Poodle pup coming and I have a few random questions

[MissShapesMissStakes]

We are getting Ted in just over a week but I keep thinking of minor questions:

• do we just bring him home in the car on our knee or bring him in his crate (don’t want to spoil our chances of crate training by making him hate it)

• we have foxes in our garden at night. Ted has to go out to do his stuff but is he at risk of picking up nasty viruses from the foxes? I can check for Fox poo every time but it’s quite a big garden.

• If I sleep downstairs with him on his first night in his new home / in his crate (him not me) will that help him settle or just prolong the agony of night times?

Any advice to a newby would be greatly appreciated.

I had my mini poodle in a bag on my lap, open so she could look around. She was terrified so I’m glad she wasn’t on her own in the boot. It was a thirty minute drive.

The first 4 -5 nights she was in a box next to me while I slept on the sofa, then eventually crate. I hear hot water bottles are good too to remind them of their litter mates. Maybe we got lucky but she took to her crate quickly. At about six months we started to leave the crate door open and also got her a bed.

Good luck! Poodles are great!

I had a soft crate that I used for transport home and to the vets until he had all his injections. The crate went on the back seat secured through the seat belt and I sat next to him on the journey home.

Can you cordon part of the garden off to keep it clean. To be honest as soon a pup gets into the eat everything in sight (stones etc) you will be glad you did .

Many people sleep close to the puppy at first and gradually do a retreat with no issues. I didn't so can't advise (I slept in room next door rather)

You can get a webbing strap that pushes into the car seat belt socket at one end, with a clip at the other that attaches to a harness. We use this with Bracken, as we did so with Chase.

On our way home from her breeders with Bracken, I sat next to her, wrapped a blanket around her, and cuddled her all the journey, as she was very nervous and shaky, bless her.

I think you can get in trouble for having an unrestrained animal in the car. I've got a plastic pet carrier that lives in the boot of my car for trips. You'll be wanting to take Ted on walks in the country I imagine, a carrier is a good investment.

The law says that dogs should be restrained so either dog seat belt, in a crate or behind a dog guard to prevent distraction. I would start as you mean to go on with what every mode of transport you intend long term,

Thank you everyone. We are so excited but after doing loads of research I now feel like I know nothing and I’m going to break him!

I think I will get a soft crate/bag but have it open and loop it into the seatbelt.

I’m worried about the garden now. We have lots of different plants. Just printed off a list of all the poisonous ones. I have no idea if we have them!

I’m going to look into whether I can cordon off some garden. Not sure how - it’s a funny shape and quite big.

I got a large play pen that you could open up so we used it to temporarily 'fence off' a section of the garden. We have poisonous plants in our garden but he tends to eat just grass and twigs so we left them.

My old dog caught fox mange from our neighbourhood foxes and ended up with £100 vet bill!
My poodle cross was terrified going home in the car (he still hates car rides). I don’t like cages for dogs and mine have always slept where they want (which of course is with me).

I've got some rigid plastic netting, from the garden centre, which I set up using bamboo canes as fence posts. Its about 2 foot high. This works well for fencing off an area, and is also useful for protecting plants from curious puppies.
I travelled our poodle pup in a soft carrier on my oh's knee, and it was also useful for early trips to the vet, although she soon outgrew it.
Nightime, well she slept in a small crate (was originally a cat carrier), but as I have the luxury of sleeping alone I just put it beside me on the bed, by the headboard. I don't know whether she appreciated my snoring, but she never cried at night at all, or peed/pood, although I used to take her out about 3 am.
She has always slept on the bed since, but I know this doesn't suit everyone. I think she would have been just as happy on the floor. I certainly think the constant company made her feel more secure.

Whilst you are looking at poisonous plants you may have don’t forget bulbs , our pup dug up and chewed a daffodil bulb on his first full weekend with us and nearly died . Also as an aside although Ted / teddy is a lovely name you may find that when you call him at the park / dog training that you get several small black fluffy faces appearing as it seems to be the go to name for small black fluffy dogs in our area .

