# Using only Chew toys eg kongs to feed puppys food?



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I mostly fed my puppies from bowls or else used their kibble for rewards when we were training during their growth spurts. While I think Dunbar is great, and I recommend him highly, it's also important to recognize that the puppies themselves haven't read Dunbar. Each puppy is an individual, and some are better aligned with his methods than others. My puppy Ritter seemed to time his potty needs around naps rather than feedings. He needed to go out as soon as he woke up. Galen's need to potty was often marked by a burst of the zoomies first, and he also needed to poop twice before it was safe to let him back inside. (I never did figure out exactly what Galen's pee timing was; he just peed constantly. He was the hardest puppy I've ever had to housebreak.)

I fed my guys four meals a day when they were puppies. 
Crack of dawn was a potty break, then breakfast, then a nap.
Mid morning was another potty break, play & training (usually with some treats), followed by another nap.
Lunch time was a potty break, a meal, play time, and a nap.
Mid afternoon was a potty break, some play time, followed by a nap.
Supper time was a potty break, a meal, play time, and a nap.
Late evening was a light meal, a final potty trip, and bed.
Middle of the night was a brief potty trip and back to bed.

Yes, this is a lot of potty trips, and yes my life revolved around puppy nap time and potty breaks for the first six months.

I tried using Kong toys to feed my spoos, and it didn't work out. Partly it's because spoo puppies need so much food; I would be filling Kongs all day. Partly it's because spoos can be reluctant eaters. Usually the food fell out so easily that I might as well just use a bowl. If I got the food wedged in well enough that it didn't fall out, my puppies would get frustrated and stop eating.

I had better success with the Kong Wobbler. The large size holds two cups of food, which is half of Galen's daily allocation. Galen (and, unfortunately, the cat) are able to get the food to fall out one kibble at a time, and they will work on it for a while. Ritter will only work on the Kong Wobbler when he's very hungry. Since Ritter has a tendency to push Galen out of the food bowl, using the Kong Wobbler helps ensure Galen gets his fair share of dinner.

I do use my collection of rubber Kongs for entertainment purposes now. Vital Essentials makes a freeze dried raw kibble that my dogs consider as tasty as any treat. I fill the Kongs with that and wedge a hunk of freeze dried lamb heart or dried liver in the opening to plug it closed.


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## JasMom (7 mo ago)

I've always fed my dogs' kibble from a bowl. My SPOO was 9 weeks old when I brought him home. He ate on a regular schedule of 3-5 meals per day. During growth spurts, he benefitted from additional small meals rather than increasing his portion size at the 3 main meals.


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

You can feed in toys on a schedule if you want. But like @cowpony said, poodles can be a bit reluctant to eat. If you had a Labrador puppy, I’d said sure! Feed every meal in a puzzle! But my poodles would have starved if fed that way. I’ve always free fed my pups, and they’ve always had their own poop-times (and honestly, their self-regulated eating times as well). Phoebe has eaten her biggest meal at 11-12 o’clock at night, since coming home. I do feed my bully puppy in slow feeders exclusively, because she likes to pick up and bang the metal bowls around (spilling all the food in the process) and she like to pick up and try to bite the ceramic bowls, which scares me. She can’t pick up the slow feeder bowls very easily, and I think she does enjoy eating out of them. She can pick them up to dump them out to eat faster if she is really hungry.


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

Oh look. Tonight’s new trick is standing the slow feeder up against the pen. 🤣


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I have a 20 week old miniature poodle Nellie 

I have had Nellie since she was 8 1/2 weeks old, she just couldn't eat large meals, so I ended up feeding her as many as 6 times a day.

Only in the last three weeks Nellie has been eating 3-4 meals a day, recently between the holiday excitement, growing and teething there days she isn't eating as much, there days she cannot get enough to eat.

Each dog is an individual, Nellie briefly liked puzzles prefers to play with their bits but not eat out of them, she prefers just being fed in a bowl.

