New miniature poodle puppy advice!

[Lackofsleepforyears]

So today we met a beautiful miniature poodle puppy that we collect in just over 4 weeks. I grew up with a dog but have never puppy trained before and need words of wisdom as everything we read is full of conflicting advice. We have 3 children, all over 8, and a very chilled cat so I was thinking we should certainly get a crate but what else? Top tips please.

[StillMedusa]

We are first timers... day 10 with our puppy.
Don't assume the cat will be chilled when the puppy arrives!!!! Make sure she can go upstairs ..ours have refused to come in downstairs at all, so are coming in through a bedroom window, eating and sulking and leaving again, although they are beginning to mooch in the garden when puppy is asleep indoors.
We have feliway plug ins going too.
I'm probably being a bit too soft... I have slept with Orla our puppy, downstairs every night, and she prefers the cool floor to the nice beds we bought her! I put her in the crate for the first time last night and she slept.but only cos I was asleep on the floor next to her . Yes I am THAT tired.
She's been great with toileting... we go out when she wakes, after eating, playing... only 3 wees inside in 10 days but I have not had more than 5 hours sleep at any point.
We are training her already.. she sits, is getting 'leave' and are redirecting the biting to toys every time.
I love her...but dear GOD I'm tired....:)

[MissShapesMissStakes]

I LOVE mini poodles! I have a 1 year old apricot mini. Our first dog and he’s been amazing!

He’s been pretty easy to train as he adores food and poodles are clever too. Lots of little bursts of training with high value treats worked for us.

We didn’t get him till ten weeks and he slept downstairs in his crate from day one! He whimpered for 10 mins once we left him but then slept all night until 5.30am and didn’t mess in his crate ever! I’ve no idea how it happened. Nothing we did I’m certain. So lucky! My 7 year old dd still doesn’t sleep through so I’m assuming the dog gods decided to give me that one for free. He won’t settle unless he has a little night light though.

Toileting - we got the door bells someone on here recommended. They worked great and even now he rings the bells to go outside.

We also had a pretty early 1-1 with a positive trainer. That was really useful. And a puppy pen proved to be a great purchase as, while he’s never been a chewer, he did like to taste things that weren’t always doggy-friendly and it was easier to relax having a shower, putting the kids to bed etc knowing that he couldn’t get into trouble.

Do you have a photo?

[user12398798768657]

We are into week three and whilst the puppy settling is going well the cats are incredibly pissed off. One disappeared for three days in a sulk and scarpers the minute he catches sight of userpup. The other one will watch him very carefully at fairly close range but then as soon as the puppy gets too close he hisses and runs off. It isn't a happy family situation yet and Im not sure its going to improve easily. The puppy is fine about the cats since the breeders had cats. The cats are very much NOT fine about the puppy.

[Girlintheframe]

Sounds like your doing a great job.
Our pup is just over a year now.
Some of the things I learnt are -

Make sure you take pup out every 30 mins or so to go to the loo. Use a word like toilet, wee etc so that pup begins to associate the word with the action. Lots of praise.

At night take pup out when you hear them stiring, no fuss, just straight out to the loo then back again.

Re direct all behaviour you don't want like nipping, chewing etc.

Find a good training class. Kennel club have a list of trainers on their website. Pup has been at training since 13 weeks. He is working towards his gold good citizen. It starts a puppy training and goes right through to platinum.

Start getting puppy used to being alone. Just for a few minutes and build it up

Play socialisation sounds like fire works, sirens etc from you tube so pup gets used to them.

Get pup used to wearing a collar and lead

Kiss, cuddle and snuggle often

[Lackofsleepforyears]

Thank you all for your words of wisdom. Missshapes your poodle is adorable. Any more pictures? One of our twins rarely sleeps through either so we are very used to broken sleep. 6am is also a lay in here so early mornings are nothing new. DH was thinking of sleeping on the sofa next to the crate to start with and never letting the puppy/dog upstairs so this could be our cats safe space. Do you think this is too much? I will certainly look into training classes. What about toys? Are puppy Kongs good? What about the teething one you fill with the paste? Should I put puppy pads by the back door or just take her out regularly? I will investigate the bell. Finally, do we get a lead and collar or harness? I have no idea what size to start with!

[MissShapesMissStakes]

So cute!

Sleeping on the sofa while your pup is in the crate sounds a good plan to start with. It’s best to have the crate where you mean for it to be. My dog now sleeps where he wants as he stopped choosing the go in his crate. He did have a few months of sleeping in the pen, he seemed more settled in there. We often wake him now when we go downstairs at 8am.

Ours has the puppy kongs. He likes some cheese spread or dog peanut butter spread inside the lip. Now he’s having frozen yogurt and banana in them. Other toys he likes are cuddly toys he can carry round and then death shake, he adores his balls too, and anything he can play tug of war with.

