Outside Playtime

Outside Playtime for My Goldendoodle

When it comes to keeping your doodle puppy safe outside, we all have questions. Puppies need to be on a leash or contained in a fenced area if you have roads close by. Goldendoodle puppies stay close to their humans when you first bring them home and then as the months progress they tend to become a little more curious about their boundaries.

My favorite and most important command: Training your new puppy to come when called is of the highest importance. Please start teaching “come” early on and practice this command in as many different environments as possible, and save our high value treats for this training exercise. We give our doodles single ingredient proteins such as heart or liver air dried treats made in the USA from rawdogfoodcomplete.com. We break them in training size pieces.

Puppies are full of curiosity, excitement, and sometimes fear in new situations so always be proactive in your training. A watchful eye helps keep your goldendoodle on track. Be proactive by redirecting/distracting your puppy and being consistent is what training is all about. Start by practicing his recall in your house or backyard, make sure he accepts the command from multiple members of the family, and gradually progress to practicing it in more distracting (but still safely contained) environments such as the dog park. Come should always be rewarded and try not to use the word if you have lost the puppies attention. Sometimes we might use the come command and fully know our puppy is to distracted to hear us. Yes, puppies have many different senses and their nose can override their hearing.

If you have a fence then before you bring your puppy home or before letting him off leash in a new fenced area, walk the perimeter of the fence to check for any holes. It is quite surprising how small of a hole a goldendoodle can fit through particularly a puppy as they often look bigger than they actually are due to all their fluffy hair! Always keep a close eye on your puppy and correct any signs of digging along the perimeter of the fence. There are so many items in a yard your puppy can get into, so it is important to watch them.

So what might be in my yard? It seems safe--There are many plants that are actually highly toxic to dogs including azaleas, ivy, tulips, hostas, certain mushrooms, and hydrangeas. In the fall puppies like acorns and walnuts which can both cause issues. Some puppies are prone to chewing and eating all sorts of miscellaneous items. Smaller rocks/gravel is one potential hazard that can pose a digestive danger to your pup. Our doodles love sticks, and many puppies can’t resist the mulch. If you have plants in your yard google toxic plants and you can cross check your plants. Lastly, it is always important to have a bottle of peroxide on hand just in case your puppy ingests something.