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Replacement costs of these types of goodies will range based on how quickly your Bulldog destroys their current supply. You can also order subscription packs from many reputable companies that give your dog new exploratory items every month. Since these dogs are at risk for many health complications, save as much as you can—erring on the side of caution. The best time for obedience lessons is between 6 months to a year, but every trainer varies in preference. Depending on the treatment, you could spend thousands of dollars in one swoop. Pet sitting is more personalized care but can rack up extra fees. If you want to save as much as possible while still giving your Bulldog the care they need, look at these money-saving tips. They mainly offer spay and neuter surgeries at reduced costs, but they can also provide basic care. You can make anything from dog toys to intricate beds. Many things you can make may not even require going to the store for materials—you can simply make them from existing items at home. Auto-Ship Dog Food If you buy your dog food from certain websites, many companies offer discounted prices if you place an automatic, recurring order. Of course, you can always save on English Bulldog costs by using low-cost services and making tons of at-home projects and toys for your pooch. Less - The English Bulldog is a wide, medium-sized, compact dog with short legs. The body and head are massive with extra skin on both the skull and forehead falling in folds. The cheeks extend to the sides of the eyes. The muzzle is wide, short and pug with a broad, deep stop. The black nose is broad with large nostrils. The dark eyes are deep set. The rose ears are small, thin and set high on the head. The jaws are massive, very broad, and square with hanging upper lips. The teeth should have an under bite. The tail is either straight or screwed and carried low. The short, flat coat is straight, smooth and glossy. Coat colors include red brindle and other shades of brindle, solid white, solid red, fawn, fallow, piebald, pale yellow or washed-out red or white or a combination of these colors. Despite its "sourmug," the bulldog is jovial, comical and amiable, among the most docile and mellow of dogs. It is willing to please, although it retains a stubborn streak. It is very good with children. Most are moderately friendly toward strangers. Although some can be aggressive with strange dogs, the breed is quite good with other pets. These dogs were bred for sheer fighting capacity, and they were famed for latching onto their prey with an iron jaw which they refused to release—they could even suffocate opponents this way. English Bulldogs are simultaneously a symbol of British tenacity and an immensely popular American pet. These pets are arguably the most expensive dogs to own. Simply put, they are overwhelming to look at and amazing to be with. However, taking care of a Bulldog is not a cakewalk — and the dog does not come cheap. Perhaps, it is one of the reasons why Bulldogs are not for everyone. Taking care of the dog can be very expensive! Here are some reasons why the Bulldogs are considered the most expensive dogs to own. Bulldogs are not the most expensive dogs to buy, but yet costly to own The Bulldog is not the most expensive dog, but he costs a lot more than many other dog breeds. The most expensive dog ever sold is a golden-haired Tibetan Mastiff. Bulldogs do not nearly cost that much. For further comparison, here are a few more popular dog breeds and their average selling price. Bulldogs are one the most expensive dogs to buy but their cost varies depending on their color and quality. A Bulldog puppy commands such a high price because of the following factors. Pre-breeding preparations are also expensive. The average litter size of Bulldogs is 4 to 5. Bulldog breeders face a lot of issues during the breeding. Bulldogs have been tagged as an unhealthy breed because they are prone to a number of health issues. They suffer from Brachycephalic syndrome and are prone to hip dysplasia , progressive retinal atrophy, cystinuria, and more. Responsible Bulldog breeders ensure that their dogs have proper health screenings for genetic issues before deciding to breed them. Prior to mating their dogs or artificial insemination, good breeders also make certain that the female dog is in good condition with on-schedule vaccinations, heartworm preventative, and deworming. These accumulated expenses on preparing dogs for breeding cost breeders significantly. Bulldog stud services and artificial insemination too come with a hefty price tag. A few weeks after having the stud service or artificial insemination done, the female dog undergoes different pre-natal procedures, including x-rays and ultrasounds, to detect if she is pregnant. If the tests confirm pregnancy, the dog needs vitamins and special nutrition. Bulldogs have a high incidence of water puppies and cleft palates. Normal labor can take a toll on the mother because she cannot breathe properly. Pushing out puppies can be extremely difficult for her. Hence, it is advisable not to breed if you are not ready to handle the expenses. Taking care of newborn Bulldogs needs time, energy, and money The expenditures and care go up after the puppies are born. Breeders devote a lot of their time taking care of the newborn Bulldogs and their mother. They have to spend on supplements, high-quality food, milk replacements, and other puppy products to ensure both the mother and puppies stay healthy. For this reason, it is necessary to constantly watch the mother Bulldog and her pups. The breeder usually takes care of the puppies for at least 8 weeks. Puppies need weekly veterinary appointments to check their health and undergo deworming sessions. Most responsible breeders make sure that the puppies receive at least one shot of the core vaccines before sending them to their new families. Healthcare costs comparatively high The cost of healthcare makes Bulldogs the most expensive dogs to own. They are prone to many health issues. Ask any Bulldog owner and many of them would tell you about different health issues their pets get from time to time. The most common health issues Bulldog owners are concerned about are the yeast infection , cherry eyes , digital cysts , head tremors , and skin infection. Treatment and preventive checkups increase the cost of looking after these dogs. Cheap Bulldog vs. Most of them can cost you thousands of dollars in vet bills. Although pet stores sell Bulldogs that are of the same price range claiming that they have well-bred Bulldogs, it is still better to get puppies directly from reputable breeders. This is because most pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills, where many dogs are abused and inhumanely used as breeding machines. Aside from indirectly supporting the cruel industry, getting a puppy from these shops may cost you more money for veterinary expenses. A well-bred Bulldog may cost a lot more but they often live longer and are generally healthier. Bulldogs make wonderful companion pets although they are one of the most expensive dogs to own. So it is better to get a Bulldog puppy from a breeder who genuinely loves the breed and aims to produce healthier Bulldogs that fall within the breed standard. A good breeder aims to improve the breed by selecting good parents to get rid of genetic flaws. Leave a Reply: Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Lilac Haze Bendrix a. Benny is our family member and he's kind of a big deal, at least in his own mind. There's no other French Bulldog quite like him and we happen to think that's pretty cool. Litters Owned by the Female Owner We've partnered with the owners of each French Bulldog female to help promote their available puppies for sale because we want them to find their best possible forever homes. Each puppy belongs to the litter owner and all negotiations are ultimately their decision. All listed prices of puppies for sale are subject to change and each litter owner has the right to refuse sale. We carefully screen our clients and help them promote healthy French Bulldog puppies to improve the breed. See something you like? Each of the available puppies for sale should have the contact info of the litter owner. If you see something you like, contact them directly and make arrangements to bring that little French Bulldog home! Well done! He is on the smaller side with structure that Frenchie dreams are made of. His front end is straight and his proportions are perfect. He is priced according to his quality and potential. Her OFA hip results are good, as are her elbows. He leaves nothing to be desired. He is curious and confident, exactly like we like to see. He is also a cuddle bug and loves affection. Serious inquires only — this one is not one we want to let go. We could be persuaded with a stud credit… we have no doubt that he is phenomenal. Travel arrangements calculated in Invoice. Health Commitment Having a 1-year health commitment from us at Dynasty Bulldog for your French Bulldog puppies is the best because it covers both congenital and hereditary health issues for the first year of the puppy's life. This shows our commitment to the health and well-being of the puppies they breed and provides peace of mind for the new puppy owner. Free Microchip Having a microchip which we provide for your French Bulldog is a must because it provides a permanent and unique identification for your pet. In case your pet gets lost or separated from you, the microchip can be scanned and used to quickly identify and reunite you with your furry friend. VHR Health Certificate A puppy health certificate proves that a puppy has received veterinary care, including vaccines and a health check. It includes info on normal vaccines, such as a puppy booster shots for parvo and parainfluenza, to protect against viruses. The certificate may also include info on deworming, flea and tick treatments, and other medical procedures. It serves as a record of the puppy's health history and provides peace of mind that the puppy is in good health. Free vet visit At Dynasty Bulldogs, we believe in providing the best start for your new furry companion. That's why, with every puppy purchase, we offer a complimentary first visit to one of our trusted veterinarians in South Florida. This visit allows you to take your new puppy to a local vet for a check-up, ensuring they receive proper care and any necessary vaccinations. As a experienced breeder, I pride myself in healthy, quality, social puppies. Serious breeders will tell you that the Pied Frenchie is one of the hardest combinations to perfect in breeding. Part of the concern is that the white pigmentation is often associated with some serious health concerns. The pied coat pattern is a recessive trait. This means that both parents must be pied or have the recessive genetics for pied coats in order to product the puppies that will have the desired coats. The potential for deafness Color-linked deafness is seen in quite a few dog breeds. One of the risks of breeding dogs that have a largely white coat is that they could potentially develop what is known as pigment-associated hereditary deafness. Reputable breeders will be well-aware of this risk. They will test all of their puppies before they go to new homes. Some dogs are prone to excessive shedding. Luckily, your Pied French Bulldog is not going to be an excessive shedder. Certainly he will shed on your clothing and furniture but it can be controlled. Brushing your dog with a brush mitt or with a soft-bristled dog brush every week can keep his coat looking its best. Brushing not only helps to minimize shedding but it helps to release the natural oils that will give his coat that healthy shine. Bath your dog once a month in an oatmeal-based dog shampoo. If he gets into something smelly or gets dirty then of course bath him more often. The potential for obesity Frenchies are muscular dogs with a heavy bone structure. This can make them prone to obesity. Even weight gain of just 5lbs can prove to be problematic for your little dog. Your Pied French Bulldog is not going to be the most energetic dog. These little dogs adapt well to life in an apartment, only going out once or twice a day to do their business. Unfortunately, this also means that they are perfectly happy being couch potatoes. Be sure to walk your dog at least twice a day. If you can play with him in the yard or take him to the park it will also be great for his continued good health. Be sure to also monitor his diet so that he eats just enough to provide him the nutrition that he needs for his current activity level. Post navigation. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Read More Necessary Always Enabled Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. Non-necessary Non-necessary Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Their coat is a striking combination of blue and white, with a predominantly white body and blue patches on the eyes, ears, and body. The unique color of Blue Pied French Bulldogs is due to the presence of a dilution gene. This gene is responsible for diluting the base color of the coat, resulting in a lighter shade of the original color. In Blue Pied Frenchies, the dilution gene dilutes the base coat color to white, resulting in a predominantly white coat with blue patches on the eyes, ears, and body. The way the pattern is distributed and the proportion of the white and blue on the coat can be quite variable from Frenchie to Frenchie, making them really unique and beautiful! The dilution gene is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, which means that a dog must inherit two copies of the gene one from each parent to show the diluted coloring. If a dog inherits only one copy of the gene, it will have a normal, non-dilute coat. It is important to note that the dilution gene can also affect other coat colors such as black, chocolate, and fawn. The Blue Pied French Bulldog is a relatively rare color variant, which is part of what makes them so unique and sought after. Blue Pied French Bulldog puppies and adult dogs have a number of characteristics and traits that are important to consider when bringing one into your home. Here are some things to keep in mind. Blue Pied French Bulldog puppies are adorable and playful, but they require a lot of attention and training. Puppies need to be socialized from a young age so that they grow up to be well-adjusted and well-behaved dogs. French bulldog puppies can be prone to certain health problems, such as breathing difficulties and skin allergies, so it is important to choose a reputable breeder who carries out health screening on their breeding dogs, as we do at TomKings Kennel. The Blue Pied French Bulldog is a small breed, usually between 16 and 28 pounds and between 11 and 12 inches tall at the shoulder. They are known for their affectionate and playful personalities and make great family pets. The French Bulldog is a beloved breed for a reason, with proper care and attention they can become wonderful and loyal companions for years to come. The breeder is one of the main factors that can influence the price of a Blue Pied French Bulldog. We carry out a number of health screenings and genetic testing on our breeding dogs to ensure the health and quality of our litters. Location can also affect the price of a Blue Pied French Bulldog. Shipping costs can affect you if you buy a puppy from a breeder in another country or overseas. At TomKings, we take great pride in our high breeding standards, which are reflected in the quality of our puppies. Our team of livestock experts carefully selects genetically outstanding parents for breeding, which ensures that our French Bulldog puppies are healthy and strong. We prioritize the well-being of our puppies, and they grow up in a kennel-free environment that promotes good musculature, a strong immune system, and good manners. Our commitment to our puppies and their new families extends beyond adoption. We provide ongoing veterinary support for our TomKings owners, so they always have a reliable resource to turn to if their furry companion encounters any health issues. We strive to provide the best care and support to our dogs and their new families, even after they leave our kennel. Each of our Frenchies is raised underfoot in our home as part of the family. Our house is full of love, laughter, children, lots of children and dogs. You can learn a bit more about us here. If you are interested in one of our gorgeous puppies please feel free to take a moment to complete our puppy application and we will be in touch regarding our available Texas Frenchie Puppies for sale or upcoming planned breedings. Thank you so much for visiting our home on the web and please check back often as many of our pages are constantly being updated with photos, and info regularly. In the meantime, you can catch us on Instagram by clicking here , or on Facebook by clicking here. The remaining balance is to be paid by 8 weeks old. Our line of communication is always open to you to discuss whatever French Bulldog related questions you may have about your new puppy. You can ask any of our past puppy buyers yourself. We will be happy to provide you with references upon request while we find the time to complete our Testimonials page. Follow Us On IG.

