Goldendoodle (Rusty) following basic commands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV4yT7lEOpU

Rusty shaking his ball out of a bush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BGaYY3PmDc

We took Rusty camping this past weekend and he did great.  It can be a lot of work taking a pet camping.  Rusty was off leash most of the time just hanging around the camp.  It is important to make sure your dog will listen to you off leash.  Camping in not the place to test your dog off leash, a lot can go wrong.  We have a small two person tent that my wife and myself along with the dog all slept in.  Rusty was so tired that he plopped down between us and was out like a light.

Barking while unattended is one habit we are trying to brake Rusty of.  Several times while camping we leashed Rusty to a tree and he barked and barked.  I think the reason being we rarly leash him unattended and he is not use to it.  He is showing signs of being a spoiled dog

Goldendoodle Camping Tips -

- Bring enough dog food and water.

-Check regularly for ticks.

-Plan ahead (bring toys, dog bed, leash, whatever is needed)

- Dog shoes – we bring dog shoes in case Rusty gets a cut on his paws while camping.

Picture of Rusty the Goldendoodle with his new haircut, tick collar (the tan collar) and beloved tennis ball.

With the warm weather here it was time for Rusty to get his summer haircut.  For the summer we are also trying a new tick prevention, the tick collar.  The collar is designed to prevent the ticks from bitting rather then killing the ticks once they have already attached themselves to a host (Rusty).

Over the past several months we have grown very unhappy with our current Vet.  Rusty (Goldendoodle) had a rash on his nose and when we took him to our local vet we felt like they were trying to make the money rather than cure his rash.  After Rusty’s rash was cured we decided it was time to rethink our vet choice.  A friend recommended Banfield and  explained that they were very happy with the care they received.

We took Rusty to Banfield last week for the first time, he was due for his bordetella shot.  So far we are very happy with how we were treated.  They have a complementary first time visit were they do an overall  pet exam and to check the dogs health.  The staff there was friendly and supportive.  We also received a follow up call the next day to check on Rusty.

We have owned a set of dog shoes for about a year and never used them until this week.  We were at the local lake and I was playing fetch with Rusty on the concrete launch ramp.  I stopped after a short time to look at his paws, it was then I noticed that his paws were starting to bleed.  It was time to try out the dog shoes.  It was a funny site to see.  Rusty looked like a goof ball trying to run with the dog shoes on.  He never tried to take them off and after a little while he got the hang of it.

We have always and will continue to  carry the dog shoes on long hikes and trips just in case he injures his paws.

Goldendoolde Dog Shoes -

Goldendoodle hair can be styled in many different ways.  Many people ask us why we have our Goldendoodle (Rusty) cut so short.  As I have menstioned in my previos blogs, Rusty often joins us on our hikes and outside adventures.  We have discovered that the shorter his hair, the less stickers, thorns and dirt gets stuck in it.  It also allows us to check him for ticks easily after our trips.  This has proven to be very important!

Last weekend we took Rusty on a nine mile hike around one of the local lakes.  Once we got home we noticed a tick on Rusty’s belly.  The tick bite ended up getting infected and we had to take Rusty to the vet.  It would have been much more difficult to find the tick and notice the infection if Rusty had long hair.

Rusty’s Haircut Style-

- Shaved the same length including his head

-Poodle Feet (Feet are shaved shorter than the body)

-Haircut once every 1 to 2 months

It is getting to be that time of year.  We took Rusty to the lake today and let him go swimming.  Rusty has always loved the water and will swim any chance he gets.

Goldendoodle Swimming -

Goldendoodles do not shed, therefor they require haircuts to keep their hair short.  Your desired style will determine how often your Goldendoodle will require haircuts.  Rusty gets his haircut about once every 2 months.  We keep his hair short because we find that when it starts getting long he picks up thorns and stickers on our hikes.  His short hair also allows us to easily check for ticks.  Below is a list of helpful haircut tips:

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How can you train your dog to catch the ball while playing fetch?  I have been trying to answer this question and I have a couple suggestions that I have found works best for Rusty.  Rusty often lets the ball hit the ground before trying to catch it.  I have been training Rusty to catch the ball in his mouth.  Below is a list of tips to help train your Goldendoodle to catch while playing fetch.

Goldendoodle learning to Catch

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