LomondHillsCareGuidelinesWehavecompiledthisverycomprehensivebookletofcareguidelinestohelpprepareyouforthenewcanineadditiontoyourfamily!Pleasetakethetimetoreaditinadvanceofattendingthe5-weekvisitandaskanyquestionsyouhavethen.

Feeding...YourpuppyhasbeenfedonPawatLomondHills,andwestronglyrecommendthatyoucontinuewithit.Wehavetriedjustabouteveryfoodoutthere,andafteryearsofofnotbeingtotallysatisfiedwithwhatwehavefed,Alastairworkedwithateamof nutritionists and a reputable UK manufacturer to develop this food. It is acomplete, dry, grain-free food and your puppy will require no additionalsupplements.Hecaneatitinhardbiscuitformandthisisverygoodforhisteeth.You will soon be able to read more about it, place an order or sign up for asubscriptionatwww.pawdogfood.combutwhilstthewebsiteisindevelopment,youcanorderbyemailingservice@pawdogfood.comIf you choose to change to an alternative brand – please bewarned that thiswillcauseatummyupset. Ifcomparingbrands,youshould lookatmeatcontent,freshmeatcontent,fillersandbulkingagentsaswellasnutritionaladditives.Cheapfoodischeapforareason,andjustbecauseafoodisexpensivedoesn’tnecessarilymeanitisgood!HereisatablewhichcomparesPawwithsomeofthemajoralternatives:

Yourpuppyiscurrentlyonfourmealsperday.Thefirstisusuallygivenat9am,thesecondat12.30pm,thethirdat5pmandthefourthat9pm.Obviously,youneedtofeedhimat timeswhichsuityour schedule,but tryyourbest tohavesimilar timegapsbetweenmeals.Wesuggestthatyoufeedhiminhiscratewiththedoorclosedsothathemakesapositive association between food and crate. We also suggest that you

simultaneously train him to sit. Bring the food bowl and your puppy over to thecrate,pophiminsideandsay‘sit’inaclearandfirmvoice,whilstusingonehandtosignalthecommand(usuallyapointedfingeroraflatpalm)andtheotherhandtoplanthisbottomfirmlyontheground.Keepthathandfirmlyonhisbottomandusetheotherhandtoputthebowloffoodinfrontofhim.Letgoofhisbottomandclosethe cratedoor.As timegoeson, youwill findyouwon’tneed topushhisbottomdown and he will respond to the voice and hand signal. This is a great time toachieve‘sit’,becausethefoodactsasthereward.Atypicalmealsizewouldbe40-50gramsindryweightforan8weekoldpuppy,but thisdoesvarya littledependanton thesizeofyourpuppy.Whenyourpuppyhas finished his meal, you will find that his tummy is noticeably bigger – this isnormal.Bythetimethenextmealtimecomesaround,histummyshouldbebacktonormalsize(ifitisnot,youfedhimtoomuchonthepreviousmeal).Ashegetsolder,youcanreducethenumberofmealsintheday,butincreasetheportion size. By12weeksold, you couldhavehimdown to threemeals andby6monthsoldthatcouldbereducedtotwomeals.Wefeedallofouradultdogstwiceperday.This tableprovidesaguideline forhowmuchto feedyourpuppyashegrows,butthereisnoexactformulaasthereareotherfactorstoconsidersuchasactivitylevelsandphysicalcondition.Ideally,youwantyourpuppytobeataweightwhereyoucanfeelhisribs,buthistoplineandhipbonesarenicelycovered.AustralianLabradoodlesdonottendtobegreedydogs,butmaintainingahealthyweightisveryimportant.ExpectedWeight/Age

