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Congratulations on your new family member.

 

​When Bearded Retriever puppies go home they will weigh between 12-16 lbs.  Neck size is 11-16 inches 

 

Potty Training

Preventing accidents using supervision and limiting free roaming in the house while learning is the key to successful potty training 
 

Your puppy already knows that outside is the best place to potty. They use the grass here 99% of the time. As soon as you arrive home with your puppy immediately carry him to the outdoor spot you have chosen and allow him to walk around freely saying “go potty” or whatever word you choose for this.  As soon as he eliminates, praise him happily saying “good potty!” and offer a treat. Help him learn how to get to this area from the house and guide him there VERY often. Typically puppies potty right when they wake up from naps or nighttime and shortly after eating. Keep your eyes on puppy at all times unless he is crated or in his pen play area. If an accident starts, interrupt it, pick him up saying “no no” gently, and carry him straight to the correct place, hopefully he will finish there and get praise. Make sure to clean all accidents very well to eliminate odor because the smell of urine will confuse the puppy. The smell triggers them to use that area again. A Bearded Retriever puppy should rarely or never have accidents in his crate when managed correctly. If this happens reach out for help from your vet or a trainer. Its not normal. 

 

Feeding:

 

The puppies have strong stomachs and should tolerate whatever kibble/raw/homemade food you feel comfortable with. I will send them home with several days worth of whatever they wind up eating that week. We feed puppies a variety of foods. I recommend rotating quality large breed puppy kibble with different proteins, adding moisture, and mixing in or having some meals and treats that include fresh foods. The key thing is not to let them get overweight. That can lead to joint problems. They will be hungry all the time. Don't overfeed or use junky high carb treats. Dont "free feed" - meaning leaving food down all the time. That doesn't work with dogs who are this food motivated. They will over eat. All dog food bags have recommendations for amounts to feed on the bag. Puppies need acess to clean water at all times except at night during sleeping hours. 

At the time they go home they will be used to eating 3 x daily. 3/4 cup is usually a good amount to start with each time if you are treating a lot between meals. You should follow the guidelines on the bag of kibble you choose.

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Real food your puppy will have tried while with us:

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Sardines in water with no salt added

Various fruits especially blueberries and apples ( Dogs cant eat GRAPES)

Various vegetables including spinach, green beans, canned pumpkin

Whole milk plain yogurt - not sweetened

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Foods they will have tried and done well with: 

 

Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried Raw Meal Mixers – Crafted for Puppies – Grain Free, Protein Rich Perfectly Puppy Beef & Salmon Recipe

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First Mate Grain Friendly Large Breed & Large Breed Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food

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Fromm Large Breed Puppy Gold Premium Dry Dog Food - Dry Puppy Food for Large Breeds

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Farmina Ancient Grains Puppy Medium/Maxi 

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Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy 

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Always make sure your puppy feels safe while eating. Don't allow kids to interrupt or grab the bowl, but having kids be the one to give the puppy his meal is great.  Feeding in the crate helps puppy feel safe and associates the crate with good things. Feeding time
is a great opportunity to work on manners. After a few days at home, try simply waiting for your puppy to offer a sit before placing the bowl down. This can quickly help them learn that sitting leads to good things!

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Sleeping 

The puppy should sleep NEAR YOU at night for at least several weeks.

 

This is important for bonding and to help the puppy feel secure and safe. A crate in your bedroom is ideal. An alternative to this crate is to allow them to sleep with you. If you do this, be sure they don't fall off the bed. I don't think it causes behavior problems. However, they will be addicted to it and won't ever want to sleep in a crate at night. Consider the implications for your relationship and your sleep needs before making this choice.

Puppies can go at least 4-6 hours at night without a potty break once they adjust to the crate and this quickly rises to 8 hours. I suggest puppy and you go to bed at the same time and that he can see you from his crate at least until he's sleeping
through the night. Your presence will be very reassuring. Allow puppy to cry/whine in the crate if needed at first but be sure he's had a chance to potty and that you are right there. When/if puppy stirs at night after falling asleep carry them quickly outside to the potty spot to go, then straight back to bed. Feed at least 3 hours before bed and take them out to urinate just before settling in. Use a pad or blanket on the bottom for comfort. Long haired dogs sometimes get hot and prefer a cool surface. Consider this if your pup
seems uncomfortable in his crate.

 

Grooming

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Bearded Retriever puppies need haircuts! Their hair grows instead of falling out so you can't avoid cutting it. You can learn to do this yourself, but don't underestimate the task. It requires special equipment and time. However you get this job accomplished, you need to start early and do it often. If you wait to start you will make it harder. I'm working on getting the puppies started on tolerating grooming, but you need to pick up the ball when they get home! Don't wait. Groom early and often. They can start going to a professional groomer around 5 months after their shots are complete. Call early about appointments. 

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Crates/confinement 

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Safety: Always provide something safe to chew in the crate or pen like a yak chew, Benebone, Nylabone, Antler, stuffed kong or topple, or other chew of your choice. Dont leave puppies alone with edible or too small chews that they could choke on. Remove collars when confined alone due to the risk of collar entrapment. ​

 

When used correctly, dogs enjoy crates and pens. They should be a safe, positive place for eating, naps, and chewing your favorite bone.

 

Reasons for crates/confinement:

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1. Puppies need lots of sleep including many naps. If you don't confine them for naps sometimes they can get over tired (just like toddlers) and start acting a bit nuts. (Running, barking, being mouthy).

