BRINGING PUPPY HOME
LET'S GET YOU AND YOUR PUP STARTED ON THE RIGHT FOOT!
Preparation is one of the hallmarks of any successful endeavor. On this page, you will find all the pertinent information to get you started on the right foot when you bring your pup home!
Congratulations on your new family member! I’m sure everyone is counting down the days until you get to bring your pup home. This information will help you prepare for the big day. Don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything I can do to be supportive.
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To make the transition easier for your little fluff buddy, and humans alike, we've listed a few ideas, thoughts, and suggestions.
Bringing Puppy Home
The Health of Your Pup
Your pup will have received their first round of vaccines, and I’m sure each one of you will take your pup to your vet and work out a schedule for the remainder of their vaccines. In addition to posting our recommendation for vaccine schedule, I'm also linking a copy to download. If you choose to not vaccinate, that is also your choice! I trust each of you will make the best decision for your pup on this matter.
When you get your pup, ensure the pup isn’t in a high-traffic area to play and potty. They are highly susceptible to illness. Use awareness as to what and where you’re exposing pup while getting UTD (up to date) on vaccines or if you choose not to vaccinate equally.
If you choose to microchip your pup, please add Life Unleashed Farm as a contact with the number 503-836-2186. This will ensure that, if your pup is lost and then found, we will be able to help if the need arises!
Potty Training
Potty trips are more frequent any time pup drinks water, yet water should be freely given. Just pay attention to when they drink and take them potty accordingly. As they grow, so does their bladder's ability to hold their voids. It’s a lot of consistency and diligence to care for the pup but remember you’re laying ground work for an incredible family dog who reflects the work or the lack of work that’s put into them. Their issues are solely our responsibility so let’s get started strong and ahead of the obstacles. I believe in you and am here to support in anyway.
Pup is young and needs to go potty frequently. I’ve said that a lot for good reason. It’s awful for everyone when accidents happen. I'm linking an article and a printable schedule to help you with scheduling feeding and voiding. Please read - it will save you from unnecessary frustration and discipline of your pup.
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Turf Area Training
Your pup is 100% potty trained to eliminate on a turf area. This is also helpful to keep them off the grass and prevent illness until they are up to date on their vaccines.
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Turf is reasonably priced and will help your puppy transition with less mess since this is what pup is used to. You could put the turf by the front door and then eventually put it outside the door. A bell on the door will allow the pup to catch your attention when he/she is at the point of running around and needing to go potty. The link to purchase is below.
In order to keep the turf clean and free of odor, we use Eco Strong Odor Eliminator. The link to purchase is also below.
Crate Training
A crate is a must! If your pup is out of the crate connect pup to your hip with a leash. I just tie it around my waist or connect to a belt. This trains pup to walk with you on a leash while helping pup to have limited accidents. Pup will start sniffing when a potty is coming so be ready to scoop pup and run for the outdoor in the first week (while they are little picking them up will save from a puddle). Be vigilant and consistent the first few weeks. Soon your pup will have it down and everyone will be less frustrated - win, win! If pup isn’t being watched like a hawk put in the crate in the family area so pup isn’t alone.
You might have a crate already, great! If not, I suggest an extra large one with a divider (like the one linked below) that can limit the free space pup has. If too much room is given, pup will have accidents. Keep it cozy with enough room to lay down and turn around but no more as pup will take advantage of the space to potty.
With the crate in your room you will hear pup rustling around and can offer late night potty runs (this is very temporary, remember this won’t last forever and is better than a nasty mess in the morning.)
Feeding Your Pup
We feed Kirkland Signature Puppy Food in the yellow bag, but we also support Diamond Natural and Taste of the Wild dog food brands. I’ll be sending you home with one gallon to slowly transition your pup to the food of your choice. Please ensure the food is high quality food (this means less poop as they are digesting more of it versus eliminating.) Please read this article to make transitioning food easier on your pups belly.
Our favorite treats are from Costco. The bully sticks and the freeze-dried liver treats. We also love Nutri Bites Freeze Dried Beef Liver.
Our dogs have sensitive tummies’ to scraps. Please be aware that this is not healthy for the pups/dogs and will cause diarrhea and throwing up. Not fun - I speak from experience.
Obedience Training
We encourage pup parents to start obedience training once the trainer sees them. This is “sanity insurance” I promise you you’ll NEVER regret the time, money, and effort put into the foundational stage of your pup's manners and training. Kennedy Fish, of Affinity Dog Academy is our trainer of choice.
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It's also super important to start socializing your pup. Exposing them to different places, people, sights, smells, textures, sounds, etc. We've put together a pretty comprehensive checklist to ensure that your pup gets proper exposure to all sorts of things and situations. We highly encourage every pup parent to enroll their pup in the Good Canine Citizen course. This will help ensure that you set yourself and your pup up for a lifetime of success.
Lastly, understanding your pup's body language will be vital in building a trusting relationship. Dogs, as we know, can't talk, so they speak to us with their ears, eyes, mouth, tongue, and body language. You will find a great illustration of the most common and well-known dog "language" images.
Grooming
Let’s talk wild hair! Sheepadoodles do not shed rather they mat up, which can be very painful and irritating to the dog’s skin. Proper brushing and grooming need to be a part of your weekly routine. I encourage proper grooming tools to be bought and ready BEFORE pup arrives home. Check out the following link for tips on grooming Sheepadoodles.
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They don’t need to be bathed frequently unless there’s a good reason (rolled in something dead is a good reason 😜). Once a month, professional grooming, is what we do with our dogs and is what we recommend for your pups starting now.
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Grooming will be part of their everyday life and we want them to enjoy it, so start early and make sure the groomer is kind and safe. The pup's body language will tell you if they had a good experience along with their coat. Look for nicks and cuts that might clue you in as to how they were treated and handled. Ask the groomer for references to ensure their first grooming day won’t cause trauma for the rest of their lives. This is a big deal!
My groomer in my town is incredible. Her name is Kim Pultz. I 100% trust her. I’ve used her services for five years now. She is also part of the OG Life Unleashed Family. She adopted a pup from our very first Sheepadoodle litter. Her number is 503-887-4410
Additional Information
We recommend all of the items below in addition to the items we already listed above. We do plan to add a page on our website will all of our tried-and-true puppy items!
8-Panel Dog Pen, by Frisco
Ruffland Large Kennel
Yeti Dog Bed
MateeyLife Lick Pads
Absorbine Show Shine (fur detangler)
FXW Rollick Dog Playpen
Washable Underpads (use under turf if not using trays)
Neater Feeder Deluxe Medium Dog
Upon picking up your pup, you’ll receive a special Puppy Gotcha Gift to help settle in your sweet fur baby. I’m incredibly blessed to work with each of you. Your pup is looking to you to guide them to being a secure, confident trusting family friend. I have no doubt you’ll do amazing!
Now it's time to get your prepared for the big day: Gotcha Day! Click the button below to continue....