Ah yes Floralnomad reminded me that whilst we kept the plants we did remove bulbs as he could smell them and tried to dig them up. Fortunately we only had a few so it was easy to get rid of them.

My friend uses one of those plastic aircraft crates on the back seat, strapped down so it doesn't roll. You could have mesh door facing person so can they see, but often dogs do feel safer in den like spaces.

For future its worth bearing in mind that majority of dog car harnesses on the market aren't safety tested, similar with some crates that are sold for car use wouldn't withstand an impact. However both are better than nothing to stop dog moving around.

Personally I would sleep near to pup in crate so it doesn't get anxious & would need to get up quickly to take out regularly in the night to toilet anyway.

I took my mum with me to collect Battendog and he just sat on her knee in the passenger seat until he fell asleep and then she slipped him down onto a towel in the foot well.

I had a travel crate with me just in case of problems but as the breeder and Pippa Mattinson (The Happy Puppy Handbook) recommended this just for the first trip home I went with it. I have to say it was a breeze, he cried for 5 mins and was asleep within 10 mins. He slept pretty much the whole way home (2.5 hours).

For the next few car journeys I had him in the crate, secured on the back seat and had someone sit with him.

We then progressed to him being on the back seat, diagonally across from the driver seat so he could see me.

Finally (about a month or so after I got him) he moved into the boot when he was tall enough to see me over the seat back.

I don't know if I just got lucky or if going it all gently like this meant he always felt happy and safe, but he has always been excellent in the car. Now he will happily travel in any spot in the car I put him in. His default is the boot behind a guard but occasionally it makes sense for him to be secured on the back seat and I have once had to make a trip with him between my knees in the passenger foot well. All fine.

I also had Battendog in the bedroom with me, in a crate right next to the bed. I sat on the floor outside the crate for 15 mins on the first night, until he was all snoozy. Then I got into bed and dropped my arm down by him for a while. It meant I could wake quickly when he needed the toilet. Over subsequent nights I shifted the crate about an inch at a time, away from me until I got it where I wanted it. At six months l started leaving the crate door open and got rid of it altogether at about 8 months.

He was such an easy dog to settle at night and this board has had multiple reports of people struggling to get a puppy that sleeps away from them to settle down that I think I would do similar again - or sleep downstairs with puppy if downstairs was to be his final sleeping place.

Nothing to add to all the good advice you've been given, except to say enjoy him.

Do your best and he won't break, honestly.

Another thing is , if you haven’t already , start looking around / getting recommendations for a good groomer and get him used to going early unless you plan to clip him yourself .

Thank you everyone.

We have LOADS of bulbs planted in the garden! 😱

I don’t intend to let him out on his own for a very long time (ever) so will have to keep a close eye on him.

Also I raided the shed and found a huge wind break and the old guinea pig run for the garden that I can make a large area of garden just for him.

I think I will go for a blanket cuddle on the way home. It’s a short journey luckily. I might take a box to pop him in with blankets if he gets wriggly.

He’s the biggest of the litter (just) and the calmest so I’m hoping he will take things in his stride. I know I won’t!

His name came with him already. He’s been called it since he was born so I didn’t want to change it really. And Ted does really suit him.

Everyone I know in real life is telling me to leave him in his crate in his own for the first night but I think I might sleep in the room with him actually.

He won’t be allowed upstairs because we have Guinea pigs up there. Also I do have asthma and whilst he hasn’t effected my asthma so far I wouldn’t want to get him in the habit of sleeping in my room in case it then has to stop.

I’ve read poodles can be easier to train than others. Fingers crossed!

We've had poodles all our lives, toys and standards. Every pup we've had we take outside using a lead and a treat, using a special word the minute they pee we reward, they've been house trained almost immediately. Enjoy your pup :)