Nellie was 3 1/4 pounds when I brought her home, she is 7 1/2 pounds now so I figure I doing okay


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I found a combination of hand-feeding and bowl-feeding worked best for Peggy, but I would also stuff her Kong puppy tire with a dab of unsweetened peanut butter, chicken, apple, veggies, etc. or fill a treat dispensing toy with kibble a couple of times a day. Variety is what worked best for her and you’ll figure out what works best for your puppy.  Stuffed puppy Kongs and digestible chews were how we taught her to self-soothe if we stepped out of sight. 

We did always ensure that fresh kibble was available for her to munch on if she was extra hungry throughout the day (and always fresh water, too!), but we would only put out a quarter cup at a time and top it up when she asked for more. We still do this. Anything uneaten at the end of the day gets tossed and her plate is washed. (Yes, she prefers a plate to a bowl lol.)


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

I didn't use the Dunbar method but also see the potential value in specific circumstances. The kibble stuffed toys are more like a cross of slow feeder and keeping a pup occupied. These are typically used at scheduled mealtimes and to help occupy Puppy during crate or expen training or relaxation time.

The Kong Wobbler is one example. Fill it with the requisite portion, pop puppy in crate or pen, and

I fed three meals daily in bowls and at regular times for my two miniature boys. This was partly for the very reliability reasons you mentioned in predicting times for eliminations and partly because I hadn't heard of the Dunbar methods until after some time here on the forum. It might have worked for Neo but probably not for Remo.

Neo has always been a good eater but Remo, especially when younger was often just uninterested. I was handfeeding him for some meals, for some time.

Liquid outgo in the early months is sort of perpetual but solid outgo will have some relation to intake times.

Consider how long it takes a human infant to learn to control their eliminations and why. It's the same for dogs.

It generally takes around 6 months for a dog's neuromuscular system to mature enough to

a/ recognize that they actually have to go - as with any toddler, that urge and the action are often instantaneous
b/ understand that there's acceptable and not-acceptable places to eliminate
c/ understand that they need to communicate their need with the human
d/ be able to hold it until the human figures out that they need to go!

They'll catch on to the concepts earlier but having the physical control depends on the physical maturation. All puppy "accidents" are actually the human's responsibility.

Until Puppy matures to that point, "success" is completely dependent on the human being vigilant and proactive. Puppy wakes up? Puppy goes out. Puppy plays? Puppy goes out. Puppy eats or drinks? Puppy goes out. You see the pattern here 

This is also a great time to help him/her learn how to "potty on command" .

Puppy should be on leash, so you'll be with him.

This serves several purposes.

You'll actually see what s/he does and where.
You can reward with praise and treats at the instant. This is great reinforcement.
You can train for a "potty on command" which is a real help to you down the road.
You can train him/her to go in a specific location.

You can also start teaching Puppy how to notify you that s/he has the urge to go, even if it's going to be a bit before s/he really gets it.

I chose a string of bells to hang on the doorknob to the outside. Every time we headed out per schedule or post activity, I'd take their little paw and touch the bells so they dingled, saying "Go outside, go potty". I did this for 2-3 months and despaired that they weren't ever going to catch on. Until one day, sitting with my back to the door, I heard the bells jingle and looked to see Remo standing at the door, looking to see if I heard him. It was amazing.

It happens that some pups start "abusing" the voice given them by ringing just to get the treat.
I was mostly able to train away from this by eventually fading the treat reward for ringing the bell and then for pottying outside to only after pottying outside and then to no treat at all for either. If they rang the bell, they went outside, whether they wanted to or not .

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Getting and keeping Puppy on a routine or schedule, particularly if you start tracking things, will help you figure out when s/he's most likely to need to eliminate. Dogs GI systems move faster than humans.

Overnight holding capability is best pre-empted in the early weeks, til you get a feel for how Puppy is getting on. You might be tempted to reduce or stop water intake sometime before bedtime.

Withholding water actually isn't a good idea. This can backfire and cause a pup to overdrink or gulp it in when the water finally becomes available. There are accessories to attach to the crate so water will be available without being underfoot.

