An 8 week old Goldendoodle puppy is likely the week you picked them up from a breeder! As a good new puppy parent, you’re trying to give your new puppy the best new start in life. This involves lots and lots of training!
Luckily, 2-month-old Goldendoodle puppies are fast at learning. They can be high-energy one moment and taking a nap the next. Their teddy bear appearance makes them extra cute, and their developing personalities make them particularly hilarious and enjoyable to watch. Since the Goldendoodle puppy phase only lasts a short while, it’s important to savor every moment of their puppy years.
In this guide, we will teach you everything you need to know about an 8 week old Goldendoodle and how to train them! Getting a brand new puppy will be one of the most difficult yet rewarding times of your life.
Other articles you would like: When is a Goldendoodle Full Grown? and our in-depth Goldendoodle Guide.
Expectations for an 8 week old Goldendoodle
As your 8 week Goldendoodle puppy up, there are also many things you’ll want to be intentional about as they explore life and interactions with others. To protect their health, you’ll want to have them vaccinated with their age-appropriate shots and have them dewormed. Typically, as soon as you pick them up from a breeder, you’ll want to have them checked out by a veterinarian to ensure they are in good health.
When it comes to their behavior, training them at a young age is important because you can influence their behaviors later on in life. Especially for intelligent dogs like the Goldendoodle, training them when they are young can lead to friendly behavior and temperament for their entire life.
To help you get your puppy off on the right paw, we share what you need to know in training a Goldendoodle at 8 weeks old!
Why Train a Goldendoodle Puppy?
No matter the breed, puppies often do best when they’re trained. Training allows you to control their behavior, and it gives them an idea of they should behave.
Training your 8 week old Goldendoodle puppy can help you to better understand your dog and why they behave the way they do. It can help to alleviate conflict and other potential problems that come with a dog’s behavior. Having a well-behaved dog can make you confident and at ease whether you take them out in public or leave them alone for a period of time.
Training also provides an opportunity for you to spend some quality time with your Goldendoodle puppy. It can often take place at a specified time that you set aside to just be with your dog. This small act of dedicating time and attention to your puppy can show them that you can be trusted and that you’ll be there to provide for them, no matter what.
We also have an in-depth article on How to Train a Goldendoodle we suggest you check out!
When Can You Start Training Your Goldendoodle Puppy?
Typically, Goldendoodle puppies can begin to be trained at around 8 weeks old. This can be a great time to start, especially as they have already become accustomed to how they can move and operate. It’s also early enough where they haven’t had a lot of time to develop bad habits yet.
Remember that this training is just the start. An 8 week old Goldendoodle is still fairly early in their development, and they don’t have the maturity of a full adult. Their brains are also still developing and sharpening. Training your puppy can be a continual journey that you’ll need to keep up on as your dog grows up and becomes more familiar with themselves and their surroundings.
How Do You Train an 8-Week Old Goldendoodle Puppy?
So you know it’s important to train your Goldendoodle puppy, but how do you actually go about doing it? Here we share some helpful hints on how to begin training your 8 week old Goldendoodle puppy.
Stay Patient
Perhaps one of the most important things about training a puppy that’s just 8 weeks old is having patience. Puppies at this age can have very short attention spans. They will be easily distracted and may give up after a short amount of time. Rather than getting upset and frustrated with them if they are not listening to the commands you’re trying to teach – take a break. Let your puppy burn off some energy and excitement, and then try to get in a training session at another time.
We recommend training sessions to be no more than 15 minutes when they are a puppy. It’s also helpful to keep your training sessions consistent and frequent. This can help your puppy remember what you’re trying to teach them without having them give up and become easily distracted. Like when dealing with other new things, patience is a highly valuable and effective skill when you’re beginning to train your 8 week old Goldendoodle puppy.
Be The Leader Of the Pack
As a product of a Poodle and Golden Retriever, the Goldendoodle is very intelligent. They are also very friendly and obedient. These characteristics can make them slightly easier to train than perhaps some other breeds. However, just because they are considered fairly intelligent doesn’t mean they will automatically learn with no effort.
As with other breeds, Goldendoodles require you to be the leader of the back. You can’t be too stern that you intimidate them, but you need to take control of the situation. We encourage new Goldendoodle puppy owners to hand feed their dogs at a young age instead of free-feeding. This signifies that you control their food resource.
Having this right balance between leadership and trust can help you develop a positive relationship with your puppy. It also allows you to be effective in training and teaching your puppy the right way to live.
Socialization
An important part of training a Goldendoodle puppy at a very early age is socialization. It’s important that your dog develops relationships and a sense of ease when being around other people and other dogs. Socialization should be a foundational part of the training of your puppy.
As your 8 week old Goldendoodle puppy grows, make sure they are put into situations with other people, kids, and animals to help your Goldendoodle adjust to new environments. Take them for car rides and safe walks where they can’t catch Parvo or worms.
Use Positive Reinforcement
With their intelligence and dedication to pleasing you as their owner, Goldendoodle puppies can do quite well in training using positive reinforcement and dog treats. When you use positive reinforcement, you’ll reward your Goldendoodle puppy for the good behavior they show you. This is often accomplished through their favorite treats, balls, or new toys.
Using this approach in training aligns with their friendly and agreeable personality to make them trust you and pick up on good behavior more effectively. Goldendoodles that are 8 weeks old are also highly food motivated, making them easy to train.
Keep It Simple at the Start
Remember that as you begin training your Goldendoodle at 8 weeks old, they are still just a puppy. They’re still learning more about themselves, the world, and how they interact within it. Especially at 8 weeks, be sure to start with simple training. This includes very basic commands such as “sit” or “stay.” These are commands you are likely to use quite often, and therefore it’s important they can pick up on them at a very early age.
Potty Training
Another important piece of training is to get your Goldendoodle potty trained. While this may start earlier than 8 weeks old, giving them the skills to be able to communicate to you that they need to go outside to go potty is an essential step in helping them become well-behaved and reliable pets. Many people use potty bells on their front or back door so your Goldendoodle puppy can ring them if they want to go outside.
While this type of training will also require significant patience and probably several paper towels with a carpet cleaner, it’s a helpful step if started at a very early age. As a general rule of thumb, designate a specific spot for your 8 week old Goldendoodle to go potty outside. Take them out to that same spot every single time on a consistent schedule (generally every couple of hours).
Related: Goldendoodle Potty Training Tips
Conclusion for How to train an 8 week old Goldendoodle Puppy
If you’ve just got your 8 week old Goldendoodle puppy, it helps to be familiar with best practices in training your dog. Consistent, efficient training early on can make a world of difference in your dog’s later life. We hope that you learned something about training your 2-month-old Goldendoodle!
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Want to learn more about 8 week old Goldendoodle puppies? Check out the video below:
Garrett loves animals and is a huge advocate for all Doodle dog breeds. He owns his own Goldendoodle named Kona. In addition, he volunteers at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, where he fosters dogs and helps animals. Garrett enjoys writing about Doodles and believes that dogs can teach humans more about how to live than humans can teach a dog.
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