What is Panosteitis German shepherd? Are German Shepherd puppy back legs wobbly? The ball of the hip joint causes pain as it glides roughly against the socket. Signs of hip dysplasia include a wobbly gait, lameness, limping, a decreased range of motion, and pain while walking. Is it normal for puppies to have weak back legs? Puppy has weak back or hind legs. A normal puppy has back legs that, while uncoordinated, do not shake or struggle to support their body. Is it normal for a 7 week old puppy to wobble? They usually begin to walk with a wobbly gait around 21 to 28 days of age. Puppies need to be stimulated to urinate and defecate for the first several weeks of life. Mom does this by licking the anal and genital areas. Why do German shepherds have weak back legs? Over time, the weakness will get even worse. Why is my German Shepherd puppy wobbly? Wobblers Syndrome also called spondylolithesis , is a condition that can affect puppies or adult dogs. They develop an unsteady gait due to spinal cord compression caused by the narrowing of the vertabral canal, or by a ruptured disc in the neck. How long are puppies wobbly on their feet? How long are puppies wobbly? Puppy are usually fairly steady on their feet by four and a half to five weeks. Heavy breeds such as bulldogs and mastiffs, or any particularly fat puppies, will be slower to get up on their feet and will be wobbly for longer. Why is my puppy wobbly all of a sudden? Why is my dog wobbly all of a sudden? What causes sudden hind leg weakness in puppies? Degenerative myelopathy is a condition that affects the nerves in the lower spine. It causes weakness, gradual paralysis of the hind legs, incontinence, and can sometimes even affect the front legs. Most dogs with degenerative myelopathy develop symptoms at around nine years old. Can a 8 week old puppy have hip dysplasia? Ideally, the earlier it can be diagnosed, the better. Puppies at weeks of age should be evaluated for hip laxity by palpation because there is a correlation between the degree of laxity and the presence of hip dysplasia at 12 months of age. Are puppies legs wobbly? Generally, the first signs of the orthopedic problem called hip dysplasia appears in puppies between 5 months to 8 months of age. Why is my puppy unsteady on her feet? At what age do German shepherds get hip dysplasia? Symptoms of Hip Dysplasia in Dogs Some dogs begin to show signs of hip dysplasia when they are as young as four months of age. Others develop it in conjunction with osteoarthritis as they age. In both cases, there are a few symptoms that owners should be familiar with. Why is my German shepherd having trouble walking? As a German shepherd owner, you have likely heard of the fatal, chronic, and progressive disease called degenerative myelopathy that is most prevalent in this breed. Panosteitis is a painful inflammation of the outer surface or shaft of one or more long bones of the legs. It is sometimes called growing pains. Panosteitis may occur in more than one bone at a time or may move around, causing a shifting lameness that goes from one bone or leg to another. Crash At what age do German Shepherds start having hip problems? There is no specific age for hip problems. The signs of hip issues can be seen as early as 4 months of age. Osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia are often seen. The inflammatory signs of hip displacement are visible depending on the size, nutrition, and management of your dog. Hip dysplasia German Shepherd signs There are different signs and symptoms which can tell that German Shepherds have bad hips. They are listed as follows: Reduced movement Challenge or refusal to walk , climb stairs, etc. Idiocy at the back Grip the joint while moving Deterioration of bone mass of lower leg The shoulder muscles are noticeably enlarged by compensating for the back end Distress Tips to Make German Shepherd Back Legs Stronger 1. Proper weight management German Shepherds who are overweight are more prone to hip dysplasia. Weight management is the key tool to help avoid hip dysplasia. Being overweight results in overburdening of the hind legs resulting in displacement. Proper exercise Use the appropriate exercises to strengthen the hind legs. It also results in proper contraction and relaxation of muscles attached to the bone. It also helps in the management of weight. Proper diet plan Always provide a proper diet for your German Shepherd. A proper diet is required for the proper growth of bones. Always consult a veterinarian, a dietitian, or a nutritionist for the formulation of a diet plan. Always provide a high-quality feed. Supplementation Supplements are always useful in maintaining issues related to hip dysplasia. The injured joints can be helped with supplements like omega-3 fatty acids, chondroitin sulfate, collagen, and glucosamine. Physiotherapy Regular massage Massaging leg muscles is very helpful. Seek the help of a physiotherapist for regular massage. It helps in the reduction of pain and displacement issues related to the hip. Muscle strengthening and stability Adopt the techniques that are helpful in the stability and strengthening of muscles. Reduce injury chances Always monitor your German Shepherd while exercising. Exercise may result in injury. Always monitor and rush to the nearest vet if your German Shepherd undergoes some injury. Hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy is a good strategy to fight the issues of hip dysplasia. It involves swimming. It is a safe method of exercise and the chances of injury are less. Distinct cushion A specific type of cushion is available for the support of hip joint and leg joints. It provides help against the stiffness and rigidity of muscles. It also helps against knee hygroma issues. Acupuncture Acupuncture is the latest technique in healing to avoid hip dysplasia and other joint issues. Different techniques are employed at different pressure points of the body. Surgical Intervention Always visit your veterinarian for surgical manipulation in case of displacement or any issue like that. Degenerative Myelopathy Degenerative myelopathy is a disease that can impact the spinal cord of a German Shepherd. The initial signs of the disease are similar to canine arthritis or hip dysplasia, so it is often written off as a joint disease at first. However, the disease will eventually progress to knuckling of the back legs, severe lameness, and complete paralysis of the hind end. There is no treatment available for dogs with degenerative myelopathy, but strengthening the muscles in the hind legs is proven to slow the progression of the disease over time. This is why it is so important to keep your pup active over the years. Maintain A Healthy Weight Keeping your German Shepherd at a healthy weight is likely the most effective way to promote strength in their back legs. The extra pressure can lead to significant joint deterioration over time, especially if they are already experiencing the effects of arthritis or hip dysplasia. Obesity can even exacerbate these issues in dogs that may not have developed joint disease otherwise. When their joints are healthy, their back legs will naturally be stronger and more agile. The better your dog feels each day due to optimal nutrition, the easier it is for them to remain active. Keep Them Active Keeping your dog active is a wonderful way to help them build strength in their back end. Not only is a regular fitness routine essential in maintaining joint and muscle strength, but certain activities are known to improve back leg strength itself. Start Joint Supplements At 1 Year Due to how prone German Shepherds are to painful joint conditions such as arthritis and hip dysplasia, starting joint supplements at 1 year of age can be extremely beneficial. Joint supplements are often most effective when they are used as a preventative measure rather than after joint disease has already developed, as they can help to promote joint strength as the years go by. One of the many symptoms of joint disease is weakness in the hind limbs, so preventing these conditions can ultimately promote back leg strength in the future. Joint disease can lead to significant deterioration of the joints when it is left untreated, so you will want to start a joint management plan from the moment they develop symptoms. By monitoring your German Shepherd for any signs of discomfort, you can establish a joint care plan early in the disease process. By doing so, you can hopefully prevent so much joint damage from coming. Popular Articles:. This will gradually build their hind leg muscles. This forces your dog to put more strain on their back legs, helping to build muscle, and uneven surfaces help improve balance and exercise different muscles. This helps exercise their core muscles as well as their hind legs. This exercise helps to build hind leg muscles. Hydrotherapy is highly effective in building back leg muscles, and classes and facilities are available that specialize in this type of therapy for dogs with mobility issues. Weight Management: Maintain a healthy weight to reduce stress on joints and prevent injury. This popular joint supplement is often given to large dogs like German Shepherds. Green-Lipped Mussel: When combined with glucosamine and chondroitin, the green-lipped mussel can help reduce pain and maintain joint function in dogs with mobility issues. This supplement supports overall joint health and can help your German Shepherd feel more comfortable moving around. Fish Oil: Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation and improve joint health. Vitamin E: Vitamin E can help improve muscle strength and reduce muscle damage. Last fall, Jedi was in bad shape. The two-year-old German Shepherd's health had waxed and waned for months. His owners and local veterinarian saw that Jedi was in pain and suffering from hind limb ataxia, meaning he was losing balance and coordination in his back legs. Assistive Devices: Wheelchairs, mobility harnesses, and slings can provide support and improve mobility for German Shepherds with weak back legs. Recognizing Symptoms of Weak Hind Legs in German Shepherds German Shepherds are prone to hind leg weakness, which can be caused by various factors such as hip dysplasia, arthritis, and spinal cord issues. Limping Or Favoring One Leg: Your German Shepherd might limp or put more weight on one leg to compensate for the weakness in the other leg. Difficulty Standing Or Sitting: Struggling to stand up or sit down can indicate discomfort or weakness in the hind legs. Decreased Activity Levels: A decrease in interest in playing, going for walks, or heading outside may signify discomfort or weakness in the back legs. Swelling Or Pain In Joints: Swollen hips, stiffness in joints and legs, or signs of pain in the back legs can be indicators of an underlying issue affecting hind leg strength. Here are some common causes: 1. Arthritis: This degenerative joint disease can affect German Shepherds as they age. It can cause pain and stiffness in the hind legs, making it difficult for them to move around. This genetic condition can cause the hip joints to develop abnormally, leading to arthritis and hind leg weakness. It can be diagnosed through X-rays. Canine Degenerative Myelopathy: This progressive neurological disease affects the spinal cord and can cause hind leg weakness and paralysis. It is usually seen in older dogs. Diabetes: Diabetes can affect the nerves in the hind legs, leading to weakness and loss of coordination. Fibrocartilaginous Embolism: This spinal cord injury can occur when a piece of cartilage breaks off and blocks blood flow to the spinal cord. It can cause hind leg weakness and paralysis. Limited Mobility: Dogs that are overweight, have poor muscle tone, or have been inactive for an extended period of time may experience hind leg weakness due to limited mobility. To maintain them, provide proper nutrition, exercise, weight management, joint supplements, physiotherapy, injury prevention, and care, and consider alternative therapies or assistive devices if necessary. Common causes of hind leg weakness are arthritis, hip dysplasia, degenerative myelopathy, diabetes, fibrocartilaginous embolism, and limited mobility. Consult a veterinarian if you suspect hind leg weakness. Some German Shepherds may begin showing signs of hip dysplasia as young as four months old, while others develop osteoarthritis as they age. However, in many cases, the signs of hip dysplasia become apparent once the dog is around two years old. To reduce the risk of hip dysplasia in offspring, ensure that only German Shepherds with healthy hips are bred. If you notice your German Shepherd whining when walking , limping, hesitating or showing reluctance when moving its back legs, it may have hip dysplasia. The first sign of pain in young dogs may appear as difficulty climbing stairs, jumping into a car, or exercising freely. If you suspect hip dysplasia, consult a veterinarian for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. Yes, a German Shepherd can recover from hind leg weakness with proper treatment, exercise, and diet. Recovery depends on the underlying cause, and it is best to speak to a veterinarian for a plan of action. Justin Author Justin is a protection dog enthusiast. He has years of experience teaching and training dogs. Read More. This is because German Shepherds are intentionally bred to have a steeper angulation to the hind legs. The AKC breed standards for the breed, require German Shepherds to have as close to a degree bend as possible in their hind legs. Unfortunately, this steep angle in the back leg makes German Shepherds more susceptible to back pain and hind leg problems. After years of wear and tear, this makes them prone to serious leg problems as they age. For instance, studies have shown that German Shepherds are five times more likely to develop dysplasia as compared to Labradors, Rottweilers, and Golden Retrievers. A brief overview of these medical conditions: Degenerative Myelopathy Degenerative myelopathy DM is a neurological disease that makes German Shepherds slowly lose control of their hind legs. In the end, the dog may lose control of the urinary and bowel functions, and paralysis is a serious possibility. DM typically occurs in older dogs of about eight years or older, although it may also occur at a younger age. Unfortunately, there is no cure for DM. However, there are ways to reduce the suffering of your GSD because the condition progresses gradually. Therefore, treatment options for DM are geared towards ensuring a better quality of life rather than curing it. Most dogs with degenerative myelopathy will lose the function of their hind legs within six months to two years of diagnosis. Although there is no cure, regular exercise has been shown to improve the quality of life for dogs with DM. As a result, the ball of the hip joint causes pain as it glides roughly against the socket. Signs of hip dysplasia include a wobbly gait, lameness, limping, a decreased range of motion, and pain while walking. The most common causes of hip dysplasia include genetics, leg trauma, and environmental factors. In extreme cases of hip dysplasia, the dog may lose the function of their back legs and require a wheelchair. Arthritis may also occur due to the pressure exerted on the hip joint by hip dysplasia. Since GSDs are prone to hind leg weakness, they