We were fortunate in that DH and I were on slightly offset schedules so wee hours outings were at a minimum. The safer Puppy feels, sleeping will hopefully come easier. 

Keep in mind that this puppy will be an actual infant and to an infant, being alone signals being in danger. S/he will have been taken from everything, everyone they know and love and taken somewhere strange. You'll have the good fortune to not entirely be strangers, but the puppy can't possibly yet understand what has happened and the wonderful life you have planned for all of you. 

Kidnapped From Planet Dog - Whole Dog Journal (whole-dog-journal.com)

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Some can innately hold their urine longer but it's all due to a physical process.

Less urine is produced when sleeping. In addition to filtering the blood stream, kidneys are responsible for balancing the amount of water in the body. They do this by filtering water back into the body or filtering it out to the bladder to create urine.

These kidney functions are controlled by a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus creates a hormone called vasopressin or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which tells kidneys what to do with the liquid its filtering. When the hypothalamus is activating ADH, kidneys reabsorb water and keep it running through your system to prevent dehydration. When it’s deactivated, kidneys let the water pass and become urine.

When sleeping, the body increases its production of ADH, signaling to the kidneys to keep absorbing and recycling water and preventing the creation of urine. Mostly. Some water does still pass through to the bladder, slowly filling it up. This, along with the suppression of ADH while waking up is why most have to urinate first thing in the morning.


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

cowpony said:


> I mostly fed my puppies from bowls or else used their kibble for rewards when we were training during their growth spurts. While I think Dunbar is great, and I recommend him highly, it's also important to recognize that the puppies themselves haven't read Dunbar. Each puppy is an individual, and some are better aligned with his methods than others.


This is a very good point! Thank you. 

I'm so new to this not only have l never owned a minipoo, I've never had a puppy either so I'm just trying to get prepared as much as possible and do the right thing by him. 

I'd always expected to feed from bowls until l read Dunbar. But then the use of chew toys seemed to make sense, but reading the replies it seems few use them in the way Dunbar prescribes. 

It makes far more sense to me to use kings etc as entertainment as you describe, especially for times in crate and pen, when I'm not around etc, . If l used kings for every feed they would then loose their high value entertainment and treat factor l would think?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

As others have said, and as is so often the case, it depends... Sophy was free fed, more or less; when Poppy joined us that was not going to work so I fed Sophy 2 meals a day and Poppy 4-5, until Poppy was old enough to transition to 2 meals a day which was the routine for many years - plus treats and chews, of course. By the time Freddy joined us Poppy was on 4 meals a day because of liver failure, so it was easy to feed Fred at the same time, with an additional Kong or good chew when it was time for some relaxed time in his pen. As he got older I reduced the size of the second and fourth meal until he just gets a treat, like Sophy.

I think 4-5 small meals in a bowl and Kongs or similar toys to settle down with can work well, especially for small pups. Minis are at less risk of hypoglycaemia than toys, but it is still something to be aware of. As others have said, very young puppies poo whenever they need to, and although that is often immediately after meals I have never found the pattern reliable enough to depend upon it - even with timed meals there will be training treats, chews, etc, etc that help to fill up a tiny tummy, and excitement, stress, growth spurts and all the rest can disrupt digestion. A lot of toilet training is muddling through, and "error free" is an aspiration, rather than an absolute!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Poodle Pip said:


> I'd always expected to feed from bowls until l read Dunbar. But then the use of chew toys seemed to make sense, but reading the replies it seems few use them in the way Dunbar prescribes.


Keep in mind you’ve heard from only a handful of people here.  Plenty of folks follow his methods closely, and I think it’s actually pretty important for new puppy owners to choose one puppy-raising method and adhere to it as closely as reasonable. Think of puppy ownership as learning a new language. You really do need to start with the basics before you can carry on a conversation.

