Kack's Poos

Motion sickness in puppies is a common problem due to the fact that the parts of the inner ear involved in balance aren’t fully developed. Therefore no amount of preparation or a slow introduction to travel will help or prevent this. Puppies that get motion sickness tend to drool heavily and may vomit within even the first minutes of travel. Whether traveling up the road via car or across the country via plane, the results will be the same for those puppies. Puppies will usually “outgrow” motion sickness by around 6 months of age. You will want to be prepared to clean up any mess made during travel. We recommend that puppies travel in a crate or carrier meant for the purpose and that it be lined thickly with an absorbable bedding, pee-pad, or towels.

The first night home with your new puppy can be a trying experience for both of you. It’s the first time your puppy has spent the night away from the sights, sounds, and smells it has known since birth. As with any new baby, you may not get much sleep the first night with puppy. If you’re patient and understanding, your puppy will learn what you expect of him when it’s time to sleep. You both should wake up rested and ready for the day after a few nights together. Here are some tips to get you through this:

Shortly before you go to bed, spend some time playing with your puppy. You want him to be tired enough to sleep soundly. Definitely don’t let him nap within an hour or two of bedtime or else he or she will be ready to play when you’re ready to sleep.

Just before bed, take them outside and wait for him to go. When he does, praise him and bring him back inside. This reinforces good behavior and begins the house training process.

If possible, let your puppy sleep in your bedroom to reduce the chances of whining or crying at night. Also, the constant contact throughout the night will help them adjust to you and establish you as pack leader. One note of caution: Don’t let the puppy sleep in the bed with you. They will eventually expect to be allowed in the bed, and it can lead to numerous behavioral problems as your puppy grows.

I highly recommend crate training and your new puppy is already used to being in a crate so it is a comfortable area to them already. You should put the crate in your room and use that to confine him while he sleeps. Puppies usually won’t soil the area where they sleep as long as it is not too large of an area, but if he has the opportunity to wander he may get up and go during the night.

As a last resort, you can keep your new puppy somewhere other than your bedroom. Make sure you puppy proof your house first and put a sweatshirt or other article of your clothing with him for your scent. Many people swear by a ticking clock or a radio set to a low volume to help soothe a puppy the first night home. 

If and when your puppy starts crying at night, you need to decide if he has to go to the bathroom or if he’s looking for attention. If he’s been quiet for a few hours and suddenly starts to cry or whine, he may need to go out. Puppies have small bladders, so you’ll likely have to take him out at least once during the night to avoid an accident unless you have someone in the household that stays up late to let him out just before bed and someone that is an early riser to get him out upon waking. If you must do a middle of the night trip outside, care must be taken to prevent this from becoming a habit as you will not want to continue to wake nightly indefinitely. 

If your puppy is crying and you’re sure it’s not for need going potty, reach down and soothe him a little. Don’t be too doting or coddle your puppy. This will only reinforce the behavior and he’ll cry even more. If he continues to whine, a gruff “Quiet” and a quick, but gentle, shake by the scruff should settle the matter. If all else fails, ignore him. Tough love may be difficult, but eventually your puppy will learn that crying at night gets him nowhere. The more persistent you are in your approach, the quicker the situation will be resolved. If you’re stern one minute and sympathetic the next, your puppy will only be confused and his behavior will continue.

In the morning get up right away and take your puppy outside. Carry him. Don’t let him walk there or he may be tempted to go before he gets outside. Let him empty everything out, and praise him when he’s finished.

At this time, your puppy should be eating at least a small handful of hard food at each feeding. During the first 24 hours in a new home, your puppy may go through a slight "off" period due to the stress of leaving mom and littermates, travel, and getting to know the new faces and environment. If this happens, you can add a bit of warm water to the hard food and let it sit for a few minutes prior to feeding to help release the aroma and stimulate their appetite.  

It is important that you feed your puppy 3 times per day until it reaches 16 weeks (4 months) old. This is because small puppies are more susceptible to hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, especially those weighing less than 5 lbs. Feeding at 8 hour intervals will keep your puppy's blood sugar at a steady level. Starting the 16th week, you can start feeding just twice a day in the morning and evening. Feed no more than your puppy will eat in a 20 minute period. Alternatively, you can keep food available at all times, also known as "free feeding". 

