Do you have a health warranty?

We do our very best to ensure that every puppy we produce has the best chance for a very long healthy life and we pride ourselves on our success. Every puppy we sell has been examined by a licensed veterinarian. Your puppy comes to you warranted for 24 months from the date of birth.

Which puppy food do you use and recommend?

We feed our dogs and puppies from the Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy line. After some serious research, I determined that this product provides a wholesome, nutritionally balanced diet, which is easily maintainable for our family and remains within a reasonable price bracket. All puppies will start out here on Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy. They will be sent home with a starter pack of food. Should you choose to feed something else, I recommend visiting the Dog Food Advisor website to learn more about healthy feeding options available for your puppy. See the links on this page. Choose the healthiest option that works for your family. I found that we were able to switch our pets to a healthier diet without spending more money by simply learning more about choosing a healthier option. If you cant find Diamond Naturals at a dealer near you, my second choice food is Nature's Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Medley. In the winter months, we feed our dogs Victor Super Premium Ocean Blend mixed 50/50 with Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice. We find that the high level of Omega 3 oils in Victors Ocean blend helps prevent winter dry skin.

I can't find Diamond Naturals locally. What should I do?

All puppies will start out here on Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy. They will be sent home with a starter pack of food. Visit the Dog Food Advisor website to learn more about healthy feeding options available for your puppy. Choose the healthiest option that works for your family. Nature's Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Medley, Victor Super Premium All Life Statges and Victor Grain Free All Life Stages are 4 and 5 star foods that I recommend and they may be easier for you to find. I have links at the bottom of the FAQ page to websites for these foods. Transition your puppy off of the Diamond Naturals using the starter pack I will supply. You should take 7-8 days to switch food by blending. Day 1 should be mostly diamond with a little portion of the new food mixed in. Gradually work up to a 50/50 mix over 4 days. Day 7 your puppy should get mostly new food with only a little diamond. Day 8 100% new food. Changing a puppies diet too quickly can result in stomach upset and diarrhea. Always change foods gradulally. Don't feel you are locked into one food forever. But always choose good quality food.

What collars do you suggest?

All puppies will go home with a collar. As they grow, they will need a 10-14 inch adjustable collar.

What toys do you suggest?

Puppies like to chew. Have lots of toys available to save your shoes. We have had great success with Nylabones, Kongs, Skinnies, Tennis balls, Antlers (Deer, Elk...), and Raw Marrow bones. Dont leave puppies unattended with toys. Check for wear and tear frequently and replace toys as they show damage. Remember getting parts of toys extracted from the tummy is a very costly vet bill.

What crate should we look at for our puppy?

For those looking for crates for their new puppies, we reccomend Midwest Life Stages Crate Model LS-1630 (30” L x 21”W x 24” H) for all of our Minature Goldendoodles.

Goldendoodles

Goldendoodles are a hybrid breed generated from the combination of a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. They appeared in the United States and Australia in the 1990’s. Since that time, the breed has been growing in popularity. Like all breeds, they originate out of a desire to combine certain traits that are apparent in the parental breeds. Goldendoodles are being bred for the intelligence, obedience, agility and creativity of both the Golden Retriever and the Poodle. Golden Retrievers are particularly well known for their beauty, loyalty, social nature and gentle temperament. Golden Retrievers are the fourth most popular dog in the United States according to registries. Poodles have the second highest intelligence rating according to Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, a 1994 publication. Golden Retrievers have the fourth highest intelligence rating. Goldendoodles are also being bred for hair characteristics present in Poodles. The Poodles hair follicle growth period is much longer than most breeds. This means that Poodles shed less frequently but require more regular grooming and clipping than most breeds. Dander that is produced is often caught by the curly nature of the hair. Regular grooming reduces dander. Therefor some individuals with allergies to pet dander and hair react much less to Poodles and also Goldendoodles. Both Poodles and Golden Retrievers are well known for their social nature. This is a prominent characteristic of the Goldendoodle as well. They are happiest with their human family and enjoy the companionship of other pets. When all the characteristics of the Golden Retriever and Poodle are combined, the result is a Goldendoodle. They are extremely beautiful, intelligent, eager to please, obedient, social, loyal, gentle, and low to non-shedding. They are excellent working dogs and amazing family pets. They are truly a remarkable breed!