As a new owner, you’ll get loads of advice online and in person from longtime owners, fellow newbies, even people who’ve never heard of science-based training methods (let alone tried them) but somehow still think they know best.  Much of that advice will be contradictory, and if you try to absorb and apply it all, you’ll quickly find yourself overwhelmed (and your puppy confused).

If you’re going to do classes with your puppy, provide plenty of stability and enrichment, enforce naps while also ensuring his physical, age-appropriate needs are met, etc. then yeah, I’d say feeding via dispensers and chew toys becomes less important. But for some dogs, that’s their only stimulation of the day. And others really do need the challenge. Plus, it’s a great way to teach independent, self-soothing, _appropriate_ chewing behaviours.


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

Rose n Poos said:


> I didn't use the Dunbar method but also see the potential value in specific circumstances. The kibble stuffed toys are more like a cross of slow feeder and keeping a pup occupied. These are typically used at scheduled mealtimes and to help occupy Puppy during crate or expen training or relaxation time.
> 
> The Kong Wobbler is one example. Fill it with the requisite portion, pop puppy in crate or pen, and
> 
> I fed three meals daily in bowls and at regular times for my two miniature boys. This was partly for the very reliability reasons you mentioned in predicting times for eliminations and partly because I hadn't heard of the Dunbar methods until after some time here on the forum. It might have worked for Neo but probably not for Remo.


Thank you so much for your detailed reply.

It is the pooping I was thinking more of when I spoke about scheduling food, I understand I'm going to be in the garden every half hour during the day for wees 🤪. Feeding at more regular meal times will hopefully mean that especially the bedtime poop can be predicted at least. 

Bowl feeding is going to allow for easier scheduled feeding Vs using stuffed chew toys, and to see how much the pup eats at one time, isn't it? Then like lots of folks have said here, reserve the stuff chews for alone time, crate training etc. 

Re the leash to go outside, do you leave it on all day? I watched one of the recommended YouTube videos and they left the leash on. I'd worry about it getting caught on something! 

I have already bought some doggy doorbells in preparation! I was wondering how to train them without training them to just ring it for a treat! 

Thank you for linking the article. I've recently read it and oh my word I think I shall be re reading that many times!


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Keep in mind you’ve heard from only a handful of people here.  Plenty of folks follow his methods closely, and I think it’s actually pretty important for new puppy owners to choose one puppy-raising method and adhere to it as closely as reasonable. Think of puppy ownership as learning a new language. You really do need to start with the basics before you can carry on a conversation.
> 
> As a new owner, you’ll get loads of advice online and in person from longtime owners, fellow newbies, even people who’ve never heard of science-based training methods (let alone tried them) but somehow still think they know best.  Much of that advice will be contradictory, and if you try to absorb and apply it all, you’ll quickly find yourself overwhelmed (and your puppy confused).
> 
> If you’re going to do classes with your puppy, provide plenty of stability and enrichment, enforce naps while also ensuring his physical, age-appropriate needs are met, etc. then yeah, I’d say feeding via dispensers and chew toys becomes less important. But for some dogs, that’s their only stimulation of the day. And others really do need the challenge. Plus, it’s a great way to teach independent, self-soothing, _appropriate_ chewing behaviours.


Thank you! Yes! I am indeed finding myself frequently confused! Plus l have wanted this pup for so long and I am really wanting to do this right. I know that you can't get it 100% right but I see so many people who do no research and then wonder why they have a pup running wild and I do not want to be one of those! 

I am home all the time, so the pup will have lots of stability, attention and enrichment. I do still do some work from home, so there will be times where he will need to self soothe, plus I will want to train this anyway so he doesn't become too dependent on me. We are already booked into puppy school for a March start date ( he comes home 4th Feb)


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Poodle Pip said:


> Feeding at more regular meal times will hopefully mean that especially the bedtime poop can be predicted at least.





