First days at home
The arrival of a Toy Poodle puppy home is one of the most incredible moments in anyone's life. It doesn't matter if you are an adult child, an animal lover or not. It is impossible not to fall in love with that little ball of hair that moves its tail at maximum speed and licks us on the nose.
There is a key word: Food. It is imperative that you eat every so often and have food and water nearby and at your disposal 24 hours a day for at least the first 15 days.
It is almost impossible to ask for peace of mind and responsibility during those first hours and days, but it is essential to understand their character and follow a series of guidelines so that the adaptation is optimal. It is not in vain that Toy poodles are the second most intelligent breed in the world and this is manifested among other things in their way of adaptation. We must be aware that they understand what is happening around them, they know that something is changing, they recognize the environment and perceive that the people they loved are no longer there.
How should we act the first hours at home?
You have to enjoy those first hours to the fullest, play, make videos, hug him... but it is imperative that every hour we let the puppy rest for another hour. He won't want to, he could play all the time, but if he does he will end up with low blood sugar. That is why every hour we must leave him alone, there is no need to take him to another area of the house, but we must ignore him, place food and water nearby and wait for him to calm down and eat. It is essential that you eat. If he doesn't eat we can't resume the games. There are some fatties who are going to go straight to eat, others are going to ignore the food, preferring to play. But the rule is clear: if you don't eat, you don't play.
There are some tricks to help him eat: We will always start with dry food in his bowl, if we see that after a while he ignores it, we can offer it in our hands, creating a small bowl with it. If it continues unintentionally, we can take a glass measure of feed water and a glass measure of very hot water and put them together so that the feed becomes softer but above all that it releases an intense smell that attracts the puppy. If with all this he does not start to eat, we can provide him with a small can of wet food, which we will also heat in the microwave. If we still don't get him to want to eat, we will wait a reasonable amount of time, 3-4 hours, and if he still doesn't eat, you should contact us so we can give you some extra tricks. For some puppies, the change in smells and people is very intense and if we see that they are not eating, a good resource is to use chicken or salmon. Our toy poodles love it. We usually have it frozen, we cut a small piece, we give it a blast in the microwave, we cut it into small pieces and they eat it voraciously. But we only have to resort to this if we see that they do not eat feed or wet food, since they are very smart and have a tendency to be gourmet.
Toy poodles are especially intelligent and affectionate animals. Knowing that their previous parents are no longer with them generates stress and during the first three days there is a drop in their defenses. That is why pooping with mucus or blood or even vomiting is normal to a certain extent, since it is due to the stress of change. That said, if we notice weakness or decline you should call us and go to a veterinarian. One of the products that we recommend having at home for the puppy's arrival is nutrigel or nutriplus or similar, and failing that honey. These are vitamin and glucose compounds that are placed on the dog's palate to give them extra energy. By protocol and throughout the puppy's life, it should be administered: if you are going to take a car or plane trip, every two hours. During the first 15 days after moving home: before going to sleep and when you wake up. This is especially important in smaller puppies whose liver has fewer glucose reserves and who cannot go more than 3-4 hours without eating. In fact, if on any occasion we see him weak or dull, we can place this nutrigel or honey paste on the puppy's palate and wait a few minutes since he usually recovers almost immediately.
It is highly recommended to weigh the puppy every morning, that way we can check that it is eating and if there is any weight loss, consult with us and the veterinarian. If you want more information about tricks to get your toy poodle to eat, you have a text about it: My Toy Poodle doesn't want to eat.
Once he has eaten, the most normal thing is for him to take a nap and when he wakes up we should take the opportunity to take him to the soaker. If we pet him for a few minutes he will surely be able to pee and poop on him. When he does so we must express our satisfaction in a jovial tone: Very good Nile!! At the same time we caress him as a form of reward.
It is imperative that whether or not we are at home, the toy poodle puppy is alone for at least 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. We can leave him in a small room or in the bathroom, or in a dog park, always with food and water. You have a specific post on this topic where we explain that there is no problem with the dog being alone, it is even positive for him.
Another important aspect is the temperature of the home, which should not be lower than 23-24 degrees. Puppies' temperature regulation is still ineffective, so they need a warm environment.
At bedtime you can place him at the foot of your bed for the first few days, so that, once we see that he is eating well and that he has adapted, we can have him sleep in a specific area of the house.
As a recommendation: a couple of days before and already having the puppy's microchip number, we suggest that you take out health insurance for the puppy. It is the most delicate stage of your life, and being able to go without extra expense to be told that everything is perfect is reassuring. We are going to be there at all times, and our two veterinarians, David and Marcos, are going to give you support, but in the end there is nothing like seeing it in person and the first weeks when the puppy arrives home are the most susceptible to the time. to have fears or doubts. We do not recommend any in particular, there are comparators where you can see which one best suits you.