Mum of 3, new toy poodle owner

[new to all this]

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I’m a stay at home mum of 3 (all school age) living near the sea in Dorset and will be collecting our first family dog next week: an 8-week old girl toy poodle puppy. Excited but slightly overwhelmed!

 

[leashedForLife]

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Congratulations on the pup.
Are the children boys, girls, or some each? - And how old?
there's a reason for my Q - boys mature slower & are much-more likely to provoke a bite, so i'm hoping by sheer chance, the eldest is a boy, & the 2 younger both girls. [It's not likely, but hey, i can wish... ]

Boys between 5 & 9-YO are ten times as likely to be bitten as same-age girls, statistically [U-S stats].

So managing the children will be a big part of rearing the pup - making sure the kids eat while sitting down, at a table, with the pup well-away from the table & preferably in another room, will greatly simplify teaching manners to the puppy, who otherwise will scarf up dropped food & beg, jump up on legs & scratch, & learn to whine at mealtime. :--\
Kids are the perfect height for most dogs - food in their hands is halfway down the dog's throat, as it's right THERE, all too tempting & convenient.
Besides, kids love to feed the dog - even stuff that's not good for them, such as grapes & raisins, onions, chocolate, & Macadamia nuts.

for puppy-rearing, there are 2 FREE books here -
Free downloads

they include good tips on teaching a soft mouth, & getting the pup hooked on chew-toys, plus housetraining, etc.

- terry

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[Dinky Dillon]

Congratulations.
A new puppy can be overwhelming for you all and the puppy. Are you getting a crate for your puppy if not it might be an idea, it will be a place where she can retreat to away from the children when she needs a safe place to go, remember she just a baby and will be missing her Mom and siblings.

Where is she going to sleep at night, when we had Dillon his crate in the living room and I slept on the sofa so I could just talk to him when he cried and it was easy to take him outside every 3 hours during the night for a toilet break, I did that until he completely settled and dry though the night, about 2 weeks.

A tip for when she starts teething an old tea towel cut into small strip tie a knot in them wet and freeze she can chew on them and it will cool her gums.

 

[JudyN]

Welcome - I'm near(ish) the sea in Dorset too!

 

[new to all this]

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Are the children boys, girls, or some each? - And how old?
there's a reason for my Q - boys mature slower & are much-more likely to provoke a bite, so i'm hoping by sheer chance, the eldest is a boy, & the 2 younger both girls. [It's not likely, but hey, i can wish...]

- terry

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I have a boy of 6, and girls of 9 and nearly 12. They are all very sensible (the boy not especially interested in the pup) and they always eat sitting up at the table, with me present (they don’t wander around the house snacking!)
They have just spent the weekend with the puppy and the rest of the litter.

I have read The Perfect Puppy (Gwen Bailey) and Clever Dog (Sarah Whitehead) and had useful tips and advise from the Brewster (who is a family friend). In addition, my husband grew up with dogs. I am confident that if I follow training tips - and give the dog plenty of chew toys and so on - she will be unlikely to bite any of the children (unless severely provoked or threatened, which I will not allow). The links were helpful, thank you.

 

[new to all this]

Are you getting a crate for your puppy if not it might be an idea, it will be a place where she can retreat to away from the children when she needs a safe place to go, remember she just a baby and will be missing her Mom and siblings.

Where is she going to sleep at night, when we had Dillon his crate in the living room and I slept on the sofa so I could just talk to him when he cried and it was easy to take him outside every 3 hours during the night for a toilet break, I did that until he completely settled and dry though the night, about 2 weeks.

A tip for when she starts teething an old tea towel cut into small strip tie a knot in them wet and freeze she can chew on them and it will cool her gums.

Thanks for the tips! Yes, we plan to have a crate for the puppy o retreat to when it all gets noisy and she needs some quiet time or to rest. She will also have a cage / pen in the (open plan) playroom so she can be in the middle of all the family comings and goings.

At night she will sleep downstairs in her crate - I am thinking I’ll sleep upstairs but get up to her (baby monitor?) but we have a sofa bed so I could easily sleep downstairs in the short term. 2 weeks sounds doable!

 

[new to all this]

Welcome - I'm near(ish) the sea in Dorset too!

