Cockerpoo Puppy arriving in 10 days - help

[ShallallalAa]

Posting for traffic and advice thanking you all ever so much - we put our names down for a cockapoo puppy from a registered breeder months ago and the puppy will be ready for collection in 2 weeks. We are confident the breeder is reputable and have had personal recommendations for them which we trust. I work from home 80 percent of the time now so confident we can look after the puppy properly long term.
I have never owned a dog before but DP has always had dogs and I am feeling very out of my depth, especially with the arrival during lockdown.
We have visited the breeder and met the parents before the lockdown but we have not met the puppy before lockdown. We have been sent regular videos and all looks lovely and I trust that that the puppy is well and healthy.
DP will pick up puppy by physically distancing from the breeder at handover, taking all the precautions and the breeder is about 5 miles away - I think this would be classed as essential travel wouldnt it?
We are going to pick up essentials from Pets At Home in the next couple of days - crate, toys, bed, pads, food. Anything else? The puppy is on a raw meat diet I understand should we continue this?

What are your top puppy /cockerpoo puppy tips?

What will we do about puppy socialisation?

The puppy arrives microchipped (breeder does it) with first vaccines but we do the next ones - need to find a vet we like I am guessing?

I don't like the sound of crating though - is rhis really the only way?

Our house is quite small - where should the puppy have its own space ideally?

Should I get a shark pet hoover to deal with the hairs?

Thank you!!

[Thepigeonsarecoming]

We never needed to crate, stairs aren’t allowed etc. Dogs understand the word no quickly

[ShallallalAa]

Do I need a stair gate or baby gate across the kitchen at least for the early days? Is it a total no to bring the puppy to bed with us?!

[gotaweirdthingtoshowyou]

I think your shopping list sounds fine, but you could add bowls for water and food.

Research whether you want your puppy to continue on the raw meat diet or move to dry food. There are advantages to both. If you make a switch, do it gradually so you don't upset his tummy (gradually mixing in more and more of the new food).

You won't be able to do anything about socialisation until you are free to attend puppy training classes or meet up with friends.

Yes, you will need to find a vet for next set of vaccinations (if they are doing them just now).

We didn't like the sound of crating either but found the puppy enjoyed having his own little space. We made it cosy and had the door open all day, and he often chose to hop in all by himself. At night, he went in happily and we closed the door, knowing he was safe and couldn't damage anything.

Our cockapoo doesn't shed so we haven't needed a new hoover. Why not wait and see?

Without knowing your house it's hard to say where you should put him. Some people enclose the kitchen, or a utility room.

It's up to you whether he's allowed upstairs or on your bed, but only start something if you're happy for it to continue. You might be happy with a cute, clean puppy in your bed but what about a farting, grubby full-grown dog?

There is a cockapoo association I think. If you find their page online, they might have some breed-specific advice.

I am not sure if it constitutes essential travel. Probably not but I can understand why you'd want to collect him ASAP rather than waiting. I think it might work out well because you're all home to train your puppy and give him lots of attention.

[Quizacabusi]

I’m going to resist saying too much about a breeder of mixed breeds being registered, registered with who though? It won’t be the Kennel Club so any other registration you receive is just a bit of paper.

Apart from that -
If the pup is raw fed just now you should continue this. The breeder should supply you with a minimum of a weeks supply and a feeding schedule. Depending on age, pups need to eat 4 times a day and will play, poop and sleep in between feeds.

Have you got a freezer for the dog food? Raw feeding can take up a lot of space and needs to be properly balanced for each life stage. If the breeder doesn’t give you a detailed plan visit the Raw Fed and Nerdy Facebook page.

Pups will sleep. A Lot. Overstimulation will be counter productive, think of it like being a new born baby.

Crate training is a good idea, especially as you admit you are not experienced with pups so there may be dangers you haven’t thought of that the pup could get into during unsupervised time. Never ever leave the collar on when he is in the crate.

If you look on YouTube for Susan Garrett’s Crate games you will see a system to acclimatise the pup to the crate but the breeder should have introduced the pups to crates before they leave home. Crate Games is an excellent and fun way to bond and train the puppy. Well worth doing.

Re socialization - that is going to be a complete nightmare. Ideally you would be carrying the pup to places like supermarkets so they get lots of sights and sounds, speak to people and see people with walking aids, wheel chairs, trolleys etc.

As you can’t do that the best you can do for now is play sounds like fireworks, trains, lorries etc. There are loads of puppy socialisation playlists you can play. Start playing them quietly while stroking the pup and talking calmly, gradually building up the volume.

Also dropping things is a good exercise so the pup is not startled by loud sounds. Start with something like a tea towel and drop it in sight of the pup (but not near) and then give the pup a reward and lots of praise. Build up the closeness to the pup as well as the noise of the item so eventually you can drop a big pot or something and then pup is not spooked but expects a reward and praise.

