+NEWBORN

When puppies are born their eyes and ears are still closed but they can smell and feel. Their main priority is to eat, sleep and look cute at this age. Their bodies are very sensitive as they can not yet control their body temperature so we ensure to keep them warm using a room heater and heating pads. Their mother also helps them to stay warm but she can cause them harm by laying on them unknowingly hurting them. For this reason we stay by their side day and night to keep them safe until around 3 weeks of age when they start to become more hardy. Day 3-16 of age we do ESI & ENS with the puppies. Here is a link to help you better understand what the two protocols are and what benefits they have.

+2 WEEKS

At 2 weeks we do the first face & fanny shaving, bath & blow dry and nail trim. Early often grooming is super important to desensitize the puppies to something that will be done all of their lives. Poodles need to be groomed every 4-8 weeks depending on the cut they are kept in. Daily-weekly brushing is also very important to be sure no matting is forming in the hair. When a poodle is matted the majority of the time the only option is to shave down as it is difficult for the groomer and very uncomfortable for the dog to brush & pull out matting. Poodles unlike most breeds need their ear hair plucked out to prevent a build up of hair and wax. To keep ears healthy and infection free do a weekly ear cleaning with a solution that contains ketoconaxole and pluck ears every couple months using hemostat clamps. After plucking clean the ears daily with a solution for 2-3 days to keep infection away while the ears heal from plucking. We start plucking and cleaning at 5-6 weeks of age. We continue to bathe weekly until the puppies go to their new homes. At 2 weeks of age the puppies will receive their first round of dewormer and again every 2 weeks until 8 weeks of age. When the puppy is in your care you will need to start deworming schedule which your vet will help you with. Typically you can do a once a month preventive but their are different types of options to choose from.

+3 WEEKS

At around 3 weeks old the puppies eyes and ears will start to open and they are getting more mobile but still need their mom to survive. Not alot of personality can be determined at this age but certain tendancies can be picked up.

+4 WEEKS

At 4 weeks old they can walk and start to chew at each other. At this age we introduced a puppy mush to start the weaning process. This is also when we bring in pine pellets to a portion of their area to start a potty training technique. We start out with 50% pellet and 50% blanket then gradually do less and less pellet until it is about a 10% pellet area. By starting out with a larger section this gives the puppies opportunity for more success to use the bathroom in the correct area. As it gets smaller they are learning to target a smaller area. The pellets have a woodsy natural smell which should help the puppies to associate the scent of outside to going potty.

+5 WEEKS

At 5 weeks we start crate training and leash training, they are active and very playful at this age and can start to learn manners such as sitting before being pet (also known as manding), they can learn not to chew on hands and they can even start to recognize their names. Temperament can now be more easily determined from one puppy to another.

+6 WEEKS

  At 6 weeks old they are almost totally weaned and are pretty independent but still need to be with mom and siblings to learn bite inhibition. Bite inhibition is where they learn that biting too hard will cause another puppy to cry and no longer want to play or their mother to do a low growl or snap. Loosing a playmate is no fun so they learn to chew more softly, you need to help teach the puppy this same thing when it is with you.

+7 WEEKS

At 7 weeks old they get their first set of shots and a vet check to ensure everything is looking healthy before going to their new homes. They are full fledged puppies at this age but are still learning from siblings and mom. 

+8 WEEKS

8 weeks old they are ready to go to their new homes. Many of our puppy families use a flight nanny to deliver the puppy to them however you can also come pick up your puppy in person or ask about ground transport. You can expect any form of delivery to be $200-$1500 depending on your location. We love to receive updates on our puppies, each litter has a “litter group chat” where updates can be shared and it is also a good place to ask for advice!