New puppy questions...nails, hair, treats & training...oh my!

[Lego]

Hi.  Our new puppy, Lego, has been with us for two weeks now.  We love her and she seems to fit right in with us.  I do have some questions for you wise doodle owners...

 

1)  It's so hard to get her to hold still to clip nails and the hair in her eyes (I personally like the hair covering her eyes but feel bad that she might not be seeing the best).  Is there any trick to get her to hold still?

 

2)  Food doesn't appear to be her thing.  All the training books I've read reward based on food which seems great, unless food isn't their thing.  She does seem to like to lick up the crumbs under the table that my boys leave behind so maybe I just need to find some dog treat she loves.  Any suggestions?

 

3)  Did you do puppy kindergarten before all vaccinations?  It seems like a great thing to do and I'd like our whole family to go but then you hear they shouldn't be out until they are fully vaccinated.  We are introducing her to everyone we can and I really think the puppy kindergarten is for her people (me, husband and two boys).

 

Sorry these are such a random set of questions.  Thanks for any help you can give me!  Take care, Lisa

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Congratulations on your totally adorable new puppy. I can't help too much with the nail clipping, because I have either the Vet or the Trainer do it (I'm a huge chicken). As for treats that may get her attention I find that "real meat, especially chicken" is the most effective with my guys. They'll do just about anything for chicken. I cut it in really small pieces which I keep in the refrigerator for those "special" training situations. I would strongly discourage taking the puppy to any training facility prior to completion of the series of vaccinations. We need to be so careful of having our pups exposed to many really serious and potentially deadly diseases. I'm sure you're Vet would agree....mine didn't even want me to take our puppies to potty where any other dog may have been until the vaccinations were complete.

[Lego]

Thanks Jane! I wasn't sure if I should feed her people food or not. Sounds like it's okay. Although, she is so picky with her eatting that I worry she will stop eatting her regular food the little she does. I have an 8 year old son that will hold out until there is something he finds acceptable which generally isn't that acceptable. :) I'm starting to compare the two...

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

As long as you only use the small pieces only as training rewards, you should be okay. I have a 25 year old son who STILL holds out for something he finds acceptable....he hasn't eaten anything green since he was a toddler.

[Lego]

Boys are funny. Yes, I imagine mine will still be holding out when he is 25. When he is required to try everything on his plate you would think we were feeding him worms.

Okay...I'm going to go for the hot dog and/or cheese tomorrow!

[Candy & Hudson]

Hello! I'm no expert, but am going through puppiness right now also :) I am so scared to cut the hair around Hudsons eyes, so I am thinking about taking him to a groomer for a trim! My pups favorite treat seems to be any sort of dried meat.. chicken, bison liver, etc. The ones I buy are made locally so I don't know what is available to you. The Zukes training treats in all flavors are also popular here, I would keep trying new things. As far as puppy kindergarten, it depends, some places have groups meant for puppies who arent complete vaccinations, and some are not, I would call and ask!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Try placing her up on a table with a little height when you want to clip her hair or trim her toe nails. Sometimes if you try doing it on your lap or the floor they wiggle more. Also, both are probably a 2 person job with a little puppy. Also, every chance you get from now on when she is laying quietly play/rub her feet and ears so she gets used to you handling them. Also, start using a soft brush right away even if she doesn't need brushed ..... get her used to all of it while she is little.

Try cutting up little pieces of hot dog or cheese or chicken to see if she likes those better as treats. And it only needs to be tiny pieces. You can also just try different treats or a different brand of dog food. We used a lot of dog food as treats, just not what they ate on a regular basis.

We didn't do puppy kindergarten so I'm not sure about the vaccinations .... we started at beginning obedience.

She is adorable, I know you must be having so much fun!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

We started a puppy class at 16 weeks (end of puppy vaccinations). Our vet thought that was the safest bet. We started training sit, stay, come immediately though. Peri has always been food driven, but I can tell you she performs best with havarti and feta cheese! Yes, my girl has quite the palette for cheese.

[Camilla and Darwin]

As far as the nail clipping goes, I may have a suggestion. It is REALLY important to get her used to this from early on, because it's something you or the vet/groomer will need to do regularly. We had a specific treat (small pieces of cheese) set aside ONLY for grooming and nail clipping. DH would sit and hold the cheese between his fingers, letting Darwin lick it, while I clipped his nails. He was hesitant at first, but after a few times he got used to it. Now he just lays down and basically falls asleep when I brush him or clip his nails.

Treats they go crazy for - warmed up hotdogs cut into pieces, small pieces of chicken, small pieces of cheese... beef...

Puppy Class. When we first got Darwin, we heard mixed messages. Darwin was kind of timid so I wanted to get him socializing and training ASAP. We enrolled him in a class that was specifically for puppies who hadn't finished vaccinations. Even though it helped him A LOT, I don't know if I would make the same choice again. It is VERY risky to take your pup out without all vaccinations complete.

[Lego]

Great suggestions! I'm starting to see this is a two person job. Now if I can figure out if she is a hot dog girl or cheese girl!

[Lego]

Hi Megan. Would any men's beard trimmer work? Thanks for all the information. How often does poo get stuck? This must be something I get to look forward to? :)

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Hi Lisa, Lego is adorable. Is she a medium or a standard? I'm in San Mateo if you need any help!!!
No tricks to hold her still. My son's girlfriend is a groomer and I leave all that to her:)
Try the Zuke brand training treats or Solid Gold has Alaskan Salmon bites. Lucca loved them and he is a very picky food eater.
Call around your area regarding Puppy Classes. Some will allow you to go at around 14 weeks before the last set of shots are done. All the other dogs are in the same position. I was pretty paranoid though and didn't start until all the shots were done. I think not being able to get them doggy socialized is the hardest part.
We do impromptu Doodle Romps in San Mateo every once in awhile. I will "friend" you and contact you when we do this. Lucca has a brother, a sister and his younger brother between here and San Jose so we try to get together when we can. There are also Romps on Sundays at Fort Funston. Join the Nor-cal and the San Francisco Doodles group. They keep you informed as to what is going on in this area.
Good luck, she is a cutie

[Lego]

Hi Carla. Lego is a mini...she should be about 25 lbs when she is full grown. We are in Los Altos so not too far! I would love to know about doodle romps as all our friends have kids and not dogs. And also any recommendations for training classes, dog places here on the penninsula. This is all new for us!

Thank you for all the information. I'd say the only thing difficult about Lego is that she dosen't eat. Breakfast goes okay but lunch and dinner she doesn't really care to eat and only if we hand feed her. The good thing is she is learning to sit, stand, shake quickly. My 8 year old is a pickey eater so I'm trying not to fall into the traps I did with him...although, I'm not sure it's the same for kids and dogs. :)

Thank you for your message.