Getting Ready For Your Puppy
Before you bring your new puppy home when he/she is eight weeks old, be sure to suitably prepare for the arrival of this "child". You will need to have a ready supply of the following items in order to make the transition as smooth as possible:
Training Pads: In order to properly house train your puppy you will need to make sure that they know that they have a special place where they can go potty. You can buy training pads bulk (note - human pads are way cheaper than puppy pads for the same product!), and use them generously. Even the smartest dog takes at least a few months to become completely house trained, so be sure to be prepared for the occasional mess. A more sustainable alternative is washable mattress pad on Amazon.
Toys: Every puppy loves to play, so make sure that you have a couple of rawhide or nylon bones that you will be able to give to your puppy to play with. Also, perhaps a soft toy or ball. Talk to us to find out what toys the puppy prefers as every dog is different. Some like to chase ropes while others are content chewing on a play ring. We recommend taking your puppy to the store so they can pick out their toys themselves!
Folding gate/play pen: Regardless of where you live, be sure that you have a secure area in which the puppy will live for the first couple of weeks, until boundaries are learned. We recommend a tarp or foam floor mats to keep your floor safe while your puppy learns.
Dog bed/crate: Prepare a safe place for your new puppy that the dog will able to call its own. Especially if you have small children or other dogs, be aware that puppies get tired fast and need to have a safe haven where they can run off to and rest in. We don't recommend buying a bed that is too fancy until you are done potty training - otherwise, you will be doing a lot of laundry! Double doored crates are excellent to use while the puppy needs to stay in their pen, and can be easily transitioned to the puppy's full grown bed. A medium or small kennel is perfect for miniature poodles.
Food: Puppies require special food that has all the nourishment that the mother's milk no longer provides. We feed our adult dogs a cooked food diet, but the puppies will be weaned with both cooked food as well as Purina's Puppy Beneful. When you pick up your puppy, we will include some food for you to have. With time, you will want to have a large supply on hand, however in the short term, until you find a food your puppy likes and one that aligns with your budget, buy small bags of food. You don't want to get stuck with a costco-sized bag of dog food your puppy refuses to eat!. Then you can gradually start introducing adult-dog food. Dogs eat 3% of their body weight daily. As your puppy grows, weigh them every few weeks and adjust the food intake appropriately. Alternatively, the food you buy will have the portion size written on it!
Grooming: Poodles have hair, not fur, so they will need regular grooming. We take our dogs to a groomer every 4 months.
Training Pads: In order to properly house train your puppy you will need to make sure that they know that they have a special place where they can go potty. You can buy training pads bulk (note - human pads are way cheaper than puppy pads for the same product!), and use them generously. Even the smartest dog takes at least a few months to become completely house trained, so be sure to be prepared for the occasional mess. A more sustainable alternative is washable mattress pad on Amazon.
Toys: Every puppy loves to play, so make sure that you have a couple of rawhide or nylon bones that you will be able to give to your puppy to play with. Also, perhaps a soft toy or ball. Talk to us to find out what toys the puppy prefers as every dog is different. Some like to chase ropes while others are content chewing on a play ring. We recommend taking your puppy to the store so they can pick out their toys themselves!
Folding gate/play pen: Regardless of where you live, be sure that you have a secure area in which the puppy will live for the first couple of weeks, until boundaries are learned. We recommend a tarp or foam floor mats to keep your floor safe while your puppy learns.
Dog bed/crate: Prepare a safe place for your new puppy that the dog will able to call its own. Especially if you have small children or other dogs, be aware that puppies get tired fast and need to have a safe haven where they can run off to and rest in. We don't recommend buying a bed that is too fancy until you are done potty training - otherwise, you will be doing a lot of laundry! Double doored crates are excellent to use while the puppy needs to stay in their pen, and can be easily transitioned to the puppy's full grown bed. A medium or small kennel is perfect for miniature poodles.
Food: Puppies require special food that has all the nourishment that the mother's milk no longer provides. We feed our adult dogs a cooked food diet, but the puppies will be weaned with both cooked food as well as Purina's Puppy Beneful. When you pick up your puppy, we will include some food for you to have. With time, you will want to have a large supply on hand, however in the short term, until you find a food your puppy likes and one that aligns with your budget, buy small bags of food. You don't want to get stuck with a costco-sized bag of dog food your puppy refuses to eat!. Then you can gradually start introducing adult-dog food. Dogs eat 3% of their body weight daily. As your puppy grows, weigh them every few weeks and adjust the food intake appropriately. Alternatively, the food you buy will have the portion size written on it!
