Ashby’s Poodles and Doodles
New Puppy Information Sheet
Congratulations on your new puppy! This is an exciting time and I know that you will be wanting to introduce your puppy to friends and neighbors, but be patient! Your puppy needs time to adjust to his/her new surroundings including you. It can be a very stressful time for some puppies and it is recommended to give your puppy 3 days at home with just your family. No visitors and no outings. They need a lot of rest while they adjust to keep them mentally and physically healthy.
Although exciting, it can also be a challenging time! Hopefully this sheet provides some great tips and peace of mind.
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Schedule
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Upon waking in the morning, take the puppy straight outside to potty. This is also a good time to play for a bit so they can get some energy out after being kenneled all night. They are also highly motivated for treats at this time, since they are hungry, and would do well with some basic training if it fits your schedule.
Feed puppy in the morning, and then take outside to potty after they are finished. After they have a little bit of playtime they will potty again and then probably be ready to sleep. Puppies sleep A LOT while they are young. If they are misbehaving it may be a sign that they are overstimulated or tired and they may just need some alone time in their kennel.
While young, the puppy should be eating 3x a day. Morning, noon, and about 5pm. Split their daily requirement into 3 feedings to keep their belly from getting too full. Dinner should be early (5-6pm) to help the puppy from pooping in their kennel at night. This allows plenty of time to potty in the evening before bed. Having 5-6 hours in between feedings also helps the puppy’s poop to be firm as it allows time for proper digestion. Around 5 or 6 months you can try switching meals to 2x per day.
This schedule of wake, (potty), eat, (potty), play, (potty), sleep repeats throughout the day while pottying often, about every 30 minutes in the beginning.
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Pottying
Puppies should go outside to potty about every 30 minutes in the beginning, and after they eat or drink, after they wake up, and after they play. An easy way to do this is to set a timer so you don’t get busy and forget. You can train your puppy to go to a certain spot in your yard, if you wish. While puppy is peeing and pooping you can teach commands such as, “Go potty”, “Go pee”, and “Go poop.” Or whatever command you want to say. The idea is that they will be able to potty on command when you tell them to. Make sure to take your puppy outside right before bedtime to get all their potties out! It may be necessary to restrict their water 2-3 hours before bedtime if they are peeing in their kennel at night. Also, make sure they are eating dinner early, about 5pm to help them from pooping in their kennel at night.
At night, your puppy should be able to make it about 6 hours without pottying in the kennel. If he/she whines in the middle of the night, you can choose to get up with him/her. Take your puppy right out to potty, give praise, and then put him/her right back in the kennel. This is not playtime and you don’t want to teach your puppy that it is. Puppies are so smart and they will whine more if they know you’ll consistently get up to play with them! Placing a blanket over their kennel helps them to feel more cozy and safe.
It is helpful to place the kennel close to the door so your puppy can walk out. Sometimes they will potty after only a few steps. You can slowly move the kennel farther away from the door. Your puppy has been taken to a new area and will need to get used to where they potty now. If they do have an accident in the house, just clean it up and move on. You can clap loudly and scold only IF you catch them in the act. Punishing the puppy after the fact does no good. They won’t know what they did wrong. Remember to take your puppy out often.
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Kenneling
I highly suggest kennel training, and potty training is the number one reason why! Puppies usually won’t potty where they sleep. Make sure the kennel is only big enough for them to turn around in. The larger kennels that come with dividers are excellent so the puppy can grow into the kennel. If the kennel is too large, they will have room to sleep and potty and we don’t want that!
The kennel should be a safe spot for your puppy. Dogs are den animals and prefer sleeping in small spaces. They will eventually get used to it at night and enjoy spending
time there. Just be strong if they begin to whine for you. They may howl and bark, but as long as they don’t need to potty and are not hurt, they will settle down. If you constantly take them out, they will learn that whining gets their way. Remember, they are smart! Provide many safe toys for them inside the kennel to keep them occupied.
Never use your kennel as a place of punishment while the puppy is young and is kennel training. To train your puppy to kennel, put your puppy in the kennel while saying “Kennel” and then reward them when they go in with a high value treat (yummy dog treat, cheese, peanut butter). Soon, your puppy will go into the kennel on command!
The kennel can be used during the day when both you and puppy need a break! It can also be used anytime that you can’t watch your puppy. While potty training, your puppy should not have run of the house so if you’re busy and can’t focus on your puppy, put him/her in their kennel. It is ok to train your puppy to sleep in the kennel during the day. Leave the kennel door open during the day and they will start to go in on their own.
If you have the space, a small enclosure to keep the puppy in while you can’t watch her is very convenient! A baby gate or the doggy panel gates from Amazon work really well. And include the kennel in that space.
Chewing/Playtime
Puppy teeth are razor sharp and biting can be tough! Provide plenty of chew toys in the house to keep puppy occupied and from chewing household items or you! Don’t let the puppy chew on you or anyone else. All it takes is one family member to allow this behavior to create a bad habit. Be consistent with rules and boundaries. It is ok to say “NO” but do not hit the puppy. Provide something different to chew on, move your hands away, get up and walk away, take the puppy out to potty, or put the puppy back in an enclosure to rest. Sometimes puppies get crazy, are very bitey, or have the zoomies when they have to potty, or are over-stimulated and tired. Another trick that seems to work is to make a loud, sharp puppy “cry” noise. This is how littermates tell each other that it hurts!
Most toys are acceptable, but be careful with rope toys and plush toys. Use them with supervision as the strings/parts can be ingested.