3m 4m 5m 6m 7m 8m 9m 10m 11m 12m

8kg 190g 201g 211g 222g 222g 211g 201g 190g 180g 153g9kg 207g 218g 230g 241g 241g 230g 218g 207g 195g 166g10kg 225g 238g 250g 263g 263g 250g 238g 225g 213g 181g11kg 230g 242g 254g 266g 268g 257g 245g 233g 221g 191g12kg 235g 247g 258g 270g 273g 263g 252g 240g 229g 200g13kg 240g 251g 262g 273g 278g 271g 259g 248g 237g 209g14kg 245g 255g 266g 277g 283g 277g 267g 265g 245g 218g15kg 250g 260g 271g 280g 288g 284g 273g 263g 253g 228g16kg 255g 264g 274g 284g 293g 292g 281g 271g 261g 237g17kg 260g 269g 279g 288g 298g 298g 288g 279g 269g 245g18kg 271g 281g 291g 301g 311g 311g 301g 291g 281g 256g19kg 283g 293g 304g 314g 325g 325g 314g 304g 293g 267g20kg 294g 304g 315g 326g 337g 337g 326g 315g 304g 277g21kg 304g 315g 327g 338g 349g 349g 338g 327g 315g 287g22kg 316g 328g 339g 351g 363g 363g 351g 339g 328g 298g

Keep him on the puppy food until he is a year old, and then transfer to theequivalentadultvariety.If your puppy ‘goes off’ his food, we suggest you use caution if changing brands.AustralianLabradoodlesarenotknownforbeingahungrybreed…they’reverymuchgrazers and eat only when they are hungry. If your puppy is not finishingmeals,ratherthanswitchingfoods,wesuggestyoujustleavehismealdownforhim.Bythetime it gets round tohisnextmeal time,hewill probablyhaveeatenmostof thepreviousmeal.Switching foods can quickly become a vicious circle. Your puppywill eat any newfoodwithgreatgustoforacoupleofdaysbecauseitisnewandinteresting,butwillprobably then appear to ‘go off’ it. Changing foods is upsetting for the digestivesystem,expensiveandgenerallyunnecessary.Leavinghisfooddownforhimuntilhehasfinishedisusuallythesolution!Vaccinations…Differentvetsfollowdifferentvaccinationprotocolsdependingonwhattheybelievetobebest,andperhapsonhowgoodadealtheygetfromthemanufacturer!Whilstitseemssafetoassumethatavetwillbeknowledgeableabouttheirownprotocol,pleasedonotassumetheyareknowledgeableaboutothers–itwouldn’tbethefirsttimewe’vereceivedfalseinformationfromavetonvaccinecompatibility.At Lomond Hills, we have a strong opinion on vaccination, and therefore a strictprotocol which we stick to religiously. We advise that our customers follow thisprotocol,butultimately,itisuptoyoutodecidewhattodoforyourpuppymovingforwards.Pleasedon’trelyonyourvettoadviseyou–theywillonlybeinterestedinsellingyoutheirownprogrammeofvaccinations,whichmayormaynotbeforthebest – particularly given thatwe have started vaccinating your puppy already. Doyourresearchandselectavetbasedonyourfindings.Ourprotocol:Firstly, we do not believe in unnecessary over-vaccination.We believe that over-vaccination may actually be more harmful than not vaccinating at all. We take abalanced view andwork with our vet (of 10 years+) to provide our puppies withwhatisnecessary,andnothingmore.We vaccinate all of ourpuppies againstCanineParvovirus and Leptospirosiswhentheyare6weeksold.Webelieve theseare themostsevere threats, sowe like togive our puppies protection as early as possible, and this is the youngest age atwhichitissafetoadministerthesevaccines.Thespecificbrandandvaccinetypeweuseatthe6-weekstageare:CanigenParvo-C(forParvovirus)andCanigenLepto2(forLeptospirosis).

