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Care of your puppy: So, you have arrived home with your new puppy. The first 24 hours need to be as calm as possible – feeding and sleeping are the priority.
Pups bed: your puppy will grow quickly. If you are buying a new bed get a large one! Bean bag type beds are not terribly successful – padded ones are much better. If you are using a standard plastic bed line it with fluffy ‘Vet-bed’ or a nice duvet/blanket. New pup will benefit from a familiar smell for comfort, so a soft toy or piece of blanket from ‘mum’ will help to ease the transition to new surroundings. Make sure the bed is not in a draft.
Toilet training: remember EVERY time your pup wakes up he/she will want to tiddle. By putting pup gently and directly on to newspaper or in to the garden (weather permitting) pup begins to establish a routine which is crucial to the learning process. In the first few weeks at home always put a patch of newspaper down – especially at night. Don’t cover the whole area or pup will tiddle everywhere – remember you are training your pup to go to a specific place. You will NEVER need to smack or hit your dog. That is irresponsible ownership. Tone of voice is the key to success.
So to summarise:
Pup will want to tiddle after every nap
A puppy ‘poo’ should follow every meal – and maybe before breakfast
Only put paper in a designated place (near to pups bed)
On sunny days put paper outside to reinforce training
When pup goes to the toilet outside PRAISE HIM – it is vital correct action gets recognition – don’t ignore it because he has behaved ‘correctly’
When pup goes to the toilet indoors – not on or very near the paper – you must let him know using a deep firm voice – show him the paper. He must know you are unhappy but never smack or hit – your tone of voice is the key.
You can only scold when you actually ‘catch pup in the act’ – punishment after the event accomplishes nothing – pups will only understand immediate association.
Be aware of the frequency of need to tiddle and anticipate it – does he need to go every hour? If so put him outside when you think he could manage to ‘go’ – stay with him. By doing this you reinforce your pups learning and take control of his actions.
Any signs of restlessness or wandering off probably means he is looking for a suitable spot! Anticipate!
As pup gets bigger he will last longer between tiddles and once you are able to take your pup out for walks things will improve rapidly. Above all don’t despair! Remember he must learn to know what he can and cannot do – he must be able to interpret what you are saying – he can’t understand English but he can understand tone and expression.
Vaccination / vet check: contact your vet as soon as possible and arrange to visit the veterinary surgery as soon as your vet advises. A responsible breeder will have wormed your puppy correctly with a good quality wormer – remember to give your vet these details. Arrange vaccination according to his/her advice. But try to avoid too much too soon!
Toys: Yes please! Balls (not too small), squeaky toys (if you can stand it!), rope tugs and safe teddies. Raid your local charity shops but remove all eyes and buttons. You can buy ‘white’ bones – plain or smoked from your local petstore for pup to chew – they are hygienic and natural. Dog chews are okay in moderation but sometimes cause tummy upsets.
Food Bowls: From 6 months of age your Standard poodle will need a raised dish for food. This aids digestion and guards against a condition known as Bloat or Gastric Torsion. NEVER feed before exercise.
Collars and leads: Please do not use chain collars – these stain, rub and get caught in Poodle hair causing soreness and matting. Sturdy woven nylon/material collars and leads are preferable. DON’T FORGET THE IDENTITY DISC – this is absolutely essential even if your puppy is microchipped.
Grooming: Your Poodle must be bathed, groomed and clipped regularly. You can learn to do this yourself if you prefer. If you are not experienced it is better to start off with a kind professional groomer so that your pup is handled by a confident and skilled person to minimalise any trauma. Your pup needs to have his/her face – feet and tail base clipped every 6 weeks and have a first ‘bodyclip’ at about 4 – 5 months of age. Regular brushing with a SLICKA brush and metal comb is essential. It is fine to bath your puppy but you must take care to dry him/her, or pup will become chilled. Use a hairdryer.
Buying your own equipment in the UK: All the large dog exhibitions; Crufts, Discover Dogs, Wag & Bone Show etc have extensive trade stands and there are many Internet pet care sites. Wahl Europe are based in Kent at Wahl Europe, Herne Bay Trading Estate Sea, Street Herne Bay, Kent They will supply by post but also have a shop on site selling new and reconditioned clippers, shampoos, brushes etc A pair of reconditioned clippers with 1 years warranty cost approx £45. Professional clippers have snap-on steel blades. You will initially need two blades – one for face, feet and base of tail and one longer cut blade for the body.
Eyes: while pup is growing, and in certain weather conditions, you will find it necessary to remove ‘sleep’ from the inner corners every morning. Do not use cotton wool as fibres may break off and leave debris in the eye. Keeping the face and muzzle clipped short aids hygiene and comfort. Poodles should not have continued wet eyes – always consult your vet if these is a persistent build up in the eye or any soreness.
Ears: if your pup is being looked after by a professional groomer please make sure that they also look after pups ears. If left unattended hair will continue to grow down into the eardrum causing irritation, infection an damage. The hair needs to be plucked out every 6 – 8 weeks. If you decide to do this yourself please purchase a bottle of THORNIT ear stripping powder. This is only available by mail order but will make the whole task easier to perform. Put a tiny pinch of powder into each era a few minutes before you begin. The hair will come away easily when pulled gently and the powder will also sooth any soreness. NEVER overload the ear with powder, that is as damaging as being clogged up with hair. THORNIT = £7 per bottle incl. p&p from ~ Miss Betts, Hall Stables, Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6NB Tel: 01485 512210
Feet & Nails: keep the feet shaved to prevent hair pushing the toes apart- an unclipped foot could result in posture problems. Check between pads for stones or debris which may become lodged there. Nails should be kept short – necessity to clip will depend on how well they wear down naturally.
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING:
Poodle, by Dr Bruce Fogle pub. Dorling Kindersley £7.99
The Complete Std Poodle, by Eileen Geeson pub. Ringpress £19.95
The Perfect Puppy, by Gwen Baily pub. Hamlyn £12.99
Useful contacts: The Standard Poodle Club Welfare Officer: Mrs Molly Windibank. 0208 464 2811
SOCIALISATION: A home bred puppy should have been socialised with people, smells, sounds and other dogs within the family environment. He/she should have had access to a wide variety of toys and playthings to stimulate and interest. We recommend attending Puppy Socialisation classes to progress this socialisation.
EXERCISE: Puppy has played with his/her siblings and other family pets. He/she has been out into the garden (weather permitting) and had puppy playtime indoors. Until pup has been vaccinated exercise with play and toys. Take care with steps and steep slopes as bones are still soft and growing. After vaccination pup can go out for walks - remember that puppy will become tired quickly after initial bursts of exercise. Regular short periods of exercise are beneficial. Long walks/runs may damage growing bones – it is important not to over exercise and to gradually build up stamina.
Kennel Club registration Certificate: A Kennel Club registration certificate and Pedigree should be handed over to the new owner at time of collection. It is advisable to transfer the puppy into the new owners name as soon as possible. Please note that once you transfer ownership of your puppy in to YOUR name you will be covered by 6 weeks free insurance from The Kennel Club.
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