Feeding a high quality puppy food is one of the most important things you can do to protect the future health of your puppy as they grow. Ask a dozen veterinarians, breeders, groomers, and trainers what brand they recommend and you may get a dozen different answers. Here at Kack's Poos, we are now feeding Life's Abundance exclusively and require our puppies to be fed this food, along with the supplement below, in order to maintain the health guarantee. This is because we have actually participated in feed trials and found that to be the absolute best food available. It is shipped direct to your home, so you are getting the freshest feed with the highest nutrients. It was formulated by one of the top holistic veterinarians in the country, Dr. Jane Bicks, D! Keep in mind that our puppy health guarantee does require this food to be fed for the life of the puppy. You should purchase your first bag AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR to picking up your puppy. Puppies with an expected adult weight of less than 50 lbs. should be fed the Small/Medium Breed Puppy Food until they reach 1 year of age. All adult dogs should be transitioned onto the All Life Stages Food.

In addition to the diet, we use NuVet Plus wafers to protect against most ailments (from back yard pesticides, pet food allergies and hormones, toxic formaldehyde in furniture and carpeting, ailments transmitted from dog parks and the vet’s office, etc), all while maintaining a beautiful coat and healthy skin, and helping to prevent tear staining.

This is not just a vitamin. It’s an immune system builder with a precise balance of vitamins, minerals, omega fatty acids, amino acids and high-potency antioxidants. That’s why it works so well through all three stages of a dog’s life. We require it be given to our puppies as part of our health guarantee, and highly recommend it for any other pets you may have!

• For younger dogs (under 2 years old), it strengthens their immune system, while building and strengthening the cardiovascular, skeletal and nerve systems.It also helps protect them from the side effects of vaccinations and the stress of new and different environments.
  
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• For dogs in their prime (age 2-8), it improves the luster of their skin and coat while protecting against allergies, skin and coat problems, staining from tears, digestive problems, etc.
  
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• For older dogs (over 8 years old), it helps protect against, tumors, premature aging, cataracts, heart conditions, diabetes and many types of cancer, while extending the life and improving the vitality of many dogs.
  

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LIFE'S ABUNDANCE

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE NUVET PLUS

Poodles and poodle hybrids are VERY smart and easily trained. But if you are not prepared, that can present even more of a challenge. Due to their intelligence, head-strong nature and mischievous personality, they often view discipline and training as games and will use the opportunity to test your patience. It’s not unusual for them to quickly understand the command training being taught but still clown around to lighten the mood. You should be aware that your little friend’s actions are not signs of disobedience, but rather his way of letting you know he gets the simple commands and is ready for something more. I have found good overall training series on YouTube at TRAINING POSITIVE  That being said, I feel a much better option is to take advantage of our partnership with Baxter and Bella online training. You receive 25% off this phenomenal training service by using the code KP25OFF. Learn more at Baxter & Bella Training.

*****CRATE TRAINING*****

Crate training is simply putting your puppy into a crate at times when you cannot watch him every second during housetraining, you leave home, you want him to sleep, you need him to be or feel safe, you are traveling with him (even to the vet), or you need more control over his behavior. During housetraing, the crate should be just large enough for the puppy to walk in, turn around, and lay down. If it is any larger than that, the puppy may learn to just potty on one side and sleep on the other! Food and water should not be offered in the crate unless you are going to be gone for longer than 8 hours. The crate should never be used as a punishment.

*****HOUSETRAINING*****

It is important for your puppy to have an established routine and for you to be consistent in your expectations of him. The easy way to look at the routine you need to establish is that any time there is a break during the day or a change of direction in your pup’s day, take him to his potty place. If you take your puppy to the same place every time, they will continue to go to that same spot to potty even when off-leash if your yard is fenced in and they are allowed to run free. We work very hard to give every puppy a solid foundation in training before they come home to you. We have began a new training protocol that includes scent association training along with positive reinforcement. Puppies are taught to associate the smell of natural compressed pine pellets (labeled as cat litter) with potty time. We send each puppy home with a sample bag that can be spread in the potty area of your choosing when you get home. This will help your puppy to learn exactly where you want them to potty in their environment.

• When your pup gets up, take him to the potty place.
  
•  After he eats or drinks anything, take him to the potty place.
  
• After your pup plays or exercises, take him to the potty place.
  
• Withhold water for two before bed.
  
• Just prior to going to bed, take him to the potty place.