Miniature Goldendoodles

Miniature Goldendoodles are the result of a Miniature Poodle parent and a Golden Retriever parent and can range from 15-45 pounds. Miniature Goldendoodles are often classified as either Medium or Miniature by weight. A Medium is a 35-45 pound Goldendoodle at adulthood; and a Miniature by weight is 15-30 pounds at adulthood. Breeders predict the size of the Miniature Goldendoodle puppies at adulthood by combining the parental weights and dividing by two. It should be said that in any litter, there are puppies that fall on the larger and smaller side of the average.

F1 Goldendoodles and F1 Miniature Goldendoodles

Goldendoodles are also described by their generation. A first generation is the resulting puppy from a purebred Golden Retriever and a purebred Poodle. These puppies are referred to as F1 Goldendoodles. An F1 Miniature Goldendoodle results from a purebred Golden Retriever and a purebred Miniature Poodle. First generation Goldendoodles can be non-shedding or lightly shedding. First generation hybrids experience what is referred to as Heterosis by geneticists. In breeding circles, you may hear this referred to as hybrid vigor or outbreeding enhancement. Many diseases require two copies of a gene, one maternal and one paternal, for the individual to exhibit the disease or disorder. This makes purebred dogs more prone to certain genetic disorders that propagate in gene pools limited by pure breeding. When two purebred lines, such as Poodle and Goldendoodle, are crossed, most genetic disorders that are problematic to either of the breeds are suppressed. Only genetic disorders that are shared between the two breeds remain a concern. This is why it is said that Goldendoodles exhibit superior health qualities along with their many other positive attributes!

F1B Goldendoodles and F1B Miniature Goldendoodles

An F1B, or first generation backcross, is the result of breeding an F1 Goldendoodle back to a purebred Poodle. This is done to increase the non-shedding qualities of the poodle in the Goldendoodle offspring. Because of the low or non-shedding factor, some individuals with allergies find they have more tolerance for the F1B Goldendoodles then other breeds. An F1B Miniature Goldendoodle is an F1 Goldendoodle bred to a Miniature Poodle. This cross is done to reduce the size of the breed and also increase the non-shedding quality. F1 Miniature Goldendoodles bred to purebred Miniature or Toy Poodles can result in 15-25 pound, non-shedding, Miniature Goldendoodles.

Caring for your dog's coat.

It is the Goldendoodles unique coat combination that results in the characteristic Goldendoodle shagginess. Because they are at least half poodle, they share similar coat characteristics to the Poodle. This does mean that a low or non-shedding Goldendoodle requires regular grooming maintenance, by this I mean haircuts. They will need to have their hair clipped out from in front of their eyes on occasion. They will also need a full clipping from time to time. Because of their unique hair structure, a Goldendoodle’s hair should never be shaved extremely short because this may cause damage to the hair shaft. Their coat is uniquely suited to protect them from cold and also provide them insulation from heat and sun. If neglected, a Goldendoodle’s hair can get matted and this will likely result in discomfort for your dog, resulting in personality changes and possible health issues. The coat maintenance of a Goldendoodle is much less than that of a Poodle in most cases. However, owners must be prepared to provide grooming service themselves or consult with a professional groomer in their area.

Do I need to spay or neuter my puppy?

Part of responsible dog ownership is having your puppy spayed or neutered. For female dogs, they go into heat approximately twice a year. A female in heat will attract males from all over the neighborhood to your property. She will likely urinate more frequently, sometimes even in the house to attract males. She will leave menstrual spots on your floor and carpeting for several days. In addition she will develop a strong odor. A female dog in heat will mate with whoever is available from the neighborhood. Even dogs that are very loyal and usually remain on the property will become Houdini and relentlessly try to escape to become the neighborhood floozy. This can all be avoided by spaying your female dog prior to her first heat cycle around 6-7 months old. It is not recommended to spay prior to 6 months. And there are multiple health benefits for having it done prior to the first heat cycle. These include reduced risk of multiple types of cancer, uterine infections, and pregnancy complications. For male dogs, the procedure is neutering. Male dogs that are neutered are much less likely to engage in unwanted behaviors including fighting, urine marking, and roaming the neighborhood. Neutering reduces testicular and prostate cancer rates and prevents unwanted pregnancies. I do not require that you spay or neuter your puppy. This is a decision you should make before your puppy turns 6 months old. If you have no intentions of responsibly engaging in breeding and are not prepared to handle a dog in heat or properly confine your male or female to your property, I highly recommend you discuss the pros and cons of having your puppy spayed or neutered with your licensed veterinarian.