Oncethepuppiesare10weeksold,theyrequireonefurthervaccinationtoprovidecomplete cover and they will be safe to go out in public one week after thisvaccination. At this time, they should be vaccinated against Canine Distemper,Canine Hepatitis, Canine Parvovirus (again) and Leptospirosis (again). The specificbrandandvaccinetypeswerecommendareusedatthisstageare:CanigenDHP(forDistemper,HepatitisandParvovirus)andCanigenLepto2(forLeptospirosis).PleasenotethattheNobivacbrandofvaccineIScompatiblewiththeCanigenbrand,soitissafe and consistent with our protocol to give Nobivac DHP and Nobivac Lepto 2instead,shouldthisbewhatyourvethasinstock.Itshouldbenotedhowever,thattheVanguardbrandisNOTcompatiblewithCanigenorNobivac,andLepto4isNOTcompatiblewithLepto2.Ifyouwanttofollowourprotocol,youneedtofindavetthatstocksCanigenorNobivacDHPandLepto2.Afterthis,nothingfurtherisrequireduntiltheannualboosterisdue,whichwillbeCanigen/Nobivac DHP and Canigen/Nobivac Lepto 2. After that, you will want tovaccinateagainstLeptospirosisonanannualbasisusingCanigen/NobivacLepto2asthe vaccine offers immunity for one year only. The Canigen/Nobivac DHP vaccineoffersimmunityfor3yearsthough,sothiswillonlyneedrepeatedonceeverythreeyearstokeepyourdogcovered.Pleaseseethetablebelowtakendirectlyfromthemanufacturer’swebsitewhichwehaveannotated:

WhatyourpuppyhasalreadyhadWhatwerecommendyoushouldcontinuewith

If you change protocols and vaccinatewith the Vanguard brand, Canigen/NobivacLepto4,Canigen/NobivacDHPPiorCanigen/NobivacPi–furtherpuppyvaccinationsafterthe10-weekstagewillberequired,andyourpuppywillnotbesafetogooutinpublicat11weeksoldass/heotherwisewouldhavebeen.Parainfluenza?

WechoosenottovaccinateagainstCanineParainfluenza(i.e.wedonotusethePiorDHPPivaccinesyousee in the tableabove)becausedogsdon’tget flu! If yourvettries to persuade you to vaccinate your dog against this, ask him/her to cite aconfirmedcaseofCanineParainfluenza–theywillnotbeableto.Lepto2orLepto4?WealsochoosetousetheLepto2vaccinationforLeptospirosisasopposedtothe“newandimproved”Lepto4.Therearemultiplereasonsforthis.

1. ThetwoadditionalserogroupsintheLepto4vaccinearenotapresentthreatintheUK–mostdatawascollectedfromelsewhereinEurope.

2. Manymoreadverseside-effectshavebeenreportedasaresultoftheLepto4vaccineversustheLepto2vaccine.

3. The time for the Lepto 4 primary vaccination course ismuch longer – firstvaccineat9weeks,asecondvaccine4weekslater,andactiveimmunitydoesnot start until 3 weeks after the second vaccine is given. Thismeans yourpuppywouldnotbe safe togoout inpublicuntil s/he is16weeksold–5weeks later than if you used Lepto 2 instead. This 5 week period is keysocialisationtimeforyourpuppythatyoudonotwanttomissouton.

KennelCoughThe Kennel Cough vaccine is classified as non-core. It is not something which wetendtorecommendandnotsomethingthatwevaccinateourowndogsagainst.YoumightwanttovaccinateagainstKennelCoughifyouaregoingtobeleavingyourdoginboardingkennelswhenyou’reonholiday.Otherwise,weseelittleneed.Worming…Yourpuppyhasbeenfullywormeduptodateanddetailsofthisareincludedonthe‘Worming Record’which you received as part of the paperworkwhen you collectyourpuppy.Thisrecordalsoadviseswhenyourpuppynextrequiresworming.Parasites…Whilstwearefortunatetohaveneverhadanissuewithfleasoranyotherparasite,wedotreatourpuppieswithStronghold,purelyasaprecaution,whentheyare6-7weeks old. This is a spot-on treatment and covers fleas, ear mites, worms and anumberofotherparasites.On-goingtreatmentisnotrequiredonaprecautionarybasis.Microchipping…Wemicrochipallofourpuppieswhentheyareabout7weeksold.WeuseISOchips(approved for international travel) and register with Petlog, the UK’s largest