are at an increased risk for severe arthritis. Dogs with bad hips and arthritic joints may change their gait and walk lower to the ground, causing German Shepherd legs to appear even more bent. Signs of arthritis in German Shepherds include lethargy, loss of muscle mass in the hind limbs, reluctance to run, jump, or go up a flight of stairs, and stiffness in the hind legs. Prevention of osteoarthritis through proper dieting, exercising, and joint supplements helps to reduce the onset of osteoarthritis. Once osteoarthritis begins, the treatment is geared towards pain reduction, reducing inflammation, and improving the quality of life. Since osteoarthritis is difficult to detect in symptoms until the affected joints are badly affected, it is crucial to keep up with regular wellness visits with your vet. The best way to prevent these diseases is through genetic testing and following good breeding standards. This is possible by checking with your breeder for the hip score regarding hip dysplasia and proper parent matching to avoid degenerative myelopathy. Diet It works wonders for humans, and it will work for your best friend too. Since this breed is already a large-sized breed and the effects of breeding may be unpredictable, maintaining an optimal weight and observing a healthy, balanced diet is a wise precautionary measure. Some of the important dietary options to provide include ample proteins, vitamin D, vitamin K and magnesium, vitamin C, and vitamin E. You should also ensure that the dog food you buy for your German Shepherd is well-suited, with enough calcium and phosphorus for healthy bone development. Your vet may also prescribe bone and joint supplements such as glucosamine, chondroitin, green-lipped mussels, and collagen if they are required. An obese or overweight will experience increased mobility challenges. Second, regular exercise, especially walking and swimming, is important. Lastly, consult your vet on supplements or medications that may slow down the progression of DM. In any case, for these medical conditions , keep an eye out for changes in movement and contact your vet if there are any concerns. Some common symptoms that your German Shepherd may show include a wobbly walk, slipping on the floor, sitting crooked, hips giving way, swelling, lesser muscle mass in the back legs, and having a shorter stride on the hind legs. Remember that most dogs will not express pain or discomfort at first, so it is up to you to spot the symptoms if they do appear — This is especially important for degenerative conditions because when it comes to treatment, the earlier, the better! Regular exercise Regular exercising does two important things for your German Shepherd. One, it strengthens the hind and front leg muscles, and two, it helps you spot changes in the performance of the hind legs. This is the sit-to-stand routine. In this routine, you start with your dog sitting in front of you. Then, you move back a bit and call the dog to you. When he follows, give a treat to keep his interest and, once again, sit him down. Repeat as many times as needed. Taking your dog on daily walks up and down a hill especially or having swimming sessions will also strengthen the leg muscles and help in managing the weight. Hydrotherapy is especially beneficial for dogs dealing with mobility issues. Canine massage relieves fatigue and tension in the hind leg muscles and helps to spot any unrelated pain that may be a sign of something to watch out for. How to massage your dog: Compress the muscle against the bone with your flat hand using both your palms and fingers. Glide your hand along his spine, following the lay of the fur. Apply semi-circular strokes on the muscular areas of the back legs. Using a support harness Sometimes, it is crucial to moderate the pressure that your shepherd applies to the back legs when he moves about. This is where the support harness comes in. A harness helps to remove some of the stress that the dog may be feeling when taking walks, for instance, until the muscles of the back legs are strong enough to take it. The use of the harness reduces the pressure placed on the bad back legs and makes it easier for your dog to walk. Keep them at a healthy weight and ensure they get plenty of exercise. Even if your GSD is battling a degenerative illness affecting his mobility, you can explore treatment and supportive methods that will enable a good quality of life. German shepherds are known as a very resilient and strong breed. Your dog will match and appreciate any effort you put into ensuring his good quality of life. Related Articles:. Their back legs have much more of a bend to them. This puts a little extra on the back and a lot more than the usual strain on the back legs. As a result, many years down the line, the strain on the back legs can develop into more serious issues. Studies have shown, in fact, that one side-effect of this is that German Shepherds are five times more likely to develop hip dysplasia than many of the other large breeds, such as Labradors and Golden Retrievers. If you have an older dog, the leg weakness is likely something that has progressed over the years, but there may be other causes, such as diabetes. Your vet can run some tests to give you a conclusive diagnosis. Symptoms of Back Leg Weakness in German Shepherds As there are different causes for back leg weakness in German Shepherds, there are a number of different symptoms to consider. If you see one of the symptoms which we have listed below, a vet checkup is a good idea so that the root cause may be determined and treatment initiated as soon as possible. Lethargy Lethargy is a common first symptom, as your dog knows that their back legs are weaker and simply prefers to stay sitting or laying down. Watch to see if this occurs with a reluctance to rise or a wobbly gait — however brief — to see if this energy loss may be an early sign of back leg weakness. Poor Coordination Poor coordination is a definite red flag that your dog may be suffering from back leg weakness. Veterinarian Tammy Hunter, DVM, advises that dogs in this condition are prone to fall over easily when gently pushed from the side. Slipping on the floor quite often is another common way that this manifests and a definite warning sign. Decreased Motion Range Another early warning sign, a decreased range of motion may be indicative of developing back leg weakness, though this will sometimes manifest as well if your dog has simply strained their back muscles while playing frisbee or other games where they must jump and twist. Urinary and Bowel issues In the later stages of degenerative myelopathy, leg paralysis often occurs along with a loss of control of urination and the bowels. While this is more common in Shepherds over the age of 8, it can occasionally occur in younger Shepherds as well. Reduced Muscle mass Reduced muscle mass is a common symptom, which may be degenerative myelopathy or Osteoarthritis. It is a slow process and sometimes manageable by means of a harness or an exercise regimen which may be proscribed by your vet. They may walk a little more slowly or simply creep along with their bodies closer to the ground so that they have better control over their legs and where they are going. Leg Paralysis Leg paralysis is common towards the end of degenerative myelopathy and may possibly occur within 6 months to 2 years following a diagnosis of this condition. Shepherds were bred to have a degree bend in their back legs, and while this provides agility enhancement, it also makes them more vulnerable to certain conditions. The most common causes of back leg weakness have been listed below. Genetics Shepherds are prone to a number of medical conditions such as degenerative myelopathy, hip dysplasia, and arthritis. Due to this, many prospective owners will ask their breeder for copies of the health history of the dam and the sire, along with X-rays of the hips and elbows of the parents and the puppy to determine the likelihood of certain conditions. Hip Dysplasia With hip dysplasia, the ball portion of the upper thighbone is not fully covered by the hip socket. This means that the hip joint may occasionally become dislocated either partially or, in some cases, completely, and as the ball of the hip joint meets the socket, it causes pain for the dog when moving. While this sometimes affects smaller dogs, it is much more common in larger breeds such as the German Shepherd. Degenerative Myelopathy Degenerative myelopathy is a neural condition which some German Shepherds are prone to, and it manifests as the dog slowly losing control of their hind legs. Of note, veterinarians Ernest Ward and Tammy Hunter advise that a genetic mutation known as SOD-1 has been identified to be a major risk factor in developing Degenerative Myelopathy, but research is still continuing on this condition. As it is very hard to detect, Shepherd owners are advised to have regular vet checkups in order to increase the chances of detecting and managing conditions such as this early on. Subluxation Subluxation is a condition where one or more of the vertebrae in the spine have become misaligned. This often results in pain, along with a reduced range of motion, a wobbly gait, and similar conditions. While this is not genetic, some dogs are going to be more likely to develop this than others simply because the bone structure is inherited from the parents. Lumbosacral Stenosis Lumbosacral stenosis is a disease that sometimes afflicts German Shepherds, and it affects both the spinal cord and the nerves which are present where the pelvis and the spinal column meet. This is something that a dog may be born with, or it may develop, and it manifests with symptoms such as hind leg and tail weakness, incontinence, and pain. Treatment is available, typically in the form of medication or in more severe cases, in corrective surgery, Diabetes Diabetes is another common culprit when it comes to back leg weakness in many dogs, and one of the symptoms is weakened leg joints. Diagnosis of Back Leg Weakness in German Shepherds If you have noticed symptoms such as lethargy, weakness of the back limbs, or a poor lack of coordination, then you will want to make a list of the symptoms which you are seeing in your German Shepherd and schedule a vet appointment right away. Once you arrive, your vet is going to run a series of tests, both physical and neurological, to assess the root cause of the issue. Finally, imaging technology is employed to see if methods such as ultrasound or X-rays can locate any telltale abnormalities. At this point, your vet should have a full diagnosis so that treatment may be proscribed. Treatment of Back Leg Weakness in German Shepherds There are various treatments for back leg weakness in German Shepherds, depending on the root cause of the issue. The most common treatments for back leg weakness in German Shepherds are listed below. Chiropractic Care Chiropractic care may help to improve the quality of your Shepherds life and is often used in conjunction with medications for pain, along with joint supplements and other condition-specific pharmaceuticals designed to treat the root cause of the back leg weakness. Insulin In cases where the back leg weakness is caused by diabetes, then insulin may be administered to help to get diabetes in control, while medications are provided to help in pain management, and an exercise regimen is followed to return muscle mass and control to the hind legs of the dog. In this case, the dog has a very good chance of regaining full control of their hind legs, but your vet will be able to best advise what you should expect. Support Harness Along with pain management and chiropractic care, a support harness is commonly proscribed for German Shepherds suffering from back leg weakness to give them better control of their mobility and help exercise the atrophied muscles if their specific condition is conducive to this. In severe cases where full paralysis of the back legs occurs, then a wheelchair may be used in place of the support harness to allow the dog limited mobility when exercise and a support harness is not an option. Cold Laser Therapy With conditions such as subluxation, newer treatments such as cold laser therapy may be an option. In a specific case, a 7-year-old German Shepherd suffering from subluxation was able to have the condition corrected through a combination of regular chiropractic care used in conjunction with cold laser therapy. Many veterinary clinics have started to offer this innovative treatment, but you will need to check with your vet to see if this is a viable option based on the root cause of the back leg weakness. To this effect, a veterinarian can customize a pain regimen that can help your dog remain more comfortable if further treatment is simply not an option. Surgery Some conditions, such as Lumbosacral Stenosis, may be treated by means of corrective surgery, but this is one specific condition where corrective surgery may be an option. Most commonly, this type of surgery is only going to be employed in the most difficult cases where medication is an insufficient means of managing the issue. As this condition is severe, in either case, the dog will need to be confined for periods of 4 to 10 weeks for monitoring and treatment. Recovery of Back Leg Weakness in German Shepherds Recovery options for a German Shepherd showing signs of back leg weakness will vary, but generally, they will include pain management along with treatments such as chiropractic care, use of a support harness to help to rebuild atrophied muscles, or with diabetes, it could be insulin and a custom exercise regimen designed to rebuild muscle mass. In cases like degenerative myelopathy, a cure is not an option, and treatment will be more geared towards making your dog more comfortable as the condition worsens. Not all back leg weakness will be DM, however, and conditions such as lumbosacral stenosis are treatable with medication and surgery during an isolation period of 4 to 10 weeks. With conditions like Osteoarthritis, joint supplements and pain medication can help your dog live a more normal life with their condition. New treatments such as cold laser therapy are also available and may be proscribed. Cheaper than replacing everything they might break. And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone. And the best part is it also has a day money-back guarantee! You can also check out a full review here to learn exactly what the course has to offer! Website such as veterinary network TPLO advises that regular walks, in addition to a healthy diet and joint supplements, can help in the treatment and prevention of back leg weakness in older dogs. A large part of this is genetic, as Shepherds were bred to have a more pronounced bend in their back legs, and over time, this leads to additional strain on the back and the legs. Shepherds are prone to conditions such as degenerative myelopathy, hip dysplasia, Osteoarthritis, and more, so it is vital that you ensure that your Shepherd has a healthy diet, along with plenty of exercise and joint supplements are also a good idea. Finally, be sure to bring your dog in for regular checkups, as conditions like Osteoarthritis can be difficult to spot without veterinary assistance — early diagnosis is always best and offers the best chances of treatment and proper management. Related Posts:.

