How we raise our puppies
The Parents
At Bows & Ties Doodles we believe healthy and happy puppies start with their parents, temperament and health are our top priorities. We conduct extensive genetic and OFA health tests to insure the health of our dogs. Our dogs either live in our home or in loving guardian homes where they are simply adored! We prefer guardian homes instead of keeping all of our dogs at our house, so they're able to have the attention and love of a family of their own (plus us, they have two families!) We want our dogs to be excellent, friendly, and obedient family dogs! Here are some of our parent dogs and our stud Maui! He's an amazing registered therapy dog, has multiple titles, and does amazing at dog sports.
Pregnancy Care
Once a dam has passed her health testing, and is of age, she will be bred to an appropriate sire that fits our criteria. A dam will be bred 3-5 times, if they enjoy being a mom, and they maintain their excellence in health. A dam will receive the best care through pregnancy with quality food, a low stress environment, and multiple vet checkups to insure the health of her puppies.
Early Curriculum
If puppies are thriving by day 3 we start our early curriculum! This helps build confidence and calmness in stressful situations at an early age. We use ENS and ESI with our puppies. These exercises can help with strong heart beats and cardiovascular strength! We introduce them to 14 different scents during ESI. Though the first 3 weeks are mainly consists of sleeping, drinking milk, and snuggles
Desensitization & Handling
By week 3 puppies are ready to start the 10 step puppy handling exercise. From covering their eyes shortly, to tapping their nails. This sets them up for excellence when grooming and handling! Next, is loud noise, texture, and height desensitization. Banging pans, dropping items, playing thunderstorms on a speaker, etc. Once puppies are used to loud noise, different situations and items, we start car rides and outings at pet friendly stores. This helps them become confident in themselves. We take it slower with shyer puppies to make sure they don’t get overwhelmed.
Crate & Potty Training
At 3 weeks old, we start potty training by providing mainly potty trays in the puppies' area. They soon learn to associate these trays with pottying, keeping their sleeping area clean. Gradually, we reduce the number of trays until only 1 remains.Crate training starts at 4 weeks, puppies explore their crates and we start confining them for brief periods, gradually increasing the duration to 6 to 8 hours overnight. Outside potty training begins at 5 weeks, taking them out after meals and naps in their crates. Puppies quickly adapt to outdoor potty habits! Our puppies go home with a fantastic start at potty and crate training.
Grooming Exposure
It's no secret Goldendoodles need to be groomed (and a lot!) Your Goldendoodle will have to be groomed every 6-10 weeks their whole life depending on their coat type and haircut, and brushed multiple times a week. We start clipping their nails at 2 weeks old, and do their first bath and blow dry between 4-5 weeks old. This is when they're introduced to the high velocity blow dryer, brushing, and the bath. Exposing them and connecting a positive association with grooming early in life is key to them being comfortable with grooming their whole lives.
Temperment Testing & first Vet visit,
As our time with the pups come to an end, we do a temperament test at 6 weeks old. We test 12 traits to give you a better understanding of a puppies’ unique temperament, and which puppy will best suit you. This is when you officially choose your new furry friend! At 7 weeks old they have their first vet visit and get to experience being handled by a vet and being vaccinated for the first time! All these new experiences set them up for success as they enter their new homes.