When he was a tiny puppy and not allowed out i practiced lead walking with a little kitten collar and lead (we had them anyway as my kids had them for cuddly toys).

As soon as he could go out I got him fitted for a harness. He has a perfect fit harness. This is his second as he grew out of the first. But this one should last him now size-wise. Harnesses are better for puppies as they get so excited and distracted by things they can suddenly randomly pull in a different direction and their necks are so delicate.

Don’t bother with puppy pads. Bad for the environment and all they do is make toilet training less clearcut. They need to know that outside is the only place to go.

It’s worth asking for puppy stuff you want on a free selling site like your local Facebook. We got the crate, puppy pen and some books second hand. Lots of people have them to start with but the dogs grow out of them. Saves a lot of money.

More pictures when you get your pup would be lovely.
Poodles are fantastic. Great choice!

[Gladiolus45]

Yes love a mini poodle! they are fabulous dogs and very trainable IME (slightly biased as I have two).

See how it goes with the crate, neither of my poodles liked it and have always seen it as being in prison. I also have another dog of a different breed and he loves his crate - I still have to have it out for him to sleep in at night and he shrieks in joy when it is time for bed :)

Top tip is every time your dog has to go in the crate they get a treat of some kind, can be edible, can be a toy they love, but creates positive associations with the crate.

[Lackofsleepforyears]

Thank you. My children are far too old for Waffle the Wonder Dog but have watched 5 episodes today and all loved it!

[Eleanorsummer]

Your pup looks adorable. I'm looking into getting a Miniature Poodle, so following with interest.

[TheQueef]

One caution. Poodles are very clever and can be manipulative
Train, train and train they just love it.
My old standard (R.I.P. Big S) would fetch socks, slippers, shoes or wellies on command. He also learnt the words for remote and tea towel and TP as in loo roll
After a while he started to bring my shoes or wellies if he fancied a walk!

[ThomasFurious]

@TheQueef - what do people mean when they say dogs are manipulative? I heard the expression the other day but didn't really understand how that works in practise.

[TheQueef]

I had a very manipulative mini female. She was sneaky with the others and would fake a limp or shiver to be picked up and carried

[MissShapesMissStakes]

Manipulative is a bit over the top surely.
They can be very clever. But that makes training easier.
When he was tiny I was advised that to get my pup to drop the bark chipping he was chewing, I should distract him with a treat. I’m sure he then started to pick things up in his mouth purely to get a treat. That wasn’t him manipulating me. That was him being clever and realising that he got a treat for ‘drop’ and so to drop he needed to have something in his mouth. Forward planning!. We just needed to tweak the reaction he got for picking random stuff up in his mouth.

[MissShapesMissStakes]

See. Not a manipulative bone in his fluffy body

[ThomasFurious]

When he was tiny I was advised that to get my pup to drop the bark chipping he was chewing, I should distract him with a treat. I’m sure he then started to pick things up in his mouth purely to get a treat. That wasn’t him manipulating me. That was him being clever and realising that he got a treat for ‘drop’ and so to drop he needed to have something in his mouth. Forward planning!.

Clever boy! Quite logical from a conditioning point of view though. I suppose you should have rewarded him empty mouthed but I wouldn't have known at what point to do that.

I've accidentally trained one of our clever dogs to do the wrong things from getting timing wrong.

[MissShapesMissStakes]

It’s what I like about training them.

You have to follow their thought process and be really black and white, logical and spot on with your timing.

We’ve always joked that my 10 year old is like a puppy. She’s so enthusiastic and clumsy and impulsive. She really seems to get what makes our dog understand what we want him to do though. He barks like crazy at me and dh when he wants us to throw him the ball. But my dd has played in the garden with him training him to be quiet and lie flat when he wants the ball throwing. So now he does that for her.

He’s also worked out for himself (because she would naturally turn away from him and walk off when he jumped as a tiny pup) that my youngest hates him jumping at her, but the rest of us don’t mind. So he never jumps at her. Rest of us are fair game.

[icecreamsundae32]

@MissShapesMissStakes gorgeous dog! So snuggly looking

[TheQueef]

If he looked at me like that MissShapes he could have anything in the entire world.
Poodles are the best expressive dogs.

[Pipandmum]

I left my puppy in his crate first night - do not get this sleeping by the crate business! The breeder may well give you something puppy is familiar with for comfort. After a trip out for a wee, Put him to bed, drape a blanket over. Of course he will cry but will settle if you leave him. Then up quite early and take him out first thing . Don’t do the wee mats - you are training him to go inside! Just take him out regularly. You should use the crate also when you just want him out if the way for a bit - pups need a lot of sleep time. Also when you go out - and do not make a big fuss about it, just pop dog in, potter around a bit then leave. Same in return, do not rush in making a big fuss - be casual and take dog outside. I’ve done this with all my dogs never had a separation problem.
I never my dogs upstairs for first few years but had big open plan living space.
Looks awfully cute! Remember though it’s a dog not a toy!