Knowing what to do to help your dog with misbehavior is half the battle. Are you making any of these disciplining mistakes? Do not use negative reinforcement Negative reinforcement is causing discomfort or worse, pain, to your dog to get them to perform a behavior. Other common negative reinforcers include a choke chain and prong collar. Negative reinforcement is about turning off something negative, or uncomfortable, at the least, and painful at the worst. But take note… Negative reinforcement has been scientifically shown to lead to an increased risk of aggression of 2. Instead, use lure and reward GSD puppy training Do not use physical correction Just as when using negative reinforcement, physical corrections cause your dog anxiety and fear and lead to aggression. When you got your dog you wanted him for life as your best friend and companion. If you find yourself about to engage in physical force for punishment with your German Shepherd, step away from your dog immediately. Ask someone for help. Call a friend or family member and tell them you need help with your dog. Even withholding food, water, or shelter is cruel and must be avoided. And demeaning them by calling them names and speaking to them in a critical tone can cause fear and aggression in German Shepherds. Not to mention, your continued shouting could stress your dog to the point they shut down and withdraw from you. They will no longer be the sweet, lively dog you dreamed about. Instead, learn how to use your voice to communicate effectively with your German Shepherd. Keep your voice calm, clear, and confident. Unfortunately, this type of training only makes his house training take longer since he begins to fear going potty anywhere. So, instead, he begins to sneak off and hide to potty indoors to avoid punishment. Preferably, always have your puppy tethered to you when potty training, never letting them out of your sight. When not tethered to you, place them in a puppy-proof area to prevent potty accidents. Reward your German Shepherd when they potty outdoors in the area you want with praise and treats. Learn more about how to quickly potty train a German Shepherd to start off on the right steps to house training. Or, what about when your tiny puppy sinks his little teeth into your hand in play and you laugh out loud? Why does your German Shepherd misbehave? Take a look. There are a few common factors in dogs that cause them to misbehave. Even if you think your dog is trained and should know better, these are the top reasons they might have bad behaviors. Separation anxiety If you spend a lot of time with your puppy, then begin to leave him alone for long hours he may start to misbehave. This is especially true if you are busy and tend to leave him in a crate for far too many hours. This could mean chewing inappropriate things, digging, or even excessive barking and howling. Under exercised An under-exercised dog is not getting his basic needs met. German Shepherds must have at least 2 hours of physical exercise per day. See — Fun Jobs for German Shepherds at Home for more ideas Before you leave the house give your dog a long walk with plenty of time to sniff. Inconsistent Discipline Another leading cause of needing to discipline a German Shepherd is a lack of consistent training and discipline techniques. Do you make sure your puppy always has 4 paws on the floor to greet guests? While many owners remember to obedience train their dog they overlook the importance of mentally stimulating games to reduce boredom. Decreasing boredom is shown to give your dog a more enjoyable day, which lessens their desire to participate in unwanted behaviors, such as chewing and digging. Start with a few minutes a day using mind games to help keep their mental health in check. Need more help disciplining your German Shepherd the right way? Do you wish there was a German Shepherd monthly guidebook? There is! Disciplining your German Shepherd puppy is most effective when you focus on teaching your German Shepherd what to do, rather than punishing him for unwanted behaviors. The wrong type of punishment can cause irreparable harm to your companion, but discipline when used properly actually reinforces positive behavior. She has a Bachelor of Science degree, with Honors, and has been training dogs for over a decade. Related Posts. Unless your dog is hard of hearing or far enough away that you must raise your voice to communicate with them, never yell at your dog. If you tell your dog to do something and it ignores you but obeys when you yell, your training needs to be revisited. If the dog listens only when you yell, that means your dog knows what was expected of him or her when you said it in a normal voice but chose not to obey until the dog was intimidated to do so. That is a critical failure in training. Intimidation has no place in dog training. Corrections do, but fear doesn't. Your dog should never have a single moment in its entire life where it fears you. A dog should respect the boundaries you set, and should obey commands that it knows fully, but it should never be afraid. Making a dog afraid is a slippery slope that ends in trust issues, poor pack structure in the home, and even fear aggression. Once a dog learns that showing aggression when they feel intimidated makes people leave them alone and stop stressing them, it's very difficult to train that dog to be safe again. If you are not a person who is raising a Police Service Dog, Military Working Dog, Contract Working Dog, or a sport dog that competes in protection sports, don't train your dog to be aggressive or to bite. Most dogs aren't genetically stable enough to deal with the stress of that kind of work healthily. A few years ago, a police department's K9 unit was in hot water after a dog bit an innocent person. If they can make mistakes, so can and will most pet owners with far less training for themselves and their dogs. The person who was bitten sued that department for more money than a lot of people's houses are worth. The government has insurance and that kind of money to fall back on when such a tragedy happens. Most civilians don't. Then you'll have to spend more time and money learning how to handle a dog like that safely. The other option is to buy a puppy from a reputable working dog breeder and spend the next two years working with professionals several times a week to train your dog up to that level. Both are very expensive and very unnecessary for most people. If you're going to do it, do it right. And bring a big check. We still get questions about spanking a dog for this or that, or if they should spank their dog, etc. The answer is no. Never hit your dog. If you think long enough, I'm sure you can create a scenario as to why it would be necessary to hit your dog. Then again, that can still backfire and only make it worse. Long story short, don't hit your dog. If you need to prove a behavior, use a correction with a training collar. It's less personal, much more effective, and doesn't hurt your dog. Finding a dog that hasn't trained their owner in some capacity is rarer than finding an endangered species in your backyard! Dogs are very clever, and sometimes while we're training our dogs, they're training us. Have you ever seen a dog nudge someone to get petted? Most of us have, right? That's a dog training their owner to become a free reward machine. How about a dog that pushes into their owner, or sits directly in front of them and before you know it, that person asks "Aww, do you want a treat? Those are more obvious things, but there are some examples you've probably never thought of. A dog that pulls is training their owner where to go and that they need to keep up with their pace or get dragged. A dog who pushes a toy in your lap to get you to play tug or fetch is another example. When you let your dog train you, most of the time, you're undoing your own training. Rewards come on your terms. Don't let your dog push your boundaries and demand things from you, or worse yet, condition you to do the opposite of what you're trying to accomplish in training. The five pillars of dog training are boundaries, structure, accountability, advocacy, discipline, and fulfillment. It takes time to build these things. Many months and many hours of relationship building, structure, training, etc. Don't take shortcuts, and don't expect to have a fully trained dog in four weeks no matter what that local dog training school says. Don't overwork your dog and don't try to force things before the dog is ready. We get questions all the time like "how long should it take for me to fully train my dog? Does the dog have a high or low food drive? High or low prey drive? How consistent are you? How proficient are you at dog training? There are a ton of factors at play, and no dog or dog trainer is perfect. Don't expect a working line dog to be a great show dog. When you buy a puppy, it doesn't matter whom you got it from or how much you paid, or what their parents have done. You have no idea how that puppy will turn out when it reaches adulthood. Don't place the unrealistic expectation that it'll be a champion like mom and dad on your dog. Don't place the unrealistic expectation that the puppy will be a great dog for breeding. Neither may end up true. You do what you can with the dog you've got, not the dog you wish you had. Dogs have limits, don't expect them to surpass them. We hope this article was informational and that you enjoyed it. We would appreciate you very much if you'd leave a like and a share. Thank you. So, how do you discipline your German Shepherd without punishment? Find the answer to that in the next section. Give your GSD something interesting instead, such as a toy. Use positive reinforcement training. Ignore demanding behavior, such as barking, pawing, or jumping. Use short effective timeouts. As already indicated, the most efficient way of disciplining your German Shepherd is through positive reinforcement training. Positive reinforcement implies adding some reward to increase the frequency of response. How positive reinforcement happens In positive reinforcement, rewards include: A treat: Should be healthy and given in moderation to avoid health issues. It could be a single kibble from their food or a tiny piece of meat, or you can try healthy fruits or vegetables. Expression of physical attention: A hug, a gentle pat, or a caress on the head or behind the ears. You can find out more about petting a German Shepherd here. Negative reinforcement means taking something away or removing a reward to increase the frequency of the response. A typical example of negative reinforcement is when getting your dog to sit, you gently push his bottom down towards the floor, easing him into the sit position. Once the sit is accomplished, you reward him by releasing the pressure. By repeatedly doing this, the behavior is reinforced. Instead, it means reinforcing good behavior and deterring unbecoming conduct. In other words, you should not punish your German Shepherd when disciplining him. That means you love your dog and want the best for him. Consequently, you do not wish to hurt your dog, and you want your German Shepherd to trust you. If all that is true, it is easy to indicate that you should never apply physical punishment to your pet. Whether that means spanking, kicking, leaving him without food, caging or tying him for days, or other forms of punishment that could bring the dog some form of physical harm. Do you want to learn how to show dominance over your German Shepherd the right way? These forms of punishment do not achieve any good results. First, dogs do not have the reasoning capacity to associate punishment with their action and are, thus, unlikely to change. Instead, they will develop fear and aggression towards you, which could strain the relationship with your GSD. Second, from an animal rights perspective, physical punishment is a form of pet abuse that could make you count among the thousands of people who are perpetrators of animal cruelty in the US, inflicting physical pain. That also means that they can tell the difference in your voice pitch, and they know shouting indicates anger and displeasure. Yelling can cause fear and aggression in German Shepherds, which could make them turn against you with a bite, or they could just run away. With time, dogs may also adopt a form of indifference to your shouting and learn to ignore your yelling. From a well-being approach, continuous shouting as a form of punishment can cause poor quality of life for your German Shepherd. This study found that dogs trained with aversive methods shouting is an aversive method had poorer welfare than those trained with reward-based techniques positive reinforcement. Rather than shout, therefore, you will be more efficient if you use a calm voice and make clear and confident commands. Your dog might change position next time, and that is because your punishment did not teach him that doing it in the house is bad. Dogs like their space clean, especially from their dirt. Instead, if your German Shepherd puppy soils your carpet, clean the mess with a detergent that removes the stain and odor, and then redirect your dog outside. Also, reward him when he relieves himself during a walk and withdraw the reward when the same is done in the house. This will teach your German Shepherd to associate doing his thing outside with a good treat and avoid that which takes it away. Letting it go once creates the expectation that you can let it go another time. Instead, insist on chew toys for play or dog teething toys if your pup is still at the teething stage. Most pet stores have you spoilt for choice when it comes to chewing and teething toys. As a dog owner with lots of love for your German Shepherd, you might be remorseful that you denied your pet a treat for not following your command and decided to give him three in compensation. If, as a dog owner, you realize that you cannot be firm with disciplining your German Shepherd, seek the help of a professional trainer immediately. And even though they learn what they should do through training, they might sometimes make mistakes and need understanding from the loving owner they look up to. Final Thoughts Disciplining your German Shepherd is an essential aspect of training. But it is important to differentiate discipline from punishment. While punishing may cause harm to your dog, disciplining is intended to reinforce positive behavior. Rewarding good behavior through positive reinforcement and rekindling it when your dog faults through negative reinforcement are the two most effective ways of using discipline to train your German Shepherd in good behavior. There are several reasons why your German Shepherd may be involved in unbecoming behavior. Some of them are loneliness, lack of exercise, or poor training as a puppy. If you have to discipline your GSD, avoid rewarding negative behavior, shouting, and physical punishment. Related Posts You May Like:. And I have discussed discipline in the past. Maybe not in the context that some people associate discipline, meaning that discipline equals punishment. But rather that discipline involves maintaining consistent disciplined order and structure for a dog to live within, thereby not allowing them to stray outside those boundaries and engage in inappropriate behavior. But let's face it, sometimes our dogs stray outside of our boundaries, regardless of how consistent we are and we feel compelled to punish our dogs. What kind of punishment is appropriate? Or is it appropriate at all? I really wish there were easy answers to those questions, but there aren't. How you punish a dog really has a lot to do with your personal beliefs about punishment in general. To me, punishment is the addition of something negative when the dog is caught in the act of doing something wrong such as an assertive tone saying "Bad dog" or "Phooey that" or giving a dog a brief time-out period. This time-out period has nothing to do with allowing the dog to reflect on what it has done wrong, but rather segregation from its pack members from whom it gets the rewards of affection and praise. In no uncertain terms should hitting your dog be considered appropriate punishment - it is certainly abuse. But I still see people choosing to hit their dogs, be it a slap on the nose or on the rump. Hitting is a reaction of frustration from us. There is nothing in the natural canine vocabulary of social gestures and postures that mimics slapping. There is one behavior that fearful dogs display that could be interpreted as an assault like hitting. That is when a dog lashes out at another dog in fear. The intention is to cause quick pain and then vacate the area in fear of retribution. When we hit a dog we can assume that is how they interpret that action. We are afraid of them and are lashing out. As a result we send a clear message that we are unpredictable and therefore not capable of being a good pack leaders as true pack leaders are confident and predictable. I personally am a very firm believer in discipline rather than punishment. As I said earlier the boundaries that you set for your dog should be consistent and disciplined. What was off limits yesterday is off limits today and tomorrow. And what was allowed yesterday is allowed today and tomorrow. When a dog has this disciplined, consistent order from all members of its pack, it rarely ever misbehaves and there is really never a need for punishment. By showing this level of disciplined order your dog also assumes that you are a competent leader of its pack and therefore has no need to challenge that position. When we are inconsistent with the boundaries that our dog is to live within is when our dog assumes we are incompetent of a leadership position and begins a to challenge it through inappropriate displays of behavior. Dogs are not creatures that live within the shadow of punishment. Meaning they don't go slinking around waiting for an opportunity to be bad and hoping that they don't get caught, like criminals. They are creatures that live and thrive within the disciplined boundaries of order and structure and that is when they are truly happy and willing to please us with good behavior. If you have questions or comments that you would like to share, please EMAIL US Please do not use our website to attempt to diagnose or treat your pet. The consultation with your veterinarian is the best source of health advice for your individual pet. You should not rely, on the veterinary advice or any other information provided on this site for the diagnosis or treatment of any specific condition. You should always consult your own veterinarian for specific advice