database.Whenyoucollectyourpuppy,wewillprovideyoudetailstotransferyourpuppy’smicrochipintoyourname.Insurance…Although Australian Labradoodles are particularly healthy dogs and your puppy’sparentshavebeenextensivelyhealthscreened,wedon’thaveacrystalballanditisstillpossiblethatyourpuppycouldsufferfromanillness,orcouldhaveanaccident.PetPlan is widely regarded as the market leader in pet insurance, and we highlyrecommendthatyouconsidercoverwiththem.PetPlanoffer‘lifetimecover’whichisveryimportant,becauseitmeansthatifyourdogrequireson-goingmedicationfordiabetesforexample,PetPlanwillcovertheexpenseforlife,andnotjustuntiltheendof that year!PetPlanalsohaveagood reputation in termsofpayingout,andcandealdirectlywithyourvetsothatyouarenot‘outofpocket’whilstwaitingfor the claim to be accepted. Please note that we take no responsibility if theinformationinthisparagraphisincorrect,anditisnotasubstituteforresearchinginsurance yourself; we are purely making a recommendation based on ourpreviouscustomers’experience!Crates…Wehighlyrecommendtheuseofdogcrates,providingtheyareusedproperly.Theyprovideanexcellentsafehavenforyourdog,whowillquicklylearnexactlywhatitisfor,anduseitasaplaceforpeaceandquietwhenwewantsit.Ifyouarepoppingout foracoupleofhoursandyourpuppycannotcomewithyou,thecratemeansthat you know he cannot come to any harm while you’re gone, and he cannotdestroyanyofyourfurniture!Asmentioned,itisagreatideatofeedyourpuppyinthecratetocreateapositiveassociation.Inlinewiththishowever,thecrateshouldneverbeusedasaplaceofpunishment.Whenyouareleavingyourpuppyinthecrateunattended–eitherovernightorwhilst youareout– set itupwithawarmblanket, newspaper so he can toilet, and a small but heavy bowl of fresh water.Pleasenotethatthecrateisnotasuitableplaceforyourpuppytobe‘coopedup’whileyouareatwork!Itisdesignedtobeusedfortwoorthreehoursatatime,orovernight.Ifyouareincreasingyourworkinghours,youwillneedtocalluponfamily,friends, a dog-walker or a day-care provider. As a rough guide, a miniatureAustralianLabradoodlewillneeda30”crateandamedium,a36”crate.Travelling…It isvery importantthatyoutravelyourpuppyonanemptystomach (i.e.nofoodwithin2hoursoftravelling).Itisagoodideatotakethepuppyforlotsofshortcarjourneyswithatreatattheendofeach,e.g.awalkinanewenvironment.Tryandsticktothesameplaceinthecarwherethedogwillalwaystravelsothatitwillgetintoaroutine.Puppiesareoftensickduringtheirfirstfewjourneys.Thisisnothingto worry about, but if it persists, it might be worth speaking to your vet. Werecommendtheuseoftravelcratesanddogguardssothatyourpuppyisrestrainedduringjourneys,bothfortheirsafety,andforyours.

