Caring for your Australian Cobberdog

Caring for Australian Cobberdog Puppies

If you have recently adopted an Australian Cobberdog puppy into your home, or are about to, you’re in for a fun journey of discovery. This is the best breed on the planet! I know you have already received a lot of information about what to do when you’re expecting…..a Cobberdog puppy! You may still have a lot of questions about how to care for your new Cobberdog puppy, and you can make it a lot easier, and more rewarding experience if you keep these four essential areas in mind.

To take proper care of your new puppy, there are several things to take into consideration…

One of several training philosophies we adhere to is Crate Training; it is highly recommended if not required for your new puppy. It is especially helpful during the Potty training phase. Once your puppy arrives, each morning take your puppy out of the crate and outside and prompt him to “go potty”. It can help to walk around with the puppy to make sure that he goes to the bathroom. We have found that once he does, using clicker training, use the clicker along with a little reward “treat” to reinforce the behavior of him going potty on command, in a certain place at the same time each day. We will have already started some crate and potty training so this should not be new to them.

Nutrition/diet, exercise, grooming and training…

Nutrition and diet is an essential component to excellent health and healthy coats for the life of your pet. We recommend a diet composed of a high quality kibble as well as components of a Raw Diet. There are very good quality kibbles that can be purchased at Premium Pet Specialty stores. Look for those that are Premium grain free kibble. We also recommend that you incorporate a raw diet into your puppy’s day or week (never feed raw and kibble at the same feeding). More detail on this can be found on our Nutrition & Exercise page.

During the day your puppy can be crated. However remember that in the beginning this should be for no more than an hour or so at a time. In between he does need exercise, running around in the yard etc., going potty and socializing with family members and even other dogs. Puppies need playtime of course, but they do get tired and need to take naps as well. These naps should happen in the puppies’ crate or the confined area that is designated for the puppy. Before going in for the night, puppies should drink water no less than 1 hour before bed and should go out again to potty before bedtime.

Nutrition/Diet: What to eat.. What not to eat? That is the question!

We believe that there are some excellent food choices for your new puppy, most can be found in the better specialty stores and even some larger big box stores. They include Nutri Source, Purina Pro Plan and Wellness, to name only a few. These are all grain-inclusive kibble, we are not currently endorsing any grain free kibble due to some associated health risks. There is also somewhat of a general consensus in the dog community espousing a diet balanced with raw food. After all, a dog in the wild would be consuming small animals whole, as well as vegetable nutrients. Raw food, including free range meats, ground bones and organ meat, plus a selection of fruits and vegetables, provides essential vitamins and minerals puppies need to thrive, including natural anti-inflammatories, probiotics and antioxidants. It has been said that dogs that also eat raw foods in their diet suffer less illness than those that eat processed foods only. Good nutrition is essential to caring for your Cobberdog, and puppies, especially, need a good nutritional start.

With that said, there are some no-no’s:

Never feed your puppy (or adult dog) kibble and raw together.
Make sure your raw food is not contaminated or past its expiration date.
Get your raw food or patties from a well known brand with excellent reviews.

While this has nothing to do with Raw, another no-no is to never feed your dog cooked or table food. It can lead to disease, obesity and severe illness, especially if this is habitual in the home.

Exercise

When it comes to exercise in caring for Cobberdog puppies, the watchword is “easy does it.” Be careful not to over-exercise your puppy, especially in its first year. Bones and joints that are still growing are vulnerable to strain and injury with too much running (don’t let them run up and down stairs), long walks or hikes, jumping and roughhousing. Limit walks in your puppy’s first 6 months to 15 minutes, then gradually work up to 30 – 45 minutes from 9 months to 1 year old. As they grow older, because of their outgoing, outdoorsy natures they will love to go on longer walks and hikes with you or play rough and tumble either indoors or outside, but as a puppy this should be avoided to protect their growing bodies, limbs and joints.

Grooming

Dogs are much more pleasant to have around when they look and smell great, and good grooming contributes to their good health too. If you start early, and make grooming a regular part of your puppy care, your dog will get accustomed to the routine and be much happier and less stressed with its “beauty” regimen.

While bathing is important, it doesn’t have to be frequent while your pet is a puppy—maybe once every month to six weeks. That is unless he/she gets muddy or dirty while at play, then yes, a bath will be much welcomed.
Your Cobberdogs’ fur has a unique texture and you will do well to brush out your puppy’s coat thoroughly every other week in its first 6 or 7 months, then thereafter once a week into adulthood and beyond. This helps avoid matting. We like the Slicker brush and de-matting comb, they really help prevent mats with regular use, and the comb does a wonderful job getting rid of mats when they do happen.
Coat Length. One of the best features of the Cobberdog is its gorgeous coat! And knowing how to cut and groom them is an art! The Highlands Australian Cobberdogs have both wavy-straight, wavy and curly fleece coats which, when long, turn into loose spirals that make them even more gorgeous. If properly groomed and cared for, brushed out often, you can keep their trademark longer coats without worrying about matting, and enjoy the look! Another MUST when grooming your Cobberdog is to make sure your groomer knows not to groom them like poodles. The fur around the nose/mouth area must be thick and never cut. Just take a look at our dogs’ pics and you will see what I mean. Also, they have a distinctive fringe on their forehead that sometimes looks like it is covering their eyes, but they aren’t. This is another distinctive physical trait of the Cobberdog.
Nail trimming. Did you know that neglected toenails can eventually lead to arthritis? Toenails that grow too long can create uncomfortable pressure. The dog compensates by tilting back on its ankles, leading to stress and wear on these joints, which could be avoided by regular nail trimming at home, or during your regular grooming sessions.
Ear hygiene. Sometimes the Cobberdogs’ ears can become infected. Trim the fur around the ears, and clean inside with a solution formulated for this purpose regularly. Your veterinarian or specialty pet retailer can advise you.
Dental health. Weekly tooth brushing will limit the build-up of plaque and tartar that can cause gum disease and other health problems.

