Top tips for new shoodle

[Tomlettegregg]

We're picking up our puppy this weekend. We've done lots of research but would love existing owners to give any top tips on toilet training and correcting barking.

We're crate training initially for sleep and have been told to let them cry which seems mean but I want to set him up for success as he isn't allowed upstairs.

OP could have asked before agreeing to buy a bloody puppy and adding to the demand from these shitty breeders.

They always ask when the damage is done and then we're all supposed to #bekind. 🙄

And now she knows.....but on this forum you are kind of preaching to the converted aren't you? OP is generally asking people who already have experience with dogs. The dog now exists and OP needs advice on raising it well.

And now she knows.....but on this forum you are kind of preaching to the converted aren't you? OP is generally asking people who already have experience with dogs. The dog now exists and OP needs advice on raising it well.

But they never do their research first do they despite saying they have. They're an irresponsible person and that won't change because they're now asking on mumsnet the weekend that they're fucking picking the dog up.

It'll be advertised on pets 4 homes within a year....not before they've done more damage to add to what the 'shoodle' breeder has already done. Then it'll be in a shelter by age 4/5.

I've met too many of these people. Disgraceful.

…and I’ve met many who have bought foolishly but with good intentions and then asked for help, taken it and have got a really good dog as a result. Quite a few went on to rescue afterwards.

Puppy is bought. Let’s help the OP (plenty of us have pointed out the errors and potential pitfalls) and keep the pup in a home.

Puppy is bought. Let’s help the OP (plenty of us have pointed out the errors and potential pitfalls) and keep the pup in a home.

It won’t happen.

You’ve been duped into believing that crosses are healthier than pedigree dogs. It’s a big fat lie I’m sorry to inform you @Tomlettegregg .

Why oh why are there so many poodle crosses? Poodles are fabulous dogs. They are bed by reputable breeders, they come fully health checked, they don’t shed and they are easy to train.

All dogs shed. All animals with hair/fur shed. It’s a myth that some dogs don’t shed at all.

“Some dogs shed constantly all year, some shed seasonally in summer, and some appear not to shed much at all; but it’s important to understand all dogs undergo a normal shedding cycle that can’t be prevented.”

Yes but we have a poodle and I can confirm that poodles hardly shed at all. We brush her every day and she gets a regular trim. With our previous dog, the vac was full of pet hair after vacuuming with our poodle, you’d need a magnifying glass to find any poodle hair.

I have an Australian Labradoodle - so yeh, whatever. I did check out the breeder carefully. Anyhow, she's absolutely great, smart and the most loving and sweet dog. Re training, I agree that Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy is absolutely the way to go. Sleep in the same room, take them out to pee often. That's it really. No puppy pads. She was potty trained really fast this way.

The other book I'd recommend is Total Recall, that was really helpful to get a dog who comes back whenever called.

Good luck - puppy time can be hard, but it is so worth it.

We had a crate i side a playpen, with new papers etc outside. Our puppy never made a mess inside her crate as a result. She would quickly want to go outside at about 5 am and I then slept on the sofa downstairs (mainly to make sure she didn’t wake the house, but she was very good and didn’t try to play) and before too long she was going through the night. Ultimately we ditched the crate and pen and she just had a bed.

Please don’t leave pup downstairs alone - they will be so distressed having been separated from their mum and litter mates and left alone. They are tiny babies and shouldn’t be left alone - they would be terrified.
The only options are either to sleep downstairs for the first few weeks or to have pup upstairs next to the bed - I much prefer this option and my dogs have always settled and slept well and grown up confident and securely attached. It also helps with toilet training as you will wake up when pup becomes unsettled so you can take them out. This usually lasts a few weeks before their bladder can hold it over night - but it is individual dependent.

You are thinking about being able to leave them the wrong way round. While your pup is so tiny they should not be left alone. As they grow up you can begin leaving them for short periods - 10/ 15 mins etc (with a kong to distract them!) and then you can build up slowly. By the time the dog is around 10 - 12 months they can usually do 3-4 hours alone. But the first few weeks and months they shouldn’t be left long as that is how they become distressed and separation anxiety develops.

Another "designer" mongrel.

Go and get a dog from a rescue centre.

Bit late niw! I'm fairly sure op has her hands full with this pup right now. Maybe next time!

Thanks for those who've been helpful. Pup is doing well 5 nights in. Vet check and first training session was all good. Toilet training has been the hardest. I take him regularly but he doesn't seem to want to go outside yet even with a puppy pad which we are encouraging him to use.

We do take him out after play, after a sleep and after any water or food as well as when he exhibits any signs like sniffing the floor or turning circles as well as half hour intervals. Any other advice I haven't tried?

Puppy pads are unnecessary and actually delay toilet training. Keep takin
g taking puppy outside, loads of fuss and cuddles for success, no reaction for a mess inside. You take them out every 10 mins after a meal until something happens and every hour otherwise. It will take a time! Weeks or months likely.

The trainer recommended the pad on the grass to help him associate it with his spot as the ammonia from his pee and in the pad would encourage him to return.