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2. Retriever puppies chew things. It's normal and you can't train it away. You need to confine them when you aren't supervising or they WILL chew up your things.

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3. House training. Your puppy will be very unlikely to soil in its crate or pen if you give them lots of chances to go outside when waking from naps and after eating. Using confinement will speed up house training by a lot. Some puppies have almost no accidents in the house if you do this well.

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42" is the smallest crate size you can use as an adult. 48 " is better. You can buy the adult size now. They grow fast.  If using a pen make it as tall as possible, at least 42 inches. 

 

Buy either 2 crates or a crate for the bedroom and an x pen for the living area, and a smaller crate for the car. Personally I only use crates in the car for puppies until about 6 months.​

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The second crate or pen should be near your main living area where they can hear the household activities. This should be where puppy is fed (with door closed if you have kids or other dogs) and where they go when you leave the house, can't supervise them, or they need down time.

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Vet and Vaccine info:

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Basic vaccines are not optional for baby dogs and failing to vaccinate will make them vulnerable to deadly viruses like Parvo and Distemper that are 100% preventable by vaccines. Also Rabies is 100% fatal to humans and Rabies vaccines are mandated by law.

 

Puppies need 4 rounds of shots to be fully vaccinated. Ideally these are given 2-4 weeks apart with the last round being after the puppy is 16 weeks old. 

 

I do always vaccinate for leptospirosis, and I've never had any lepto vaccine reactions with anyone in the family. This is a bacteria that's transmitted through contaminated water by wildlife. It is contagious to humans, as well. If you go hiking, camping, live near water, have wildlife in your backyard, etc, it's a good idea to do it.

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Your puppy will go the vet around 7 weeks old and you will receive info about the specific date.  They will be microchipped and get their first vaccines. They will need an appointment for the next vaccine around 3 weeks later at 10 weeks old. 

 

If you wait too long you might need to start over.

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So - make a vet appointment early! Especially if you don't already have a vet. New client appointments often take longer.

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Socialization aka "learning about the world" 

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During your puppy’s first four months of life, they’ll experience a socialization period that will permanently shape their future personality and how they’ll react to their environment as an adult dog. Gently exposing them to a wide variety of people, places, and situations can make a huge, permanent difference in their temperament. If there are specific things you want to do with your dog like ride in a boat or swim in pools or lakes, make sure you expose your puppy to these things before they are 6 months old. Also if you need them to think of cats, chickens, rabbits as family members they need to be introduced to those animals ASAP and taught to think of them as part of the pack. 

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The idea behind socialization is that you want to help your puppy become acclimated to all types of sights, sounds, and smells in a positive manner. Proper socialization can prevent a dog from being fearful of children, for example. It will help them develop into a well-mannered, happy companion.

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Having a dog who’s well-adjusted and confident can even go as far as to save their life one day. According to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, improper socialization can lead to behavior problems later in life. The organization’s position statement on socialization reads: “Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under 3 years of age.” Start taking your dog out to public places once your veterinarian says it’s safe, and they’ll learn how to behave in a variety of situations and to enjoy interacting with different people.

 

How to Socialize Your Puppy

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Take baby steps

Try to avoid doing too much, too fast. For instance, if you want your puppy to become accustomed to being handled by multiple people they don’t know, start with a few family members. Then slowly integrate one stranger, then two, and so on. Starting this process by taking your puppy to a huge party or a very busy public place can be overwhelming and result in a fearful response to groups of strangers in the future.

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To a puppy, the whole world is new, strange, and unusual, so think of everything they encounter as an opportunity to make a new, positive association. Try to come up with as many different types of people, places, noises, and textures as you can and expose your puppy to them. That means, for instance, having them walk on carpet, hardwood, tile, and linoleum floors, meet a young and old person, someone in a wheelchair or using a cane, a person with a beard, wearing sunglasses or a hood, and using an umbrella. Think of it as a scavenger hunt.

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Make it positive

Most importantly, when introducing all of these new experiences to your puppy, make sure they’re getting an appropriate amount of treats and praise. As a result, the pet will associate these experiences with the feeling of seeing something new being a fun experience. Break treats into small pieces that will be easy for your puppy to digest. Also, try to remain calm — dogs can read our emotions. So if you’re nervous when introducing your puppy to an older dog, for example, your pet will be nervous, too, and may become fearful of other dogs in the future.

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Involve the family

By having different people take part in the socialization process, you continuously move the puppy out of their comfort zone. That lets the dog know that they might experience something new, no matter who they’re with. Make it a fun game for kids by having them write down a list of everything new the puppy experienced that day while with them, such as “someone in a baseball cap” or “a police siren.”

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Take it public

Once your puppy can handle a small amount of stimuli, move outside of their comfort zone and expand the amount of new experiences they’ll have. Take them to the pet store (after they’ve started their vaccination series), over to a friend’s house for a canine playdate, on different streets in the neighborhood, and so on.

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Go to puppy classes

Once your puppy has started vaccinations, they can also attend puppy classes. These classes not only help your pet begin to understand basic commands, but they also expose them to other canines and people. Skilled trainers will mediate the meetings so that all dogs and people are safe and happy during the process.

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​Remember we are here to help if you hit big trouble spots or feel overwhelmed. Please dont hesitate to reach out. That offer lasts for your dogs lifetime. Good luck and happy puppy raising! 

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