Keep Your Labradoodle Puppy Busy

Each game and skill detailed below are designed to be fun and provide a positive upbringing for your Labradoodle puppy. These exercises act as building blocks designed to make advanced training easier and deepen the bond between you and your puppy.

Grooming Practice: Starting grooming your puppy at an early age because it teaches them hands-on treatment over all parts of his body is okay. Grooming also gives you dominance as you cut their nails and you clean their teeth.

Hide & Seek: Hide and seek is fun for you and for your puppy as well and helps teach them how to come.

1. Have your puppy sit or have someone else hold his leash.

2. Hide behind a nearby tree or a piece of furniture if you're inside the house.

3. Wait four or five seconds, then call them with an excited tone.

4. When they find you, praise them with lots of love and a treat.

5. Make each hiding place a little harder and a little farther away each time. Also, return to your puppy once in a while and end the game at that point so they don't think they always have to leave to get you near them.

Find The Toy: Find The Toy teaches your Labradoodle puppy to use their sense of smell.

1. Tie your dog to a chair or have someone hold their leash.

2. Let him watch as you put a few objects on the floor: a can, bottle, box, cell phone. Use a glove or just barely touch them when putting them on the floor.

3. Go back to your Labradoodle, take their favorite toy and hold it in your hands for several seconds. Let them watch as you throw it in with the other objects on the floor.

4. Release them and tell them to "Fetch."

5. When they do, praise them with an excited tone.

6. As they become good at choosing their toy, use a well-scented glove or sock and put it with other scented objects. Quickly scent discrimination will become an important part of their life.

High Jump: At first, just walk over the jump with your puppy at your side. If that works, fine; if not, put them on one side of the jump and get on the other side. Use a piece of food to coax them over the jump. If they're on a leash be sure to keep it loose when they jump. Never pull your dog over a jump.

Bar Jump: Same as above, except start with the bar on the ground. Slowly raise it after each successful jump.

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Article written by:

Edie MacKenzie