Over the years I have noticed that many of the questions about the puppies are the same from client to client. So I have decided to jot down a few suggestions that might help with the transition period of the puppy coming to a new home.
1. Puppies have sensitive digestive tracts and the excitement of traveling; leaving their home and then coming to a new home sometimes can make them have a little diarrhea or soft stools. We always recommend that you take a stool sample with you to the first Veterinarian visit. Changing the puppy’s food can also cause this to happen. If you notice this with your puppy the first thing we advise doing is taking the puppy off all solid food and trying a course of plain yogurt for 24 hours to settle the tummy. If your puppy is playing and eating and drinking normally this is generally a transient condition that will right it self. It is normal for a puppy to have 4 or more stools in a day. Sometimes you will see a little blood in the stool if they have been having diarrhea for more than a day or so. This is not life threatening and is fairly normal for puppies. BUT, if your puppy should become lethargic and not be active and playing as normal you need to take him to the Veterinarian as soon as possible.
2. Standard Poodles are such smart dogs and so willing to please you so we do not recommend ever swatting or spanking a Poodle. A firm No No should take care of most problems with bad behavior. If your puppy is insistent on some behavior that is not pleasing to you we recommend that you take the dogs muzzle in your hand and look them in the eye and say No in a firm voice. Puppies are like children and will push the limits as far as you will allow as they are naturally curious and exuberant. Getting them to make eye contact with you establishes that you are in fact the lead dog and they respect that. After all they are pack animals and they see themselves as part of the pack (family). They just need to learn that they are not setting the rules, you are. They are gentle dogs that don’t need harsh discipline; generally just knowing that you are not pleased is enough to stop the unwanted behavior. As with all rules there are exceptions. If your puppy starts to bite at your hands when playing we recommend saying NO Bite a time or two. If this doesn’t get the results of curtailing the biting then you might just tap them on the snout with one finger and say No Bite in a firm voice.
3. Housetraining a Poodle: All of our dogs have been accustomed to going outside to do their business since they were big enough to walk and move around. This helps in the process even if you don’t have a doggy door like they are used to here. They already have the idea to go outside for potty functions. Remember that your puppy will not have complete bladder and bowel control until the age of 3-4 months. So frequent trips outside are necessary as they simply cannot hold it as long as an older dog can. Just be consistent in the words you use to indicate the dog should go outside and he will catch on quickly to what you expect.
4. Safety:
a. Your puppy was born curious and like children has little impulse control until he matures. For that reason we highly recommend that your puppy be crated in a wire crate while you are gone from the home. It will keep him out of trouble and out of many situations that could be life threatening to him.
b. No dog can resist a nice garbage can full of smelly things and there are many objects in our everyday garbage that can be disastrous to a dog if ingested. A word to the wise from personal experience; be careful of your Christmas packages under the tree. We had a dog that loved chocolate and a package of especially good chocolates was left wrapped up as a gift under the tree. The dog ate two pounds of dark chocolate and I arrived home to find a dog with a heart rate of 200 and barely alive. A couple of days in the Intensive Care Unit and some really expensive Vet bills later the dog survived. This was not a puppy but a well-behaved dog that never got into anything. The operative word here is never, just because they never do bad things doesn’t mean they won’t encounter just too much temptation one day while you are gone.
c. Never ever let your dog ride in the front seat of your car. If a car pulls out in front of you and you have a 20-mile per hour impact the air bag will kill your dog, even when he is an adult. An airbag is designed to stop a 180-pound person, not a 60-pound dog. Children and dogs should be in the back seat of the car.
5. Treats: We all love to spoil our dogs and most people love to give their dog’s treats and table food. I have no objection to this but start slowly as the puppies have only had our food and their Mother’s milk. Too many treats cause tummies to be upset I do not recommend Greenies as a treat; they have caused several deaths by creating obstructions in intestines. If you choose to give Rawhide Chewies to your puppy start out with a Rawhide bone not the chips, so the puppy will not swallow large pieces. If you want to give your dog a taste of what you are eating save the last bite for them, which curtails begging at the table. Give the dog a small bite and then get up from the table and he will know that the meal is over. Remember moderation in all treats is the best idea.
6. A well-behaved dog is a joy to be around both for the owner and others. Poodles take to obedience training very well and are usually the star of their class. If you are able to take your dog to classes we suggest you do. You can still spoil your baby in ways that are fun for you, but you will have better control on a day-to-day basis and it will help with the bonding process. We usually think about 4 months of age is the time to start classes.
7. Feeding: Standard Poodles do not generally gobble food, they nibble. Unless there is a weight problem with the dog we recommend free feeding, that is keeping food down all the time for them. Most Poodles don’t overeat and it takes them and hour or more to eat. They like to have a bite and then walk away and come back and have another bite. Free feeding is a good way to insure they will get the nourishment they need. We feed high quality dog food, not the puppy variety but Adult select. You have a dog that is a large breed and feeding puppy food makes them grow too fast. We want them to grow slowly and to their full potential. Feeding puppy food causes tummies to be upset and can cause joint and bone problems.
8. We also recommend they be given NuVet Vitamins on a daily basis especially while they are still growing. You can purchase the NuVet Vitamins on line at http://www.nuvet.com/12818 or call them at 1-800-474-7044, code # 12818. By ordering with code 12818, you will receive a discount on your NuVet Vitamins. They will ask you for your breeder’s number as they were formulated for professional breeders, that number is 12818. These Vitamins are made in an FDA inspected lab from all natural ingredients and are no more expensive that pet store products and are much higher quality. They have the essential anti-oxidants that help prevent dogs from developing allergies to grasses and things in their environment.
9. Bathing and grooming: Poodles must have haircuts because they don’t shed their hair. If not cut it would grow so long as to incapacitate the dog from movement. We recommend you have your dogs groomed every 4-6 weeks. Your groomer should show you how to pull the ear hair as it does not shed either and must be removed to keep down infections. You should purchase a good ear cleaner from your Vet to use at home in between grooming. He/she will show you how to clean their ears and this should be done weekly. I don’t recommend that you use flea shampoo on your dog as it is too drying to the skin; in fact most of the dog shampoos sold in Pet stores are too drying. An alternative is Pantene shampoo and conditioner. It is cheap; you can buy it anywhere and keeps the coat from drying out. Your puppy has been groomed regularly here and is used to being bathed and clipped. That makes it much easier when you take them the first time to the groomer.
10. And lastly, don’t think you are bothering us if you have a problem and would like some advice. We are here to help you enjoy your new best friend and our lives revolve around Standard Poodles. Anytime we can assist you we are happy to do so.