Exercise…Wecannotemphasiseenough,howlittleexerciseyourpuppyneedsduringhisfirstyear.Roughly5minutesof supervisedexercisepermonthof thepuppy’sage,perday,isample.Youmaydoasecondwalkofthislengthlateroninthedayaslongashehashadenoughrest.Alsolimithistimeplayingandrunninginthegarden.Overexercise can cause damage to the puppy’s skeletal development. Hip and elbowproblemsarenotjustcongenital!Environmentalfactorssuchasover-exerciseplayalargepartinhipandelbowproblems,sowesuggestthatyousafeguardagainstthisasfaraspossible.Tryandkeepyourdog‘onallfours’asmuchasyoucan–avoidplayinggameswherehehastojump,orrunupanddownstairsforexample.Onceyourdogisayearold,hecanwalkthelegsoffyou,butbuilditupgradually.Training…ThereisalotofinformationavailableontheInternetregardingpuppytraining,butwe have developed this section based upon our knowledge and experience.Australian Labradoodles are incredibly intelligent animals, but that doesn’t meanthattheydon’tneedtobetrained!Trainingyourpuppyproperlyatanearlyagewillpaydividendsinthelongrun.Awell-traineddogisahappydog.GeneralGuidanceThe very first step doesn’t actually involve your puppy at all, but it does involveeveryoneelsewho lives inyourhousehold.Agreeuponsomebasicrules,routines,commands,praiseand‘punishment’.Forexample,youmaydecidethatyourpuppyisgoing tobe restricted to the lower floorof your two-storeyhouse, thathe isorisn’tallowedtojumponthesofaandthatheisorisn’tallowedtolickyourface.Itisimportantthateverymemberofthehouseholdfollowstheseconsistently.Ifhelicksoneperson’sfaceandisnotreprimanded,hewon’tunderstandwhyanotherpersontellshimoffforlickingtheirface.Consistencytrainsdogs.Trainingmust start thevery second that yourpuppyarrives inhisnewhome.Theyoungerheis,thefasterhewilllearn.Itcanbeverydifficulttoseepastthe‘puppycuteness’butyoushouldstartasyoumeantogoon.Don’tputupwithsomethingnowthatyoudon’twanttoputupwithlater.Be firm but kind.When he does something naughty, for example – nibbling yourfingers(thevastmajorityofyoungpuppiesdothis)makesurethatheknowsthathehasdonewrong.Startoffbysaying ‘NO!’ inaverydeepand loudvoice.Perseverewiththisforalittlewhile,butifitcontinues,givehimasharptaponthenosewithyourtwofingers,whilstsaying‘NO!’atthesametime,inthatdeepandloudvoice.Henowassociatesthatphrasewiththesharptap,whichhedoesn’tlike,anditwon’ttake long before he understands that nibbling fingers is not allowed. It is worthrepeatingherethateverymemberofthefamilymustdothesamething.It’snogood

youtellinghimoffforitwhilstyourotherhalfisallowingit…you’lljustendupwithaconfusedpuppy!Makesurethatheunderstandshisplaceinthe‘peckingorder’,andthatshouldberight at the very bottom. That means that humans should walk through doorsbeforehe shouldandhumans shouldeat theirmealbeforeheeatshis.AustralianLabradoodles don’t tend to display any dominant traits, but even a few of thesesimplelittlethingscanmakeallthedifference.HouseTrainingYourPuppyThe traditional method that many people seem to employ involves covering theentirefloorwithsheetsofnewspaper–DON’TDOIT!Thiswillonlyencourageyourpuppy to go to the toilet inside your house on your floor, which is exactly theoppositeofwhatyou’relookingtoachieve.Instead,whatwehavefoundworksbest(quickest and most efficient) is to take your puppy outside into your garden atspecifictimes.Firstthinginthemorning,straightaftermeals,assoonashewakesupfromanap,ifyouseehimsnoopingaroundwithhisnosetothefloorandhistailintheairorevenifhejusthasn’tbeenoutsidewithinthelasthourorso.Thefinaltimeofthedaythatyoushouldtakehimouttothetoiletislastthingbeforebed.Staywithhimandwatchwhatheisdoing.Don’tpayhimtoomuchattentioninitially–heisthereforapurpose– togo to the toilet–and if you try toplaywithhim, thatwillonlydelayproceedings.Useaphrasewhenyougooutside,suchas“beclean”or“busybusy”–eventuallyhewillassociatethatwithgoingtothetoiletandyouwillfinditveryuseful.Assoonashehasdonethetoilet,goovertohimandmakeabigfussofhim,praisehimtothehilt. Then take five minutes or so just to play with him before returning inside.Providing you follow this procedure religiously, there is little reasonwhy it shouldtakeyouanylongerthantwoweekstohavehimhousetrained.Overnightisacompletelydifferentkettleoffish.Whateveryoudo–don’twakeupto lethimoutsideduringthemiddleofthenight.Hewouldlearntoexpectitandwoulddeveloprelianceuponit.Youwon’twanttogetupinthemiddleofthenight,everynight,forthenext12–15years!Instead,hemustlearnto‘holditin’untilthemorning.Wefeelthatthebestwaytoachieve‘cleananddry’overnightistocratetrainyourpuppy.Thebestwaytointroduceyourpuppytohiscrateistofeedhiminit.Pophisbowloffood in the crate, guidehim towards it and if necessary,pickhimupandputhiminside. He will notice the food straight away and start eating. Whilst he is busyeating,gentlyclosethedoorsothathegetsusedtothefeelingofbeingenclosed.Itisimportantthatthecrateisaverypositiveplaceforyourpuppytobe,andthefoodreally helps to fix the association. The crate should never be used as a place ofpunishment…ever!Nowwe’regettingtotheimportantbitabouttheuseofthecrate

