Puppy Tips

If you watch a litter of puppies playing, you will notice that they spend much of their time biting and grabbing with their mouths. This is normal “puppy behaviour“ . When you take a puppy from the litter and into your home, the puppy will play bite and mouth you. Although it is normal puppy behaviour, it needs to be addressed, as the puppy needs to learn what is ok to bite on and what is not.  The earlier you teach this the happier everyone will be.  

Puppy play
The first thing to teach your new poodle puppy is that human skin is off limits for puppy teeth.  Every time the puppy touches you with its teeth, say "OUCH!" in a disapproving tone. This alone will probably not stop the puppy from mouthing. Now every time your puppy is chewing on something he is not suppose to...  REDIRECT him to something he is allowed to chew on.  This is very important.  We never say no to a natural behaviour without teaching yes otherwise if you do not teach your puppy will not learn.  So redirection is key here. 

Understanding mouthing
The puppy is mouthing you because he has a desire to play.   It can also be a natural instinct to chew certain textures.

You have to answer the question, "Do I have time to play with the puppy now ?" If you do, then do "sit", "down", "stand" or other positive 'lure and reward' training. If the answer is "No, I don't have time for the puppy, right now." then you need to redirect the pup, to play quietly on his own.  With something such as an educational toy of some sort that will reward puppy for chewing something he is allowed to, many of these educational toys are stuffed with treats which is a wonderful way to have puppy play on his own when you don‘t have the time to.

Understanding Teething
Teething is a little different then mouthing and so you will need to be patient and provide some ice cubes for your puppy to cool their painful gums on. Just remember that teething is natural and normal and is a phase for all puppies.  We just need to keep pups safe (see our puppy proofing tips).

Puppies lose their teeth in a distinct pattern: first the small front teeth come out. Then the premolars just behind the canines. Then the molars in the back come out (and you'll see adult molars behind those erupting as well). Finally the canine teeth come out. Sometimes the adult canines erupt before the baby canines have come all the way out.
During this time, some discomfort, including bleeding gums is to be expected. Your puppy will want to chew more during this period of time, but it may also be too painful to do so (check out our puppy teething tips). You will probably never find any teeth your puppy loses,  They are usually ingested and passed.

Providing a stimulating environment by providing PLENTY of exercise along with two to three 10 minute training sessions per day keeps puppy busy and reduces the chances of him being destructive, by not allowing negative built up energy to accumulate.  More often then not it is the bored pup that has energy to burn that is destructive.  I believe that by providing an outlet for them to use up their energy in a productive manner it will teach puppy to become purposeful member of your pack/family.  Prevention is key as far as I am concerned.  Of course we can not be with our pups 24 hours a day 7 days a week so when the puppy is alone he should have access to a couple of chew toys. We suggest original "Nylabone" and "Kongs" to be safest for chewing when pups are left alone.

Cow hooves, bully bones, ice cubes, good quality squeak toy, Nyalbone, Kong (rub a smidge of peanut butter in the Kong to get pup interested), balls that need to be manipulated in certain ways to remove treats are often popular with puppies.  Providing them with a stimulating environment keeps them thinking about other things other then getting into mischief.  This is my favorite toy as if provides hours of entertainment and also provides a safe place they can chew on with reward when they figure it out.  Its a win win for everyone.

Teething tips
Around 4 months of age, puppies will start to get their permanent teeth. There are several things you can do, both to ease the pain and control the chewing.
Make some chicken soup (low sodium variety or make it yourself) ice cubes and give them to the puppy. (see my very own chicken soup recipe below)
Soak a double knotted rope (you buy them in the pet store as chew toys) freeze the wet rope and give it to your puppy to chew on.
Soften the kibble a bit with water.
Redirect mouthing or teething on human skin.
 
Homework
Next hold a small handful of the puppy's dry food, say "take it" in an encouraging tone, and allow the puppy to take ONE piece of food or treat (be sure to do this exercise before puppy meals to spike their interest and be most successful).  Then close the rest of the food in your hand and say "leave it" in a slightly more firm tone. If the puppy leaves it and is not after your hand, praise him.  If not wait until he has calmed down give them praise and start over. 
 (have a second person put the pup in a sit stay position), once he/she We are teaching the puppy that "off" means not to touch. You should do this with the puppy before every meal for at least 5 minutes.
After a couple of weeks of the above training, here is how you are going to handle puppy biting or mouthing:
Unexpected mouthing (you don't know the puppy is going to mouth, until you feel the puppy's teeth):
You say "OUCH!"
Expected mouthing (you see the puppy getting ready to mouth you):
You say "Leave it" before the puppy can mouth you.
Now REDIRECT your puppy to something he is allowed to play with, an educational toy that they can earn treats when they figure out how to get them out of the ball.  I‘m just using this as an example there are many wonderful safe chew toys out there that can provide hours of educational fun for your puppy.  They are often a little more expensive but worth it.


Crying at Night
Your puppy wants to be with the rest of the "pack" at bedtime. When a puppy becomes separated from its pack it will whine, thereby allowing it to be found and returned to the rest of the group. This is why so many books on puppies and dog behaviour strongly recommend that you allow your puppy/dog to sleep with you in your room to reduce the likelihood of the anxiety in your puppy which leads to him crying at night.

Move the puppy’s crate into your bedroom. Before you put your puppy to bed be sure you have encouraged him to go pee (allow 10-15 minutes of outside for “pee before bedtime”.  Remember no food or water after 8pm and if you go to bed early then make it no food or water after 7pm (it‘s all relevant). 

If your puppy whines, you know it is not because he has to pee or poop.  What do you do?  Firm tap the side of the crate and say "NO shhhhhh".  If the puppy continues to whine, and you have repeated this several times.  They should settle after 5 15 minutes. 

Be sure to include a quiet soft toy or chew toy and then simply ignore any continued whining. If you don't reinforce the whining by comforting it  ~ we do not praise negative behaviour.  Your puppy will eventually learn to settle down.  Also, be sure to have a vigorous play session JUST BEFORE you are going to go to bed.   Exercise your puppy!  Take it for a piddle and poop break before bed and after your play time.  This should get some of that extra energy out and help your puppy settle nicely.

Puppies that cannot sleep in the bedroom for whatever reason may be comforted by a ticking clock nearby, an old t-shirt you have worn and don’t mind parting with, a soft plush chew toy and a radio left on low on a soft soothing music station.