Poodle Pip said:


> Bowl feeding is going to allow for easier scheduled feeding Vs using stuffed chew toys, and to see how much the pup eats at one time


You'll need to keep a record of when your pup poos after. Their GI cycle time is different from humans, and different with each dog. My boys have been pretty predictable since early days but that is within a range.
---
It will definitely be easier to see how much your pup has actually eaten, but if you're going to use crating or an expen, then it may be just the right thing for a meal or snack. You'll likely be on at least 3 meals a day and using some for treats.

(Feeding guidelines are just that, guidelines only - your pup may eat more or less as they grow in spurts.)

Don't be surprised if puppy goes off their food during the initial days of adjustment. This is another reason to keep them on the same food the breeder had them on. You don't want GI stress added to transition stress.

Here's a link.
7 Interesting Facts About Your Dog’s Digestive System | PetMD




Poodle Pip said:


> Re the leash to go outside, do you leave it on all day?


I never tried tethering because I had lost my mind and brought home two puppies. (This is not recommended for the inexperienced, and even the experienced need to be reminded that not only are all costs doubled, but the effort also required is tripled, possibly exponential.)

Instead, I completely puppy proofed the kitchen and the attached living area and baby-gated the doorways. There are some good reasons for using the leash to literally tether the pup to yourself but just leaving it to drag, at least at first, isn't going to help you catch the pup in time and there can be safety hazards to consider. Collars in the crate, or even in the home generally can also be a danger to the pup. Trachea can be injured if a collar or leash catches.

Containment, using a crate (I call my boys their condo's, now used only for sleeping - if they choose), an expen, gating a small area, or actual tethering is going to be a very useful tool. From a heart full of love, puppies are quite uncivilized little monsters and unless a responsible person is actively engaging with them, best not to leave them to their own devices. Poodles are creative. 

They also need as much as 20 hours of sleep daily. Creating a routine and a place for napping will do wonders. Cowpony described hers, mine was similar. Activity is the punctuation of the day, not the order.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Try as you might to plan and schedule just realize that might all just go out the window first week or so, usually does.

Just remember to adjust and adapt


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

With your first puppy, as with the first baby, the pressure can be on to do everything _perfectly_ - and just as with babies, that can be difficult when faced with massive amounts of often contradictory advice. There is much to be said for more relaxed, "good enough" parenting which recognises that the search for perfection can end up in stress and unhappiness all round. As Twyla says you need to be adaptable, and remember that puppies haven't read the manuals!


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

My biggest advice is, don’t rush out to buy all the food puzzles and kongs etc etc etc until you have your pup and begin to learn how he ticks. I have a cupboard full of stuff that I need to pass on to someone else because, as was mentioned by others, my gal just wasn’t into working that hard for her meal.

At one point the vet really wanted her to gain weight and even now she could stand to do so.

I may give some puzzles— her fave is her Snoop and a spiked ball that releases treats— and I put some kibble in here as a treat. I also use kibble for training and on walks. But her main meals are prepackaged raw ground, and that just got to be too much stuffing in kongs and lick mats only to be rejected or half eaten. Cleaning that out was grossssssss.

PS please heed @fjm’s statement above with an open heart. It is SO well said.

ETA: I read PtP’s advice and love it too. I wanted to add that I am home with my pup for the most part, which also helps me to provide stimulation in other ways, like playing toys with her etc. I am in agreement that some owners don’t have that available to them if they’re away from home all day. I’d be more apt to stick with Dunbar’s advice if I was at work all day.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

I think the first couple weeks are about creating a warm, welcoming, comforting environment for baby puppy as much as anything. Lead with your heart, imho. You clearly have a wonderful one.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Poodle Pip said:


> there will be times where he will need to self soothe


Start building that in once pup is adjusted to their new circumstances. This starts as simply as walking out of the room, out of sight, then back in before puppy starts worrying. Reward for the desired result - quiet .
The lesson we want them to learn is even if we leave, _we will come back_.

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I agree in principle with choosing a single trainer's method but as noted, puppies don't read the manuals and will respond as individuals. Reality intrudes and you may find that you'll need to take another tack so having additional tools can be useful.