overnight.Coverhalfofthefloorareawithanicethickblanket,covertheotherhalfwith newspaper (NOT a puppy toilet training pad – this is scented to encouragetoileting!) andputa small (butheavy so that itdoesn’t spill)bowlofwater in thecorner.Justbeforeyougotobed,pophiminsidehiscrateandclosethedoorwhilstspeakingtohiminapositive,butcalmandsoothingvoice.Whenyouwakeupinthemorning,gobacktohiscrate,openupthedoorandtakehimoutsidetothetoilet.Youwillfindthathewillhavedonethetoiletonthepaperinhiscrateovernight.This isabsolutelynormalandtobefullyexpected.Don’ttellhimoff–hisbladderisphysicallytoosmalltoholdontillthemorning.Thefrequencyofthisoccurringwilldecreaseastimegoesonandashisbladdergrowsandisableto‘holdmorein’.Oneachoccasionthathehasacleananddrynight,givehimlotsofpraise first thing in themorning before taking him outside. Eventually, hewill becleananddryovernight,everynight,anditisatthisstagethatyoucanremovethenewspaperandcovertheentirefloorareawithanicesoftblanketorbed.LeadTrainingYourPuppyBest way to start off – train your puppy to walk by your side, without a lead!Introducingtheleadbeforeheistrainedtowalkbyyoursidecanbedisastrous,ashewill try to resist the lead,pull against youand try to slipoutof it – anegativeexperienceforeveryone.So,startoffinyourbackgarden,justyou,yourpuppyandsometastytreats.Holdatreatbetweenyourfingers,showyourpuppythetreatandassoonashehas‘lockedontoit’,putitdownbyyoursideandstarttowalkforwards.Hewillfollowthetreatandafterafewpaces,stopandlethimhaveitandgivehimlotsofpraise.Thentakeoutanother treatandrepeat theprocess.Each timeyourepeat, try towalka fewextrastepsbeforelettinghimhavehistreat.Onlyspendabout5minutesdoingthisatatime,aspuppieshavequiteashortattentionspan!It isagoodideatodothisabout3–4timesperdaythough,especiallywhenyouarestartingout.Thiswayhewillremembertheprevioustimeandwillknowexactlywhathehastodoinordertoget thetreat. Itwon’t take longbeforeyoucanwalk forquiteadistancewithhimfollowingcloselybyyourside.Onceyouhavereachedthisstage,itistimetointroducethelead.Startoffbyusingavery lightweight collar and lead – the little canvas puppy collar and lead sets aregreat. Put the collar aroundhis neck, tight enough that itwon’t fall off, but looseenoughthatyoucangetacoupleoffingersbetweenhisneckandthecollar.Cliponhislead,andthenrepeattheprocessofwalkingafewstepsandgivingatreat,justasyouhavedonepreviously,butwiththeleadon.Hewon’tevennoticeitisthere!Build up the number of steps that you can take before giving the treat, just asbefore,anditwon’ttakelongbeforeyouhaveapuppythatwillwalkalongsideyou,ashappyascanbe,withoutevenpullingonhislead!TrainingtoSit

