New pup incoming… what do I need?

[3oldladiesstuckinalavatory]

After years of careful research and deliberation/procrastination we’ve finally bitten the bullet and gave chosen our pup. She’s a mixed breed, mostly poodle but with some border collie thrown in there too.
She’s crate trained, so I’ve found one on Facebook marketplace for her that should be big enough to be a safe place for her to hide from the cat (and us, if she needs to!) and will buy a new dog bed, food and toys. I’ve ordered a selection of dog training books (one specifically for poodles). Our garden needs dog proofing I guess? What else? Grew up with dogs but it’s all so different now 😱.

It's the collie part you need to be aware of as can easily pick up unwanted behaviours especially obsessive ones.
Get a working dog trainer (not a local pet dog trainer) and understand what the collie part may throw at you and how to deal with it.

Yes, good point! She’s only 1/8th collie, but mixed breeds can throw up all sorts. I’m used to working springers and jr terriers, so both these breeds are new to me.

Congrats on the new pup! We got ours last year a poodle mix too. One thing I’d recommend is a waterproof mat for the crate, especially during the first few weeks. Also, a slow feeder bowl really helped with training. The garden fencing worked well once we added a buried wire mesh to stop digging. Good luck it’s a big change, but so worth it!

The garden needs work - on one side we have a fence that’s only about 3 ft high. I might run some mesh along the top, but hadn’t thought about the bottom. Great idea, thank you.

Puppy classes,
The book Easey Peasey puppy Squeezy is very good.
Collar, tag, lead, food, bowls, toys, bed, treats, something to transport the dog in the car.

A camera for appropriate ddog tax....
Selection of cheap leads to start with. They WILL get chewed...

Thanks for that suggestion - that’s one of the books I’ve ordered! I’ve been lurking in the doghouse for a while. 😁. Great list thank you!

No they won't if you introduce them properly. I have never had a lead chewed

18 months of formal dag training class is essential.
Try these, all dogs welcome and it's cheaper than a so called dog trainer!

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dog-training/good-citizen-dog-training-scheme/

www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/find-a-club/

But of course. Dog tax photos is what keeps this board running…

i hadn’t considered leads might be chewed! That’s an excellent thing to consider when looking at fancy dog accessories (that I absolutely don’t need) 😆

This looks brilliant. I am not working at the moment, so plenty of time to get started with training.

There’s a puppy park nearby that I was going to let her run about in too. Does that seem like a good idea? We need to get her socialised quickly. Where we live is overrun with badly trained doodles - we definitely don’t want to add another one into the mix 😣

@3oldladiesstuckinalavatory Easy, Peasy is a good book but fundamentally training starts on Day 1. Don't accept behaviour from a puppy that you wouldn't want in a full grown dog.
Basic things like teaching the dog its name, rewarding it for being near you can be instilled from the day it comes home.

I never walk a puppy outside until it has mastered the following at home:

• walk to heel without a lead
• walk to heel on a lead
• recall to name
• waits for me to go through any door or gate first
• sits without a command

I start these from Day 1, they are a great way to stimulate the brain and tire a small pup out plus you help to build the bond.

Proof all of the above and life will be much easier and more pleasant for you and the puppy.

My biggest tip is until dog is 1 year old only let then go 1 metre away from you on a walk, at 2 years it's 2 metres, 3 years 3 metres etc. Make that circumference around you the best place to be ie interaction/toys/training. So many people just march along on their phone with their dog paying zero attention to them then poor dog gets screamed at as a recall.

Socialising isn't = letting your dog run up to every dog. It's about training your dog to ignore other dogs whilst also not being afraid of them. Working dog training is great for that as working dogs aren't allowed to interact whilst they are working.

This is brilliant, thank you!

Hard agree. So many dogs with no manners - and owners not paying attention. I saw a dachshund get attacked by a big bully x breed recently. Both off the lead in a busy public space - no one paying any attention 😥

I should add that the little sausage escaped and the big dog was told off. But, neither dog should have been put in that position…

How old is she? Eight week old puppies cannot be crate trained - not unless the 'breeder' just shoves them in a crate occasionally and calls it training. Crate training when done properly takes months to get done. That's simply because there's not enough time for puppy to have been weaned from mum and to have been effectively crated trained - particularly if you have a large litter - when with the breeder and, of course, once they are in their new home it takes time to settle them.

I am assuming she's a bit older (which is helpful to know as it will change the advice people give) if she's already create trained.

Don't do feeding from a bowl, if she's still young (at least not most of her meal). Every meal can be training instead. Hand-feed her as a reward for learning commands or good behaviours - that's the best bit of advice I can give. Puppies only care about three things: food, comfort (and feeling safe), chewing (pain from teething). If you can give them the first two, and wait out the third, then you're golden. 😊

It really isn't. I don't know anyone who does this. What a restricted life that dog must lead.
Most dogs need to run. My 11 month old would be a total nightmare if she wasn't allowed further than a metre away from me for the next 13 months.
And how are you going to socialise your puppy if it can't leave your house until it can walk to heel on and off lead? Are you going to take her for carry walks for months on end? I can't imagine a poodle x collie being a light weight.

My advice would be let your puppy off lead from day one. She won't stray far as puppies want to be near you. Then you can work on a solid recall before she is brave enough to stray further afield.

And how are you going to socialise your puppy if it can't leave your house until it can walk to heel on and off lead?

Perhaps you’ve misunderstood the previous poster (or I have!)
Honestly with a tiny puppy the level of training required only takes days. You are looking for a basic understanding not a proofed finished behaviour — will it hold up under distraction, no probably not
Does it mean that you should crack on without teaching your dog the basics in a home environment first (during the pre jab time when they can’t go out anyway). No absolutely not. That’s just setting up the puppy to fail

ive had my current pup 6 days. She can do all of those things already at 9 1/2 weeks old. Primed to go post jabs. Carried or put in s buggy for social exposure until then

" And how are you going to socialise your puppy if it can't leave your house until it can walk to heel on and off lead?"
Because you don't understand what socialising is!

Socialising is getting it out and about (yes carried if needed) to experience all the sights and sounds it will encounter. Plus learning how to interact with other dogs safely and respectfully.

Mate, I train working high energy gundogs. What I do works and none of my dogs have boring lives. What they have is long lives of freedom because the basics are installed from Day 1.
They are 100% livestock, bird and rabbit proof and are hardly ever on a lead

They said
I never walk a puppy outside until it has mastered the following at home.

That suggests more than a basic understanding to me.

Well maybe you are right. It’s not how I read it.
Besides, a gundog trainer would quite likely have several acres of ‘at home’ at their disposal, so perhaps quite different to a suburban pup

edit- to me ‘outside’ is off property not necessarily indoors

Doesn't matter how many acres they have, the pup isn't allowed to go more than a metre away from her.

ETA Yes I took it to mean house and garden too.

Rewarding proximity is a very popular method of training though. And very effective

That said, I would personally give more freedom albeit in low distraction areas

I don't. I have my back garden ie few meters squared. What I don't do though is set my pups up for failure when they go outside. I set them up to win each time so that walks are fun and pleasurable because the basics of lead walking, recall etc are already there.
You will never see me battling a dog pulling on a lead/ buggering off with no recall etc. I build strong relationships and bonds with all my dogs because the basics are set in those first weeks.