concerning the medical condition or general treatment of your pet. How to Groom German Shepherd Puppies While there are several ways a German Shepherd can brighten up your life, it can be equally stubborn. Intelligence and self-assuredness make this dog breed hard to train. Many believe the right way to discipline their pet is to spank, cage, hit, or use another physical punishment to mold behavior. However corporal punishment is not only ethically dubious, but it can also damage your bond with your dog. So, how do you train your dog without resorting to traditional disciplining? There are several ways to discipline your German Shepherd puppy without punishment, most of which simply revolve around training your puppy to realize a certain behavior is unwelcome and wrong. This article lists 8 ways to help you train your puppy without resorting to punishment. They are: 1. However, timing is everything in dog training. Since GSDs are smart dogs, you can start training them as soon as they are 7 weeks old. At this time, you should keep the training light and be limited to basic commands, crate training, and socialization. If you start training your dog early on and with consistency, the chance of developing bad behavior is low. Similarly, the earlier you realize a behavior is unwanted, the sooner you learn not to repeat it — the same is the case with dogs. German Shepherd puppies are smart, but you cannot ensure efficient dog training without consistency. To train your dog to unlearn the bad behavior, you must remain gentle, firm, and consistent. Whatever behavior is unwanted should always remain unwanted. And your behavior with your puppy should reflect that. However, remember to always stay gentle and kind. Spanking or denying food is unacceptable and may even worsen the situation. Consistency also prevents your puppy from confusion. For example, when teaching your puppy that breaking things is unwanted behavior, ensure that your reaction and the corrective action remain the same whether the dog breaks an expensive vase or a cheap ashtray. For example, if you are teaching your dog to stop barking at visitors, reward them with their favorite treat when they display this behavior. German Shepherd puppies are quick learners. When they realize a behavior is appreciated, they are likely to repeat it. Training with rewards is not only fun but also helps you build a strong bond with your canine. Consequently, the dog may not perform the desired behavior in the absence of the treat. Consult with professionals, watch online tutorials , read authentic research , before including 3. Use Time-Outs You can also choose the time-out technique strategically to discipline your dog. When your puppy performs an unacceptable behavior, remove them from the scene of the crime and put them in an isolated environment. In isolation, the dog is away from his owner, toys, and all things fun. Although controversial, it effectively modifies problematic behavior. The correct use of time-out involves responding quickly and consistently to unacceptable behavior. Time out should not last for more than 3 minutes or until your puppy has calmed down. What they can and do understand are your tone and body language, and that is how they choose to communicate with you. This can cause your puppy to fear you and get anxious. However, do not scream or yell. In this way, your puppy will learn that chewing, which is a natural urge for dogs, is not bad; chewing household items is. Ignore Unwanted Behavior Ignoring unwanted behavior works like a charm for some problematic behaviors—for example, incessant barking. Nonstop barking can truly be nerve-wracking, and if your puppy refuses to listen, it might be time to start ignoring them when they bark too much. This means you refuse to give them any attention when they are barking. You must even avoid telling them to keep quiet. German Shepherd puppies are sharp dogs. So, to prevent them from barking for even longer next time, pretend like nothing is happening. Eventually, they will stop barking needlessly altogether. However, before using this technique, figure out what exactly it is that is making them bark and remove the certain object or place them in a different environment that is preferably quieter. For example, barking too much during playtime can simply be due to overexcitement. In this case, give them a chew time or make your playtimes shorter to give them some rest. Help Puppies Burn Pent-up Energy Is your puppy nipping you or chewing important items around the house? German Shepherd puppies are energic and can sometimes display their pent-up energy in strange ways. Repeated problematic behavior can be a sign that your dog is not getting enough exercise, playtime, or mental stimulation. So, ensure your puppies get plenty of playtime, exercise, or even a chew toy. They can assume your sudden jerking as part of a game and continue nipping whenever they want to play. To stop your puppy from nipping or chewing, try: Moving your hand away slowly from your puppy Give them something else to chew on, like their chew toy Ensure they have plenty of physical and mental stimulation throughout the day 7. Avoid Physical Punishment and Harm Physically harming or punishing your puppy is unethical as it can cause physical and psychological injury. Dogs that are disciplined through physical punishment may develop anxiety and depression. Studies have also revealed that the use of violence or physical punishment during dog training can increase aggression in dogs. And even worse, your German Shepherd may turn on you and try to bite you to protect themselves from getting hurt. Training or disciplining your puppy should never be about intimidating them or using force. It should simply be you trying techniques and making them understand what you require of them by staying consistent. Even if training your puppy is overwhelming, remember to stay patient. If you are overcome with frustration, take a short break. Calm yourself down, and then resume training. Remember, no physical punishment should be the number 1 rule during dog training. Be Patient Have you been trying to train your German Shepherd puppy for a while and not getting the desired results? Remember that while German Shepherd puppies are undoubtedly intelligent, they can be equally stubborn. So, while the process may be time taking and overwhelming, patience is a virtue. You should not confuse your puppy by changing the rules too often. However, if your puppy refuses to cooperate on some days, remember that it is completely okay to take a break for a day or two. Your puppy would rather take a day off to see you more calm and relaxed rather than angry or stressed during training. For example, peeing or defecating around the house even after potty training is over can be a sign of a bladder or bowel problem. Moreover, continuing to bite or chew after teething is over can signal dental problems. So, make sure to get your German Shepherd puppy checked out by a licensed vet. Most importantly, learn to accept if you are not cut out for training. Therefore, if training is too stressful or overwhelming for you, you can consider hiring a professional dog trainer to do It for you. You can also ask your vet for a reference. Moreover, you can ask your friends and family for a recommendation. We wish you the best of luck in training your German Shepherd puppies! Puppies German Shepherds can be the most well-mannered and obedient dogs. However, much of how they behave depends on how you train them and keep their manners in check. So how do you discipline a German Shepherd puppy? This article will dive into the best and most effective ways of disciplining a GSD puppy when needed. Best Ways to Discipline a German Shepherd Puppy Positive reinforcement training remains to be the best way to discipline any dog, especially a German Shepherd puppy. This method works not only for obedience but also for encouraging good behaviors. For GSDs, this is especially effective because their high level of intelligence enables them to quickly associate rewards with their actions. While some believe that the best training methods involve punishing bad behaviors, research suggests that reward-based training methods are actually the most effective. Additionally, behavioral issues can be addressed through redirection and behavior-specific training. Here are the most critical parts of fostering good manners in a young German Shepherd: Positive Reinforcement Training Positive reinforcement training involves rewarding your dog for good behaviors. This increases the likelihood of them performing the right behavior and can also discourage unwanted behaviors. Instead, they will greet you by sitting in front of you because that gets them the reward they want. On the surface, positive reinforcement training might seem simple enough. However, here are some things you need to get right for effective training: Step 1: Find The Right Reward First, you need to find the right reward. Different dogs have different motivations. Some are driven by food while others are mostly motivated by toys and play. Others find that the best reward is cheerful praise and a good ear scratch. Learning what motivates your dog will help you raise them more successfully. Dogs basically live in the moment, so you need to reward in the moment as well. When rewarding, catch them in the act of doing the right behavior. Step 3: Consistency Third, you need to be consistent. Redirection In most cases, the most difficult part of training dogs is to reverse unwanted behaviors. So, the most effective thing to do is to redirect them to more appropriate behaviors. For example, if your German Shepherd likes to dig holes in your backyard, you can redirect that behavior to something more desirable, like playing with a ball. As soon as you let them out into your yard, toss a ball and encourage them to play. This diverts their energy into something more positive. If you do this consistently, they will associate the yard with playtime rather than digging time. Excessive barking , for example, is very difficult to divert. In the barking example, it helps to teach your dog to bark on command. Make sure you reward them as soon as they stop barking. Practice this until you can make them speak and keep quiet on command. Additionally, certain types of punishment can instill fear in your pup. Not only would that severely hinder their ability to develop a good relationship with you, that might also lead to some fear-based aggression down the road. This might also lead to fear-based aggression where they will growl , lunge, or bite to defend themselves. In fact, most will still experience some frustration. No dog is inherently well-mannered all the time. Here are some things you can do to improve your success while also strengthening your relationship with your canine companion: Start early. Be consistent. Establish verbal cues. Use playtime as an opportunity to reinforce positive behaviors. Tire them out. Excess energy can often be the root cause of bad behaviors. Hone their abilities. GSDs are working dogs. If you give them opportunities to sharpen their mental abilities and also hone their other skills e.

Use tab to navigate through the menu items. My name is Valerie. I'm the owner and breeder of Lavender Fields Australian Labradoodles. Along side of me is my husband, Dave and our two daughters, Paisley 9 and Paige 7 and of course our pups. We are located in beautiful Spring Lake, Michigan. We raise all our pups right in our home, with love and lots of cuddles. Our pups are cherished family members, they live in our home, sleep in our rooms, and accompany us just about everywhere we go. They get to play together in the back yard, swim in the lake, join us on family road trips and vacations, they are true family members. Our goal is to provide families with a happy and healthy puppy. All our puppies come from fully health tested parents who pass extensive heath and genetic testing to ensure we are maintaining excellent genetic lines and the health standards of this great breed. We are focused on making sure our puppies begin with Puppy Culture Enrichment Program and are well-socialized, by spending time with our family, around lots of children, other animals and exposing them to the many sights and sounds of the world. We believe this exposure gives your puppy a great start to becoming a well rounded family companion. We are dedicated to breeding happy, healthy, Australian Labradoodles, with non-shedding, allergy and asthma friendly coats. Low maintenance but does shed at varying degrees. Not recommended for families with allergies. Fleece Coat Most Desirable. Curl varies. Typically non-shedding and good for people with allergies. Minimal to moderate grooming. Longer coats are kept, the higher the maintenance. Mostly non shedding and allergy friendly. More grooming, especially when coat is longer. At the Labradoodle Corral, we mostly produce a fleece coat. Wool coats are saved for the super sensitive allergy family. But a fleece coat is very soft, giving you that teddy bear feel, great look and the least maintenance. Red can fade somewhat with age. Red is a rare color and fairly hard to find. It can come in varying shades and may fade as the dog grows older. Blue also belongs to the Rare Color Group. Blue dogs are born Black but will have Blue skin and undertonings at a young age. Silver Colored Australian Labradoodles Born Black but will have more of a grey skin and will develop individual silver fibers at a young age. Silver dogs can take up to 3 years to color out and become a beautiful smoky grey through to a light iridescent platinum and varying shades in between at adulthood. Uneven layering of color in the silver is normal. Chocolate Colored Australian Labradoodles Dark and rich, born almost Black, they maintain a dark chocolate throughout their lifetime. Color should be even. Chocolate belongs to the Rare Color Group. When given plenty of time in the sunshine, they develop stunning highlights. Lavender dogs are born Chocolate and can be difficult to distinguish at a young age. True Lavender belongs to the Rare Color Group. Paling usually starts from an early age often as early as 6 weeks. As adults they can be mistaken for dark smoky Cream from a distance. Parchment belongs to the Rare Color Group. Have a look at our Labradoodles for sale in the Midwest to find your new friend. For more information regarding coat types of puppies, contact the Wisconsin Australian Labradoodle breeders at Labradoodle Corral today. Contact Us Labradoodle Colors Australian Labradoodle coat colors colours come in a wide variety of options. Below is a listing of the different coat colors, coloring descriptions and what to expect with their coats throughout their lifetime. Caramel Caramel colored dogs have liver noses brown. Their range of coat color can vary between light yellow to almost red in hue. The difference in a caramel dog and a chalk, cream, apricot and red dog is their nose color. Chocolate True chocolates are brown in color. Many chocolates do fade over time. Cream This color comes in a wide variety of shades but it should be creamy in appearance. The nose pigment is black. The pigment for the nose is black. Parchment This color is a creamy beige chocolate color. It has been described as a cup of coffee with a generous addition of milk. These dogs are born milk chocolate and will develop their parchment coloring over time. The nose pigment is rose. Red True reds should be rich and dark in color and the roots should be no lighter. Sadly, this coat color tends to fade over time. The nose color is to be black. This color develops over the first years. Nose pigment should be rose. Chalk This color is a white looking color. However, if you were to compare it to a true white, it would appear to be more chalk-white in color. Nose pigment is black. Black Black Labradoodles should be solid in color with no sprinklings of other colors throughout the coat. Their pigment color should be black. Silver These pups would start out black and their silver coloring develops over the first few years of their lives. The color range can be anywhere from a light pewter to a dark charcoal. Silver dogs need to have black pigmentation. The blue coat will develop over the first few years. The color should be solid once they are full grown. It should be a dark-medium smoky blue. Lavender This color has a smoky lavender chocolate coloring that almost gives off a pink to lilac appearance. These pups are born chocolate and will come into their beautiful lavender coats over the first few years. Their pigmentation should be rose in color. Parti These dogs need to be at least fifty percent white, with spots or patches of any other above solid color. Full or partial saddles are acceptable, but are not preferred. Ticking in the white of the coat is acceptable but not preferred. The nose pigment needs to match the solid color. Any combination of acceptable colors is allowed. Nose pigment should follow requirements listed above based on the solid base color. Information and photos republished with permission from Australian Labradoodle Association Save Ready for your puppy? This color can do some interesting things! It can fade into at least three distinct, official Labradoodle colors! Go figure!! I have had one of my chocolate girls turn completely Lavender on her body but not the head, then within a year, go completely back to dark chocolate. So, like a good Boy Scout, when you purchase a chocolate Labradoodle, be prepared for anything! All are lovely, but they are almost impossible to predict with any significant degree of accuracy. Once again, be prepared for anything! Chocolate Colors Now we get to the fun part; the color combinations! This is where things get interesting. Partis can come in any color, with either color nose. Some are mostly white, while some have lots of color and less white. The ones that are mostly white are called "Extreme" Partis. The variations are endless and unique, like a snowflake. The colors, such as chocolate, on a parti can change in the same ways that they would on a solid dog. Often confused with "Parti" is a dog with heavy white mismarks or a Tuxedo. White mismarks can be very small or very heavy, or anywhere in-between. The puppy is born either Black or Chocolate and immediately begins to lose the dark color, revealing anything from a cream to a red underneath! The tips of the fur may retain their dark cast, but the dog will present as somewhere on the cream-red spectrum. I have included her picture below showing her in the middle of the changing process. The genetics of color are absolutely fascinating!

