More Crating + Some Other Questions...

[Chaconne]

Hey Everyone,

I'm very excited at the moment because after lots of learning here at DOL (I cant thank you guys enough ) and planning, I'm finally getting my toy poodle puppy in 4 weeks! (photos at bottom of post :p )

I do have a couple of questions still though..

With crating, many of the threads say that people have the crates in their rooms while the puppy is being toilet trained, and that they get up every 3 hours to take out the pup, or they have some way of knowing when the pup needs to go, like a bell on their collar so you can hear when they begin to get restless.

Now I'm fine with this, but when I was explaining to my family (they didn't know what crating was so I had to explain it) they thought that this was over the top and that I should have the crate in the laundry with the door open so the pup can walk out and go on some newspaper (the crate would be, they suggested, in a playpen lined with newspaper). However, would this defeat the purpose of crating in the first place? Or could it actually help avoid her developing seperation anxiety later?

Also, I'm not sure about the size of crate to get.. I'm looking at the puppypower77 ebay site and everything is in inches!

Also, with kennels (she wont be living outside, but I want her to have a kennel incase she wants to go in there if I'm in the backyard and she's with me) I was wondering if I should get her one of her own, as we have an older dog (small fluffy bitzer thing but we love her) so we already have a kennel, but I was wondering if she would be territorial about it? she doesn't really go in there much, she likes her snooza bed better... and she shared the kennel she had before this one with her sister (who passed away a few years ago).

Final question haha: This is more a poodle people one, but I was wondering what grooming tools you guys find best? As in, what kind of brushes and combs suit the poodle's coat?

Sorry about this mammoth post... heres some puppy photos as your reward

Her name is Chaconne :p

Four weeks old, being held by the breeder

Three weeks old

Three weeks old again, and very interested in something on the floor

Edit: i can't spell haha

Edited November 20, 2007 by Poodle_Pamperer

[Christina]

Your puppy looks so cute,I bet you are so excited & can hardly wait.

I cant answer your question about toilet training using crate method as I dont do it. I crate pups for safety when mopping floors etc or when I cant watch them but I paper train & graduate to outside.

For grooming you will need a soft slicker brush,these come in normal size & puppy small size,which is handy if you are not used to using a slicker brush. Also a straight metal comb with wide spaced teeth at one end & smaller spaces at the other end. Give her a little brush & comb every day to get her used to it even though she doesn't need it. Good training.

Wouldn't worry about the kennel. Why will she want to go in it when you are there. Lots of fun coming your way.

[BC]

Ok, grooming, as Christina said, soft slicker brush and metal comb.

Get puppy used to grooming from day dot, brushing with slicker, and then combing down to the skin with the comb, ensuring there are not knots. As puppy coat matures, grooming will become more demanding and it will need to be done every second day at least. 6 weekly grooming visits to a professional groomer is a must too, unless you are going to do quite a bit yourself.

Crating: the size will depend on the the size of poodle you have. Toy, mini or standard.

Also, leaving the crate in the laundry etc in defeating the purpose. Crating is not only for toilet training, but it becomes a safe place for your dog to be should it need to be confined etc. It helps with toilet training as dogs normally dont toilet where they sleep so if you make it a nice sleeping place for her, she will let you know if she needs to go to the toilet. If you then take her outside she knows that is where she must go. I think sometimes with newspaper and toilet pads they can confuse the dog. It gives them an option of going inside, which means they will most likely continue doing it inside. Start taking her to the toilet where you always want her to go, which I am assuming is outside

Dont bother with kennel. If she is going to be an inside dog and outside when you are, she wont even use it. You can just get a good snooza or hessian bed and as long as it under cover that will be fine for outside.

Good luck with puppy

[Janba]

I use the same size crate my pup will need as an adult, but put a smaller box as a bed in it to make them cosy and also to block of part of the crate. If the crate is too large they can get far enough away from their bed to pee. I put the crates in my room to start of with so I can hear them. I also have a crate in the living area of the house where i can put a pup when I can't keep on eye on them. I find they cry if they want to go to the toilet. I have never had a puppy or dog toilet in a crate.

My older BC boy slept through the night form about 10 weeks and when I got my younger at 11 weeks he slept through from the moment I got him. The older still sleeps in his crate every night (door open) and the younger on a bed beside his crate.

They usually feel secure in their crates- it is like a den. At pet expo we had a couple of crates set up in the dally stall and when the dogs got tired of meeting and greeting they were asking to be put into the crates for a rest.

ETA Your puppy looks really cute Good luck with her.

Edited November 20, 2007 by Janba

[Chaconne]

Thanks everyone for your replys

I deffinatly will have the crate in my room then, even if my family come to regaurd me as a crazy dog woman haha, atleast I'll have a well toilet trained dog in the end

Ok, so a slicker brush and a metal comb? I am planning on learning how to clip and groom her myself, but first I think it will be trips to the groomer every 6 weeks until I'm confident enough.. till then I'll be happy brushing her every 2nd night.

Not having to get another kennel is good... our current dog doesn't even use hers much anyway

[cfc_4_ever]

On Puppypower77, I bought a crate from him a few weeks ago. Only took about 4 days to get to perth and it is fantastic qualty

[NewPup]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a crate? is it a puppy pen? I am about to get a new puppy and was going to get a pen that I could move inside or outside, and to keep the puppy in and the other dog out. Is that what a crate is? a pen? what is the best one for me to get and where do I get it from?

Thank you

[jillybean]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a crate? is it a puppy pen? I am about to get a new puppy and was going to get a pen that I could move inside or outside, and to keep the puppy in and the other dog out. Is that what a crate is? a pen? what is the best one for me to get and where do I get it from?

Thank you

A crate is abit more like a cage or a carrier that your pup can use as somewhere to sleep, or where you can put them if you need to keep them confined for a while.

To Poodle Pamperer - we used to have a toy poodle, and before that we had a minature poodle. My mum used to clip the minature poodle and do all the grooming herself. I remember we used to put her on top of the washing machine because otherwise she'd run off

Make sure you keep up the brushing, especially on their ears! Their ears tend to go in their food so the fur gets all matted up and it's not fun trying to get it out if you don't keep up with the brushing..

Goodluck with it all! Poodles are great! (But so are beagles )

[Poodle wrangler]

Crate- in bedroom. They're so cheap in toy poodle size, that it's worth having it for toilet training alone, though it can also be good if you have kids/ visitors (pup needs rest). I bought one for our standard poodle, but hardly used it- he was quick to toilet train and happy to sleep outside with our mini poodle- so sold it.

My mini poodle has never used his kennel. Prefers to be on the back deck, surveying his realm.

Grooming-

*SOFT slicker brush. Must be SOFT or EXTRA SOFT, size small. Doggyman brand is excellent, but expensive- keep away from a chewing pup.

*Coarse/ medium greyhound comb (don't ask me why they're called that)

Buy good quality grooming tools- they're well worth it! Have poodle, must groom.

Ask the breeder to show you how to brush and comb your pup- there is a proper way to do it!

[Chaconne]

oh, more replys! thanks guys :cool:

Thanks for the photos poodle_wrangler! that'll help me find what I'm looking for in the store much faster... its definatelly strange that its called a "greyhound comb" I don't remember them having much fur to begin with

With the ears getting in the food, whould it help if she wore a snood or something similar while she ate then?