[94Magna_Tom]

Hi everyone! I am recently retired and finally ready to get a dog. I live by myself, and have never had a dog before, so there will definitely be some challenges. Hoping you all can help point me in the right direction.
I am expecting to get a Standard Poodle pup around the end of April. The breeders litters are both due February 22nd, and I'm pretty confident that I'm close enough to the front of the line to get a puppy. I live in a residential house in the Northeast with 1/4 acre lot and flower gardens throughout the landscape. Yard is fenced with a 4 ft tall chain link on one side (neighbors fence), a 3 ft cedar picket fence along the back, and open along the other sides. First question is should I get a boy or girl, and why you think that (pro's and cons). Next is what should I do to get my home and yard ready for Poodle puppy? Thanks in advance for the advice!
Tom

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Hello and welcome!

I love poodles. Smart and always up for a game!
I would set up a puppy size crate, and an intermediate size crate and a full size crate. These should be plastic with a wire door. You might be able to borrow the smaller size crates. I loaned mine out and they were returned as the puppy grew up.

I would also set up any baby gates you might want to confine the dog to certain parts of the house, especially during potty training.

The sex of the puppy is not terribly important, though females tend to bond better with men and males tend to bond easier with women. Females can be more independent, but not always.

Good luck. Welcome to forums.

 

[LeoRose]

I thought at first that you might be interested in the same breeder that I just put a deposit down with, but you say you are in the Northeast, so you probably aren't.

First thing to do is fence the remaining side(s) of the yard. You can make it work with using a leash each and every time you take the puppy out, but a fenced yard just makes life so much easier.

A car crate and a house crate are good ideas. The house crate can be adult sized, and you just use a divider to make it smaller for the baby. The crate you use in your car can be considerably smaller.

If you are going to use a professional groomer, start looking around now. If you are going to be doing your own grooming, you need to purchase your supplies. You will need a good set of clippers (anything that says it's an "A5" clipper will work), blades, brushes, combs, forced air dryer, and maybe a grooming table. A Dremel and/or good set of nail clippers for nails.

As far as male or female, that's kind of personal preference. Since I already have two bitches (9 year old German Shepherd and nearly 7 year old Pittie), I am only interested in a male puppy, preferably a silver phantom male, since that is my all-time favorite color pattern. However, I also need an easy-going pup who is resilient and capable of going with the flow, since I have an autistic son who can be unpredictable at times. Due to that, I might wind up with a part-color, abstract, or even a solid colored pup. I've got my fingers (and everything else) crossed for silver phantom, though.

 

[94Magna_Tom]

Thanks, and yes, fencing in the rest of the yard is definitely in my future. I'll have to start with that soon. I already have an adult crate with a divider, I'll need to get a car sized crate. Puppy proofing the house is on my to do list as well.
I do plan on grooming and bathing him/her myself. I figure it'll be good for bonding. I'm going to be able to spend a lot of time with him/her. I hope I turn out to be a good trainer!

 

[LeoRose]

My go-to training resource is an online school Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - Home Even though you won't have your puppy until later, there is a class running in the February session that will be a good reference Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - FE115: Baby Genius Enrollment runs through 2-15, and you will have access to the lectures and videos for a year (which is extended with each new class you enroll in. They also have a selection of videos geared more towards pet owners that sport people Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - Pet Dog Training Online - Video Presentations

 

[94Magna_Tom]

My go-to training resource is an online school Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - Home Even though you won't have your puppy until later, there is a class running in the February session that will be a good reference Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - FE115: Baby Genius Enrollment runs through 2-15, and you will have access to the lectures and videos for a year (which is extended with each new class you enroll in. They also have a selection of videos geared more towards pet owners that sport people Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - Pet Dog Training Online - Video Presentations

Thank you. I will check into it.

 

[94Magna_Tom]

The poodle puppies are due next week. The breeder has confirmed that between her (2) expecting Mom's, they are going to have 12 pups if all are born healthy. I'm tenth in line so fairly confident I'll be getting one. FYI, the breeder is Wool 'n Wind Standard Poodles. Anyone heard of them? Once the puppies are born, I'll be asking for, and getting more details. I'm not yet sure when she let's them go, I'm guessing around 8-10 weeks, so April 19th (8 weeks) to May 3rd (10 weeks) is when, God willing, I expect to get him/her. I'm so excited and looking forward to this!