Make sure the breeder sends you photos of the brushes and scissors you will need to groom the pup. Start by running the brush over him then reward with a treat or a game. Increasing the time you spend brushing day by day making sure he is used to you touching him all over, lift his feet, tail etc. If you don’t groom him he will become painfully matted.

If he is less than 12 weeks old he won’t need vaccinations yet, he will have immunity from his mother until that age. If you do decide to vaccinate him at 12 weeks do not allow him to have Lepto4 which is a combination of 4 injections in one. There are many cases of pups and adults having boosters who have seizures and fatal responses within a few hours of Lepto 4. Call round the vets and find one who will use individual vaccines.

He may not be used to wearing a collar or lead yet so every day put the collar on then. Play a fun game or put it on before he eats so he is distracted by something else. Puppy leads are nice and light and it’s good to have him get used to being attached to something so clip it on, have fun together for a minute or so then take it off. Do this several times a day and increase the time each day. Let him trail it behind him, walk with it in your hand, drop it etc, get him used to all options.

I would totally recommend getting a clicker and using it to help bond and train the pup. Especially during lock down you will be able to train so many little exercises and tricks at home using the clicker. Google Dog Games or positive clicker training. You will get loads of fun ideas on there and clicker training is really easy but very rewarding.

When you can finally go walks remember the rule of exercise - 5 min off lead exercise per month of life per day. It’s not a lot. Pups given too much free running will damage their bones, right now he will have big gaps between the bones right now which grow until the growth plates close. It’s really important not to allow the pup to run wild all day long even if they want to. This is where tiring him through mental stimulation and clicker games will be your best way forward.

I hope you enjoy the puppy and you know you need to post pics!

[Millicent10]

Not essential travel. Collect the dog after the lockdown.

[hyacinthbouquetsbucket]

It's not essential travel is it so you'll need to wait.

[ShallallalAa]

Wow @Quizacabusi amazing post! Thank you!

Re essential travel - we don't know how long the lockdown is going to last in this form and if we don't get him now he may then be very distressed to leave his family in potentially 6 weeks time... I don't know that to do for the best tbh but please could we not derail the thread about this? I will contact our local police to ask what their view is and id they say it would be illegal, we will not go

[scochran]

I got mine just before lockdown, infact before lockdown was a certainty. I got ina real panic reading posts, some onhere about what a dreadful time to get a puppy , how it would struggle to be socialised, be too used to having people around but it's all fine.
She is fun but full on. I still let her ot for wees at night but doesn't matter if knackered as not going to work, I don't need to rush her.
We've got 2 old dogs, cats and rabbits to get used to. On walks se sees horses, sheep, joggers, bikes and meets a dog most days.
I make sure she gets used to spending some time alone even if she doesn't need to. We do lots of training in the house.

[ShallallalAa]

Aw that sounds so lovely schochan! We are rural too lots to see like that on a dog walk - perhaps I can also take him to the local supermarket carpark when dp does the shop so he gets used to all the sights there? How will he travel in the car, in a crate as well? Dp hates the idea of him being in the boot but if we are all in the car after lockdown I don't think he will fit in the middle

[Bowerbird5]

Look at local vets websites. Phone people you know for recommendations. We had to take the cat to the vet and we just exchanged outside. Others had dogs and just gave the lead or put dog in the back and stepped back so vet could remove them. The vet said on the phone that they had plenty of disinfectant there so it wasn’t a problem for them. I wore gloves as well. You could take a small bottle to cleanse after the change over. Our vet is still doing injections. Ring them for a chat first then they have all the information from you. We phoned them when we got there too. We just waited in the car until they came out. It was fine.

[Quizacabusi]

Great pick up by scochran- definitely make sure the pup gets used to being alone. Best time to do that is when they are tired anyway, let them see you get coats on etc, pop them in the crate and say goodbye and leave. Don’t make a big fuss.

If he kicks off wait it out until there is silence and then go in. And don’t make a huge fuss at that point either. You need to show that leaving and coming back is not a big deal.

If you put him in the crate and leave when he has already been in there napping he will find it harder so you have a great opportunity just now to time these sessions well, just make sure that he sees you leaving.

You should always have him in a crate in the car, imagine if you are in an accident, he would go hurling through the car and could become like a missile. Definitely crate in the car. If there was an accident and someone opened the door the last thing you need is him getting out and running off or being hit by another vehicle. It is the safest way definitely.

You want to get him used to you taking things from him and touching his bowl so always trade up for something better. No doubt he will get hold of something he sees as treasure but that you don’t want him to have. Don’t chase him around making it a game, get something of real high value like a favourite toy or super tasty treat and show him it and swap the items over. Likewise with his bowl, as he is eating walk by the bowl and drop in something of great value so he sees you being near his bowl as the best thing to happen.

[ShallallalAa]

Thanks bowerbird, that's very reassuring

[ShallallalAa]

Quickabusi another great post thank you - is there a book or approach you would recommend I read about?

