IMO the best thing you can do for a puppy is to crate train it.

8-10 week old puppy, eh?

Puppies are smart. They can start training in various things right away. Positive reinforcement training will get quick results.

There are a lot of methods of house training. We always use the cheat code of an older dog already in the house, but you won't have that. That means the puppy can't be loose without immediate supervision, and will have to be taken out frequently all day long and praised for going outside. You'll learn to watch for sniffing around behavior indicating imminent need to go, and get them pup out quick before they do.
Start collar and leash training early too. The pup should learn it means fun, like getting to go outside and play, or getting treats.
Kennel train. Get a kennel of crate and put a nice bed inside and let the pup learn it is a safe quiet place and that's where they can nap or spend the night until they mature.

Some great advice above. I'll just add: be consistent, be in control, and be patient. Also, having a puppy is like having a baby in the house. So be prepared for that!!

Train the daughters on what to do / not to do with a puppy and how. Rules of how they can't feed the puppy, that they know chocolate is bad for dogs etc etc

Just went through this though we did have other older dogs to help/hinder things. Our is a larger breed and picked up the basics REALLY fast.

Agree with the above post about crate training and constant trips outside. Suggest going the bell on the door route as well. Easy to teach them to ring the bell when they want to go out. You can also pretty easily teach them to go in a particular place and on command. Pick a place, name it for them and pick a command to ask them to do their business. Our puppy has gone to college with our daughter but still remembers his spot in the yard.

We actually have a doggie door, but didn't show it to him at first because we knew he would not have it when he went to school with my daughter. Wanted to teach the bell first. He pretty quickly figured out the doggie door by himself from watching the other dogs once he had the confidence to be all over the backyard and decide to leave us to go back inside.

Work on socialization as soon as allowed by vaccination limitations. Going places, meeting people and eventually dogs. One thing my daughter has not done well is teaching a really solid come behavior. Work hard when it is really young to ingrain that when you call it comes no matter what or where.

It is hard to be really diligent and consistent, but that is the key. You will have to work as a family to be consistent about what commands are called. I would strongly suggest considering a professional to help establish a firm base with the pup and the family.

T&P to the shoes in your house.

teach them to sit and stay. That's very easy actually. Be sure you're using hand signals because they understand that better than talking. If you want a dog that likes to fetch, start them early and when they bring it back, reward them. Don't be too hard on them because it will affect their personality for life. I have had a lot of dogs and I would say 95% of them they're gonna chew, dig and tear your stuff up. Just accept it and know that they'll grow out a bit after about three years.

There are really only 5 commands you need to teach: sit, down, here, no, heel.

SIT

Teach it by saying "sit" (firmly) and pushing puppy's bottom to the ground. Combine this with a hand signal every time (pointing finger down with a snap, for example).

DOWN

Teach it by saying "down" (firmly) and pushing puppy to lie down. Combine this with a hand signal every time (flat palm, for example).

Note, there is no "stay." The dog sits or lies down until you release it.

By using the hand signals, the dog learns two ways. Eventually you don't have to say anything. Just use the hand signal, and dog complies. Impress your friends!

You need a "release word." Choose whatever word you like. This frees the dog from your command.

HERE

Teach this by tying a string to the dog's collar. Have a family member hold the dog with them. Then say "here" over and over while you pull the string towards you. Repeat until the dog comes to you each time, without you pulling.

NO

This just means "stop whatever you are doing". It is an all purpose command for any number of unwanted behaviors. Use it consistently. No need to make up special negative commands. No works for everything.

HEEL

You probably need a YouTube video to learn this one, but it keeps puppy at your side while walking.

Good luck!!

Goldendoodles are awesome dogs.

Haven't seen this mentioned yet but walk it. Consistently. Make it a daily event. Walked dogs are MUCH better behaved than dogs that are stuck in a house. Especially a lab or standard. And you get both. Think of it as stretching out their senses.


Have fun.

Early on we would mess the puppy while she was eating. Pet her, gently tug on her tail, move her dish, etc. If there were any signs of aggression, we would submit her immediately. But then let her resume feeding. The assumption was at some point either our young kids or someone visiting would do that. We wanted to break the dog of being overly protective or aggressive around her food dish. She learned that we were not going to steal her food when we approached during eating.

Totally second the secretary bell by the back door. People are amazed when she does that, but it keeps the door from being scratched up. We bring her bell when we take RV trips and she'll ring it during long drives letting us know she needs to go.

Best of luck. Takes LOTS of pics/videos with the puppy and your kids. It's such a short phase and goes by so quickly.

WaldoWings said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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A female you will need to go through 1 heat cycle before spaying. Or at least that's what our vet always made us do.

That presents challenges.

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My females have always been more devoted to me, but my males have been more fun. More like a buddy and a little less wanting of affirmation than the females.

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This is a thread about dogs.

agsalaska said:

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WaldoWings said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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A female you will need to go through 1 heat cycle before spaying. Or at least that's what our vet always made us do.

That presents challenges.

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My females have always been more devoted to me, but my males have been more fun. More like a buddy and a little less wanting of affirmation than the females.

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This is a thread about dogs.

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Hit that hanging curve ball out of the park LMAO.

Dachshund owner here.

Yeah I got nothing for you. They just kinda do their own thing.