Soon to be New Doodle Mom

[Phoebe's Mom]

We are in countdown mode..9 days until Phoebe's arrival! I was hoping to benefit from some sage advice from the experienced owners on DK. What would your best advice be to help transition our new puppy--and our children to that puppy--to her new home? I have been reading lots of books and articles on the web but who knows more than the doodle owners themselves? Thanks in advance.

[Oliver]

Hm. I guess it really depends on the puppy? If you have a somewhat timid/scared puppy (a lot of puppies are a little wary at first) it might make them feel more comfortable to be in a crate at first- leaving the door open or closed, and teaching her that that is HER place. Your kids can sit or move slowly around the cage and just generally be gentle and soothing as they wait for her to come out on her own terms. No quick, sudden movements or loud noises is key.

If you have a super excitable puppy (they all get to this point :)), it's really about training the humans first- make sure your kids know not to be "too rough" with the puppy. Also teach them that whenever the puppy is teething or acting way too rambunctious, that they should "look for rain." Look for rain means: crossing their arms across their chest and looking up at the sky. This is a great first thing to teach young dogs: it shows them that if they want to get some playtime, they should sit and relax. If your kids reward the bad behavior of a rambunctious puppy, then you will have an uncontrollable little puppy...and in turn, a large uncontrollable dog when they're older. You'll be surprised, they get what "looking for rain" means right away, too. :) Most will automatically sit whenever they approach a person because it's the "polite" way to ask for attention.

I highly recommend "Puppies for Dummies," they have an entire section about "looking for rain" and how to teach your kids about how to play with the puppy. As well as tricks, commands, etc that your kids can help teach the puppy!
http://www.amazon.com/Puppies-Dummies-Pets-Sarah-Hodgson/dp/0470037...

[Adina P]

How old are your children? I would start to teach them now the concept of "Be A Tree" -- this will help them get through those crazy puppy moments. you can see it described on this website: http://www.be-a-tree.com/kid%20main.htm
Instead of the "count in your head" your child can also sing or hum a song.

I would also recommend the following books:

Raising puppies and kids together
http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB851

living with kids and dogs without losing your mind
http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB852

I have not read the two above but one of those has been recommended quite often in other circles.

Good luck and congratulations and let us know how it goes!

[Phoebe's Mom]

We were supposed to pick up Phoebe on a Monday for just that reason but then the breeder needed to change the flight plans, so now we are gertrting her on a Sunday instead. I have been working with my children for the past seven weeks and now even my youngest can recite almost verbatim "Phoebe's Rules." I suppose once I work on getting my own excitement and anxiety under control, the children will follow suit.

[Adina P]

Seven weeks of working with your kiddos to prepare for puppy! You are gonna be a WONDERFUL doodle mom =)

[Phoebe's Mom]

I so love the concept of 'looking for rain." I just cracked the spine on Puppies for Dummies twenty minutes ago while getting a car wash! I am headed to that chapter first now. i just finished reading Be the Pack leader by Ceesar Milan but i feel that some of his concepts would be a stretch for my younger children. Looking for rain is something they already know of sorts when they ignore me! thanks!

[Kyoko]

Hello!
When we brought Charlie home, we let her go in and out of crate with the door open, encouraging her to go in by placing the toys inside, etc...But when she got sleepy, she was just fine sleeping in there with the mommy blanket.( This took place all in one day that day) I placed crate in my bedroom, so I can access her easy when she woke up and whimpered at night.

[Phoebe's Mom]

Getting through the night is the cause of most of my anxiety. Two of my children are such light sleepers that I fear we will be having a party all night long here if Phoebe does not start sleeping through the night in record time. While I am very realistic in my expectations of her, we had an 'uber-dog' over 12 years ago who slept through the night from Day 1. I am hoping to channel a little of that spirit into Phoebe. I also think I need to take some of your suggestions about making her crate more accessible to her during the day without the door being closed--more like a den and less like confinement. Thanks

[Chris & Boys]

The first night we had Fozzy Bear, the boys couldn't fall asleep. They kept getting out of bed to give Fozzy hugs. I suggest putting a fan in the kids room for white noise. This will drown out whimpering so the kids don't wake up as easily. Also, the first couple of nights you could set your alarm to take her out every two to three hours, so that she doesn't have to cry or bark. Then, everynight, add 10 minutes to the time so your not forever taking her out on such a tight schedule.

Hopefully you will not have an experience like I had on Fozzy's first night home. He howled for the longest time. (I guess his mom howled all night too, he was the first one to leave the litter)

Good luck!

[Adina P]

Have you spoken with your kids about this? Since you are doing such a great job preparing them, this might be something else you can chat about and have a plan for what they need to do when they hear you and puppy getting up. Give them a small responsibility IF they hear you get up with Phoebe ... something that will keep them contained in their room...but I can't think of what.

[Debbie and Thomas]

How exciting for you! Our GD "Thomas" slept thru the night his first day home. We hadn't bought a crate yet, as we picked him up earlier than anticipated. So we made a nice cozy spot for him in the laundry room which is off our kitchen, gave him a fuzzy stuffed toy that looked alot like his siblings and he crashed for the entire night. Our bedroom is on the main floor of this house and we never heard a peep. When we opened the door at 7:30 he looked up at us like we were disturbing him! He was clean and dry-no accidents and went potty outside, then came in and flopped on the floor. He was potty trained within 2 weeks-if he did have accident in the house-he went on the training pads which we left on the floor near the door. So, in my opinion sleeping and potty training are not taht much of an issue. However, I could go on and on about the biting, nipping etc, jumping, for pages-but I won't. Thomas is now 5 months old and is settling down nicely. If you need any advice on some of the puppy behaviour issues that come up, everyone here gave me fantastic advice. Since I am still "fresh" with some of these issues, feel free to msg me anytime.
Good luck and enjoy! Debbie

[Phoebe's Mom]

Thanks so much for the info. The biting and nipping are my next concerns or, rather, my children's reactions to them. Of course, despite my weeks of prep and training my children, the first thing they are going to do is scream and run when Phoebe comes near them. My mantra is that 'this, too, shall pass.' I am looking forward to a long and happy life with Phoebe and the only way to get there is to forge through puppyhood!

[Chris & Boys]

See my post "Fozzy Bear has turned into a Tazmanian Devil" regarding nipping and growling.