Here are the top 3 Labradoodle Breeders in San Diego. Shadow Mountain Labradoodles The main aim of the Shadow Mountain Labradoodles is to provide people with physical impairments with a lovely service dog. These breeds are also hypoallergenic in nature which makes them an ideal choice for people with allergies. They begin to train their dogs at a very young age so that they can develop their socialization skills and other skills. These dogs are also a good choice if you already have a pet at home. Labradoodles are extremely social with people and other animals too! This is one of the best shelters in San Diego if you are considering adopting a furry Labradoodle companion! The main aim of this shelter is to find a loving home for all their adorable little puppies. They have a puppy nursery complete with dog toys and accessories to help them socialize and play well with the other Labradoodle puppies. They also have their own personal veterinarian who regularly monitors the pups. We also practice regular vaccinations and breed testing in order to make sure they are not prone to any genetic diseases. They also give you a complete experience. Even before your pup is born, the Moo Cow Labradoodles keeps you updated with regular X-Ray pictures and pictures of when they were born to help make you feel included. This will also help you develop a connection with the pup right from the early stages! Their puppy nanny will bring them right to you! These pups are well-behaved, well-trained, and lovable animals and make for an ideal companion for your home. Contact Information Email address: moocowlabradoodles gmail. Rosebud Labradoodles The Rosebud Labradoodles is a small shelter run by a family of dog lovers. They have years of experience in breeding Australian Labradoodles, and they consider their dogs to be a part of their family. The main goal of Rosebud Labradoodles is to provide homes with healthy, happy little Labradoodle puppies in San Diego! They start training at a young age, as most breeders do. However, they use a unique approach to training these adorable canines. Since these puppies love listening to their masters, they are very easy to train. As a result, you get a highly disciplined dog for your home. They also recommend that the owners continue training the puppies this way so that they will retain this knowledge and stay well-behaved and disciplined. That being said, Rosebud Labradoodles still retain their rights of breeding and will handle all the expenses needed for breeding purposes. If you are interested in adopting your furry friend from Rosebud Labradoodle, all you need to do is simply fill out an application form and submit it. You will automatically be put on the waiting list, and if your application is selected and approved, the team at the shelter will reach out to you. Every pup has its own needs and requirements. It is known for its ability to assist people who are physically impaired. This makes them an ideal companion for those who have allergies and are looking for low-maintenance dogs. Temperament These dogs are known as very friendly, social dogs with people and other animals as well. So if you want to adopt a dog that will also get along with the other animals in your house, this is the perfect choice for you! They are also very gentle animals who require a lot of exercise and simulation. They have a lot of energy in them, and in order to release it, they constantly keep themselves active. They also require a lot of attention and leaving them by themselves for an extended period of time can cause them to become very restless. They are very easy to train as they love to please you. Training them from young ages will further help in improving their skills. Fitness Requirements As mentioned earlier, these dogs are highly energetic, and they require some form of physical activity to keep themselves healthy. A maximum of 2 hours of exercise is required every day for these animals. Possible Health Issues Labradoodles are usually less prone to catching diseases, unlike the parent breeds. However, there are a few diseases they can catch despite their immunity. Hip Dysplasia This is a genetic condition that can be acquired from one of the parent breeds of the pup. The ball and the socket of the hip do not join properly. This can cause them a lot of discomfort, especially when walking as the ball and the socket constantly rub and grind against each other. They can treat it with surgery, hydrotherapy, or pain medications. Infections Of The Ear Labradoodles usually have very droopy ears, making it very easy for them to get ear infections. The moisture in the ears can often get trapped easily because of the droopy ears, which attract many bacteria. You can easily identify that your pup has an ear infection just by the way they contact, shake and itch their ear. It is best recommended to take your doctor to a vet at this point and get it treated as soon as possible. Allergies Of The skin Labradoodle puppies in San Diego are pups extremely prone to allergies, especially those of the skin. A skin allergy to your Labradoodle can be triggered by fleas, dust, pollen, plastic, and so on. There is no specific cure for an allergy. But your vet will definitely prescribe your dog medication that can help ease the symptoms of an allergy. Retinal Atrophy Retinal Atrophy is a condition where the retina of the puppy starts to slowly deteriorate, which further leads to blindness. Initially, your Labradoodle might have only night blindness, but if this is left untreated, it can further into blindness during the daytime as well. Although there is no cure for Retinal Atrophy, Labradoodle puppies in San Diego can easily adjust to their surroundings. They will learn how to navigate around the room as long as the furniture remains unchanged. You need to find a puppy that is friendly with your children, animals, and other unfamiliar faces. Adopting an adorable little Labradoodle is the ideal choice in this scenario, but they are also an expensive long-term investment. In order to find your ideal dog, you need to look for quality breeders. There are plenty of Labradoodle puppies in San Diego. We hope our list of the three best Labradoodle breeders in San Diego helps you find the perfect companion for your home! These links are affiliate links, so if you do end up using the links, I will earn a commission. Dog Food: Every dog needs to eat correctly, and finding the best food for your dog can be challenging, as the market is absolutely flooded with products. Learn more The last destination we recommend on our rundown of the best Labradoodle breeders in San Diego is Pococreek Labradoodles. Cindy and Ron Stickney are reputable breeders who offer quality Miniature, Medium, and Standard size Australian Labradoodle puppies to anyone in California and other surrounding states. Their coats have wavy or fleecy textures. They come with up-to-date vaccination and deworming records, a microchip registration, a month of pet insurance, pedigree forms, and a puppy starter pack with food samples, grooming equipment, and toys. However, these prices can differ from breeder to breeder. They can also charge extra for shipping them with a puppy nanny or meeting a family at the airport. Some questions you should ask a breeder about before purchasing a Labradoodle from them include: Their experience with the breed The types of health and temperament checks they perform for their breedable dogs and future litters. Inhumane breeders operating puppy mills prioritize selling their litters for profit without focusing on producing healthy pups or improving the breed. If your Labradoodle is prone to food allergies, consider reaching out to your vet about potential ingredients your pup might react to before switching to an alternative kibble formula. Create a chart for whenever you feed your Labradoodle or let them use the toilet to keep track of their daily routines. The number of times they eat and go throughout the day changes as your pup ages, so keep that in mind if you need to update their charts. Be sure to take your Labradoodle to the vet within the first few days of taking them home. Although your pup goes home with up-to-date deworming and vaccinations, additional blood and fecal testing can identify hidden issues early. Consider compiling a shopping list of supplies to pick up before taking your dog home, including puppy food, toys, a size and age-appropriate crate, and brushes for maintaining a non-shedding coat. Leave us a comment to share your thoughts. Meet our writer Jen Clifford is an animal behaviorist and veterinary technician with more than a decade of hands-on experience working in small animal and specialty veterinary clinics. Leave a Comment. Mini Labradoodle vs Mini Sheepadoodle Comparison Two dog breeds, one purpose: to make your life a joy-filled journey powered by strong bonds, friendship, and unconditional love. Meet the Mini Labradoodle and the Mini Sheepadoodle. Two very adorable and friendly dogs with upbeat personalities, the Mini Labradoodle and Mini Sheepadoodle make the perfect addition to any lucky family. Your way of life, hobbies, and work schedule are all important factors that can help determine which of the two dog breeds is a good fit for your lifestyle.Welcoming a new puppy into your home is an exciting time filled with joy, cuddles, and a few inevitable challenges. One of the most common questions new puppy owners ask is, "When can puppies go outside? They are fun, easygoing, and gentle. Mini Labradoodles enjoy canine games like chase, fetch, and Frisbee, and thrive on cuddles and love. Energetic, friendly, and full of life, the Mini Labradoodles make wonderful jogging and hiking companions. They are known to enjoy a good swim, a long stroll, and are very fond of adventures. The Mini Labradoodle puppies are happy, energetic, and bright bundles of joy. They are loving and eager to please, love to play and cuddle, and are excellent training students. A cross between Labrador Retrievers and Mini or Toy Poodles, the Mini Labradoodle may take after one parent breed or the other in appearance or they may have their own unique look with an added bonus of a hypoallergenic coat. We raise high-quality Mini Labradoodles as well as a few other breeds. We also have partnered up with several other reputable breeders that raise mini labradoodle pups that meet our strict genetic criteria and testing. So we usually have a good selection of very high-quality puppies. View Our Available Puppies! F1B Mini Labradoodle Puppies are a second-generation cross or hybrid. The father is a Mini Poodle and the mother is an F1 Labradoodle. The F1B Minature Labradoodles usually have soft hair that is usually wavy or curly. Thes puppies are considered semi-hypoallergenic since they shed minimally. These puppies can be a good fit if a person that has mild pet allergies. Once F1B Mini Labradoodles reach 6 months old they require to be groomed once every 8 weeks or so to keep their fur healthy and to stop matting. Adult F1B Mini labradoodle dogs range in size from 14 inches in height and pounds in weight. The average life span is typically years of age. The F1BB puppies usually have curlier coats and will be totally hypoallergenic. Once the F1BB pup is 6 months they will need regular grooming every 6 to 8 weeks. F1BB Puppies are usually slightly smaller than F1B puppies and range from 12 inches in height and pounds in weight. Mini Labradoodles are known for their intelligence and the ability to be trained very easily. They make amazing family pets and love to participate in family activities like swimming, hiking, camping or just playing tag in the yard. This breed is also a good choice for people who live in apartments as long as they get at least minutes of exercise a day. So if you live near San Diego Country Estates California and are looking for a healthy and beautiful Mini Labradoodle puppy that can be delivered to you then check out our available pups now by Clicking Here. Below are some Mini Labradoodle pups that have been adopted. We have answers. In comparison, American Labradoodles are typically a cross between Poodles and Labs only. How much are Labradoodles San Diego? The price you see online for Labradoodle puppies will be different depending on the breeder. There are many factors that can affect price, including coat color and type, size, gender, and breeder experience. Will you only connect me with local San Diego Labradoodle breeders? How do you screen Labradoodle puppies for sale in San Diego? Our team processes loads of partner applications from prospective breeders and businesses, both near LA and elsewhere in the nation. There are so many puppy scams online nowadays, and the situation is frankly ridiculous. What is a puppy mill? Puppy mills are basically factories for dogs. These are places where profit takes precedence over ethics and animal care, and where dogs are treated like objects instead of living animals. Are there any Labradoodle puppies in San Diego available now? All you need to do to begin is start your MatchMaker process below, tell us a little about your dream dog, and our team will take care of the rest. MatchMaker is our process that we use to connect the right families with the right puppies, breeders and businesses. MatchMaker takes into account your preferences—like size, breed, temperament and more—and helps you match with current and upcoming Labradoodle litters we believe to be the best fit for your family.

