The first week with a puppy is mostly about sleep, potty breaks and the crate. But there's a paperwork-and-health side that's easy to let slide in the excitement, and it matters more than it feels like it does — because the vaccine dates you get from the breeder this week are the start of a record you'll be asked for at every boarding check-in, groomer and vet for the next fifteen years. This guide covers that side, in the order it comes up.
What's already done when a doodle puppy goes home at 8 weeks?
Eight weeks is the age most responsible breeders (and many state laws) set as the earliest a puppy can leave its litter, and by then a good breeder has handled the first round of health care. Ask for the paperwork on each of these — a breeder who has done them will have it ready:
- First puppy vaccine — typically the DHPP combination (distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, parvovirus) at 6–8 weeks. Rabies comes later, at 12–16 weeks, from your vet.
- Deworming — puppies are routinely dewormed several times before 8 weeks, usually every two weeks starting at two weeks old. Get the dates and the product.
- A vet check — an exam by the breeder's veterinarian shortly before go-home, sometimes with a health certificate.
- Early training and socialization — the part that shows up in temperament rather than paperwork.
If your puppy is from The Real Doodle Co., here's what that looks like for us. Puppies go home around 8 weeks old, up to date on shots and deworming, and vet-checked, with lifetime support every step of the way. They're raised underfoot in our home — not a kennel — with daily love and handling, around our family and other animals, taken out in the community to be calm, social and well-adjusted, started on crate and potty training, and desensitized to everyday household sights and sounds. Every puppy goes home with a complete starter pack: crate, bed, food and water dishes, toys, leash, treats, play pen, harness, training pads, puppy food, shampoo, toy basket and collar — everything you need for day one, already taken care of. Details are on therealdoodleco.com.
What should you do in the first week?
| When | Do this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Put the breeder's vaccine and deworming dates, the vet's name and the microchip number (if chipped) into one place. Photograph any paperwork. | This is the start of the record. Doing it before the papers get lost in a drawer is the whole trick. |
| Days 1–3 | Book a vet visit — most breeder health guarantees ask for one within a set number of days of go-home, so check your contract for the window. | A baseline exam, a stool check, and a vet who knows your puppy before anything goes wrong. |
| At that visit | Bring the breeder's records; ask the clinic to add them to the file and to email you a copy of the full record. Book the next vaccine round. | Your vet sets the schedule from the breeder's dates, not from scratch. And you want your own copy from day one. |
| Week 1–2 | Keep feeding the same food the breeder used; if you're switching, do it gradually over 7–10 days. | Sudden food changes plus the stress of a move is the classic recipe for a week of diarrhea. |
| Week 1 | Start brushing for a minute or two a day with a slicker brush and a comb, and handle paws, ears and mouth. | A doodle coat mats. The puppy that's brushed daily at 8 weeks tolerates grooming at 8 months. |
| ~10–12 weeks | Second vaccine round (DHPP #2, often lepto #1 and Bordetella). | Puppy immunity has gaps until the series is finished; the spacing is deliberate. |
| ~14–16 weeks | Third round + rabies. Keep the rabies certificate. | Rabies is required by law, and the certificate is the document everyone asks for afterward. |
🗓️ Want the whole schedule as dates? Enter your puppy's birthday in our free vaccine schedule generator and print it. The full schedule, with what each shot does, is in the puppy vaccination guide.
What should you ask at the first vet visit?
- Can you add the breeder's records to the file and send me a copy of everything? Clinics do this routinely; you just have to ask.
- When is the next round due, and which lifestyle vaccines do you recommend for how we live? Leptospirosis and Bordetella depend on daycare, parks, water and wildlife.
- Is the deworming schedule complete, and do you want a stool sample? Many vets recheck at the first visit and again a few weeks later.
- When do you want to start heartworm and flea/tick prevention? Usually right around now, by weight.
- Is my puppy microchipped, and is the registration in my name? If the breeder chipped the puppy, the registry record needs to be transferred to you; if not, most vets chip at a vaccine visit.
Can a puppy go out before the vaccines are finished?
Yes — carefully. The window for socialization closes around 14–16 weeks, right when the vaccine series finishes, so waiting for full protection means missing the most important weeks. The usual compromise: carry your puppy in public, visit friends' homes with healthy vaccinated adult dogs, do car rides and new surfaces and sounds, and ask your vet about puppy classes that require a first shot. Skip the dog park, pet-store floors and unknown dogs until a week or two after the final DHPP dose.
What's specific to doodles?
- The coat. Poodle-mix coats grow continuously and mat, especially behind the ears, under the collar and in the armpits. Daily brushing from week one, a first groomer visit around 12–16 weeks just to get used to it, and full grooms every 6–8 weeks after that.
- Ears. Floppy, hairy ears trap moisture. Ask your vet to show you how to check and clean them; it prevents the ear infections doodles are known for.
- Groomers require vaccine records. That first "get used to it" grooming visit will need proof of rabies (once given) and usually DHPP and Bordetella — another reason the record needs to be findable. See what groomers and boarding require.
- Size expectations. Doodles vary widely in adult size depending on the poodle side; ask the breeder about the parents rather than trusting a breed label.
How should you set up your puppy's health record?
Simply, and on day one. One place that holds the breeder's vaccine and deworming dates, the vet's contact, the microchip number, and — as they arrive — every vaccine, the rabies certificate and the medication list. Track due dates, not just given dates, and set a reminder a couple of weeks ahead of each one. Add an emergency version (two phone numbers, allergies, meds, vet) that a sitter or a stranger could read in thirty seconds — here's what goes on it. Do that in week one and you'll never rebuild it from a shoebox of paper later.
Frequently asked questions about the first week home
At what age can a doodle puppy go home?
What shots does an 8-week-old puppy have?
When should a new puppy see the vet?
Should I change my puppy's food when I bring them home?
How often should I brush a doodle puppy?
Do I need my puppy's records right away?
Start the record on day one
DogTag holds your puppy's vaccine dates, deworming, vet contact and documents from the first visit on, reminds you before the next round is due, and gives your puppy an emergency ID. Free to start — and it's what we use for our own dogs.
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