Caring for your Australian Labradoodle through puppyhood and beyond

Bringing home a new puppy may be one of the most exciting days of your life. Sometimes the changes a puppy brings may seem overwhelming at first, but with a little preparation and practice you will find that caring for your pup is incredibly rewarding and a great way to bond. Some important topics covered below include:

  • Preparing for your puppy: supplies list and puppy-proofing

  • Bringing puppy home: the first few months

  • Grooming needs

  • Training and socialization

  • Veterinary care

  • Avoiding danger: Hawaii-specific risks to puppies

Supplies

Before your puppy arrives home, it is a great idea to purchase all of the basic supplies you will need. These are some of the items we use in our household on a regular basis and find extremely helpful.

  • Crate

  • Puppy food

  • Food & water dishes

  • Training treats

  • Poop bags

  • Bitter “yuck” spray

  • Chew toys

  • Sturdy, snug-fitting collar with an ID tag

  • Harness (optional)

  • Leash

  • Puppy gates (optional)

  • Puppy shampoo & conditioner

  • Slicker brush

  • Metal comb

  • Puppy toothbrush and toothpaste

  • Puppy nail clippers

If you want to purchase the same brands we use, visit our Amazon storefront here

Puppy Proofing

Once your puppy arrives home, the fun truly begins! There is also some chaos to be expected as your puppy tries to get into things they shouldn’t. Every puppy and household is different, however the items listed below are common problem areas. A little preparation can go a long way in preventing puppy mischief before it begins.

  • Puppies have a strong drive to chew and will nibble on just about anything they find satisfying. Three common issues are chewing on items made of wood (think furniture legs, baseboards, cabinet edges), chewing on cords and cables, and chewing on items that smell like you (think shoes, socks, glasses, headphones). To prevent these issues, we use bitter “yuck” spray on the wooden areas and cords puppy has shown an interest in chewing. The bitter taste makes chewing on those items far less rewarding so your puppy will lose interest quickly. It’s especially useful when the item can’t be removed from puppy’s environment, like baseboards and cabinets. Provide an alternative such as these safe wooden “sticks” to satisfy your puppy’s need to chew. Keep your personal items completely out of reach of puppy, especially because some puppies will not only chew but also swallow things like headphones and socks. These can be really dangerous in the puppy’s digestive system and sometimes require emergency surgery to remove, so make sure the whole family is vigilant about picking up!

  • Crate training is one of the best ways to keep your puppy AND your home safe from all kinds of mischief (including potty accidents). Whenever your pup will be unsupervised, they should be contained in an appropriate crate or pen where they won’t be able to access all the household items that can pose a risk to them. Puppies that are properly crate trained will also be much easier to potty train, as puppies do not want to soil their “den” areas. Keeping puppy in a crate when unsupervised and then taking for an immediate bathroom break afterward is great for the potty training process.

  • If there is an area of your home that will have too many dangerous accessible items or can’t realistically be kept tidy on a regular basis (think kids’ rooms with toys that are out), use a puppy gate to block puppy’s access to the entire area. Puppy gates are different from baby gates as puppy gates are made of metal and have vertical slats to prevent climbing. Puppies love to chew on plastic or wooden baby gates and some puppies climb regular baby gates by putting their paws in the diamond-shaped holes!

Grooming Needs

Your young puppy will not need immediate grooming, but introducing your pup to the elements of the grooming process is crucial. You will want to expose your puppy to things like brushing, combing, bathing, etc regularly and in a positive manner while they are young. This will make grooming far less stressful for both you and your dog throughout the rest of your dog’s life.

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Staying safe

Before your puppy arrives home, it is a great idea to familiarize yourself with possible hazards you might encounter. Some of these will be common knowledge, especially for experienced dog owners. Some might be new to you, especially if this is your first time getting a dog in Hawaii.

    • Foods to avoid: macadamia nuts, chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, anything containing caffeine, anything containing artificial sweetener. All of these are highly toxic to dogs and should be carefully avoided.

    • Medication safety: many owners are surprised to hear that common over-the-counter medications are extremely toxic to dogs. The two most common medications are ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin) and acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol). If a dog eats a dropped ibuprofen pill, this medication can cause kidney failure in dogs. Acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage in dogs. Keep these medications far away from your pets and be vigilant about picking up any dropped pills. My own parents unfortunately learned from experience when my childhood dog ate a single dropped ibuprofen pill and ended up in kidney failure. She survived due to quick veterinary treatment, however it was a scary lesson to learn the hard way.

  • Hawaii has a few unique safety risks. While my husband and I were already experienced dog owners before arriving in Hawaii, we learned about some specific local risks from our veterinarian.

    • Bufo toads (also known as cane toads): These toads are extremely toxic and exposure to Bufo toxin can be deadly for your dog. Bufo toads secrete poison from a gland near the back of their head. If your dog’s nose or mouth comes into contact with the poison, it absorbs through the mucous membranes and can cause neurological and cardiac problems that can quickly be fatal. Read more about the risks of Bufo toads here. If you think your dog has been exposed to Bufo toxin, wipe their mouth out immediately and rush them to the veterinarian.
      The best way to avoid Bufo toads is to go outside during broad daylight hours. Bufo toads are not commonly seen during the day. One caveat: dead toads are STILL poisonous, so if there is a flattened toad in the road, your curious pup may find it during the day. When letting dogs out at night, I check the accessible areas with a flashlight first and keep the dog on a close leash to prevent any surprise encounters.

    • Little Fire Ants: this invasive species is unfortunately spreading throughout the state of Hawaii. These ants are different from typical ants as they are very small and have painful stings. If your dog is around little fire ants, the ants commonly sting near dogs’ eyes which can lead to blindness. You can check this map to see if there are any little fire ant colonies in your area.

    • Toxic plants: Hawaii is home to many beautiful and unique plants, however some of these plants are very toxic if ingested by your pup. Hawaii has so many different ecosystems it would be difficult or impossible to list all of the potentially toxic plants your pet might encounter here. I advise looking up your specific area to identify which toxic plants may commonly grow near you. For example, a plant called Angel’s Trumpet is very common in my area and very toxic if ingested by a dog. In addition to teaching your pup the good habit of NOT eating things off the ground, it is best to steer clear of potentially toxic plants.

    • Leptospirosis: This is a disease that thrives in fresh water and can be spread by wildlife. It is especially common in Hawaii due to our tropical climate, fresh water streams and waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. There is a vaccination for leptospirosis which you can discuss with your chosen veterinarian. We have chosen to vaccinate against leptospirosis as we live right above a freshwater stream in an area with lots of wildlife.

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