Advice for arrival of toy poodle puppy

[PonderThus]

We are expecting our first dog, a toy poodle in early December. She will be 8 weeks old and we want to do the best we can to make sure she feels loved and secure, but is also well trained etc.
At home we have two kids aged 14 and 12 and a 5 year old cat. Our cat is quite a reserved cat and can be anxious.
I plan to use doggy day care twice a week once the puppy has settled at home, January. I have taken 3 weeks off work to be with the puppy, but work fully time, 2 days in office and 3 days wfh.
Can anyone share any tips, dos and donts and just provide us a few reassuring stories 🥰

Puppies (and to be honest, adult dogs) are much like toddlers. They need to nap, more often than you would think. They need to be taken out to do wee/ poo about every hour for a little while. And they might not immediately do so, so be prepared to be out for quite a while..... Puppy pads might seem like a great idea, but long term, that's just saying pee/ poo inside is acceptable.
Collar and lead aren't just accepted straight away....
Socialisation before second vax is important.
Our mini poodle changed personality quite a lot after her first season and spay.

I’m sure plenty of people will be along with some tips (not all agreeing with mine) but I do prefer to crate train. There are step by step instructions online how to do so but I wear an old dressing gown in the weeks preceding a puppy arrival and have that ready to put in the covered crate. It’s important to build positive associations with the crate from the get go by feeding the pup in there on day one. I sleep next to it at the start and gradually move away (I have the crate close to a door so putting pup out for a wee is quick and drama free - low lighting, no chatting, just pee and back to bed)

During the day - get pup used to being alone by popping out whilst it’s busy with a stuffed kong or licky mat. When I say popping out I just mean leaving the room and coming back in and building up the time.

Stuffed kongs are made by soaking the food and stuffing then freezing (part of their food allowance) snuffle mats are also useful for serving food in, it lasts longer and tires them out.

I'd be surprised if doggy daycare is an option at 11 weeks. Have you checked this out? If pup is coming home with first set of vaccinations, have you checked that you can continue the course? Do you have a backup plan if dog doesn't get on at daycare (not unusual) or is ill and can't go?

I agree with PP. Doggy day care at that age is such a risk, even if they'll take him. You would only have had him three weeks, peak time for safe socialisation, house training and laying foundations for serious training. I don't think it's been thought through properly. I'm appalled, frankly.

Any puppy daycare that takes a dog that young (and small - which is almost as bad), is negligent and not one you should use.

Puppies need to be kept separate from adults dogs they don’t know - they’re irritating as hell, don’t understand social norms and often get snapped at. So unless it’s a huge facility and your puppy will be alone with someone watching them at all times, your likely to find your dog return to you either injured or terrified.

You need to find an alternative option. Did you tell the breeder you planned to use day care so soon?!

I read it that doggy day care was starting in January? Still young but not as soon as they come home?

That still only makes her around 12 weeks old. Will they even be vaccinated and allowed out by then?

Put a picture on here.

Join the puppy survival thread.

Be prepared for good and bad (‘why did we get this puppy?!) days.

Sleep beforehand.

Puppy proof your house and garden. You can’t blame puppy for chewing a cable if you leave it out.

Research and book puppy classes now.

Get some crocs/slip on shoes and fleece for slinging on when you let puppy outside to do his/her wee in middle of night.

I think you are being unrealistic about puppy day care - they really shouldn't be in day care that young and all week. That's the prime time for teaching them stuff. Someone coming in and letting them out a few times a day for toilet training might be better if you really can't juggle working from home etc.

OP, my puppy started at daycare at five months old - he went to a satellite carer so there was only him and the carer's own older dog. He didn't start at proper daycare till he was 6-7 months old. I'm hoping I'm misinterpreting your original post - really someone needs to be home with the puppy full time for the first two-three months; if it's not you, then someone else.

Have you talked to a daycare and got an agreement that they will take him that young? When are you going to do a meet and greet, given the dog will be too young to go outside unvaccinated for several weeks after coming home? Are you certain he's going to even be toilet trained at the point you're going back to work? What if he's scared of other dogs?

I know it's only a couple of days a week, and a good daycare is a wonderful thing long term, but I think you're maybe underestimating how much puppies need 1-1 care when they're tiny - and how long they stay needy.

True, not an ideal situation. I’m hoping the day care is a one to one situation

Oh dear. That’s very young.
Warn the dc about the biting. The teething puppy will chew and nip at everything including buns, hands, feet. You train and teach the dc how to handle it, but it does hurt and can feel like an attack.