Labradoodle Puppy Socialization
Socialization for our Labradoodle puppies begins as soon as they are born. The way a newborn puppy identifies you initially is by your scent. Their sense of smell is the strongest of their senses. A dog will smell a pot of stew, and they not only know it’s stew, but they break it down to “onions, garlic, beef, potatoes and carrots”. So even before the puppies have their eyes open, they have identified their mother, and us, by our unique scent.
It is very exciting to watch the puppies grow, mature and change. After they get their eyes open and can hear, at approximately 2-3 weeks of age, then they learn to walk. Once we start feeding them the puppy mush when they are 4 weeks old, they really start being more interested in us. The natural instincts to eat, so they can grow, is very apparent from the moment they are born.
When the puppies are 4 to 6 weeks old, the fun begins! They love interaction with us and will naturally follow us, as we are becoming their “pack leaders” along with their mom and our adult dogs that interact with them. We begin training with them, even at this early stage of their lives. One of the first things we teach them is that they will receive attention from us by being calm (no reward for barking, whining or jumping). The puppy who is sitting quietly and patiently is the one who gets the attention first. Labradoodles are very smart and quickly learn how to receive our approval. When we pick up a puppy and hold him, he will learn to snuggle and be calm as he will be a mirror of our calm and relaxed demeanor.
We will give your puppy their first bath and blow dry before you take them home. This, as with any new experience, is best done in a calm, relaxed way. A puppy will sense whether the person introducing them to a new activity is nervous, excited or apprehensive, so it’s very important to remain calm at all times.
I have to take a moment to brag on our adult Labradoodles – because our dogs are all well balanced and we are their pack leaders, they don’t feel the need to defend themselves or their puppies with each other. All of our dogs get along great! We don’t have any fighting that goes on between them, even when there are puppies involved. Our puppies socialize together, after they are 4 weeks old, and with our adult dogs.
We strongly advise signing up for Baxter & Bella online training to get tips & tricks on how to socialize your puppy once they are home. More information can be found by clicking the Baxter & Bella picture below.
Please see our Puppy Availability page for current information on the puppies we are accepting applications for.