Hello and Congratulations! If you have made it to this page, you are receiving a puppy from Once Upon A Doodle. We are so excited for you to bring home your new bundle of joy and want to make this process as easy and fun as possible! This will be your go to page for all of your information as you prepare to bring home your new furry family member.
Pictures
Pictures of the litter are updated every other week. We will be sending the pictures to your email and posting them on the website. You can also keep an eye out on our social media pages as we will occasionally have pictures or videos of your puppy posted there.
Training
We have two different options for at home training. If you click on this link you will be able to receive a discount for Aly’s Puppy Bootcamp. We have personally spent time with Aly and her staff to learn her specific techniques to work with our dogs and she is the real deal!
https://www.thepillarsofpackleadership.com/OnceUponADoodle
Baxter and Bella is another option for training information, but it isn’t as linear or step by step as the previous recommendation. They have a lifetime training program through their website. and offer a 90 day puppy training with print outs. If you join and give the code OnceUponADoodle they will give you 25% off.
Below is a list of books and valuable websites that can help you along with your training.
Karen Pryor-any of her clicker training books are an excellent way to train, especially if you have a dog that is not motivated by food. I would recommend her book Don't Shoot The Dog!
www.leerburg.com This website is very extensive, so before you get overwhelmed, two videos I recommend:
Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months
Basic Dog Obedience
Family Friendly Dog Training- A six week Program by Patricia B McConnell and Aimee M. Moore
The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller
Puppy Socialization, An Insider's Guide to Dog Behavioral Fitness by Caryl Wolff
Train Your Dog Positively by Victoria Stilwell
The Puppy Whisperer, A Compassionate, Nonviolent Guide to Early Training and Care by Paul Owens and Terence Cranendonk
Inside of a Dog, What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz
The Dog Whisperer, A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training by Paul Owens
Hopefully this list will get you started in preparing yourself for having a well trained dog. I am sure there are plenty of other authors that have excellent training techniques that I have not been able to read. The one thing that I have learned about any animal when it comes to training is to BE CONSISTENT and don’t stop when they are in charge- finish each session on a good note. Remember that you call the shots and be confident.
Microchip
Your puppy will receive a microchip prior to going home. This number will need to be registered to you. Please call or go online to register your number once you receive your puppy. The microchip number brochure, extra stickers with the microchip number, and a tag with the microchip number will be included in your puppy's folder.
Buddy Chip ID
https://buddyid.com/register/
1-800-434-2843
Veterinarian Information
Now is a great time to start searching for a veterinarian that you would like to work with. Here are some important Things to ask:
Do they have a puppy package?
How much do they charge for spay and neuter?
We require that you take your puppy to his/her first vet appointment within 3 business days of bringing him/her home. This appointment is only for a wellness exam, no vaccines should be given at the time of this appointment. This is an important appointment and is necessary to fulfill your health guarantee. Your puppy will be seen by our licensed veterinarian prior to going home and by seeing your veterinarian after going home it is validating that your puppy was sent home in good health.
Rabies vaccine is done at 16 weeks and please make sure no other vaccine is done at the same time.
Please NO oral flea and tick formulas.
Puppy Selection
I know that everyone wants to know ‘which puppy do I get to call mine?! And when do I find out???
Around six weeks of age we do a fun puppy visit for everyone to see the litter that they are on the list for. The puppy announcement email, that is sent out when the puppies are born, will have all of the corresponding dates for that specific litter. I will send out a schedule and make FaceTime appointments for those that are out of town approximately 2 weeks prior to the puppy selection. The puppies are chosen in order that the deposits were received.
Once Upon A Doodle has the right to pick the top two picks in every litter. We choose those puppies to go into our training or breeding program. If you are interested in one of the puppies that we are holding back for training, you have the option of purchasing that puppy and to put it into training, but we will ask for a commitment from you to put that puppy into training for a minimum of 4 weeks at $700/wk. Please keep in mind that you will be locked in to the gender that you commit to at the time of committing to the litter and will only be able to choose a puppy of that gender.
you will be choosing your puppy during the FaceTime call or right after your puppy visit so be prepared to make a decision. It is so exciting to see which puppy everyone chooses!
