| Owners Tips | Puppy, Pup, Use, Have, Out

Owners Tips

Tips to Read on the Way Home with your new Puppy

We are very proud of our AKC/CKC Standard Poodle puppies and hope that you enjoy them as much as we do. I personally have owned or raised Standards since 1970, and would like to share some of my thoughts with you that may make the puppy’s transition to his new home, fun and easy. These are NOT textbook quotes, just my personal observations.

TRAVEL TIPS:

Your puppy will not be feed hours before the car trip, in order to keep his stomach settled. This puppy has ridden short distances with no problems. I recommend that you stop every 45 minutes to 1 hour, take the puppy out in a safe area, and command,"Go Pee" or "Puppy Out"; normally they do this quite often when this age. Always call the pup by his/her name, and please no Baby Talk, they will advance much quicker with real conversations. A good carry case is a cat crate or box, with a stuffed wooly toy of his very own, and a towel or wooly to lie on. This is very comforting. Touch the puppy often for reassurance.

FEEDING TIPS:

1.) Iams or Pro Plan puppy chow is what is used at this kennel, 3 times daily and lots of spring water.

2.) Suggest feeding the dog, first thing in the AM, after taking out to toilet.

3.) Normally we let the puppy out to feed the amount is based on weight, normally at this age ½ cup of food 3 x per day. Get into the habit of allowing the pup time to eat, and then remove the food. Toilet after feeding.

Advance to 3 cups of food or dry/wet food combination based on your vet’s daily requirement feeding am and pm.

IAMS - puppy chow for large breed or super food.

PRO PLAN with Chicken or Lamb and Rice is very good for the older dog; also vegetable medley blend dog chows- one of the meals you may add some raw or cooked chicken or raw or cooked beef. (No more than 3-4 ounces)

NO MILK PRODUCTS- EXCEPT CULTURED.

NO JUNK FOOD OR ADDED CARBOHYDRATES- EXCEPT A SMALL TASTE -TREAT OF LOW FAT FROZEN VANILLA YOGURT.

REAL FOOD- YOU MAY MIX VEGETABLES, SMALL BITS OF APPLES, BROWN OR QUALITY WHITE RICE WITH A MEAT PRODUCT- CHICKEN, LAMB OR FISH.

NO REAL DOG BONES, ONLY SMALL BOXED BONES AS A TREAT-Dental Bones We also used real boiled bones, ( you can buy them) and fill with small amount of Peanut butter for a treat.

NO CHOCOLATE!!

Reward your dog with Praise not food!! They love to hear "Good Dog! Good Boy! Good Girl,!" Etc.

LEASHES AND COLLARS: I recommend an expandable nylon clasp collar. They are comfortable and adjust in size, and the puppy can learn to lead with this type. I do not recommend metal, or choker. You can actually use a cat collar in the first few weeks. DO NOT LEAVE ON SMALL PUPPY unless fully supervised. 9 weeks of age is a good time to start collar wear.

Also use a lightweight lead or leash of nylon; change this to a more aggressive leash, as the pup gets older. You can start the puppy inside with collar and leash trailing so he gets used to the weight. DO NOT LEAVE ON COLLAR UNLESS SUPERVISED.

TAKING THE PUPPY OUTSIDE: Your puppy loves it outside, and can withstand cold temperatures and be outside year round, with the proper shelter.

DAY ONE please take the puppy to the door, Command, "STAY" and make him wait a few seconds, while you open the door. This is a protection to teach him not to bound out and get hurt by broken glass or run to the street.

As the pup is on a leash- always leash before going outside.

When toilet training use the Command, "Go Pee" or whatever you feel comfortable with.

MALE OR FEMALE PUPPY "HUMPING"

It is instinctive for the puppy to want to hump; he or she starts it in the whelping box or kennel at the 5th week of age. This is OK while in the bin, or if the new owner is going to breed the dog. It should not be discouraged, just ignored. However, IF you are going to keep the puppy for a family pet, you MUST discourage this behavior early on. It often happens while the puppy is following behind the motion of your leg, simply Grab the collar- put the puppy on the floor and say, "NO." If it continues, chuck the puppy under the chin and say, "NO", and it still continues, say, "NO" and kennel up for a short time. It normally will last a few weeks only; some pups do not show signs of this after 10 weeks of age. Other pups will continue whenever they are in cycle, or a few times per year.

It is NOT dangerous or harmful, just an annoyance. IGNORE THE BEHAVIOR and it will not become an irritant!!

The same behavior applies to sniffing people body parts, especially on a female. Use the same technique, as you would in humping.

Crate Training

All owners and trainers have special points on this, but I have just a few comments to share with you.

Put the puppy in the crate, night one, and barricade the back of the crate with a shoebox, or cardboard carton, to keep him toward the front.
No food or water after 6-7 pm.
Place a wooly or towel in the crate for comfort.
Place the wooly toy with the puppy at night.
Keep the crate in an area that he can see some action, family members, etc.
You can take the crate in your bedroom at night, but I personally did not.
The crate remained in the same location, and puppy learned that this is his den.
Recommend washing the crate daily with light cleaner or white vinegar but not too strong as the pup loves his own smells.
The crate is the PUPPY HOME he is to be in the crate all the time that he is not in TOTALLY SUPERVISED PLAY. This means you don’t ever leave the pup alone with out supervision. This is for his protection as they can bound out of sight so quickly and become injured.
Always take the pup to toilet PRIOR each supervised play; also take the pup out PRIOR going to bed. Normally the first night he will go from 11pm – 5-6 am. If he cries this means he needs to go out, not that he needs you to take him out and play.
I have found that in the first few months, the pups love to hear low playing background music, when they are left alone, day or night. “Mozart” especially soothed mine!! But any sound is company for them.
Be firm the first few days, but loving. Use one Command to the puppy to get into the crate and Always enforce it.