Trainers using positive reinforcement methods are all heading to the same goal, a happy, confident dog. Mistakes will be made on all sides, then forgiven and learned from. Whichever method/s you choose, consistency is the key. Dogs don't always generalize easily so use the same wording, the same signals, and so on. After they catch on solidly, it's ok to add some variables.

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PTP went over this a bit in a different thread for a different reason but it's worth a quick review.



PeggyTheParti said:


> This isn’t to say positive reinforcement needs to stand alone. I know plenty of science-based trainers who use negative punishment (i.e. _removing_ something desirable to _discourage_ a behaviour) to complement their primary focus on positive reinforcement (_adding_ something desirable to _encourage_ a behaviour).


Positive Training is based on B.F. Skinner's Operant Conditioning. This uses the dog's agency in making choices with the consequences shaping those choices. 

Operant conditioning (OC)
The process of changing an animal’s response to a certain stimulus by manipulating the consequences that immediately follow the response. The five principles of operant conditioning were developed by B.F. Skinner. Clicker training is a subset of operant conditioning, using only positive reinforcement, extinction, and, to a lesser extent, negative punishment. 
(Clicker training can be called marker training, with words substituting for the clicking sound. The audible emphasis is to "mark" the behavior instantly, like taking a snapshot for your dog.)

Positive reinforcement (R+)
Adding something the animal will work for to strengthen (increase the frequency of) a behavior. For example, giving the dog a treat for sitting in order to increase the probability that the dog will sit again.

Extinction
The weakening of behavior through non-reinforcement or “ignoring” the behavior. In extinction, nothing is added or removed from the environment. For example, a treat lies on the other side of a fence. A dog reaches his paw under, but cannot reach the treat. Because reaching for the treat doesn’t work—because it isn’t reinforced through success—the dog will eventually quit reaching for the treat.

Negative punishment (P-)
Taking away something the animal will work for to suppress (lessen the frequency of) a behavior. For example, a dog jumps on you to get attention. By turning your back or leaving the room, you apply P- by removing the attention he wants.


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

Rose n Poos said:


> Creating a routine and a place for napping will do wonders. Cowpony described hers, mine was similar. Activity is the punctuation of the day, not the order.


Activity is the punctuation of the day.....I absolutely love this, thank you! 

Thanks for the wonderful tips and links. I can't imagine coping with two puppies!

I plan on restricting the pup to small areas, supervising in the lounge which is small, and using a pen when l can't supervise, crate for all naps, and tether only to me not loose. 

Thank you!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I’m excited to follow along on your puppy journey, @Poodle Pip 

A little context for the advice I’ve given you: Something we see with some frequency here is people who say they’ve “tried everything” with their young pup. A little digging reveals they’ve tried a dozen different approaches in a handful of weeks, resulting in a very confused, probably quite frustrated puppy, and an equally unhappy owner.

That’s what I am hoping to prevent when I encourage a first-time puppy owner to choose a proven method and follow it as closely as reasonable. If you sporadically follow Dunbar’s Errorless Housetraining guide for a week, for example, and then toss it out the window because it “didn’t work,” you’re quite likely creating new problems for yourself.

Yes, we must be adaptable when it comes to puppy-rearing, but not only is there no need to reinvent the wheel, one probably _shouldn’t_ try to reinvent the wheel if they’ve no experience with wheels. 

To continue with the metaphors, that’s not to say you keep pounding a square peg into a round hole. If you find yourself with a puppy who first thing in the morning needs to poop twice in quick succession, but the guide says to take them out “every hour on the hour,” you can’t be so rigid that you ignore the needs of the puppy that’s standing right in front of you. (Seems like an extreme example, but I’ve seen worse.)


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

fjm said:


> With your first puppy, as with the first baby, the pressure can be on to do everything _perfectly_ - and just as with babies, that can be difficult when faced with massive amounts of often contradictory advice. There is much to be said for more relaxed, "good enough" parenting which recognises that the search for perfection can end up in stress and unhappiness all round. As Twyla says you need to be adaptable, and remember that puppies haven't read the manuals!


