FAQs: Care of a New Poodle Puppy

How should my puppy travel home?
It is best to be prepared before you pick up your puppy from the breeder. You should have a small collar and lead with you as well as a crate.

You may wish to let your puppy sit on your lap on the journey home, but this is not a good idea, particularly if you are the driver.

If you are planning to take the puppy out in the car regularly, it is a good idea to buy a harness. However, for the initial trip home, the puppy is best left in a crate. Most crates can be strapped in with the seatbelt. A crate is a worthwhile purchase to ensure the puppy's safety and to reduce the possibility of accidents on the way home. Remember your puppy may be nervous on the journey and it is quite common for a puppy to be sick for the first couple of times in a car. Another reason for buying a crate is that a nervous puppy is very prone to diarrhea .It is much easier to clean the crate than the car.

Where should my puppy sleep?
The first rule is: Start as you mean to go on! A puppy should have a bed of its own in a warm spot free of draughts. There are lots of dog beds on the market and they vary dramatically in price. We tend to favour the beds, which are made probably of foam rubber with a cotton overlay. We prefer not to buy the beds that are a combination of a cane basket and a pillow, because we have found if little puppies get bored, they like to chew the cane.

It is best to start your puppy sleeping where you would like him to sleep in the long term. Many people let puppies sleep on the lounge or in their beds when the puppy is new, but later on this is not so acceptable once the pup has grown into a large dog. It is not really fair on the pup to expect it to change its habits once it has grown older, bigger or for that matter dirtier.

When we bring home a new puppy, we give it a bed of its own. We put in this bed a cuddly toy, plus a chew toy, and an item of clothing that we have recently worn. This is not always possible but it seems to work well. We make sure the puppy will be warm; we leave plenty of water close by and a little food. Under no circumstances do we weaken and bring the pup into our bed!

The puppy may howl and squeal for a while, but as long as he has everything he needs, as far as warmth, something to snuggle up to, water and a little food, he should be fine until morning.

What should I feed my new puppy?
Feeding is one of the most important aspects of care for your puppy and it is essential to provide a balanced diet.

So, especially on the first night home, don’t be tempted to dice up tiny pieces of chicken (or steak, roast lamb or any special treat) to hand feed the puppy. If you do, you may find this is all the puppy will eat! The best way to ensure your pup is getting all his nutritional needs is to feed him a commercially prepared complete and balanced puppy food. It is essential to feed your puppy some type of dry biscuits. Ensure that the dry biscuits are a complete and balanced puppy food. These can be supplemented with a commercially prepared canned food, again make sure the canned food is a balanced food. Table scraps may be added to this but table scraps should not make up more than 30% of the diet. Once or twice a week we make up a meat, vegetable and rice stew, (or meat, vegetables and pasta) and when this is poured or spooned over the dry food, it usually ensures that the dry food will all be eaten.

Milk is not necessary as long as the puppy has been fed a balanced diet. It can often cause diarrhea in some young animals. Make sure that there is plenty of fresh clean water at all times.

Ideally, young puppies up to around twelve weeks should be fed about three to four small servings of food daily. As the puppy gets older, around six months, this can be reduced to about two larger meals, one in the evening and one in the morning.

Twice a week, raw bones should be fed to keep the puppy's teeth clean. It is best to feed large canon bones. Never feed cooked bones.

How should I train my new puppy?
A puppy needs a regular routine so that the puppy learns to know what to expect each day. Toilet training is a number one priority and time spent with the puppy in his first few days usually pays off. First thing every morning, last thing at night, after the puppy has eaten or had a big drink, and at regular intervals during the day, take your puppy outside and stay with him until he attends to his toilet needs.

Take him to the same place each time, and he will sniff around and he will usually very quickly establish good habits. It is not a good idea in the first few days to just take the puppy outside and leave him there. He will want to follow you back inside and then just as likely soil the carpet. If you stay with him and praise him, he will quickly learn to respond to the sound of your voice.

If he has an accident inside, there is no need to make a big deal out of it, concentrate more on praising him when he does go outside.

What should I do when my puppy chews things?
It is best to give the puppy a couple of toys of its own to play with. A ball and a rope toy will keep a puppy entertained for hours. If you do leave your shoes in reach they will just as easily entertain themselves chewing on your shoes, whether its your old sneakers, or your best Italian leather sandals.

We think its best not to leave shoes anywhere within reach of the puppy, if he does start chewing something that is not one of his toys, gently raise your voice, take the item away and encourage him to play with one of his own toys.