I would be grateful for any Advise to a new doodle owner of puppy 8 wks old

[a.k.a. Rodney]

Ok, I am about to get my pup in 2 weeks. not my first dog, but first was 18 yrs ago. I am not ashamed to admit a wee bit nervous. Had a PERFECT Maltese 7 lb'er before. This one might be 15 if I am lucky.my 2 big questions are...do I leave her in the crate with a soft crate mattress/covering on the floor...worried about potty issues
Also any suggestions on the bells...treat as she uses them or when she actually goes potty outside or both..yikes sounds like this could be treat heaven for a pup....if she is contained in a crate & play pen...would it make sense to put the bells closer to her than at my front door?
I guess this shows how manic I am about this new territory I am entering into....Doodleville!! YIKES
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[Star and Goldie]

I got a water resistant crate pad and once potty accidents are no longer an issue, graduate to a more soft plushy, comfy (whatever she prefers) bed. For the bells you need to hang them on the door. Don't treat her for ringing the bell- give her some verbal praises and excitement though- treat her for the actual potty duty. You don't want her to associate bell = treat because then she will be ringing that thing all day long! As long as you are consistent with the bell, she'll catch on really fast. On my pups 3rd day with us she rang the bell on her own! There was quite a dance party in my house when that happened!

Good luck and congrats on your pup.  Post pictures when you get her!!

[a.k.a. Rodney]

Thanks so much for your most helpful answer

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Welcome to Doodleville! :-)

I only used a piece of fleece blanket in the crate, they get too hot if their beds are too fluffly. At least both of mine do. Make sure the crate is not too big for the puppy to eliminate in one end and sleep in the other one. We used a plastic carrier for the first few nights and we had it in our upstairs bedroom for, I think, first 5 nights. Then the puppy was sleeping in a wire crate downstairs. We had one of these big crates since our doodle was a standard size, so we used a divider in the crate. The puppy never went in his crate, but when he was out, he would go out every 20-25 minutes. It was a lot, but you have to watch her like a hawk anyways for the first few weeks.

As for the potty bells. Our first doodle was a breeze to teach. The second one, it took a while. Basically, hang the bells on the doors that you will use to go out to go potty. As you take the puppy out every 20 minutes, stop at the door, ring the bells, and say a phrase in a squeeky voice (e.g. "outside"). Once the puppy pees outside, praise heavily and treat (I did not use treats, just the praise, since his belly was a bit reactive when he was young). Just make sure you touch the bells on every trip out. My first puppy was ringing the bells on his third day in the house, but he was the PERFECT one, just like your Maltese. It took Auggie a few weeks before he barely touched the bells with his nose so softly that they did not even ring.  After few days, on the way out, just try pointing at the bells saying "outside". The puppy should catch up and touch the bells with her nose shortly.

I don't think it would make sense to put the bells to her crate and play pen. They need to be attached to the door that leads out. If she is enclosed in the pen, you need to make sure you take her out every 20 minutes and ring the bells at the door.

Puppies are fun, but they are a lot of work. Get some sleep now while you can and then enjoy the ride. They grow up fast and turn into fabulous companions. :-) 

[a.k.a. Rodney]

Thanks for the info...right now babysitting my 3 "grands" in NYC ...I guess I'll try sleeping once back in fla....certainly, not much to be had here
So, the real answer is not to comfy at first. I bought a snuggle puppy...maybe that will be enough?
This pup should be on the smaller side..so got a 19x24 crate...figured even if she out grew it not so bad as long as she got potty trained correctly, hopefully sooner than later.

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

Welcome!  Please join the puppy madness group along with the training group.  You will find LOTS of information that will help you and your puppy. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

There are lots of discussions about puppies, crate training, bells etc--you can join the puppy madness group and you can search discussions by topic to get lots of advice...

One thing I think you have wrong here--if the pup is in a crate with a pen attached, she will not come out of her crate and into the pen and ring a bell to go out--she is not at all at that point yet--she will come out of the crate and pee!! You should have the crate door closed when she is in it and sleeping and then be ready to take her right out when she wakes--they do not wait! The pen is good for playing and exercise after she has been out, but she will not know yet that she can't go potty in there--they do usually avoid going potty where they sleep though, hence the crate is good for the training process IF it is small enough that they can't use a corner for a potty and sleep at the other end. You should be prepared for a lot of accidents--it takes a while to get the housebreaking down...

Good luck!

[DJ & Chance]

I echo the excellent advice given by others--the puppy madness and training groups have great information on a wide range of topics.

Like you, I was very apprehensive before getting my new puppy.  I grew up with dogs, but it had been 10 years since I had been responsible for a puppy, and my life circumstances are now very different.  I almost backed out but once I had the puppy in my arms I knew that I would figure out how to manage the awesome joy and responsibility of raising a puppy.  Good luck!

[Pam & Trixie]

I myself prefer to not have anything in their crate that they can chew (like a mat or blanket)

[Shelley & Beans]

you are not manic, good questions. After several months of waiting and 11 years since I last had a puppy in my house I bring our Doodle home TODAY!. Thanks for your questions because it answered some of mine.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I'm probably going to stir things up by saying this, but I don't like the idea of using potty bells at all.  At the beginning, you are going to be taking your puppy out every 20 minutes and the time between going out to eliminate is going to increase as your pup gets older.  I have always been of the opinion that potty bells teach the dog that he or she decides when to go out, when ultimately, you are going to want the pup to wait until it's convenient for you.  I have two dogs, and I know how long they can hold it before needing to go out.  They wait until I decide that it's time.  Every once in a while, one of them needs to go out sooner, and they definitely know how to communicate that need.  One of them "talks" to me and then starts to walk backwards.  The other one sits right in front of me and stares at me until I take her out.  I wouldn't want to worry about hearing the bells. Plus, your dog will need to let you know when it's time to pee or poop when you're away from home.  Do you really want to be hanging bells from doors wherever you are?  Bells and whistles on becoming a doodle owner -- just consider whether you want to teach something that you may later regret.  

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Don't know about the bells but I suggest nothing on the crate floor. I did the mat thing and both of mine hated it and spent their time scrunching it up into a corner. I did leave a little fleece blanket and a snuggle puppy but most important is that it is the right size so they can't walk to the other side from where they have been sleeping to potty.  The idea is that they don't potty indoors at all and that you either take them outside very very often to go there.  When out of the crate you have to watch like a hawk, after play, after food, after sleep it's straight outside.  The first few weeks are exhausting but if you are vigilant the hard work will pay off in the shortest possible time...head to the Puppy Madness group, all the info and advice is there.  Good luck with your new furbaby.  Lots of the advice has changed over the past few years and the best of it and most up to date is right here.