- Recently, more and more people are cooking for their dogs. This is fantastic, as dogs have historically lived with people and eaten when people eat. In many countries, dogs still only eat scraps (unlike the American market, which has kibble). However, when your puppy is small, it needs a lot of nutrients and you want to make sure you aren't missing anything. What you can do to give your puppy the tastiest food, is to mix puppy kibble with some human food. Check out Balance IT to see some ideas. You can mix kibble with rice, chicken, pumpkin, any squashes, etc.
Grooming: Poodles have hair, not fur, so they will need regular grooming. We take our dogs to a groomer every 4 months.
- Ears: Be sure to regularly clean your poodle's ears. Their ears grow hair and it needs to be trimmed and/or plucked. Some vets will do plucking, while other animal rights activists say this is not necessary. Do your research to make sure your dog's ears are well taken care of. We recommend ear cleaners like Epi-Otec for regular cleaning. Typically, we will clean our dog's ears when we trim their nails (about every 3-4 weeks). If you do decide to pluck the ear hair, we recommend a flat tipped device like these forceps.
- Nails: Trim your dogs nails more often than they go to the groomer, about every 3-4 weeks (or when you start hearing the 'clickity-clackity' of them walking on hard floors. Some dogs have nails that grow faster, or are more active in running on things like cement (which act like a nail file). You will soon learn how often your puppy needs it's nails trimmed and find a good routine. We like trimmers with backs, like these Epica branded ones.
- Trimming: Andis is the best brand of grooming clippers on the market, for a reason! If you want to groom your dog yourself, we recommend one of their corded clippers. Be sure to buy several blades of the same size, so you can easily switch them one when they get hot. If you want to do minimal grooming at home, simply keeping paws, potty area, face, or ears clean shaven, you can get a mini clipper. These are great, come cordless, and are the perfect size for smaller areas.
Pick Up Day!
When you pick up your puppy, we will give you:
Litter scented cloth and toy: As the puppy adjusts to its new surroundings it may become lonely. We will give you a cloth that we have rubbed all over the mother and that has been in the puppy area so that your puppy has something familiar to snuggle into, in order to be able to sleep better at night.
Puppy Pack: Our Puppy Pack is chock full of good information. We will provide all AKC registration paperwork, as well as the first puppy shot documentation. In addition, we will share our contact information. Be sure to give us yours as well! In case of an emergency or just to check in.
Food sample: We will give you a baggy of the puppy food that the puppy has been eating. If you bought a different brand, mix the food together. This will make sure that your puppy does not have a radical shift of diet and will help promote a healthy dog. In general, dogs do not have as sensitive a stomach as dog food brands want you to think, but your puppy will be stressed and it's best not to add to that in the first weeks of getting settled at home.
When you pick up your puppy, bring with you:
A carrier or crate: If you are not going to hold your puppy the entirety of the drive home, be sure to have a carrier you can put the puppy in. This carrier should be secured with a seatbelt so it doesn't move around. In this carrier, place an old towel or training pad. We will also give you a toy and litter scented towel that you can put there to make your puppy comfortable.
Baby wipes, towels, something to clean with: Puppies do typically get motion sickness, and other accidents may occur on the car ride (especially if it's longer). Be ready to take care of anything that may come up. We will not feed your puppy for a few hours before you pick them up, to minimize this discomfort.
Payment: For the remaining 50% payment for the puppy, we accept cash, venmo, zelle, or paypal. Let us know if you prefer a Paypal invoice.
Litter scented cloth and toy: As the puppy adjusts to its new surroundings it may become lonely. We will give you a cloth that we have rubbed all over the mother and that has been in the puppy area so that your puppy has something familiar to snuggle into, in order to be able to sleep better at night.
Puppy Pack: Our Puppy Pack is chock full of good information. We will provide all AKC registration paperwork, as well as the first puppy shot documentation. In addition, we will share our contact information. Be sure to give us yours as well! In case of an emergency or just to check in.
Food sample: We will give you a baggy of the puppy food that the puppy has been eating. If you bought a different brand, mix the food together. This will make sure that your puppy does not have a radical shift of diet and will help promote a healthy dog. In general, dogs do not have as sensitive a stomach as dog food brands want you to think, but your puppy will be stressed and it's best not to add to that in the first weeks of getting settled at home.
When you pick up your puppy, bring with you:
A carrier or crate: If you are not going to hold your puppy the entirety of the drive home, be sure to have a carrier you can put the puppy in. This carrier should be secured with a seatbelt so it doesn't move around. In this carrier, place an old towel or training pad. We will also give you a toy and litter scented towel that you can put there to make your puppy comfortable.