This is very true of me! I am such a novice. this is a tiny little being that l have no experience of whatsoever and lm trying so hard to make sure l learn everything l can before pup arrives . Thank you for reminding me that good enough is ok!


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

BennieJets said:


> PS please heed @fjm’s statement above with an open heart. It is SO well said.
> 
> ETA: I read PtP’s advice and love it too. I wanted to add that I am home with my pup for the most part, which also helps me to provide stimulation in other ways, like playing toys with her etc. I am in agreement that some owners don’t have that available to them if they’re away from home all day. I’d be more apt to stick with Dunbar’s advice if I was at work all day.


Thank you , yes l have is wise advice and much appreciated

And you make a good point about Dunbar advice likely being more geared towards puppies who are home alone than those whose owners are at home all day like you and l.

I'm hearing whatever one is saying and I think I'm going to follow what the breeder is doing with the pups feeding schedule at the start, and then stick with bowl feeding and keep the stuffed chew toys for crate and pen training and alone time training and other enrichment, and generally just adapt to the pup and try not to worry to much!

{edited by moderator to fix broken formatting; no text changed}


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

Streetcar said:


> I think the first couple weeks are about creating a warm, welcoming, comforting environment for baby puppy as much as anything. Lead with your heart, imho. You clearly have a wonderful one.


Yiu have no idea how much it means to hear that. Thank you so much!


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I am very optimistic about how you will handle puppy ownership. 
We get quite a few new members where the conversation pretty much goes as: "My puppy is acting up; how can I make him change his entire way of thinking so that I am no longer inconvenienced?" 
Everything you have posted so far tells me you are thoughtful, flexible, considerate, and empathetic. I think you will do fabulously. I'm sure at various times you won't FEEL like you are doing fabulously; you will wonder why you are cleaning up yet another pee spot as a rampaging puppy attempts to peel the sock off your foot. 
Someone once told me to keep a daily diary with notes about how the puppy was doing. Periodically go back to look at patterns and progress. Indeed, I do find it reassuring sometimes to realize how far my current dog pack has come.


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

cowpony said:


> I am very optimistic about how you will handle puppy ownership.
> We get quite a few new members where the conversation pretty much goes as: "My puppy is acting up; how can I make him change his entire way of thinking so that I am no longer inconvenienced?"
> Everything you have posted so far tells me you are thoughtful, flexible, considerate, and empathetic. I think you will do fabulously. I'm sure at various times you won't FEEL like you are doing fabulously; you will wonder why you are cleaning up yet another pee spot as a rampaging puppy attempts to peel the sock off your foot.
> Someone once told me to keep a daily diary with notes about how the puppy was doing. Periodically go back to look at patterns and progress. Indeed, I do find it reassuring sometimes to realize how far my current dog pack has come.


Thank you so much Cowpony. This really does reassure me! I do have visions of me in a daze, with wet socks and puppy kibble in my hair, wondering what the hell l was thinking 🤣

A puppy diary is a very good idea. I found an app today called doggytime. It's free and it allows you to log lots of things, as well as take photos and write free notes sonl think I will use that. Like you say it'll help to spot patterns and be great to look back on and remind myself we are actually doing ok!

Im so appreciative of all this help and advice, and for everyone's patience with my questions! Thank you. 

We are off to have a second visit today! 😁


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Hope the visit went well 🙏
I'd added a couple of suggestions to your crate thread but it may be too late to implement them if you didn't see it before you went.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Poodle Pip said:


> A puppy diary is a very good idea. I found an app today called doggytime. It's free and it allows you to log lots of things, as well as take photos and write free notes sonl think I will use that. Like you say it'll help to spot patterns and be great to look back on and remind myself we are actually doing ok!


Hope today’s visit was a good one!