Again, thiselementof training shouldbe started fromtheverymomentyoubringyourpuppyhome.Thebesttimetoconductthistraining isatmealtimes!Preparethebowloffoodasyouusuallywouldandapproachyourpuppyholdingthebowlinonehand.Bendover(keepingthebowlhighenoughthatyourpuppycannotgethisnose into it!)anduseyourfreehandtoplanthisbottomonthefloor,whilstusingthevocalcommand“sit”.Keepyourhandfirmlyonhisbottomjustabovethebaseofthetailandplacethebowloffoodinfrontofhimonthefloor.Thenremoveyourhandandgivehimlotsofpraise.Complete this exercise at every mealtime and it won’t take long before he willalmosthavehisbottomonthefloorbeforeyoueventouchhim.Continuetousetheverbal command “sit” and instead of using your hand to place his bottom on thefloor, use it to signal the commandbyholding up your index finger. As youmakeprogress,starttocarryouttheexerciseatnon-mealtimesaswell,perhapsusingatreat initially as a reward. It won’t take long before you’ll have him sitting oncommand,atanytimeandforanyreasonthatyouwant.TrainingtoStayandAchievingtheRecallThisshouldonlybestartedafter“sit”hasbeenwellestablished.Thebestplacetopractisethisisinthebackgardensothatyouhaveenoughspace,butareinasafeandenclosedarea.Firstly,askhimtosit,usingtheverbalcommandandhandsignalasdescribedabove.Then,usetheverbalcommand“stay”andraisethepalmofyourhandas if youare signalling for traffic to stop.Continually repeat theword“stay”andkeepyourarmoutinfrontofyouwiththepalmofyourhandfacingyourpuppyandstarttotakebackwardsteps.(Ifhestartstofollow,youneedtostartagainbyaskinghimtosit.)Initially,justtakethreeorfourstepsbackbeforestopping,bendingdownandcallinghimbyhisnameinanencouragingtone,e.g.“Bouncer,come!”Whenhearrivesatyourfeet,askhimtositagainandthengivehimlotsofpraiseandatreat,whichyoushouldhaveinyourpocket.Repeattheprocessseveraltimes;increasingthenumberofbackwardstepsyoutakeeachtime.Justaswiththeleadtraining,littleandoftenisthekeytoachievingthis.Whenyouareoutwalking,youshouldnotletyourpuppyoffhisleaduntilyouareveryconfidentthattherecalliswellestablishedanddon’tdoubt that hewill come straight back to youwhen called. Tomake the transitionfromonleadtoofflead,itisagoodideatopractisetherecallinawide-openspace,but using an extension lead. This allows you to ask him to stay andwalk quite adistanceawaybeforecallingforhimtocometoyou.Once this iswell established, thenext step is to let himoff the leadbut it is veryimportant that you call him back to you nice and often to make sure that he islistening to you and paying attention! It is worth carrying some treats initially toreward him every time he comes back to youwhen asked. This can be graduallyphasedout.Ifforwhateverreason,youstruggletogethimbacktoyou,donotlosepatienceandgetangrywithhimasthiswillonlymakemattersworse.Hewon’twanttocomebacktoyouifheknowsthatheisgoingtogetarow.

