Questions about new puppy (Maltese x Poodle)

mikedavid00

Hi!

We got a new puppy on Saturday and it's been a wild last couple of days.

Here is info about the puppy:

Breed Line: (Maltese x Miniature Poodle) + (Maltese x Standard Poodle)
Line Traits: This puppy's hair is more curly and the dog is larger than the rest of the litter.
Cost: $375
Age: 3 Months
Sex: Male
Height: 14" from head to foot.
Weight: about 5lbs.
Shots: has had 2 shots and deworming.
Up-bringing: Dog was raised in small highrise condo apt. with 2 parents, 2 human parents, 2 children, and the dogs brothers and sisters. It was very pack happy.
Training: The dog has NOT been trained at all. This includes leash training and going for walks, potty training, etc. The dog was held and cuttled and a bit 'spoiled' with no obediance. The dog was brushed though.
Temperment: The dog is not as hyper and active as its siblings. This dog had the favorite temperment of the owners and seemed 'smartest' but people didn't want him because it was a male and larger than the rest. The owners said they didn't know why no one wanted him.
Diet: Iam's puppy formula that the origional owners gave them (I admit it's creating nice, dry, non foul poop. Very impressed actually).

About us:

-Married couple no kids
-Detached home with fenced in yard. However dog can get out under the fence if tried so needs to be on a leash until that gets patched up.
-Dog neighbourhood. There is always a dog being walked.
-1 black cat.
-Extra rooms are available for the puppy to have to himself. These would be about 10x15ft size rooms.

We took the puppy home on Saturday (Halloween) and the dog seems very smart. Lots of character.. it seems to have a great temperment which is probably the most important thing for us.

I have a lot of questions about the dog. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

-I am unemployed right now and can be at home all day with the puppy. I can feed and take him out in the yard whenever necessary, but I might find work in the next couple of months so I really, really need to be put on a feeding schedule for the dog as he's poo'ing and pee'ing all over the floor. I need a schedule that will work for us If I get a job. Usually most of my co-workers have dogs but I've never asked them what their feeding schedule is. Does someone have a routine they could share with me?

-The dog follows my us all around the house non stop. I'm not sure this is normal. I'm hoping that the dog is just looking for security because it's a new house and its upbringing. I know it sounds harsh and cruel, but when you can't go the washroom without the dog whining outside the door it's a bit uncomfortable and we get the 'what did we get ourselves into' feeling that we do not want to have as new dog owners. We've stepped on the dogs feet a couple of times and now have to tip toe around the house because we don't know where on our feet the dog will be. As I'm writing this he's right by my feet now sleeping and I feel that I cannot get up. Honestly I'm feeling a bit smothered and the constant following is beginning to stress us out a little bit. The dog seems to want to be joined at our hip 24/7 and I'm really hoping this is just temporary. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Our cat suprsingly has not been hissy or dominant to the dog. The cat doesn't seem that afraid of the dog. But more curious and watches the dog from the top of the stairs. He creeps around the house and will spy at the dog. The dog is a bit afraid of the cat though. There hasn't been any aggression at all which is good. The problem with the cat is mainly the cat food. The dog will go into our laundy room (cat food room) and eat the cat food and drink the water. Our cat needs access to his room all day and night. Will I need to install a cat flap door? How should I deal with the situation as I'm not sure it's a good idea to move the cat room elswhere..

-I really want to groom the dog nice and fluffy. I'd like a puff ball look. Unfortunately, I have no idea how I will be able to bath him and groom him when he's not even leash trained. Any ideas on how I can accomplish this? I want to order the really good brushes and combs. Does anyone know how long it will take until his coat becomes really thick or can someone comment on his coat in the pic? How am I supposed to train the dog to be bathed?

-I understand that this dog needs his 3rd set of shots soon. Are these manditory shots and can I walk the dog now? Or does it need to be in the yard and cannot be around other dogs.

I'd say the following around the house right now is our top issue that we're most worried about just because we've never heard of this kind of behavior. We do have a crate here and last nights training sessions went ok. Only 20 min. of whining and barking before bed and he was up at aroun 7:30 so it went really well.

Thanks again for any help.. it's really appreciated.

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Ayanla

We feed our pups at 5:30 am and at 5:30pm. I don't leave for work until 7am, so the pups have time to eat, pee/poop, and play/walk before I have to leave in the morning. I do come home at 1 to let them out to potty.

Puppies are time consuming, overwhelming, creatures much like human babies. My two still follow me around constantly when they're loose. If I need to do something and not have them with me, I put them in their crates. Small dogs in particular tend to be people oriented. Many of them have been bred to be companion dogs, so they love their people.