I’m a BH postcode (west Dorset), you?

 

[JoanneF]

At night she will sleep downstairs in her crate - I am thinking I’ll sleep upstairs but get up to her (baby monitor?)

remember she has just been taken away from he mum and littermates so she will be disoriented and anxious - I don't like to hear a puppy crying, and the crate should be her happy place so if she cries, it wont be that. I think you may need to get that sofa bed ready!

 

[new to all this]

remember she has just been taken away from he mum and littermates so she will be disoriented and anxious - I don't like to hear a puppy crying, and the crate should be her happy place so if she cries, it wont be that. I think you may need to get that sofa bed ready!

I hear you! I never did cry it out with my kids either, and would rather be nearby and up frequently in order to settle her than up and downstairs all night and it take longer or have an anxious pup! Thanks for the input.

 

[JudyN]

I’m a BH postcode (west Dorset), you?

No, I'm East Dorset, close to Poole. West Dorset is lovely though!

 

[merlina]

Good luck with your puppy!

 

[merlina]

Sorry- I try not to be a voice of doom and gloom but felt I had to say even doing everything right- which I'm sure you will- your puppy may- still bite at first. Even the most perfectly behaved children- or you. You can't beat the biology I'm afraid. Puppies in their first few weeks and maybe months get 80% of their information about the world with their mouths: licking, chewing and biting. Puppy teeth are like needles too. So be prepared if your child strokes the puppy ever so gently and is rewarded with a nip. This is not aggression- it's really normal.

 

[Josie]

welcome @new to all this - how exciting. your new adventure!

You will get lots of help and advice on here that's for sure

Oh and we love pictures of course!!

 

[new to all this]

Sorry- I try not to be a voice of doom and gloom but felt I had to say even doing everything right- which I'm sure you will- your puppy may- still bite at first. Even the most perfectly behaved children- or you. You can't beat the biology I'm afraid.

Thank you for your input - I’m sure that being new to this, I won’t do everything right (and I laughed at “perfectly behaved children” - far from it!) But I can research and plan in advance and learn as we go along, and it is useful being able to advise my kids about this in advance, to avoid them shrieking or dropping the pup if she nibbles them!

 

[JoanneF]

I think the best plan for a mouthing pup is to withdraw completely by walking out of the room. It is just an extension of the boisterous play she had with her littermates but she needs to learn that's not how to play with people. So as soon as teeth touch skin, walk out of the room for moment. She will learn that teeth on skin equals end of fun.

 

[Violet Turner]

Good luck with the new pup! we love pictures

 

[arealhuman]

Welcome and best of luck with the new addition. Keep us all posted!

 

[leashedForLife]

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I use airline-approved shipping crates, sized to fit the pup as an adult, & i put the crate beside my bed.
That way i'm right there, the pup's right there, & if they get ill or anxious, i can't miss it - I wake easy, & I can often soothe a restless pup or dog w/o even getting up.
plus, I set my alarm for 3-AM every night until the pup's about 15-WO / 4-MO, when they can "hold it" for about 7-hrs during the night.

I use the roof of the crate as my bedside table - my lamp, book, the leash, dry treats for the pup's potty-trip, etc, are all right there.
My alarm goes off, I get up, get a robe or coat over my PJs, slip into shoes or boots, grab the tidbits, slip 'em into a pocket, open the crate, PICK UP the not-yet-housetrained pup [to shut off the waterworks], & CARRY her or him outside.
Once outside, I leash the pup, set 'em down, & walk to a place the pup has used B4. Then i wait - generally, the pup voids in less than 30-secs. Back indoors, crate the pup, peel off, back to bed... about 10-mins elapsed time.

Error-free housetraining is possible. It means scheduling [every 2-hrs] *plus* take the pup out after every trigger.
Triggers include:
- a meal; a large drink
- waking from sleep
- active play
- any exciting event

If more than 1 person is taking the pup out, a simple LOG is a good idea -
with columns for day / time / initials [who took Pup out] / Solid or Liquid / How much? / comments.
Post it somewhere with a pen on a string - thumb-tacked to the back of the exit door, on the 'frig with a magnet, etc.
That way, everyone knows when the pup was last out, WHAT they voided, how MUCH they voided, etc.

- terry

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