Grooming…GroomingAustralianLabradoodlesisactuallyveryeasy,providingthatyoukeepontopofitanddoathoroughjobeachtime.Let’s startwith themost importantpart– theears!Australian Labradoodleshavehairthatgrowsinsidetheirearcanal.Itisabsolutelyessentialthatyouremovethishair on a regular basis. It is very simple and straightforward todoas longas youkeepontopofitanddon’tletitgetoutofcontrol.Onceamonth,havealookinsidethe ears to check for hair growth. If there is any hair in the ear canal that needsremoved, put a little ear groomingpowder in themiddle of the ear.Massage thepowderinforaround10seconds.Thisopensuptheporesandalsoensuresthatthehairisdrysothatyoucangetafirmgriponit.Then,verygently,betweenfingerandthumb, tease the hair out slowly a little at a time. This is obviously not themostpleasantofthingsforyourAustralianLabradoodletoputupwith,buttheywillsoongetused to itand it ismuchbetter than theear infections thatcouldoccur if thisprocedurewasn’tdoneproperlyandregularly.Ifyourpuppywrigglesorcomplains,youmustpersevere.Gettingthehairout ismore important!Wewilldemonstrateearhairremovalwhenyoucollectyourpuppy.WeuseBioFreshEarGroomingPowder,availableoneBayandAmazon.WhengroomingyourAustralian Labradoodle’sbody, the first tool that you shoulduse is a slicker brush. Groom through the coat thoroughly, following the naturaldirectioninwhichitgrows.Startatthebottomofthelegs,andworkuptowardsthehead. Once you think you have got anymatting out, use a steel comb to check.Makesurethatyouaregettingrightdownthroughtheentirecoattotheskin. Ifyouhaven’tgotallthewaydown,gobacktotheslickerbrushagainuntilyouhave.Ifyoudon’tmanage togetdown to the skin, thecoatwill ‘felt’underneathand theonly way that can be corrected is by having your poor Australian Labradoodleclippedrightdowntotheskin,sodon’tletithappen!BecauseAustralianLabradoodlesdon’tshedtheircoat,theydoneedtobeclipped.Howoftenyouhaveyourdoodle clipped shoulddependon coat type, thekindoflifestyle you lead, and your personal preferences. It is generally between two andfourtimesperyear.WhenyoubringyourAustralianLabradoodletothegroomers,askthemiftheyhaveclippedanyAustralianLabradoodlesbeforeandiftheyknowhowtodo itproperly!Wehaveheardquitea fewstorieswherepeoplehavehadtheirpoorAustralianLabradoodlereturnedtothemlookinglikeaPoodle!Tellyourgroomerthatyouwanta‘teddybear’clip.Whatthatmeans,isthatthecoatshouldloosely follow the shape of the body – it is a very relaxed and natural look – not‘perfectandpreened’.Showyourgroomersomephotosfromourwebsitesothattheyknowexactlywhatthe‘finishedarticle’shouldlooklike.Thegroomerwillalsotakecareofthenailsandwillplucktheears.

This is a link to a manual and video which you can use if you want to learn toclip/scissor/groomyourself,ortoeducateyourgroomer(!):http://alaa-labradoodles.com/uploads/ALAA_Grooming_Manual_web.pdfAustralian Labradoodles don’t need bathed regularly. Their non-shedding coatshave naturally occurring essential oils and lanolin and regular bathing should beavoidedas it stripsout theseoils. IfyourAustralianLabradoodlegetsverymuddy,give themud time to dry and then brush it outwith a slicker brush. If he rolls insomethingverysmellythough,itmightbeworthgivinghimabath!Somemorehelpfultips…If you are going to bath your Australian Labradoodle, brush through the coatthoroughlyfirst.Ifyoudoittheotherwayaround,anymattingwillbesethard!Keeptheeyesandearsniceandcleantoavoidinfections.Trimthehairoutfrombetweentheirtoestoensurethatdebrisdoesn’tgetlodgedandcauseasore.Keepthecoatunder thetailniceandshort topreventmattingandtokeep itniceandclean.Ongoingsupport...Asyoualreadyknow,wearealwayshereforsupportandadviceasandwhen it isneeded.Pleasedon’thesitatetosendusanemailorgiveusacall ifyouhaveanyconcerns,orifyouwouldliketogiveusfeedback.Feedbackisveryimportantforusbecauseitcansignificantlyinfluenceourbreedingplansgoingforward.Wealsolovetohearstoriesandseephotosofourpuppiesastheygrow!WehaveaFacebookpagethatisprovingtobeagreatplaceforourcustomerstokeepintouchwithus,andsharelotsofphotos.OurFacebookpagecanbefoundat:www.facebook.com/LomondHillsPlease‘Like’ourpageandshareallyourphotosandstories!Wewishyougoodluckwithyournewpuppyandhopethatyouhavemanyyearsofhappinesswithyournewfamilymember!Dokeepintouch,andwearealwayshereshouldyouhaveanyconcerns.