We use a baby gate. The cats can jump over it, but the dog isn't big enough.

Bathing and routine grooming needs to start now. You train him by doing it. What you have on your hands is a breed that requires consistent grooming it's entire life, so the sooner you get doing it, the better. My maltese/poodle mix (see avatar) gets a weekly bath/blowdry/nail trim and daily brushing/ear plucking. We also go to a professional groomer every 4 weeks for a trim, otherwise he just gets out of control. I started bathing him at 10 weeks. Your pups fur may never get really thick. My maltese/poodle mix has silky fine hair like the maltese, though his has a wave to it thanks to his poodle side.

Mandatory, no. The only shot that's mandatory is rabies, and that's because most states require it. The shots do offer immunity to some rather nasty things like Parvo, so most vets strongly recommend them, but the choice to vaccinate or not is entirely yours. I did get both of mine fully vaccinated. Everyone's opinions are different when it comes to risk versus reward with regards to being out and about before the third set of shots. I would feel comfortable walking the pup on the sidewalk around the neighborhood, but I'd avoid dog parks or places where lots of dogs visit to minimize risk.

Just keep up with the crate training and make sure the pup learns that it's ok and even fun to be alone.

poodleholic

Congratulations on your new puppy! He's adorable. What's his name?

Ok, you've got a 3 mo.old baby here, who's in a new environment with new people, and he's not only missing his dam and siblings, he has none of his own kind. Think about it - he's feeling very vulnerable, if not actually terrified, and you're his only source of comfort and security! Puppies are going to stick close for some time, and this is very common and normal behavior. I haven't been alone in the bathroom for, oh, about 40+ years! LOL

I have 3 Standard Poodles (2 adults, 1 puppy) and a Shih Tzu - all of whom prefer to be wherever I am in the house, or outside. Dogs, like children, thrive on structure and routine, which I provide daily, give or take an hour or two here and there. For example, since I live alone, work full time and am a homeowner, I have a lot to do, inside and out. I established a daily routine, which includes quiet time in the crate (or ex-pen for the puppy) with a stuffed Kong or chew bone, for those times when I'm busy and cannot adequately supervise a puppy. During quiet time, I could actually soak in the tub all alone <gasp>! When they're used to doing the same thing day in and day out, they don't fuss about it, they just do it, because that's the drill. Come 11:00, when it's time for me to leave for work, there's NO DOGS IN SIGHT! Why? Because they know it's bedtime because of my before-work routine, and have already gone to their respective beds/crates. All on their own.

I need to know when my dogs going to need to eliminate, which means knowing how much time before what went in has to come out! For each dog. I can tell you almost down to the exact minute, like clockwork! I can only do so by keeping their meals and snacks on a schedule, and ensuring they have adequate exercise (which also gets things moving).

Keep a notebook on your puppy's crate, and note the time he ate, what he ate, and the time he pees and poops. This will give you a pretty good indicator as you see a pattern, and help prevent any accidents, along with supervision. As he gets older, he'll be able to hold it longer, but, a schedule helps keep him regular, which is a real Godsend when you're stuck in traffic after work . . .and know you've still got time. Right now, when you cannot directly supervise your puppy, contain him. Either in his crate, an ex-pen, or a safe room with baby gates, and continue to take him out at regular intervals, along with immediately when he wakes up, after meals, and after play. Poodles are very easy to housetrain, but I don't know about Maltease.

I feed my dogs between 9:00 am - 10:00 am (I work midnight to 8AM), then training treats (that have been figured into daily food ration), dinner is around 5-6:30 pm, and they get a spoonfull of lowfat cottage cheese or plain (live culture) yogurt before bed (to prevent puking up bile from empty stomach).


Your puppy is the equivalent of a human infant; neither are independent, and both require constant supervision and taking care of. I have dog beds all over the house for the dogs, so they have a place to park themselves, rather than on or under my feet! When they were puppies, yes, they had to be touching me, in my lap, and as close as they could get, and I had to watch my step or I'd trip! They STILL want to be with me, but are more independent now that they're adults, and through training, can be redirected to do whatever it is that I ask of them, even if it's just to go lay down. It's a Poodle trait to be joined at the hip! LOL Well, they DO want to be close by. It's a good thing. You're just not used to it. If this isn't what you want, then perhaps you need to rethink having a dog, as it might not be for you, and that's ok.


I fed my cats on a schedule, too. It was eat it now, or go without. They learned to eat it when put in front of them. If I had small dogs, I could have simply placed the cat food up high on a table or something, but my Standards can reach all but the top of the 'fridge! So. Put your cat's food where the puppy can't reach it. As for water, I have water bowls all over the house - none designated just for cat or just for dog. Water is water.