How long should puppies stay with their mother? The ideal window is between 8 and weeks-old. They are healthy and adorable, and you want to bring them home as soon as you possibly can. However, the time your puppy spends with their mother and siblings is critical for development, and so it's important to make sure they spend this growth period with their litter. The first month For the first four weeks or so, puppies depend on their mothers for everything. This milk provides all the nutrition the puppies need for the first few weeks after birth. Weaning to solid foods Puppies start to experiment with solid food as early as 3-weeks-old. They still nurse, and mothers continue to produce milk for up to 10 weeks. Some nursing is for nutrition, but it is also a comforting, bonding activity for the puppies. Most puppies are fully weaned to solid food between 7 and 10 weeks of age, although the transition can occur earlier. Learning to speak dog Just as important for puppy development is learning proper canine etiquette and communication as part of a litter. For example, as early as 3 weeks of age, puppies start learning from their mother and siblings to eliminate away from where they sleep, which helps with housebreaking later. The pups are practicing hunting and communication behaviors that they need to perfect. One of the most important skills that puppies learn through play is bite inhibition and not chomping down too hard. If a puppy bites too hard, the other will cry out, signaling that the bite was too rough. Moms will do the same thing or may gently correct the puppies for getting too rough. This is a critical lesson to learn before heading out into the world, as other dogs will be far less tolerant of inappropriate puppy play than Mom! Biting is also a common problem behavior that can land a dog in a shelter or worse later in life. Puppies will also practice a variety of vocalizations and body language, learning to communicate with their siblings and mother. Socialization Puppies have an early critical socialization period from approximately 5 to 14 weeks of age. During this time, puppies are open to learning and experiencing new things, and the things they learn will affect how they go through the rest of their lives. Breeders and other caretakers should be exposing the puppies to novel sights and sounds on a regular basis. Puppies destined to be working or sporting dogs should be exposed to things they will encounter in their future roles, such as sheep wool for herding dogs, a variety of materials and obstacles to climb over for agility dogs, and training scents for future drug and bomb detection dogs. These safe exposures should continue after you bring your puppy home, but early socialization with litter-mates and the mother are also important for building confidence. The puppies will observe how their mother responds to new people and things and then mimic her behavior. If Mom is relaxed and friendly around new people, the puppies will likely be comfortable with strangers. Research has found that puppies who are separated from the litter too early are more likely to show fear, aggression, anxiety, resource guarding, reactivity and inappropriate play biting than puppies who stay with the litter for at least eight weeks. The ideal time The exact time that is best for a puppy to go to its new home can vary by situation, but most breeders and veterinarians agree that 8 weeks of age is a good minimum. Some states have laws in place preventing puppies from being sold any earlier. Eight weeks after birth, the puppy is eating solid food on their own, they have benefited from socializing with litter-mates and observing mom, and they are well within the ideal timeframe to bond with new owners. Breeders may also opt to keep the puppies until 10 or 12 weeks of age. Toy breeds in particular are often kept with the litter until they are 12 weeks old because they are so small and fragile. This gives the pups extra time with the litter, and still has them going to their forever homes in plenty of time to form a strong bond with their new people. And anyone who has welcomed an adult dog into their home knows that dogs of any age will still bond with their new owners as long as they have had socialization with people! Keeping the puppies longer does mean more work for the breeder, since they are responsible for all the puppies during those extra weeks. But if the breeder is putting in that time and effort to give the puppies a great foundation, then the extra time with their litter can be very beneficial to both you and your new puppy. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click on a link and purchase the item. This comes at no extra cost to you. Is there anything cuter than a two-month-old Golden Retriever puppy? At eight weeks old, they are absolutely, impossibly, unbearably adorable! At two months old, a Golden Retriever is ready to leave their mother and littermates to join their new family. Some breeders will keep a puppy for a couple more weeks before sending them home, but eight weeks is very typical. Puppies at this age are usually playful and curious, with brains like little sponges. This usually only lasts a day or two, and then their true personality will shine through! They are in the prime socialization window here, which is the time between three and sixteen weeks when puppies are most open to learning about the world. Proper socialization can help you buffer against potential behavior issues as your pup matures, and teaches them how to feel and act in different situations and environments. It helps them feel confident and self-assured. A two-month-old Golden Retriever puppy is constantly learning! Make sure your puppy is learning that they are safe and that they can trust you both at home and out in the world. A fear period is a temporary span of time where a puppy may be more sensitive to things like strange people, strange dogs, inanimate objects, sounds, etc. It usually lasts about a week and you may notice your puppy showing signs of fear such as cowering, running away, growling, or barking. It can be a little scary as the owner of a puppy to see them acting this way. The good thing is that a fear period is short-lived and will pass. If they are concerned about something or someone, help them get more distance so they can observe the thing while feeling safe. They have a lot of needs and are totally dependent on you to meet those needs. Be patient as you help them learn how to live in our human world, and you can develop a strong, positive bond with your new companion. Getting a golden retriever puppy? Check out the Golden Retriever Puppy Handbook! This is heavily influenced by genetics, but is not always the best indicator of their adult weight. Some lines of Goldens are bigger or smaller than average, so puppy size will reflect that. Your vet can help you make sure that your puppy is at an appropriate weight if you have any concerns. Eight-week-old Golden Retrievers need around 18 hours of sleep each day. Oftentimes, a puppy that is wild and bitey is in fact overly tired and in need of a nap. It may seem like they need more exercise to drain that crazy energy, but they actually need sleep. Using crates and pens can help ensure that your puppy is getting enough sleep at night and throughout the day. Many two-month-old Goldens are not good at putting themselves down for a nap, even when they really need it. So, you may need to step in and help your puppy settle in for some sleep. Make sure that their crate or pen is nice and comfy before you put them in for a nap, so they are more able to relax and fall asleep. Every puppy is different, so yours may prefer a nice cushy bed , or they may actually like laying on the bare floor. You can take note of what kinds of surfaces your puppy lays on around the house and then recreate that in the crate or pen. Covering the crate or pen with a blanket can also help make sleep easier for a two-month-old puppy, as it cuts down on the visual stimulation. Products like Adaptil spray or diffuser , and the Snuggle Puppy toy can also help a puppy settle in for sleep. Chewing and licking are naturally calming behaviors for puppies, so it can also help if you offer something like a stuffed kong , which can assist in transitioning the puppy from awake to asleep. Playing Classical music can also help a puppy feel more calm and able to sleep. At this age, most two-month-old puppies are ready for sleep after about an hour of awake time, so by following these tips, you can help make sure your puppy is getting enough quality rest. Instead, you can give them a break and see if they choose to get up, or simply scoop them up and walk home. Sometimes people get a Golden Retriever to be a running or biking companion, which can be a great thing when the pup is a fully grown adult, but is too much exercise for a young puppy. Playing with toys in the house or in the yard can be a great way for young pups to burn some of that puppy energy. If you have a yard, letting your pup safely explore and run around outside can also be a nice way to get in some exercise. You may also find that your puppy needs more sleep on some days, and on other days, they need more playtime and exercise. Golden Retrievers as a breed can also vary a lot in terms of exercise needs. Some are pretty laid back and chill and others are up for anything and want to go hard. These differences can be reflected in how much energy your puppy has, as well as in what kind and how much exercise your puppy needs. Training is an excellent way to build a positive bond with your puppy and create a way to communicate with each other. Group puppy classes can be a good option for getting started with training, as the trainer will help you learn how to train your pup. You can also hire a certified, professional trainer to come to your home and provide personalized training guidance for you and your puppy. Before you sign up with any trainer, be sure to ask them what kind of training methods and tools they use, to avoid causing any physical or mental distress for your puppy. Potty training is definitely a top priority for two-month-old puppies. They have small bladders and bowels and will need frequent trips outside to help them learn appropriate potty behavior. Crate training can also be started at this age, as learning how to be okay with confinement is an important life skill. Eight-week-old Golden Retriever puppies eat about a half cup of food three times per day. There is no one-size-fits-all rule when it comes to feeding your two-month-old Golden. Puppies at this age need more frequent meals than adult Goldens, so three meals a day is recommended. Because two-month-old Goldens are undergoing so much growth at this stage, feed them high-quality food that can support them as they mature. Most Goldens have big appetites and will happily gobble down their meals when you serve them. Using slow feeder bowls like this bowl on Amazon , or other food dispensing toys, such as the Planet Dog Snoop , can help slow down their eating and provide them some mental stimulation while they eat. Puppies like to put things in their mouth as a way to learn and play. Unfortunately, it can be pretty painful for humans, as those puppy teeth are needle-sharp! There are, however, some things you can do to minimize and deal with the biting. First, ensure that your two-month-old Golden is getting enough sleep. Overly tired puppies tend to get super bitey and frenzied, so naps are key to preventing your puppy from turning into a piranha. Your floor might look a little cluttered, but it helps to keep toys within reach for a quick redirection. Third, you can simply give the puppy a break if they are on a biting spree. You could step on the other side of a baby gate or put them in their pen to calm down a bit, and then resume the play. This communicates to the puppy that when they bite, they lose access to you and the fun stops. A common piece of advice when dealing with puppy biting is to yelp in response to their nip, as if you were another dog. This is actually not a good way to handle puppy biting and can actually make it worse. Other puppies will be further excited by the yelp sound and come at you with even more intensity, resulting in harder bites. Good Beginnings Bringing a two-month-old Golden Retriever home is a very exciting thing. It can also feel pretty overwhelming as you figure out how to care for and train them. You might be sleep-deprived and have a couple scratches on your hand from those sharp puppy teeth, but try to keep in mind that this is the beginning of a special relationship with an incredible animal. Focus on bonding with your puppy, teaching them about the world, and creating good habits from the start. Have any questions about raising eight-week-old golden retrievers? Let me know down in the comments! Read the rest of our Golden Retriever puppy series here:. Translation missing: en. June 8, Liz Palika Dog breeders and behavioral specialists feel that the week range is the adequate age for most dogs to leave their mother for their new homes. Unfortunately, in talking with other dog trainers, behavioral consultants and behaviorists, we all agree we're seeing a trend of puppies leaving mom and littermates far too young. A puppy who leaves his mother and littermates at five to six weeks of age, or worse yet, even younger, is going to suffer for that throughout his life. Adopting Eight Week Old Dogs Is Typical The traditional age for puppies to leave their mom and littermates and go to their new home has been eight weeks of age. At eight weeks of age most puppies are able to eat well, no longer need to nurse or eat supplemental formula, are mobile, and are aware of their world. They are well socialized to the people in their household and hopefully have also met other animals in the home. They have been exposed to a variety of sights, sounds, and smells and while they pay attention to these things, they are not afraid. At eight weeks of age these puppies are ready to leave their mother and siblings and go to their new home. Nine to Ten Week Old Pups are Typically The Best Age Since some puppies tend to go through a fear period at eight weeks of age an awareness of the world around them that can cause anxiety , many breeders and new owners would prefer to wait one or two more weeks. I brought home Hero, and before him Bones, at nine and a half weeks of age, because I felt that the puppies at that age were a bit more mature and ready for their new lives. One to two weeks can make a big difference. Other dog trainers and behaviorists agree: nine to 10 weeks of age is absolutely fine. In fact at this age, the puppy is past the eight week fear period, if he had one, and he's a bit more confident now. Developmentally, he's ready to learn, explore and figure out what his new life is going to be. Those who breed toy breeds especially, including Chihuahuas, Papillons, and other tiny dogs, will keep the puppies until they are 11 to 12 weeks of age. These tiny puppies can be quite fragile physically and may be slower to mature mentally and emotionally as babies. A few more weeks with their mother and littermates, as well as the people they know in their family, is often best for them. Larger puppies, however, shouldn't wait this long to go to their new homes. Nine to ten weeks of age is fine but any older could be problematic. Not only do large breed puppies grow rapidly, they are also stronger and rowdy, potentially making it more difficult for new owners to bond with this excited, big puppy who is jumping, pawing and otherwise making life difficult. Also, a week-old large-breed puppy is still a dependent baby; by 12 weeks he's changing. It's much easier for new owners to bond with an eight—to week-old puppy. The mother dog has so much to teach the new puppy ; lessons that will affect him all his life, and his littermates teach important lessons as well. If the mother dog has passed away, the littermates need to remain together. To Learn Key Social and Behavioral Traits Puppies who leave their canine family too early will show immediate behavior problems. They will be fearful of many things and show a lack of confidence. They can also be slow to bond to people or will go the other direction, attaching so strongly to their new owners that they will panic when left alone. The ability to soothe himself, to relax when left alone, is missing with most of these puppies. Biting is common. The mother dog teaches the puppy to control his biting as do the puppy's littermates. When puppies go to their new home, some biting is to be expected, as all puppies experiment. But when deprived of these early lessons, the puppy will bite more and harder, and teaching him that biting is not allowed is more difficult. This important transition time ensures that puppies receive all the appropriate nutrition from their mother. This will support the long term health of the puppy. Additionally, interrupting the weaning process too early has behavioral side effects for young dogs. Suckling, even past the need for milk can be a source of comfort while a puppy grows accustomed to eating only solid foods. Taking Puppies Too Young is Illegal In Some States In 26 states , the age at which puppies may be separated from the mother dog or sold is defined by law. Of those, 22 say that puppies must be eight weeks old before they can be sold. Three states—Wisconsin, Virginia, and Maine—require that puppies must be seven weeks old. Some states focus on the age that a puppy can be separated from his mother. Illinois, for example, requires that a puppy be at least eight weeks old before he can be taken from his mother. The laws vary as to who these laws apply to, with some focusing on dog breeders, kennels, and other commercial facilities. Other laws apply to anyone selling puppies, including those on Craigslist. Before buying any puppy, the more you know the better. If an unscrupulous person produces puppies and knows that he can sell them early at six to seven weeks or earlier and avoid paying for food, veterinary care, or other costs, then that cycle will continue. But if more people say no, then perhaps that cycle of human behavior can be changed. I am planning on buying a baby golden retriever, and I was just wondering what age I should buy it at. I've heard from 6 weeks to 10 weeks. I'm not sure. I want it to be healthy so please give me an accurate age. Also, I was wondering about the price range, so if you could add that in your answer it would be greatly appreciated. Answer by millypeed The minimum age to buy a Golden Retriever puppy is 8 weeks, but it's better to wait until 10 to 12 weeks, pups need to stay with mum and siblings until then, even though they have been weaned and are eating solid food they will learn vital socialization skills in these last few weeks. Answer by TJ First, let's break this down just a bit. Separating a LITTER from their mother is part of the weaning process, and is a completely different thing to when the litter is split up and the pups sent to new homes. With my breed, we separate the litter as a litter from their mother at 5 weeks, obviously way too young to send to new homes. I will not split up a litter before 8 weeks but will split them up before 10 weeks. The reason for 8 weeks is because we have their eyes CERF examined at 8 weeks. The reason for 10 weeks is because fear memory is said to develop during the 11th week. Price ranges from A to Z. I just know that there are only two places that I would get a Golden from. June Atkinson Holway Goldens Answer by Melissa S 8 weeks to ten weeks, any younger is too young, the longer it stays with the mother the better because in those first 8 to 10 weeks the mother gives them the milk, weens them onto food, and also passes down good behavior, she keeps