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Training
Your puppy can start basic training as soon as you take her home. Sit, down, shake or high five, roll over are easy to start teaching. Stay and come take a bit longer. Use a 6 ft leash to keep puppy by you, especially when teaching stay and come. Your puppy’s food is a great treat to use for training in the first months. They are very motivated for their food and it helps to hold their attention without too many extra calories. Small puppy training treats are also ok when used sparingly. Be patient with your puppy! They will make mistakes because they are just figuring things out. Make sure you are leash training also! This can be done in your own backyard while your puppy is awaiting vaccines. Puppy training sessions are short, 5-10 minutes at a time. Be consistent with training and you will reap the benefits.
There are also many resources and videos to help you along the way. Once a puppy is fully vaccinated by 3 or 4 months consider going to a training class with your puppy. Or you can always participate in an online training program.
Basic Grooming
Frequency of baths depends on a lot of factors. Bathe your puppy when she’s visibly soiled or about monthly. Use a gentle shampoo or one made for puppies. Take special care to avoid water in their nose and ears. You can keep the ear canal covered with the ear while rinsing the puppy’s head.
Trim puppy’s nails every few weeks if they are long. You can use clippers, or an electric/battery nail grinder. In the beginning, finger nail clippers will work on their little nails! Introduce the puppy to the clippers or let them hear the tool, if it makes a sound, to get them used to it. Alsok give treats while clipping to make it a positive experience. Be sure not to clip into the quick or it will bleed. Google videos on how to clip nails until you’re comfortable with it!
Doodle mixes and poodles will need regular trips to the groomers since they do not shed. A slicker brush is great on these curly coats to keep their fur from matting. There are many to choose from!
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Vaccines
Your puppy had their first vaccine done at 8 weeks, before coming home. We use a limited vaccine schedule for the puppy's first 3 vaccines. The first vaccines should be given around 8, 12, and after 16 weeks. We recommend waiting until 6 months to give a rabies vaccine and avoiding the Lepto vaccine. There have been too many negative reactions to it. Always remember to keep your puppy away from other dogs and places where other dogs have been until they have at least had their second parvo vaccine. You want to be very cautious of Parvovirus. It is highly contagious and very dangerous to young pups. Parvo can live in an environment for up to 7 years so it is a good idea to clean the house before your puppy comes home and take shoes off when coming inside. Parvo can be easily tracked inside from shoes. These are our recommendations, but always consult with your veterinarian.
Core Vaccination Protocol:
8 weeks-Distemper, Parvovirus
12 weeks-Distemper, Parvovirus
14 weeks-can do TITER* test to check immunity
16 weeks or later-Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza (DHPP)
6 months-Rabies
1 year-TITER* test to see immunity or DHPP booster
*I realize some vets won’t Titer test. Talk to your vet to see if it’s an option.
Non-Core Optional Vaccinations:
Leptospirosis, Bordatella, Lyme, and Influenza
Socialization
It is very important to socialize your puppy to new places, and people, but it needs to be done safely. As stated above, wait until your puppy has at least had their second parvo vaccine before introducing him/her to too many new places and people outside of your home. And wait until they are fully vaccinated before they go places where other dogs have been. You don’t want your puppy to be completely sheltered during this time, but
just have any visitors take their shoes off, wash their hands, and make sure they don’t have any sick pets at home. You can always take your puppy on car rides, and play outside in your own backyard as you wait for those first vaccines.
Parasites
This is a very common problem in puppies, about 95% of pups will have them. Unfortunately, it can start at birth because parasites can be passed from mom to pups. We follow a deworming schedule so we can try to keep the pups parasite free. We deworm at 2, 4, and 6 weeks, and then also again for 3 days before the puppy goes home. Parasites can live dormant in the intestinal wall where dewormer doesn’t kill them, so that is why we deworm so frequently. They like to show up at times of excess stress and going home is one of those times. If your puppy starts having loose stools after he/she comes home that doesn’t improve over several days, have your veterinarian run a fecal test at the puppy’s first appointment, or when they have their next vaccine. Don’t worry too much about it. Most parasites can easily be treated.
Your veterinarian will want to put your puppy on heartworm and flea and tick prevention. I do not recommend combination chewables such as Simparico Trio. There is a whole class of meds that have high incidence of neurological episodes and I believe the combo is just too many meds at one time. Personally, I give a separate heartworm and flea and tick medication. My vet doesn’t recommend a topical flea and tick but that has always worked for me. I use Wondercide products for flea and tick because they are natural. However, do your own research, consult with your veterinarian, and choose the right meds for your puppy.
Handling Exercises
We completed Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) from day 3-16 for your puppy. This is a proven method used by the US Military to stimulate the puppy’s neurological system to improve their stress responses, immune system, and cardiovascular system. After day 16, we continued to provide lots of stimulation for the puppy and now it is your turn! It is important that each day your puppy continues to be handled with many types of touch to keep improving their tolerance. This does not need to be done in any particular order. Switch off having every family member do these steps and even visitors. These daily steps will help your puppy build positive tolerance to touch, grooming, having their nails trimmed etc. Remember to give positive praises and cuddles when done.
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Pet puppy’s head
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Pet their ears with gentle tugs
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Touch their nose
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Open their mouth to look at their teeth and put your finger inside. You can make sure their teeth are coming in correctly.
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Gently rub your finger over their eyes and cover them
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Stroke up and down their back and give them a pat like you’re burping a baby
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Hold them on their back with support and rub their belly. They always love belly rubs
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Massage each foot and put your finger in between each toe, gently
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Touch or tap on their nails.
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Gently pull/tug on their tail.
Ashby’s Poodles and Doodles
ashbyspoodlesanddoodles@gmail.com
Website: ashbyspoodlesanddoodles.com
Amanda Ashby 208-870-4390
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