Spay and Neuter Agreement
We work very hard to provide clients with high quality dogs. We have put many years in developing our “brand” of dogs by refining and breeding bloodlines that we feel possess the conformation, health, and temperament we hope to pass on to future generations of puppies. To acquire these desirable characteristics, it is very important to have adequate history of many generations. We as breeders hand select which offspring we will use to breed. Breeding stock must be of appropriate age/weight health, temperament and promote the same in their future offspring.
As a result, we have first-hand knowledge of our offspring's health, conformation, and personality/temperaments. In order to control the present and future outcome of our offspring from our lines, we reserve the right to limit the registration/use of our puppies by ensuring that our offspring are not used as breeders. When purchasing a puppy from Once Upon A Doodle, it is understood that our puppies are sold as "family pets" – NOT as breeding stock. In purchasing a puppy/offspring from Once Upon A Doodle you agree to enter a spay/neuter contract agreement.
Payment
In order to be going through this information that you are reading, you have already put down a deposit of $400. The total purchase price for the puppy is $3500. The remainder of the amount due of $3,100 is at at six weeks of age. If you have your puppy in training, we will discuss payment options for training that must be paid in full at the time of transfer of ownership. We ask for you to give us a 10% deposit on the total of training you have committed to.
Deposits are paid through Venmo @onceuponadoodle
Payments we accept for the remainder due at six weeks:
check - Please make it out to Once Upon A Doodle
Payments made at the time of pick up:
cashiers check -Please make it out to Once Upon A Doodle
cash - The contract states the amount you have paid and will act as a receipt.
Pet Insurance
We send you home with a free 30 days of Trupanion pet insurance complimentary from Once Upon A Doodle. Please register this within 24 hours after picking up your puppy from our home. If you call later than the 24 hour period, they will not extend that policy to you.
Why is this so important? Most families are not used to living around a puppy and any number of accidents can happen. If you decide to use a different insurance company, we ask that you still start this temporary policy. Most policies do not kick in until two weeks after you purchase a policy. The one we offer you is immediate and has a $250 deductible.
Our breeder code is BR1UD51617
Food
Our puppies are fed at 7am and 5pm. We give our puppies a bowl full of food for 20 minutes. I will direct you on any specific changes or details related to your litter. Please pick up the bowl after the 20 minutes and do not let them graze through out the day. Keep in mind that puppies will need to go potty within about 10 minutes of eating and drinking. if you are using training treats then your puppy will automatically cut back on how much they are eating during their meal time.
It is a big transition for your puppy to go to his/her new home! If your puppy is stressed- please add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin and plain greek yogurt once a day for two weeks.
Allow your puppy to drink water at scheduled times during the day. If you allow water to be left out, you will not be successful at potty training. However, make sure you are giving your puppy plenty of water throughout the day. Withdraw water at 6pm to help with successful crate training at night.
Bones and treats
Bones are an important part of your dogs dental hygiene. We do not suggest to do too much too fast after bringing your puppy home. Some puppies get a sensitive tummy after having bully sticks. You can find our recommended treats on our "Shopping List" page. Keep in mind that you will need to start slowly with treats. Plain Cheerios are another good option for treats.
After your dog turns six months old, you can offer them raw marrow bones. These bones are so good for your dog. They can balance out their gut environment and helps keep their teeth healthy. These bones can be found in the frozen section in your local pet store or from a butcher, cut in 1 or 2 inch segments.
Grooming
When your doodle arrives, it is important that you start early grooming habits to make it easy to groom your puppy later on. Get your puppy wet and use a dryer on your puppy so that your puppy becomes acclimated with the process of being bathed and blow dried. This is important so that your puppy feels more comfortable when being groomed and minimizes stress when being brought to a groomer.
Touch your puppy’s paws, ears, and face on a regular basis so he/she can get used to it. Start brushing your puppy while it is young so your puppy is familiar with the process and it is easier when your puppy is older. Don’t forget to brush the belly, paws, beard, tail, and ears as Those are common matting areas. If your puppy does not like to be brushed, offer him/her a distraction such as a Kong filled with treats or a chew stick. The more you brush your puppy, the easier it will get for both you and your puppy. Brushing is a great way to bond with your puppy!
Make sure to Research groomers in your area that are good with doodles, but keep in mind that not all doodle grooming is equal. Sheepadoodles require a certain standard of groom that looks a little bit like a teddybear. You can see the pictures below for reference or to show to your groomer.