Training

We know you’re crazy about Cobberdogs. Puppy care, done right, can help your puppy grow into a faithful, happy and well-mannered companion who will bring joy to your life for years to come. But this will require training, from day one. Before bringing home one of our Cobberdog puppies, we ask that a professional training program be established and started before your puppy goes home to you. There are some really good trainers out there and programs typically run about 4 or 6 weeks long. If you have children, both parents and children should attend the training sessions and must continue the training inside the home. In addition to professional training, there are some tips to keep your puppy well trained.

Establish a confined area in your home where the puppy will live during the training phase and stick to one place.
Crate training. Teaching your puppy to get used to the comforts of its own crate is a useful habit that helps with raising your dog. Sleeping overnight in the crate, and maybe an hour at a time during the day, creates a rhythm and discipline that promotes good manners and makes other training easier. We strongly recommend a training manual “The Art of Raising a Puppy” by the Monks of New Skete. A great read for anyone bringing home a new puppy on how to train them.
Leash training. Introduce the leash and collar gradually. Let your puppy wear them around the house before going outside. Start with short, five-minute training sessions, interspersed with play time to keep things fun. Your puppy will quickly learn that the presence of the leash means an enjoyable outing is in store.
Toilet training. When you first take home your puppy, they are still too young to hold it for more than 2 hours or so at a time. You should be prepared to take your puppy out every couple hours in the beginning to potty to limit accidents. Gradually the time between pottying will get longer and longer as they get older and should be potty trained by 6 months of age. At night time, make sure they do not have dinner or water too late, and take them for their last potty at night around 9pm. Create a space in your yard where you will always take your puppy to go potty on leash. It can be grass, or a gravel (small stones) path. Once they start going potty in the same spot they will always want to potty there based on their scent. Reward them when they do go with a clicker and treat at the same time and be patient with them if it takes a while. They are still learning what to do. Accompany your dog into the yard and offer vocal encouragement and a loving reward for a job well done!

Recommendations On How To Properly Care For Your Australian Cobberdog

Remember to exercise your puppy but not too much in the beginning. Their bones and joints are still young and growing, so taking them for short walks is okay, but do not have them running up and down stairs, going on hikes or very active exercise too soon, at least for 9-12 months.

They do not need to be bathed often, in fact groomings once per month to every 5 or 6 weeks is sufficient. However we do recommend brushing out the coat twice a month and cleaning their ears weekly with an ear solution specially formulated for dogs, keeping the hair trimmed around the ears, as well as at least weekly teeth brushing and coat brushing. Sometimes the labradoodles’ ears can get infected especially those with longer ears, so this regimen helps prevent that as well as is good hygiene.

Why we breed the Australian Cobberdog and why they are very different from the Australian Labradoodle

As many of our families know, we were formerly breeders of Australian Labradoodles. About 15 years ago, we fell in love with this breed for so many reasons: its human-like characteristics, temperament and personality, which could be goofy and comical sometimes, its athleticism and superior intelligence. When we began, there were very few breeders of the Australian Labradoodle. We purchased our first dogs from a very good reputable US breeder whose stock was brought over from the founders in Australia, Rutland Manor and Tegan Park. We couldn’t wait to share the love we had for the Australian Labradoodle with other families.

As the years went by, we became aware that many breeders in the US did not want to follow the Founders’ vision for the Australian Labradoodle. Important traits like keeping the integrity of the lines intact, and following proper ethics in infusions didn’t seem to matter. What instead started happening, was the sacrificing of the integrity of the Labradoodle for the “look”. More and more, people wanted the “cuteness” which became more important than health, conformation, and maintaining the lineage. They wanted the “Doodle”. So the Labradoodle and the Australian Labradoodle started to change with the infusion of the Shipoo, Cockapoo and more, changing the makeup of the breed forever.

We saw these changes with the Australian Labradoodle and were saddened. Not too much later, the Australian Cobberdog came to be when the Breed Founders, also seeing the changes, declared that breed and line integrity must be protected. It was crucial to maintain the characteristics we all love, like the health, temperament, intelligence, athleticism, coat and conformation (after all they were used initially as therapy and service dogs), of the first Australian Labradoodle that people came to love so much. For us, the Australian Cobberdog encompasses all that our first Australian Labradoodles were and more, just better, and we believe that its outstanding lineage and carefully carried out breed development over decades, is crucial to ensuring that our families do not get a watered down version, but the real thing.