5 Exercise and play

Exercise and puppy play

Labradoodles are very sociable and love human contact. Puppies just love to have fun but like young children, they have a time limit before they ‘crash’. Very young pups generally play for 15-20 mins before they will retreat to a quiet place for a nap. As discussed earlier – supervise children and help them to learn about your puppy’s routine.

Puppies will need some toys to chew and teethe on to prevent them from chewing and teething on your stuff.  You can also fill “Kong” toys  (green and white toy pictured) with goodies that reward your puppy. 

Exercise

Your puppy will get enough exercise initially through play. Later – when your vaccination schedule is complete, commence walking your puppy regularly before a meal. If you intend to use the dog park, socialise your dog gradually so he has both manners with other dogs and develops social confidence. If you notice submissive behaviour such as piddling that then continues at home e.g. when the puppy greets the pack leader – leave the dog park to a later stage.

It will be helpful if you introduce your puppy to using a collar and lead before this time so practice in the back yard. Never pull or drag the puppy along with the lead – you’ll have more success if you coax him along with your voice “pup, pup, pup…” or a dog treat.

Bones and joints and specifically…Hip Care

Your pup’s parents both have had their hips and elbows radiologically examined as part of Amalie’s commitment to breeding canine companions with outstanding health qualities. Pups have been introduced to gentle play to keep puppy joints healthy and accident free. Now it’s your turn…

There are some do’s and don’ts that are thought to make a difference to your dogs ongoing health such as

• Don’t encourage your puppy to chase you, especially on slippery floors – this information is probably directed at kids. Discourage rough play.

• Discourage him from bounding up and down stairs – this will mean you will have to carry him up and down for a while.

• Discourage jumping on and off furniture, the back of the car and hold off doing agility training until he is about 1 year of age.

• Do feed him a balanced diet and ensure he doesn’t develop a weight problem! Give healthy treats and consider treat intake when giving the evening meal. If you’ve done heaps of training and given rewards, make the meal smaller.

Mimi and her play bow