It is very important to keep up with ear care as doodle’s have a lot of ear hair. If moisture get’s in your dog’s ears it often causes ear infections. When you give your doodle a bath, let the water come from above the head and go over the top of the ear, do not let water get in the ear and get trapped. Check your dog’s ears regularly for any moisture in the ear or for ear infections. Clean your dog’s ears about every two weeks and have the groomer pluck your dog’s ear hair when needed.
We recommend the first grooming for your puppy at a groomer to be between 4 and 5 months of age.
Bathes
Sheepadoodles produce natural oils to keep their coats pretty and their skin healthy. Bathing to often can cause damage to your doodle’s coat and skin as shampoo strips the natural oils from the skin. If you are having to give your puppy a bath often due to accidents, we recommend that you dilute the shampoo.
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Because some doodle coats mat easy, I highly recommend using a conditioner to help with tangles. You can see all the shampoos and conditioners that we recommend on our shopping list. Remember, dirty dogs mat easier and faster!
Puppy Schedule
7:00am Wake up/Take puppy out of the crate out to potty
Breakfast/Water/Potty
8-11 Morning Activities Ex: walk, train
11:30-1pm Crate Time
1:30 Wake up/Potty time
2-3 Afternoon Activities
3-4:30 Crate Time
5:00 Dinner/Water/Potty Time
6:00 Withdraw Water
7:00-9:00 Evening Activities
9:00 Potty/Crate for the night
11:45pm Wake up puppy and take out to potty. Back in crate and expect to sleep till 6:30 or 7am. Use an old towel in the bottom of the crate for any unexpected accidents. Move the middle of the night potty time up 15 minutes as you have success until they can make it all night in their crate.
*Use a pet sitter/walker if you don’t have time to walk your puppy during the day. Create boundaries and structure for your puppy. Whenever your puppy is out of the crate, provide purpose driven activities and an outlet to stimulate his/her mental activity and growth. Tethering a puppy to you with a leash is a good way to keep track of them. If you can not keep an eye on him/her, then put your puppy back in the crate.
Crate Training
What to do if crate training becomes a struggle:
The first thing to know is that the issue is his/her attachment to you…it’s not the crate that is the problem. The good news is that it's a good problem to have if you have to have one, right?
Sheepadoodles are bred to be companion animals. The advantage is that they don’t want to leave your side and this greatly reduces the chance of having a puppy who runs away which creates frustrating or unsafe situations. However, it can lead to difficulty with separation when in a transition period….before the dog knows his/her routine. We have seen this happen before, and it has even happened to us...so you are not alone. Every dog that we have seen struggle with it is OK with their crate now, so we are confident that if your puppy is struggling, this is just an obstacle to get over.
If your puppy went through our Pupschool Training program, we know that he/she CAN be in the crate and be successful with it (we would have let you know before he/she went home that there was a problem). If that is the case, then we can get through the transition stage, teach him to remember his/her routine, and it shouldn’t continue to be an issue.
If your puppy did not go through our Pupschool Training, it is still very likely that your puppy can master this.
So be confident when you try these suggestions and KNOW that they will work.
Things to consider and tips to try in ADDITION to continuing to ignore him/her when you have put him in his crate and declared that it is crate time:
1. Feel ZERO guilt when you put him in the crate and TRY to have no fear. Dogs are mind readers and they will sense it and then share your concern.
2. Use classical music and a towel or light blanket over the crate with the lights off and the door closed every single time so that it is part of the routine and he knows that if the music is on, it’s crate time. Do this regardless of whether it’s daytime or nighttime.
3. Do not take him out when he’s crying. If you have to get him, wait for at least a break in the crying before going in. In the morning, if you can grab him BEFORE he starts crying in the morning, that is ideal. Use ear plugs if you have to, but if you know his needs are met and he is safe, there is no need let him out…he’s safe and the crying is just a behavior.
4. During the day, work on building his love for his crate. Do this by putting tiny treats in the crate for him to retrieve. Leave the door open so he can go in and out. If he won’t go in for them, walk away from the crate and he probably will… either right away or eventually. If he is hesitant to go in and get the treat, he’s worried you will shut the door... so give it some distance. Then decrease the distance with time. Then move to tossing a toy in for retrieval, etc so it becomes a place with a positive association. Make it a game.
