Next Steps & Checklist

1st - Copy & Paste, Print Off, or Take a Photo

of the litter information you are reserved for and notate your pick number.  This will be a great resource to you since the litter you reserved for will eventually be hidden from our main page once reservations are full.    

2nd - Optional:  Order Training Materials  

Please consider reading/listening to the Book or Audio CDs listed below under the Checklist below.  DO NOT DELAY!  You should have a good knowledge/understanding of this material well in advance of  puppy coming home.  Don't wait.  Get them done by the time the pups come home and training becomes a challenge.  Read/listen WELL IN ADVANCE of your pup coming home.  We want you to be prepared so that you can have the best experience possible.  Read/listen to it first, then re-read/re-listen a 2nd time, that's when everything will really come together and you'll feel confident in your approach.  

3rd - Read the Puppy Rearing Process Page  

There you will find our process which answers many people's questions.    

4th - Read the Checklist below   

This is a checklist of what you'll need to get before your pup comes home.     

5th - Look at the General Care Menu and DIY Training Menu  

There are many great tips and ideas.  While you may not need to know them all now, it only takes about 20 minutes to read the entire page and it's a great resource with many items that you may not have even thought of that might help you right away, even before your pup comes home.  

Thank you for choosing Top Notch Labradoodles!

Checklist - Just add LOVE!

L - Life Stages Crate

Buy a Double Door with Divider Panel 30".  ​You can buy at Wal-Mart or Costco or Amazon.com "life stages".   A dark sheet to cover the crate for the first few weeks until they are solidly into their routine and completely adapted to their forever home.  Buy training pads and tape the corners down.  Soft Bedding (a soft blanket or towel works great).  Most crates will come with their own bedding, if not, Wal-Mart has great prices.  Unless you keep your house super cold, typically your pup/dog will want to sleep on the plastic crate or cold tile except when it's winter so keep that in mind.    

O - Ordinary 

Make it part of your ordinary routine to groom your pup!  A Furminator for Long hair is a MUST (for Labradoodles only).  10 minutes of using the Furminator a month reduce shedding DRAMATICALLY.  When they are adults they should not shed at all except normal hair loss like a human, but in the puppy stage, they will lose their entire puppy coat.  Best to do it outside, you'll be surprised how much will come off!!  Draft a plan before your pup comes home, who is responsible for what and when.  It's a great idea to include brushing teeth and brushing their coat every day.  These 2 items combined only take 1-2 minutes a day but they will make ALL the difference in the world!!    ​

V - Videos / Books 

I highly recommend you read or listen to these before your pup comes home.  

1)  "The Art of Raising a Puppy".  This comes in book form or an audio CD option.  Lucky Dog Lessons (also comes in an audio option).  

​2)  Costco's Natures Domain Puppy Food is rated 4.5 stars rated, is very nutritious, and inexpensive!  ​

If you are looking to train your own therapy/service dog for a variety of needs, here are 2 excellent books you can download from Amazon:  

1.  How to Train Your Own Service Dog​ and Training Your Own Service Dog Book 

2: Training Psychiatric Service Dogs - PTSD, Anxiety Disorders, and Depression.  

​E - Essentials

Food, Water, Supplements, Toys & Chews, Insurance, Poop Pick Up, Premium Puppy Food 

Food Dish - metal is best so they can't chew their dish and helps prevents bacteria growth

Water & Water Dish - metal is best, best to use bottled water (tap water contains chlorine which kills the immune system and is also carcinogenic, though to be one of the leading causes of cancer.   

Supplements - Immunity Support and Hip & Joint Support Supplements will help build and support your pup's immune system and support optimal hip and joint health.    

Toys & Chews - Get a rotations schedule going.  You need to have on hand approximately 21 toys so that you can rotate 3-4 new toys a day.  As you rotate in new toys, take the old toys and store them until the following week.  This will keep you pup from becoming bored with old toys and keep them from chewing on something they shouldn't.    

Insurance - We HIGHLY recommend you get health insurance for at least the first 6 months of your pup's life.  While most don't end up using it, the few that do really cash in.  If something is going to go wrong, it's usually in the first 6 months and insurance will mitigate your expenses dramatically.  A couple of the insurances that we are familiar with are: AKC and ​Trupanion.  However, we recommend you do an internet search to find a plan that suits your specific needs and budget.  Here is a link for the top 10 pet insurance companies.  After comparing plans, Healthy Paws looks really GREAT!  Keep in mind the average emergency visit is approximately $1500.  Some have deductibles, some cover EVERYTHING, so cover emergency only, so pay attention to the details.  

Poop Pick Up Dispenser & Baggies

There is nothing more disgusting than watching someone walk their dog, the dog poops, and the owner just leaves it.  GROSS!  Please be sure to be a responsible owner and always pick up your dog's poop.  Just clip it to the leash and go.    

Playpen

30-36" Playpen & Diapers (females) or Wraps (males) for House Training, a method to teach your pup how to notify you when he/she needs to go such as a door jingle or a doggy door.

Electric Pet Clippers (if you plan to groom your pup/dog yourself).    ​