KENNEL UP AND THE PUP’S NAME.

Good Luck with this, it is a lifesaver for you, your small children and the Pup.

Poodles Favorite Things to Do

Go for walks with folks of all ages.
Ride in the car, the boat or any moving object.
Go to the park and chase the birds.
Swimming is a big favorite- but go right in with him and show him how.
Retrieving- Throw a wooly – tennis ball etc, and they will soon respond, with the Commands Go Get IT- Bring IT Here and Drop.
Love to go fishing but watch your fish they may take it from you.
They love treats early evening, like a chewy, but be sure to by the plain white kind, no basting material, and not every day.
Showing off for company is a favorite thing, make them part of your gathering, and then crate them back up.
Camping and outdoor activities are fun for them, but do it in an area that they feel comfortable, not too busy at first.
Biking- we are in the process of buying special bike leads that we can exercise our dogs with, but don’t try this too soon, or in a busy area, until perfected.
They also like to be bathed in the tub or otherwise and have they fur blown dry.- It is the attention part that is important.

Don’t be afraid to bathe the puppy when you get him home- use a mild Dog shampoo or Baby Shampoo. Towel dry and then blow dry the puppy, while holding.

DO NOT HOWEVER, BATHE TOO FREQUENTLY AS IT CAUSES A DRY COAT- DRY SKIN.

Commands

I am an amateur trainer, only, but have found these Commands work, and are easy to remember. Caution- Make sure your family members and friends use your commands only, as not to confuse the puppy. BE CONSISTENT WITH THE COMMAND WORD OR PHRASE.

We no longer use the leash for the training we use Behavior Modification which means you get the pup’s behavior and then treat or Click and Treat. You do not touch the puppy.

SIT- and slowly press down on the puppy’s butt and use the leash for leverage.
WAIT and then STAY- Put your hand in front of the pup’s face and shows him to stay, with the leash for support.
DOWN- This One COMMAND can save your pup’s life if he gets away from you. DOWN is full to the ground, flat, quickly.
OFF- This one is good for you to teach family members, it simply means that the pup should not jump up on you, take his paws and put to the floor with this command. Not to be confused with DOWN.
COME OR HERE is how you bring the pup to you; eventually the HEEL command can be used.
OK- is the Release Command- when you toss a ball and want him to retrieve, or if allowed to go outside, etc. Use this command.
MAT- Find a place in your home that you would like the puppy to hang out during meal time, etc, make this the Mat area.

THERE are many, many ways to train, try the local area Kennels, or AKC organizations, we are not expecting the pup to be perfect, but they do like and respond to discipline.

We have had very good luck with the Clicker training system, it is behavior modification and waits for the pup’s response- once you get a behavior you simply CLICK and then TREAT. It is a wonderfully fast training regime. Read more on-line.

Grooming

I recommend grooming every 2 months, but baths in between, and a brush out, especially with the light colored dog, this prevents mating. I use a grooming spray prior to brush out which has an oil base and prevents matting, it also smells clean. You can buy Groomers Mist Wal-Mart or a Pet store.

Summer CUT- Puppy cut is great for the first year, your groomer will know what this is, and you may add any variation to this cut.

Winter CUT- Keep the dog’s fur longer in winter if you are keeping him outside, but again bathe in between cuts.

IMPORTANT- Ask the grooms person to pluck the hair in the ears, and keep short around the bottom eyelid, as these are areas that cause build up. Don’t be afraid to take a Q TIP and go into the pup ear canal, and clean, daily, and weekly.

EAR CARE: Some Poodles, require more regimented ear cleanings. I suggest that you take your new Puppy to the vet and have the vet assess his ear canal for earwax and or yeast. Many puppies get a minor yeast infection in the ear; it is not serious but needs to be cared for. I recommend the following products:
Animal Dermatology Labs “Ear Flushing and Drying Lotion”
I apply this to the ear canal and clean with Q- tip or Cotton ball- you may also use a washcloth.

If the wax build up is significant- I put a few drops of: Oto Acetic Antiseptic Otic Solution” By Animal Dermatology Labs- rub the earflap and leave in the ear.

IF THERE is a yeast or bacterial infection I recommend: OTOMAX Lotion- this is prescribed by your vet. Normally, with regular cleansing you will have a dog with Happy Ears!

PERSISTENT EAR PROBLEM HAVE A CULTURE AND SENSITIVITY DONE BY THE VET TO GET THE CORRECT ANTIBIOTIC!!

Closing

HOPE THIS INFORMATION IS HELPFUL TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY AND FUN LIFE FOR YOU AND YOUR NEW PET!!

My personal experience notes that you may have a number of years with this great pup, the average life span of my breeds, have been 12-15 years.

Good Luck and Please Call if you have a question.

Send your friends this way; we would love to share this experience.

Thank You so Very Much
Sally W. Esty 2010

FOOTNOTE: PoodleMaineia is proud to deliver to you very healthy and alert puppies. If your pup experiences any unusual health problems, please apprise us of the situation.

PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG, BONES OF ANY KIND, ESPECIALLY RAW HIDE THEY MAY CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH!! (2009UPDATE)