5. Feed meals inside the crate. Leave the door open if needed. He is used to eating in his crate with the door closed here and no people in the room, so asking him to eat in it with the door open is not too big of an ask. If needed, start with placing the food bowl just outside the crate door and eventually move it just inside the crate door. Again, walk away and let him enjoy his meal…keeping one eye on him though so that he doesn’t gobble it up and then have an accident in the house immediately after.
6. Use a Lickimat during the day once or twice just for fun and learning to enjoy the crate. You can use a spatula to smear canned food onto the mat. This is a huge treat so it should motivate him to hop in the crate on his own and enjoy it. Again start with the crate door open. Once he is comfortable with this as a routine, start closing the door but again try to grab him out of there before the crying resumes.
7. Since we know he is totally reliable about not having accidents in his crate, go ahead and put a towel you have used or an old t shirt you have worn recently in the crate with him for comfort.
8. Make sure all of your puppy's needs (EAT, DRINK, POTTY, AND EXERCISE) are met before going in the crate.
9. Do not put the crate next to your bed. Sheepadoodles are very social and love to be with people. If you sleep with the crate next to your bed they will become very dependent and attached to you. This can cause separation anxiety down the road as they will not know how to be alone.
Important Training Tips
Teach your kids to move TOWARD the dog, not shy away from it if the puppy is nipping or getting too close. The puppy will learn to back away. If your child shys away, the puppy will just keep coming closer.
If your dog jumps on you, Step towards them and into their space.
Call your dog to you several times a day for no reason and give them an ear rub or a treat.
Do not EVER chase your puppy. Go get a treat or a toy to motivate your puppy to come to you. If you are in a hurry and need to leave the house and you don’t have time to be patient, don’t call your puppy just pick him/her up. You don’t want your puppy to “win” if it doesn’t come when called. We want only successful responses to being called.
If your puppy nips at you, put a toy in their mouth.
Don’t leave your shoes, glasses, or any other important object that may smell like you unattended.
Do not feed your dog table foods, not even once. It’s bad for them and it will encourage begging and garbage ravaging.
Leave dog toys on the floor readily available so that it’s the first thing your dog sees when they enter a room.
Keep treats readily accessible… by each door, by the crate, in your pocket, etc.
Break treats into TINY pieces. A tiny piece is just as motivating as a larger treat and will leave your puppy wanting more.
Transportation
Now would be a great time for you to start thinking about transportation for your puppy. You are welcome to come pickup your puppy from our home but if you are unable to come to our home to pickup your puppy then you will find a few options below for you to consider-
Airport Drop Off -
If you would like to fly in to pickup your puppy then this is a great option for you. You can fly in to Denver International Airport and I will meet you at the airport with your puppy and everything you need to fly back with your puppy. This option is $250 and includes a brand new sherpa travel crate, an extra toy, extra chew, portable water dish, puppy pads, and a health certificate (if needed). Plan for at least a 3 hour layover between your flight to Denver and your departure home. Please make sure to book your puppy’s airfare when you book your returning flight.
Please note, I do not allow you to provide your own supplies if you choose the airport drop off option. There have been too many bad experiences with people forgetting supplies or not getting the right supplies. Thank you for understanding.
Once you have booked your airfare, please send me your itinerary right away. Make sure to check with your airline’s pet policies prior to booking your flight.
If you come pickup at my house and need a health certificate to fly with your puppy, then please notify me so I can obtain this for you. There is a fee for the health certificate of $75.
Hand Delivery -
This method of transportation is available on a regular basis. With this option, my courier will fly with your puppy to your nearest airport.
The cost for hand delivery: Day trip $1250
For long and limited flights that would cause the courier to stay overnight $2100
Please note that we do not ship our puppies via cargo.
Contracts
Below is a copy of the contracts that you will sign when you come to pickup your new puppy. You do not need to print this off or fill anything in. I will have the contract ready for you to sign when you pickup your puppy. If any of your information (name, address, phone number) has changed recently or since you filled out the application then please send us your updated info
Health Guarantee
Spay and neuter contract
Stay in Touch
We love to receive “pup-dates” (puppy updates). Let us know how it’s going and send a photo if you can! You CANNOT send too many photos…they make our day! Also, please tag us on any cute puppy photos or videos you post on your social media page, so we can share them on our social media stories!
Follow us on Instagram for exciting news and daily updates of our fun, crazy doodle life!
@OnceUponAdoodle
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