limited attention span, grabbing objects and running off, not listening, etc., are all normal puppy behaviours. It is our job to teach our puppies how to live in our world, according to our rules, in a gentle and positive way.
Please see the attached: Normal Puppy Behaviours
Behavioural Issues
Obedience issues and behavioural issues are not the same thing. Sometimes our pups need more one on one focused effort to address behavioural issues. Often the best way to deal with behavioural issues is to hire a trainer or behaviourist to come to your home for a one on one consult. We recommend trainers that use positive training methods only.
Balanced trainers use a combination of positive and aversive training methods. We do not believe any type of aversive training is acceptable for our dogs. Finding a good trainer or behaviourist isn’t easy as there are no regulations or common certifications that can help guide you.
Veterinary Care
DAP Vaccines include:
Within the first 72 hours - We recommend that you take your pup to a Vet for it's first check-up.
At 12 weeks of age - Your pup will need it's 2nd set of DAP vaccines.
Between 16 weeks of age - All dogs require a Rabies vaccine after 16 weeks of age. If you can wait until 20 weeks of age, it is better for your dog.
At the time your Vet will also suggest a set of Non-Core Vaccines to give your puppy additional protection.
Non-Core Vaccines include:
Only one vaccine should be given at a time! You should wait a minimum of two weeks between vaccines. The exception would be Bordetella, which can be given at the same time as DAP. It takes 5-10 days
Vaccines demand a significant immune response and attacking your pup’s immune system with multiple vaccines creates short term and long term health risks.
Puppy Vaccination Schedule
Types of Vaccines (Core & Non-Core*)
6-8 weeks
Core: Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus
9-12 weeks
Core: Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus
Non-Core: Leptospirosis, Bordetella 1
3-16 weeks
Core: Rabies, Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus (NOT TO BE GIVEN AT THE SAME TIME)
Non-Core: Leptospirosis, Lyme
Adult boosters - While annual boosters are still sometimes given, many vets now recommend only re-vaccinating every three years.
*Recommendation of non-core vaccines depends on your geographical location and your puppy's environment. Talk to your vet about your puppy's potential exposure. It is important multiple vaccines are not given at the same time. It means extra visits to your Vet, but the risk of overwhelming a pup’s immune system by giving too many vaccines at one time is too high!
Also discuss vaccine protocols with your Vet.
Deworming
Dogs need protection from Heartworm (Ontario and BC areas), Fleas, and depending on where you live, Ticks, for 6 to 9 months of year (the warm months). Depending on which heartworm medication you choose (or if your pup is going home in the winter when this protection is not required), your pup may also need monthly deworming (Strongid t). Please discuss the appropriate options for protecting your pup from these pests.
We deworm all our pups at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age before they go home to their families. We use Strongid t from our vet at 2, 4, and 8 weeks of age. At 6 weeks we use Safeguard for three consecutive days which is used to treat ROUNDWORMS, HOOKWORMS, WHIP & TAPEWORMS, & GIARDIA. Safeguard is Fenbendazole 10% – 100 mg per ml and also known as Panacur. You can order it online or get it from your vet. Our routine here is to use Safeguard a couple of times a year. We also use Revolution during the summer months. We know of other breeders that like Bravecto as its good for 3 months to prevent tick/fleas. Please discuss the appropriate options for protecting your pup from these pests.