them in their place, and usually, the pups are healthier at this age, and bigger to cope with the separation anxiety. Answer by T weeks. The price I have no idea with this breed. However, I'm sure other people will answer that for you. Do you have your heart set on buying from a privet party? Answer by Amanda H No sooner than 8 weeks, but 10 weeks is better. Some states have laws against selling puppies under 8 weeks. I would say expect to spend at least 1, Know better? Give your own answer to this question! See other posts in dog price , golden retriever , puppy Reader Interactions. Reasons for rehoming early At 5 weeks old your puppy still far too immature, physically and psychologically, to leave their mother. Your six week old puppy is weaned, but they still have many doggy lessons to learn from both their mother and their littermates. Like so many aspects of puppy health and welfare, much hinges on whether or not you have found a good, responsible breeder. But those additional two weeks allow the breeder to complete the weaning process and make sure that the puppy is properly settled on solid food. From 6 — 8 weeks pups also still need to learn some important life lessons from their moms and littermates. There are legal requirements governing the sale of puppies in some 25 states in the USA. Most of these laws stipulate that puppies should be over 8 weeks old when they go to their permanent homes. In the UK, law related to puppy breeding, and the age at which they may be sold, was passed in .So what is the purpose of this legislation and why is 8 weeks so important? Why do kennel clubs recommend puppies are not re-homed before 8 weeks? Puppies just start finding their feet and moving around at around four weeks. The mother starts spending less time with them to help them become more independent. Their digestive systems are still immature and they need time to adjust to the solid food. And be protected from stress. With younger puppies, three or four weeks old, the situation is even more serious — and your puppy may die. We get many sad letters here from people that have bought puppies this young and whose puppies are very sick. This is where the lessons not to bite hard start. There are two issues here that need separating. Six weeks is a popular age for many people to want to bring home their Lab puppy. And breeders who sell very young puppies will often explain, quite truthfully, that their six week old puppy is already weaned. But in much of Europe, Australia and North America, most pedigree puppies are not sold until they are around 8 or even 9 weeks old. A few breeders may want puppies to be even older than this. Physically puppies can and do leave their mothers this young, and even younger, though not all such very young puppies will survive. Are they even weaned yet? If your breeder tells you your puppy is already weaned at six weeks old, they are almost certainly telling the truth. The six week old pup still has a very immature digestion and is vulnerable to stomach upsets. More reasons not to rehome pups at 6 weeks But there are other, very important, reasons to leave puppies with their mother for a couple more weeks. And with their brothers and sisters. Most of these have to do with their social and psychological development. This is when the mother teaches her pups most of their doggy manners. From 6 — 8 weeks puppies also really start playing with their littermates — and boisterously. They nip, bump and even roll each other over while they play. All puppies bite. This is a normal part of puppy play. But puppies have to learn how hard they can bite in fun, without actually harming anyone. And one of the most important ways that puppies learn not to bite is from their littermates. This is when puppy play gets rougher and tougher and the puppies teach one another not to bite too hard. During this time puppies also develop a sense of themselves and their bodies as separate from others. Furthermore, much like year old human toddlers, pups from weeks start testing the limits of their own independence. Behavior problems in puppies separated from their mothers too early A study published in compared reported behavioral problems in dogs rehomed at weeks, with those who went to their new homes at 8 weeks. The dogs who were separated from their litters early showed far more of the following behavior problems destructiveness. Read the full disclosure here. So what is correct? What is the best age to bring a Golden Retriever puppy home? I think the most important things to consider are any long-lasting negative effects on the puppy by taking it away too early. Lessons that are vital to the early development of a normal puppy. There are many things a puppy learns from its mother and litter-mates that are vitally important to their early development and could take you an extreme amount of time and effort to make up for if they miss out: Bite Inhibition When a puppy bites and hurts their mother or litter-mates they get growled and snapped at. Combined with being the victim of biting from their litter-mates in return, this gives continuous feedback and an education in how painful biting can sometimes be. And so they very quickly learn to inhibit their bite, to not go full force and to hold back when play biting. If a puppy is taken from the nest too soon they miss out on this learning process and the responsibility passes to their new owners who will at first have a puppy who bites hard. And sometimes extremely hard. Acceptance Of Discipline When a puppy does wrong in the nest, their mother regularly disciplines them to keep them in line. And a puppy will often throw a little hissy fit but the mother will be unmoving. They learn that bad behavior gets you disciplined and they have to accept it. They learn their actions have consequences and they cannot have things their own way. The puppy then becomes a dog that is so much harder to train and is less controllable for their owners. In the nest, a puppy will be constantly pawed, clawed, rubbed against and climbed all over, all day every day by their litter-mates. This results in your puppy getting used to being touched and becoming highly tolerant of it. They learn about appropriate play and how to interact with others of their species safely, considerately and happily. This can mean less time…or no time…interacting with his own species, having to be on the leash in dog parks and woods when other dogs are around and ultimately living a less fulfilling life than they could otherwise have had. And this is the important thing when it comes to leaving a puppy in the nest for too long. A puppy must be introduced to as many sights, sounds, environments, people and other dogs and animals as possible before they reach 14 weeks of age. This 14 week window of opportunity is a time where a puppy has little fear and instead has heightened curiosity that compels it to explore and test things out. The first 14 weeks is also the time when a puppy will form its strongest bonds with people and other animals. And so for the best possible relationship and strongest bond between your puppy and you, this is a time when you want your puppy living with you, seeing your entire family and social network so your puppy truly integrates and feels a part of the pack of humans around it. So think to yourself, if you get a puppy at 8 weeks of age, you have 6 weeks to take them to the shopping mall, the park, the pet shop, to meet as many people as possible, get them in the car, on the beach, in a swimming pool etc. I did this for a reason! Yes, 8 weeks old is the recommended perfect time to take a puppy away from its mother and litter-mates and home with you to live. But you would be doing far from the best for your new puppy and could be stunting their development, leading them toward behavioral issues and affecting their entire future lives. On the other end of the spectrum, leaving it later than 8 weeks to take your puppy home they could be missing out on essential socialization opportunities. Conclusion Take your puppy home at 8 weeks of age. A breeder telling you to take them any earlier is trying to avoid investing further time and effort into caring for them and possibly trying to save a little money by moving them on faster. And this early time spent with their mother ensures the best development of a puppy that will result in a dog far better suited to spending an entire life with you. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. This was the first time we had a chance to chart puppies from birth until 8 weeks old. We tried to take as many pictures as possible so we could have a journal of our Golden Retriever puppy growth week by week. When raising guide and service dog puppies we usually bring home our puppies at around weeks old. On occasion we are allowed to see puppies before 8 weeks of age, but they need to stay with their mother and siblings during those important early weeks to get milk and antibodies from mama and learn how to interact properly with siblings, learning important behaviors like bite inhibition. During our days as a foster we raised two litters of puppies , but both were already weeks old by the time we got them home. We actually own the Puppy Culture DVD and Workbook which includes charts, lists, worksheets and other great information for raising your litter. Keep your eyes and ears open and absorb it all like a sponge! Birth To 1 Week Old Guess what? This was the first litter we ever whelped!? We got a lot of advise, but we were largely on our own. Large Puppy Dish — great for feeding the puppies when they moved to solid food. Whelping Mats — we ordered 2 of these mats and washed them several times a day. Whelping Box — We have a homemade whelping box built by my father-in-law, but if we continue raising litters I plan on purchasing an EZWhelp Whelping Box. Our homemade box lasted three litters. We ended up purchasing the Magnabox which was hellu expensive but if you plan on raising multiple litters we highly recommend it. We recently put together a whelping checklist with all the supplies we gathered together to help out with our second litter of Golden Retriever puppies. Check out our whelping supplies checklist here. However, none were overly huge and none were extra small. No runts and no beasts. It was my understanding that when the cord was chewed down to the base of the belly it was sometimes difficult to get it to stop bleeding. I took the hemostat and pinched the umbilical cord about 2 inches from the base of the pups belly then cut the cord rather than let Raven chew it off. I kept the hemostat on the cord for about 2 minutes to let it clout. The umbilical cord dries up quickly and then within a day or 2 it falls off. Raven was a good mama and took care of her poops. Puppy eyes and ears are closed at this stage and puppies army crawl around the whelping box looking for a teat to suckle. We did everything we could to make sure our pups stayed warm by adding a watt heat lamp to the whelping box and portable heating unit in the puppy room. As I mentioned Raven stayed in the whelping box most of week 1 and of course… the puppy piles! One thing I learned is if I had a puppy on my lap then do not let Raven lick those areas or be prepared for a little accident on your lap. While caring for Raven and her litter Raven was really blowing out her coat that first week, but as time went on it slowed down. I heard from other friends this is common and that Raven blew out her coat much less than other mama dogs. We got Probiotics for Raven before her first litter, but forgot to order them for her second litter. After an upset stomach for the first week or so we realized our mistake, got Probiotics, and no more upset tummy. Week 2 — Pups eyes are opening starting to waddle. Week 3 — First bark! Week 7 — The great puppy escape artists! Week 8 — Our golden puppies head to their new homes. Have you ever had a litter of Golden Retriever puppies? Tell us about your experiences with puppies in the comment section below. Are you about to raise a litter of puppies? Not raising a litter, but getting ready to bring home your first Golden Retriever puppy? Puppies for Dummies will give you the basics on how to raise and train your new puppy. Helps ease anxiety in their new home. We love using Bully Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors. Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist. Colby Colby Morita has been raising and training guide and service dog puppies for over 13 years. Colby has been writing to the PuppyInTraining. The Breed Best Time For Puppies To Change Homes The best possible time for puppies to change homes and leave the breeder is between 10 and 12 weeks of age if a breeder has the time and the talent to start them in training and to give each and every puppy ample individual attention. If a breeder does not have time to train their puppies, puppies should be placed with new families between 7 weeks 2 days and 8 weeks. Puppies do best if they change homes either before or after the week fear period. No puppy should ever leave his litter prior to 7 weeks of age for any reason. First we will discuss why later than 10 weeks is best. Is it time for me to go to my new home yet? Additional Time With Litter Mates One very important reason for keeping our puppies until they are 10 to 12 weeks of age is to give puppies additional time with litter-mates. This extra time with litter-mates gives puppies a better foundation for relating to other dogs. And more importantly litter-mates teach each other bite-inhibition. Bite inhibition is the ability of a dog to regulate how strong his bite is. Having good bite inhibition creates a gentler mouth and more importantly, it teaches a puppy to control the intensity of his bite in case he should have a knee jerk reaction and bite someone. If he has not practiced good bit inhibition as a puppy, his bite could do major harm. However, if he has good bite inhibition, his bite will instinctively be softer. In addition, our 10 to 12 week old English Golden Retriever puppies are less mouthy than puppies leaving litter-mates sooner. Later First Vaccine Another advantage for later pick up is that it gives us an opportunity to give a first vaccine at the optimum vaccine time. Puppies vaccinated at older ages have fewer vaccine side effects. They also have a greater chance of having an immune response to the vaccine than puppies vaccinated sooner. We feel that 9 weeks is the optimum time for a puppy to have his first vaccine. In fact, waiting for later vaccines is so important that before we started training all our puppies, we sent our puppies home without any vaccine at all. Early vaccines can set a puppy up for a wide variety of health problems. By 10 weeks, most puppies are completely out of it. By 11 weeks, virtually all of them are out of it. Many 8-week old puppies experience digestive upsets when changing homes. Training an 8-week old puppy is time consuming, sleep depriving, and sometimes exhausting. Very few 8-week old puppies are able to sleep all night in a crate without needing to go outside. More than half of our week old puppies are able to hold it for 6 hours. Our 11 week old puppies are not fully house-trained by any means. However, by weeks of age, our puppies are accustomed to peeing and pooping almost exclusively outside. Their bladders are a little more mature than at 8 weeks enabling them to hold it longer. If you will take our 11 to 12 week old puppies out often enough, the number of accidents will be minimal. As we already discussed, there are many reasons to leave a puppy until he is 12] weeks of age. There are also several good reasons to not wait too long. We think that all puppies unless there are extenuating circumstances need to be in permanent homes by three months of age. Here is why. The Benefit of Staying With Littermates Ends First of all, puppies no longer benefit from staying with littermates at older ages. The benefits of leaving puppies with littermates grows tremendously until puppies are 10 weeks of age. The reason for this is bite inhibition development and learning good dog-to-dog behavior. However, after 10 weeks, these benefits level off. Then after 3 months of age, puppies need to learn to live independently from the litter. If they will be living in a city, you should acclimate them to heavy traffic, loud noises, and big crowds early. Puppies that will be living on a farm need to be getting used to the sights, sounds, and smells of farm animals. A Short Window of Opportunity There is a window of opportunity for heavy socialization that ends when puppies are about 4 months of age. The period of time between a puppy turning three and four months needs to be packed full of as many different experiences in the type environment a puppy will be spending his life in as possible. Breeders Are Limited Breeders are not in a position to take puppies to many places. Public places and stores where other dogs frequent risk disease. Breeders need to be especially careful because certain diseases like Parvo and Distemper can kill an entire litter of young puppies. However, the risk of serious disease in a puppy who has had a 9-week vaccine is minimal. In fact, the risk of disease pales in comparison to the risks of not properly socializing a week old puppy. In addition, we take our older puppies to other potentially scary locations where puppies can experience such things as fast moving and loud traffic and possibly construction equipment. We know how to properly introduce puppies to something that is scary. Socialization is not simply a matter of throwing a puppy in every possible environment. You must do it with care. If you introduce a puppy too quickly to a new and scary environment, a socialization experience done wrong can do more harm than good. Us starting the socialization process for families gives puppies the self-confidence needed to face more and more new situations. The more situations you can properly introduce your puppy to, the easier it will become for the puppy to acclimate to even more situations that could possibly be scary. We start the process with what we have available on our property and what is accessible by mule thereby making it easier for families to pick up the socialization where we leave off. See our page on Puppy Socialization for more information on how to socialize a puppy. Travel Issues With Older Puppies Three month old Golden Retrievers are pushing the limit on being able to travel in the cabin of an airplane. Because we keep our puppies growing slowly, our puppies can still fly at 12 weeks with most airlines. If you were getting a puppy from most breeders, your 12 week old Golden would already be too large to fly in the cabin. Even our puppies are too large once they get over 3 months. We keep our puppies growing slowly because there are tremendous health benefits that carry into later life. Studies have shown that it is important to keep puppies growing slowly until they are over 4 months of age. Slow growing puppies have lower chances of hip dysplasia and even lower cancer rates. Unlike people, puppies that are overfed will grow too fast before they become fat. An added bonus is that they can fly in the cabin of an airplane for longer! In addition to the size issues, there can also be vaccine issues when traveling with puppies over 3 months of age. Most airlines require a rabies vaccine for puppies over 3 months. We feel strongly that 3 months is far too young to give a rabies vaccine. This page will give you more information on what we do with our puppies before they leave us. Primary Sidebar Breeders and Trainers of English Golden Retrievers We focus on breeding and training beautiful English Golden Retriever puppies with health tested champion parents, great pedigrees, and fantastic temperaments.