I'm J...

[j_spring]

...and I just got a doodle as a gift for my parents, who have never had a dog before (neither have I, for that matter).

They're nervous in the same way that people are nervous to be first-time parents, and not having me in the house to "help" (with all the knowledge that they seem to think I have, but really don't) with the pup is stressful to them.

He's 11 weeks old and he's the sweetest little guy, but they worry about housebreaking him, feeding him, and caring for him -- they're not quite sure what to do with him, but they're taking it day by day and this is Week One. I'm trying to help them in any way I can, but since I don't live with them and I've never had a puppy myself, I'm almost as clueless as they are.

We're all excited for this adventure, and I'm sure that I've picked the right breed - he fits right in at my house, and I'm told he follows dad around all day long.

[Jac]

Doodles are generally great companions.

There are some good sites to help with the first few monts of training puppies. Here is a good one for potty training and crate training...many people think crate training is mean...it isn't. My dogs LOVE their crate and theirs will too if they follow this advice: http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

It is very important to socialize the puppy but not to take it out to parks and on public walks until it has all of its' parvo shots. Puppy kindergarten is a great thing and would be really fun for your parents to do. This helps them learn about puppies and will help to socialize the puppy with other puppies and people.

They can put him in a puppy stroller or shopping cart and take him around to different places, just don't let his feet touch the ground.

I am glad you posted the introduction! Stay in touch with the breeder because they can help a lot with questions and any problems that come along.

Best wishes!!

[KingstonTodd]

Hi, welcome to the forum. If your parents have questoins they coud post here too!