Baby wipes, towels, something to clean with: Puppies do typically get motion sickness, and other accidents may occur on the car ride (especially if it's longer). Be ready to take care of anything that may come up. We will not feed your puppy for a few hours before you pick them up, to minimize this discomfort.
Payment: For the remaining 50% payment for the puppy, we accept cash, venmo, zelle, or paypal. Let us know if you prefer a Paypal invoice.
When you bring your new puppy home, be sure to allow for ample time for the puppy to do the following things:
Reduce Stress: Spend some time building a bond and trust with your puppy. This is going to be a very stressful few days for the puppy, full of new people and smells, and they may exhibit typical stressed behavior, including loss of appetite, indigestion, sleepiness, and fearful body language. This should pass within a few days.
Explore: Puppies are inquisitive and love exploring! Let them sniff their surroundings, but watch them carefully or they may have an accident!
House train: If a puppy is one month old, it goes to the bathroom every hour. At two months, it's two hours, and so forth. After six months, your dog should be able to hold it in all night - do note, when puppies sleep, no reason to wake them up! But as soon as they wake up, they will need to go! When you bring your puppy home, be sure to lay a pad down. If you have time, take your dog outside and give a simple command such as "Go potty" so that the dog will grow accustomed to the new routine. The more often you catch potty time and go outside, the faster potty training will be.
Learn: Teach your dog right away the simple command of "sit". This will save you a lot of trouble in the long run when your excited dog started hoping everywhere. There are many different techniques on the web, but what we recommend is to say "sit", put your dog in a sitting position, and praise! Give them a treat and a lot of hugs! Soon, they will learn the word and other words that you use. For example, when ever we gave our dogs treats we used the Russian word "Na" which means "here you go". Now, whenever we say that word they come running expecting a treat! It has turned to them to mean "come here".
Socialize: Socialize, socialize, SOCIALIZE! Your dog needs to learn to be a dog and speak dog language. We strongly recommend finding a local puppy group, or puppy training center who offers socialization meetups. By playing with other dogs, your puppy will understand when dogs are done playing, how to communicate their own needs to other dogs, and will be much safer and happier in the long run.
The best book we have ever read on dog training was Smarter Than You Think. The knowledge in this book has helped us potty train our dogs by 4 months and get a better understanding of them.
Explore: Puppies are inquisitive and love exploring! Let them sniff their surroundings, but watch them carefully or they may have an accident!
House train: If a puppy is one month old, it goes to the bathroom every hour. At two months, it's two hours, and so forth. After six months, your dog should be able to hold it in all night - do note, when puppies sleep, no reason to wake them up! But as soon as they wake up, they will need to go! When you bring your puppy home, be sure to lay a pad down. If you have time, take your dog outside and give a simple command such as "Go potty" so that the dog will grow accustomed to the new routine. The more often you catch potty time and go outside, the faster potty training will be.
- Don't be discouraged if your puppy has "regressions", and after 6 months of being potty trained, starts having accidents for a few weeks. Dogs are sensitive to change, just like us people, so try to keep stressers down. But don't worry, life happens! Your dog will get through everything with you.
Learn: Teach your dog right away the simple command of "sit". This will save you a lot of trouble in the long run when your excited dog started hoping everywhere. There are many different techniques on the web, but what we recommend is to say "sit", put your dog in a sitting position, and praise! Give them a treat and a lot of hugs! Soon, they will learn the word and other words that you use. For example, when ever we gave our dogs treats we used the Russian word "Na" which means "here you go". Now, whenever we say that word they come running expecting a treat! It has turned to them to mean "come here".
- "Stay" is a great command for making sure you dog does not run into traffic. You can practice this commend by opening doors (either in the house or in the kennel) and making your dog "Stay" until you give your dog a release word or a release sentence. Later, when you are opening the door for guests or the mailman, you can be sure your dog will "Stay" and not bolt!
Socialize: Socialize, socialize, SOCIALIZE! Your dog needs to learn to be a dog and speak dog language. We strongly recommend finding a local puppy group, or puppy training center who offers socialization meetups. By playing with other dogs, your puppy will understand when dogs are done playing, how to communicate their own needs to other dogs, and will be much safer and happier in the long run.
The best book we have ever read on dog training was Smarter Than You Think. The knowledge in this book has helped us potty train our dogs by 4 months and get a better understanding of them.