Mitzy

He is nine weeks old, and he is now going out every two to three hours all day, but if he wants to go 8 hours at night, good on him, I say! Sorry! I wake him if necessary and take him out about 11pm or 12pm and then he sleeps till 6 am and we go out again. What is that, seven hours? of uninterrupted sleep for me. Seems alright.

Yep, the little rocks in the front flower bed are the ones he likes and they are the same size and shapes, roughly, as the cat food!! Which he loves!! That is what I was afraid of. Of course I know from my kids that if it is small enough to go in, it is probably small enough to come out!! That is what their doctor used to tell me! I just try to distract him with his chewy toys. He love the rabbit fur ones with squeakers. He took all the cat's toys and I have to go out today and buy them some more. He also scared me half to death last night by jumping off my lap when I was sitting on the sofa after a toy. He just LAUNCHED and landedabout three feet away!!! I won't let him do that again. There is a step down into the lounge room and he always runs and jumps off that and then looks at me as if to say, "Look what I did, mum!!" My husband calls him the circus dog!

We have discovered that Mica loves the back porch! Don't know why. It is a half-wall all the way round, no possible way for him to get out. If there were a way, the cats would have gotten out over the last year, and they haven't. I think if I put his crate out there and give him his toys, I might be able to leave him for the one half morning a week I take Yoga! Yay!

Someone will tell me if I am getting to be a nuisance, right? :rolleyes: Anyway, how long is tooooo long in the crate at a stretch, if he is awake? He seems content with his toys, etc for up to two hours, especially if he can see a person and is near the other dogs, even though they either ignore him or sniff at the crate constantly (at least the growling has stopped!) So, is it alright to keep him crated while I run the vacuum and cook, etc, as long as he is happy and playing? Sometimes he seems to just give up and go to sleep and sometimes, after awhile, he whines. Then I tell him, quiet and when he is quiet for a few minutes I let him out. Am I doing right?

Well, I am afraid that Mica could squeeze out under the gate if he put his mind to it and he is nowhere near ready to be alone with the other dogs yet, so.... As I talked to my husband (on Messenger, one of us has to work to feed this menagerie!) he clarified that what he meant was for me to take Mica out in the yard and sit with him, but have him off the lead. My husband raised both of the dogs we have now and they have wonderful manners, so I am relying on his guidance alot. I have had Mica outside off the lead, but not much since he came home Sat. I see him with lots of rocks and sticks in his mouth. This may sould stupid, but will he eat those rocks?

at what age would you let a puppy out into a fenced yard alone? My husband and I are having a "discussion" about what age is appropriate and safe. Our yard is fenced and dog safe, since we have two already, but I don't know.....

Thanks for that site. I knew I had seen something like that before. VERY useful. I have marked it.

Okay, this is going to be a long one. Mica is home since Sat. He is a 9 week old black mini poodle. Yes, I promised pictures but the batteries are dead on the camera (from taking so many pics, so I will post some as soon as the batteries are charged up). He has been, really, good as gold, so far. He has had a couple of accidents inside, but those were my fault, I realize. He went from 8:30 last night until 5:30 this morning without having to go outside! He didn't wake for that whole time! I was getting a little worried about 3 am! Anyway, he seems to be learning the meaning of outside, at least to urinate, we are working on the rest. I read in a book that I have that you shouldn't use No as a command or whatever to a puppy. What do you think about that? Our other dogs know the commands No (meaning, innediately stop whatever you are doing and look at me, LOL, I guess it could be replaced with sit or some such) and Leave it (meaning drop what is in your mouth and come to me or stop what you are doing and come to me, again, could be subsituted with come, I suppose) anyway, the reasoning was to not teach negative, I believe. My other question is this. Is there, like a honeymoon period with puppies? Or something like the terrible twos with kids? I just love him so much, even though I have only had him for a few days. And he is so good!! He seems to be learning the rules, even though he forgets (of course) from one instance to the next. He stays quiet in his crate, as long as he can see a person (preferably me) when he is awake. He slept all night last night. He really is just as good as gold!! He is much easier than my kids ever were. (I know now that I should have had poodles instead of kids!! ) Anyway, do they pick things up, then get all bratty at a certain age, like kids? and does the new wear off, then you get tired of them? I haven't ever raised a puppy before, but I love the two grown dogs my OH had when we got married. I just wanted to raise a puppy of my own and have a dog that could go and do things with me. (The two existing dogs are very old and have health issues, one is blind and one has a bad, bad back, so no walks outside the yard, beach visits, etc) Sounding like a poodle mom, I know. ETA: Put up pix in seperate post.

I found it on the Vic Park Council site. I have the number. We probably won't start till week after next, to give us all a chance to settle in. Thanks for the help, all. See some of you there.

Glad to see this topic pop (ha, ha, I wrote pup!) up again, since my little fellow comes home this weekend!!! Yay!!!!! Sandra or anyone else, do you have some contact for the classes at Vic Park? I will look online and see what I can find, but that sounds like a good class and I can start in a week or two (after we see the vet and all).

My husband says Vic Park is just as close as Southern River(? Southern River, is that right? You know, by Canine Corners) and I know my way around down there because of the groomers and we have friends who live in Vic Park and the OpShops, Oh, how I love Op Shops! I have only been here for a while from the States, so I get lost easy! Maybe I will see some of you there. If there is a lost looking American with a little black poodle, that will be me!!!!

Don't worry, you will be seeing plenty of pictures from me SOON!! I should be able to bring my baby home in about three weeks, if all works out. However, I will be visiting tomorrow and taking pictures. I am getting a black, male miniature poodle for my birthday (which was actually last week, but....) and I lurve my camera and my dogs! I will post pics tomorrow or the next day of the babies we are visiting and let you all know if I put a deposit on one or decided on the imported puppy. Whoever said they never saw a poodle puppy, be prepared!! :cool: I am liking this group. What do you all think of Pierrot for a black male poodle? Too foofy? or just right? I have to think of the agility ring.

I will probably go to the Perth Training and Obedience Club, because I think it is closer. But Vic Park isn't that far away. I have been using a groomer there (for the cocker spaniel) so.... Who else is starting in about a month?

Glad to have this info. Useful for a new puppy owner (or about to be, anyway) like me. And new to this area, too. The Perth Training and Obedience Club link does not seem to be working, but here is the one for Southern River which I will check out. http://www.agilitydogclub.org/ Will let you all know what I find out.