• Bringing home your new puppy
• Crate training
• Feeding your new puppy
• Exercise

One thing that you should keep in mind during the whole puppy stage is to be “ Firm, Fair and Consistent”.

The first few days home with you, is very stressful for your new puppy. Everything is a new experience to them, which can be very overwhelming. Try to keep things as quiet as possible in the home, not having a lot of visitors on the first day home. Try to bring the puppy into your home during a time that is slow for you. Typically, the holidays are not a good time to introduce a new puppy into your home.

Once you arrive home with your puppy, you want to start a routine as quickly as possible. Your puppy will sleep most of the time at first, but you will notice him/her sleeping less and playing more each day. It is quite common for your puppy to get diarrhea when he/she first comes home. This is brought on by stress, and as long as it is not excessive or bloody, it is nothing to be concerned about.

back to the top

I have heard many people say that crate training is mean and only serves as a punishment to the dog. How wrong they are.

• Crates are perfect for the dog to sleep in. They give them the “den” feeling that it is safe and secure.
• When a dog is coming into a home where other dogs already live, the crate is a safe place for the new dog. It gives all the dogs a chance to become accustomed to each other’s scent.
• House training is easier, as dogs do not like to soil in their “dens”
• Gives you a place to safely confine your dog when visitors or workers are in your home.
• Gives your untrained puppy a safe place to be when you are not at home.

You should never confine your pet as a form of punishment.

Make sure that you invest in a good sturdy crate. Made either of hard plastic or of heavy steel wire. Cages with rounded edges make it easier to clean them. Make sure the cage is big enough for the dog. He/she needs to be able to stand up and turn around in the cage.

Puppies need a cage that is appropriate for their size. They now have crates that can be divided so that a large cage can work for a smaller puppy. This eliminates the need to buy several different cages as the puppy grows.

back to the top

DO NOT FEED TABLE SCRAPS!!!!! Puppy and Dog foods have all the necessary vitamins and nutrients that your dog needs. Table scraps will just take away their desire for their food, and will give them ingredients that they do not need in their diet. It can also shorten their life expectancy.

Feeding a high-quality puppy food is a must. Within the first three ingredients, you do not want to see corn or grain. If your puppy will be over 50 pounds at full size, you should feed a large breed puppy food. Large breed puppy foods help to regulate the growth of large breed puppies. This allows joints to form correctly.

If you are changing foods, you want to do it slowly to give them a chance to adjust to the new food. If changed too quickly, the puppy may experience diarrhea.

Your new puppy will need to eat three times a day at first. Try to space feedings evenly though out the day, but do not feed within 3 hours of bedtime. It is recommended that you do this until they are around 6 months of age. At this time, you can drop down to feeding only twice a day. After they are older and house trained, you may be able to allow free choice feedings, where food and water are available at all times. Most dogs will only eat what they need, but if you notice your dog over eating, go back to the scheduled feedings.

During the first few days, your puppy may not eat much or even show much interest in the water. Find a quiet spot that you can designate his eating area, and try to coax him to eat and drink. He/she will become more comfortable and you will see him eating more and more as the days progress. DO NOT tempt him/her with table scraps. This will only make them less inclined to eat their food.

When you feed your puppy, fill the water and food bowls and close the puppy in a room or small area with them. Allow him to eat all that he wants. As soon as he/she loses interest in the food and water, pick it up. Do not allow him to go back and forth from the food to playing, as this will make house training next to impossible. A good rule of thumb is to allow him 20 minutes to eat and drink. At first you may notice that he/she is only nibbling, thinking that they can snack all whenever they want. Within a few feedings he/she will have figured it out and may walk away, but go back very quickly to finish eating.

Remember to offer water every 2 to 4 hours, not just when offering food.

back to the top

Standard Poodles and labradoodles are high energy dogs. Although, they do not require extreme amounts of exercise, they do need regular exercise. A daily walk or romp in the backyard will be just fine. Many of them love to fetch and retrieve. You can provide ample exercise by playing fetch with your pup. They will also love it if you can give them more exercise. Daily runs or longs hikes will be enjoyed by all. If your pup is under a year old, you do not want to over tax them with too much exercise. If you are concerned about how much exercise your puppy should be getting, talk to your vet.

back to the top