You finally just committed to caring for a Sheepadoodle puppy for its whole life, possibly for the next 10-12 years of its life. Now what? What are some important first steps a new pet mom/dad should take to prepare for a happy and healthy life for their new Sheepadoodle puppy?
Let’s dive into the topic of how to care for your Sheepadoodly Puppy!!
Food:
Old English Sheepdogs and Standard Poodles tend to have sensitive stomachs, so it’s recommended to purchase limited ingredients types of food (no grains if you choose) or food of higher nutritional value. You can feed them cooked vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes as treats. These Sheepadoodle puppies should not be fed human food at any point especially anything with onion, garlic, different types of seasoning, and so on.
I recommend: Blue Puppy Large Breed: Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food, Chicken
Feed multiple times a day: (I put a bit of homemade chicken broth in the food)
- Age 6-12 weeks – 4 meals per day
- Age 3-6 months – 3 meals per day
- Age 6-12 months – 2 meals per day
Treats:
- Costco treats come in big packages and is healthy.
- CBD treats to prevent anxiety and promote relaxation as necessary or if I know I’m going to be gone for a long day. Pethemp.com offers organic and natural products.
- Lavender spray: You can spray lavender around these Sheepadoodle puppies’ face areas for calming as well.
Bathroom
Many Sheepadoodle puppies have a tendency to pee/poop on rugs if it’s of a similar texture as the blankets and pee pads that they were raised on during their whelping period with the breeder. So it might be beneficial to put a bathroom mat under a pee pad in the crate or put bathroom mats around the house as a pee pad.
Morning: Take your Sheepadoodle puppy out immediately once they wake up (or anytime they wake up). Let them eat and play and back to the crate.
Afternoon: Outside, eat, play, back to the crate.
Evening: Outside, eat, play, back to the crate.
They can hold their pee the equivalent of their age. For example: 2 months = 2 hours, 4 months = 4 hours, and so on. The most you should have them hold is 8 hours.
Hair Maintenance:
Sheepadoodle puppies are very high maintenance when it comes to hair.
- Wash at least once every 6 weeks. I use Mane and Tail (horse shampoo)
- Brush a few times a week if possible.
- Trim the hair around their eyes (they can’t see otherwise when hair is outgrown),
- Shave the hair around their butt area,
- Tim the hair under their paws (helps with limiting dirt in the house.)
Obedience
There are affordable group training programs offered through Petsmart, Petco, and your local places. It’s recommended that these Sheepadoodle puppies go to at least one session to be socialized and learn basic commands.
Socializing
At Sheepadoodle.dynasty, all Sheepadoodle puppies have been socialized to play with the parents and another family dog. They have been handled consistently and regularly by humans from babies to the elderly.
- They will nibble and bite since they’re still teething.
- Make sure you correct this problem immediately. There are homemade sprays such as Apple Cider Vinegar that could be used around the house to prevent chewing. Please don’t bring them to new animals until after 4 months of age and after they’re fully vaccinated.
- Introduce different sounds to them:
- Expose them to different sounds: cars, garage door opening, barks, doorbells, dinner party noises, crying children, thunderstorms, fireworks, etc… Youtube has some great videos for those sounds.