[k1233]

My only contribution is "no" is not a command. Tell the dog what you want it to do. If it's jumping, instead of no say sit or drop - a dog can't jump if it is sitting. Then you can reward the desired behaviour ie sitting. You can't reward no.

Handy commands to teach:
sit, drop, stay, come - you can do these for a few seconds before allowing to eat - pups don't need intense sessions, just repetition.

Release word to eat - helps to prevent them picking up bad foods. There was a spate of baiting dogs in their yards and dog parks where I live last year - so not eating unless given a release word can be important.

leave it - means don't touch / chase something, easy to teach before eating (once they master sit and stay) then progress when playing

Drop it - drop what's in their mouth

My staffy pup was a little wild, but nowhere near the terror that my westie was. He was a dervish of a morning. The cocker and I would have a coffee on the couch while he tore around like a tornado. Around 11am he'd go for a nap and we'd be super careful not to wake him and if we were lucky, he'd sleep till 2pm. Another bout of wild pup, then dinner and settled pup. He was crated for a month while he learned the sleeping rules, then in the bedroom with door closed, then he knew nights were on his bed and no wandering.

[scochran]

I am using a crate. Did it 13 years ago with my other dog and stopped using it by a year. Still took it if we went in holiday to rented house , so useful.
Before she could go for walks I carried her in bag from pets at home for 2 weeks when was out with other dog. She saw loads and I'm sure it helped. She also watched how the other dogs walked/ behaved. Now she is on her feet I use along line and she stays close...unless there is a jogger, too exciting.
As soon as its possible I will be calling in my dog sitting favours from over the years and asking friends to have her over to meet their dogs.

[Lanurk]

If you don’t safely restrain your dog in a car it invalidates your insurance so definitely look into that.

I’m confused who your breeder is “registered” with since it’s effectively a mongrel in the kennel clubs eyes? (I’m aware this might be a Contentious POV but I mean no malice)

[NaughtyLittleElf]

The breeder is registered with the local council presumably, all breeders should have a license, be inspected etc.

[ShallallalAa]

Great posts thanks so much all! Yes registered with local council, recent inspection

Should I make sure I get copies of any paper work from the breeder? So I should be asking for a weeks worth of food, a scented rag from the pups mum, the kind of grooming things to use... Anything else?

Carrying around is a good idea before walks? Could we go out like that pre vaccination?

[ShallallalAa]

Also my children are aged 10 and 5. They are loud but will quieten down when asked.
Any hints on getting children ready to be considerate of the new puppy?

[Distinctlackofimagination]

Have you considered training? Puppy Life Skills is a brilliant course and is now being run via Zoom; we started both our dogs as soon as we got them home at 8 weeks: www.developingdogs.co.uk/classes/life-skills-online/

[scochran]

K1233
Timely reminder for me about using no as a command...I have drifted onto this for biting and barking. Do you recommend a sit or a fetch a toy?

[Booboostwo]

This is going to be a steep learning curve for you. I would advise you to repost in the dog room after reading the threads on there. There are threads on crating and how to do it correctly as well as socialization during the lockdown (absolutely essential).

I would also suggest contacting your local dog training club and seeing if a trainer is willing to teach you some basics about how to use a clicker and positive reinforcement over Skype. You may well struggle without that basic support that is currently unavailable during the lockdown.

I know you don’t want to hear this but there is no such thing as a registered breeder of mongrels. Has the breeder shown you proof of the health screening done on both parents? If they haven’t or if they haven’t screened for all conditions affecting both breeds I would strongly advise you to walk away from this purchase.

[Booboostwo]

You can teach a generalized ‘don’t do this’ command scochran but it is hard work. Firstly don’t use a word in common usage like ‘no’ because hearing it in other occasions will simply desinsitise your puppy to it. I use ‘uh-ah’. Then you need to be impeccably consistent. Every time the puppy does something you don’t want it to you say the command, you get up and you interrupt the behavior with a distraction, counter-behavior, etc and then reward with a treat. Repeat at nauseous and without fail every single time. Never say ‘uh-ah’ without carrying through and it will eventually catch on.

[GemmaTellerMorrow]

Cockapoos are known to suffer from separation anxiety so be prepared that the puppy is going to get used to having someone there 24/7 during lockdown, then when everything is back to normal be left alone and potentially get upset.
One thing you might need to add to your list is carpet cleaner, and plenty of kitchen roll, for toileting accidents. We used 'toilet bells' at the back door and our dog picked up the idea very quickly.

[FluffyBlackPoodle]

The only paperwork you could receive at this point, or at all,would be microchip papers, done by 8 weeks by law, although who knows what happens at the moment.
Your puppy is a mongrel, so won’t have registration papers.
It’s parents might be pedigrees? But it doesn’t apply to your dog.

A crate is pretty essential, larger the better really.
Puppies bite a lot, so lots of toys, cleaning stuff and puppy pads,
Don’t have a dog in your bed.
If you have small children, puppies bite them more 😀