Welcoming Your New Labradoodle Puppy Home (Part 2)
Socializing The Puppy:
During its first day in a new home, a Labradoodle puppy is naturally the object of attention and great excitement. First impressions are particularly lasting in pups, so it is important to make the first day as smooth as possible.
Without creating a false and inhibited social atmosphere, it is best to be straightforward in the treatment of a new puppy. Over-exciting it through excessive play or emotional displays may predispose the puppy to such behavior when (to people) the novelty has worn off.
The result can be a pup that pesters people for attention, then suffers the inconsistency of being scolded or punished for behaving in the very way it was taught to behave.
Puppies normally let people know when they need physical comfort by approaching them and whining. At these times it is a good idea to pet them then pick up which demonstrates both caring and owner dominance.
This should take only a minute and is well worth the time effort.
Your Puppy's Sleeping Area:
The first night in new surroundings is also a critical time for a puppy. If left alone in a strange area, most puppies whine, squeal and perhaps bark.
This experience can lay the foundation for a lifelong fear of isolation, which, in turn, causes tension and the well-known cycle of tension-relieving behaviorisms, such as chewing, scratching, digging and barking.
The best solution is to place the pup's bed in someone's bedroom, preferably right next to the bed. Sleep is contagious to puppies.
If an overturned cardboard carton, with a little doorway cut out, is placed over the pup's bed, most pups sleep through the night. Little puppy "sleeping pods" work even better.
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During sleep, a hormone goes to work in pups and adult dogs and curtails the system from producing urine. The pup slept the night through in the litter, so this is not time to change the routine.
This arrangement has the added advantage of keeping the pup under surveillance for housetraining purposes. First thing in the morning, the pup can be shown out to its toilet spot and praised after elimination.
Most puppies enjoy the cozy atmosphere of their beds and actually begin to seek it during the daytime for naps. The bed can be placed in other areas of the house, such as the living room, family room, etc.
This can become a further aid in housetraining, as most pups will not soil in the immediate area of their beds.
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