Being in a new home on that first day can be stressful. We recommend letting everyone in the home take a turn holding the puppy and comforting him/her. Start taking your puppy out for bathroom breaks on a schedule and just dive right into socializing your puppy to its new family. You will be amazed at how time spent in this manner will speed up the housebreaking process, help settle the puppy’s anxiety, and puts your puppy on the right social track. If there are small children in the home supervise them with the puppy, and explain to them how to play with the puppy. Sitting down with the puppy on the child’s lap will be the best and safest way to play with your Bernedoodle. Socializing outside the home needs to be done only after your puppy knows its new family and has developed a bond and trust so he/she will feel secure when introduced to new people.

TIP: Be careful where you take your pup for socializing. Don’t go to dog parks, pet stores, or any place where there will be a high concentration of dogs. Protect your puppy from these places until it is fully vaccinated and your vet gives you the OK to fully socialize. Parvo virus lives in the ground, hard surfaces, and cloth for months and months, so be very careful with your new precious puppy.