Take him to a professional groomer. They know how to work with puppies, and have the equipment that makes it easier than bathing at home. He also needs his hair to be blow dried. Your groomer will show and tell you how to care for him in between grooming appointments (4-6 weeks).

You need a pin brush, a slicker, and a stainless steel comb. Again, talk with your groomer, and ask him/her to recommend the proper tools, and show you how to brush him. You won't have any idea what kind of a coat he will have until coat change, because he's Poodle mixed with Maltease. It may be a combination of both breeds, or more one than the other. You'll have to wait and see.

moots

I wish my westie pup would follow me around...she's always doing her own thing , never has followed people in the family around the house or outside at all, she's takes no interest in people she's already met (unless you're feeding or playing with her)

lizziedog1

This gives you a unique advantage. Use this time to interact with the puppy as much as possible. Here is another of opinion of mine, based on my observations. The more a person spend with their dog the more balanced in behavior they seem to be. Not always, but often enough.

I always use Mother Nature as a guide. Wolf pups spend at least one year with their moms. The contact is pretty close to 24/7. There is a reason for this and nature's reasons are mostly correct.

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Cracker

Just a couple of comments as most things have been covered very well in the previous posts:

Once you get a couple of weeks in with the new pup start crating him and leaving him during the day for a minute, two minutes, five minutes etc. Make sure he has been "emptied" and that he has a kong or something similar to occupy him. Spending 24-7 with a new pup (AFTER he has settled in) makes the sudden disappearance of the owner to go to work/school quite traumatic. He needs to learn to be alone for very short periods so that when you do get work, the longer periods are not such a big deal.

Feeding at this age should be three times a day, at around four months you can most likely switch to twice. The better you keep track of the schedule of feeding and when he needs to relieve himself the better you will be able to adapt it when you go back to work. Either way though..remember that PUPPIES are infants and that it takes a while, especially with the wee breeds to get them fully housetrained. It may be worthwhile, when you do get work, to arrange for someone to come in around noon (neighbour? dogwalker?) to take the puppy out to relieve himself and for a quick walkie.

mikedavid00

Well an update.

Things are going VERY VERY well. Amazingly, the dog is sitting in his crate right now, WILLINGLY with the door OPEN and is now barely barking in his crate with the door closed!

This is after 2 nights in a crate! Unbelievable...

I tell him 'no! sit!' and he'll just sit outside the garage door while I leave it open and do things in and out of the garage (i mean the interior garage door in my house.. not the big garage door for the cars!). I can't believe this after no training and a 3 month old puppy.

He seems to know the difference between what is a toy and what is not.

Now that he's become comfortable in his crate, he is no longer at my feet. It's like him liking his crate has solved the problem of being underfoot.

I feel like he's almost able to understand English and I only have to tell him things once and he just does as I tell him.

The dog is always happy and willing to please.

He's certainly not housetrained, but his pee and poo barely smell at all (the Iam's puppy food?) I'm still working on getting the feed timings right.

I feel very lucky... I feel like the dog is almost training himself.

poodleholic

Training Poodles is almost like "cheating," in the sense they're so easy. Part of that is because they're so into their person/people, and quite intuitive. But, hehehe, it ain't over yet!

mikedavid00

Hi!

I think we're going to call him Victor. We have a naming convention for our pets it seems that they are all named after soap opera characters.

I'm going to follow all the suggestions in your post. The puppy constantly being at the feet has calmed a bit down. When I'm cooking in the kitchen, he'll sit in one spot. Before he was following me from one counter to the other. I did step on him twice though so now he's giving a foot of space.

Also since the crate training he'll play in other rooms by himself now.

He loves to drink water, but is more picky about his food and when he wants to eat so I'll just do as you suggested.

I gave him a bath and shampoo last night and blow dried and brushed his hair with a slicker brush. I hope his coat gets a bit more dense. We trimmed some of his hair also. He doesn't like to stand straight while being brushed and blow dried but it was really good for his first time.

Right now he's sitting in my study chewing on a bone on the floor about 3 feet away from me. Whenever I hear the sound I'm always paranoid he's going to be chewing something he shouldn't but amazingly it's like he knows the difference between toys and furniture.

If he was left un attended while I ran errands would he chewing up the furniture and wires?

Hey,

Yes the dog is with me all day. He's nice to have around the house actually while I'm fixing this and that. A great companion.

Yup I'm able to come back at lunch and let the dog out.

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