You’re still teaching him to aim for a pad. Better not to use them. Dog training advice and support on FB have a great file m toilet training. (And everything else!!)

Really nice to hear the puppy is doing well OP.
I agree with the other comments in that pads are unnecessary.
And never scold a dog for making a mess inside the house.
Keep taking him out all the time, especially after play and meal times. Choose a word for wee activity and use it while the puppy has a wee. In the same tone, the same word every single time.
Then introduce the word when you know he is very likely to have wee as encouragement.
And give praise when it works!
Eventually he will have a pee on command - very useful when it's pouring down with rain and the dog just takes his time looking at the sky and doing nothing. Or similar situations.

Thanks everyone

When I went to look at nearby rehoming centres there was nothing there except French bulldogs, Staffs, XL Bullies and greyhounds. There were 2 elderly Labradors with health problems. As an adult I’ve always owned border collies and spaniels. I don’t like bullies or greyhounds. I didn’t want the vets bill for a dog with health problems so I took on a cockapoo pup from a neighbour who was emigrating with his job.

She is 7 years old now and an amazing dog. She is brushed twice a week, we go on one 5 mile walk a day plus a walk around the block at night. She is nothing like the matted, crazy mutt I so often read about on this site. She is very intelligent, well trained, doesn’t run and jump on people or bother other dogs. I can leave her home for 4 hours if I need to. She is not a nervous wreck 😂

A dog is what you make it, whatever the breed, crossbreed (which is what she is) or “mongrel”. I grew up with a Heinz dog. No idea what breeds he was made of. He was mine and that’s all that matters.

Enjoy your dog OP. I’m sure you’ll do your best for him/her and you’ll be rewarded a million times over.

Ditch the puppy pads. Crate him by all means. Mine loves her den and takes herself off to her bed at 10pm. There’s no need for a door on the crate (I didn’t bother attaching the door). Once your pup learns that her comfy bed is in the den that’s where he’ll take himself. Put a blanket over the top so it feels snug, and dark. In the meantime any treats you give your pup, give them in the den so he associates it as a nice place to be.

Pups are the worst! It gets better. Good luck 🤞

Thanks @Cammac, I agree I don't think of my dog as a designer dog. I get it's not pedigree but I am happy with the cross breed. I know plenty of people who rescued and ended up rehoming the pet because it had too many issues. We'd love a greyhound but the one I know who was a rescue chewed through all the cabling of their house.

At the vet the other day a terrifyingly aggressive dog was being anaesthetised so it could be groomed. Not badly trained but a rescue who was so extremely difficult because as the vet said he 'has a few screws loose'. Some people but new cars because they're scared or the issues with second hand ones. A dog is a living thing and I don't want to treat it like a car but I have to be honest unless you're extremely lucky with a well trained rescue they I don't see the harm in getting a puppy as long as you're willing to put in the hard work training it.

Congrats on your puppy, OP and well done for ignoring the vile comments and taking on board the helpful advice.

Your biggest mistake here is making a thread with "oodle" in the title. It's like a red rag to some of the vultures on here! Poodle crosses on the Dog House are what kitchen islands and ensuites are on the property forum. Immensely popular in the real world, but absolutely despised on mumsnet.

I'm on several doodle pages and many have 3+. If they were that awful I'm sure people wouldn't buy multiples just as a status symbol.

I have no idea why people assume anybody that owns a poodle cross is thick and naive. Those kind of people would obviously not do their due diligence if they were buying a pedigree either, and plenty of those are unhealthy/poorly bred.

The fact is, people's tastes change. That's how dog breeds have evolved over the years. Different looks/traits become more popular. There are decent breeders that have bred many generations of doodles. One day I assume some of the more popular crosses will become recognised by the KC. Also, I disagree all owners are being ripped off, as many of the litters that aren't from health checked parents aren't selling for extortionate prices anymore. The health checked ones might be, and rightly so, and the breeders have just as many expenses testing their bitches and paying for decent studs.

Good luck OP and enjoy your pup!

Hi everyone, we've been doing well with the trainer on basic commands. Sit, down, come etc but struggling a lot toilet training and barking when separated from us.

I"ve been sleeping with him but he barks when we leave him for any period either crated or with roam in the garden or laundry. We've been building up time. Using toys and feeding in the crate to make it a positive place.

Taking out to toilet every half hour but he only wants to go inside. Open to any tips?

If he’s not happy to be separated from you then don’t make him be. Let him stay with you.
Take him out after eating or drinking or playing or sleeping. Plus every half hour. If he doesn’t go then back in then out again in a few minutes or at first sign of wanting to go. Any toilet outside gets major praise. He just hasn’t learnt to do it outside yet. You need to ensure he’s always outside when he needs to go.

Am I right in thinking he's 10 weeks old now? That's still so little. Don't leave him. Or if you do, wait until he's sleepy, put him in the crate, then one leave for 5 minutes at a time.

Susan Garrett's 'crate games' DVD/online subscription is really worth looking at.