We created something called “The Poodle Report,” which is a weekly grid my husband prints out, with room for tracking weight, age, daily notes, and weekly notes. We use it for jotting down pees and poops (including the time and location of any accidents in those early days!), any appointments, every time we feed her (very helpful for tracking quantities when free-feeding), any new or unusual treats, changes in behaviour or health, etc. Takes minimal effort but has been hugely helpful.

This year we’re scaling it back to a monthly grid, but we find it too useful to scrap it altogether.


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

Rose n Poos said:


> Hope the visit went well 🙏
> I'd added a couple of suggestions to your crate thread but it may be too late to implement them if you didn't see it before you went.


Thank you, just seen it! Been a hectic week.

We had a wonderful visit thank you The pups have grown so much! It's lovely to see their little personalities beginning to develop now.

We have another three visits before we bring our pup home so there is plenty of time to implement your smell suggestion. We are very lucky to live so close and very lucky to have such a good relationship with the breeder. Being able to see the pups weekly, and get daily updates in our whatsapp group is just wonderful! 

Though it is making my heart ache to bring our boy home!

We are 90% sure which one we would like to call ours now....but as their temprements are still developing we are still holding off. .just in case!


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

When I selected my boy Galen I'd actually planned on choosing his brother. The plan was for my pup to be a companion to my 70 pound Pogo, and so I wanted the great strapping chubby boy. Then I watched the whole litter interact. Galen was the runt of his litter; he was probably only 2/3 the weight of his brother. Yet, he held his own. He'd get bowled over by a puppy stampede, bounce up, and dive right back into the melee. Additionally, while he was bold, he wasn't quite as bold as his bigger brother. I watched him consider whether to investigate something before toddling over; his brother would just charge in. Ultimately that balance of resilience and thoughtfulness won me over.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

How fun to see the litter grow up and grow into themselves.  And much respect to you for waiting for the right match.

We travelled half a day to pick up Peggy’s sister…and ended up with Peggy. In retrospect, the moment that best represented her in our meeting was when she abruptly toddled off (waaaaaaaaaaay off) to pee at the very edge of her breeder’s property, and then toddled back to the group. Not surprisingly, housetraining was a breeze, and she’s retained that slight independent streak despite being a huge cuddle bug and loyal friend.

Do you have any photos of the litter? And are you for sure getting a boy?


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

cowpony said:


> When I selected my boy Galen I'd actually planned on choosing his brother. The plan was for my pup to be a companion to my 70 pound Pogo, and so I wanted the great strapping chubby boy. Then I watched the whole litter interact. Galen was the runt of his litter; he was probably only 2/3 the weight of his brother. Yet, he held his own. He'd get bowled over by a puppy stampede, bounce up, and dive right back into the melee. Additionally, while he was bold, he wasn't quite as bold as his bigger brother. I watched him consider whether to investigate something before toddling over; his brother would just charge in. Ultimately that balance of resilience and thoughtfulness won me over.


Love this. Our feeling has been similar. As I've mentioned, We have the choice of two pups , a red and white and a brown and white. Initially we were drawn to the red and white pup. He is the biggest, the most alert, inquisitive and the most energetic 

The brown and white is similar to how you describe Galen. He was the runt of the litter, and less energetic, but can definitely still hold his own. Where he differs though, is that he can play energetically, but then can calm easily. He is a really lovely balance between the two He will play enthusiastically and then seek out a lap for cuddles. I think that balance suits us better too!


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

PeggyTheParti said:


> How fun to see the litter grow up and grow into themselves.  And much respect to you for waiting for the right match.
> 
> We travelled half a day to pick up Peggy’s sister…and ended up with Peggy. In retrospect, the moment that best represented her in our meeting was when she abruptly toddled off (waaaaaaaaaaay off) to pee at the very edge of her breeder’s property, and then toddled back to the group. Not surprisingly, housetraining was a breeze, and she’s retained that slight independent streak despite being a huge cuddle bug and loyal friend.
> 
> Do you have any photos of the litter? And are you for sure getting a boy?


That is brilliant! I hope we are that lucky with the potty training!

We are so taken with them both in terms of absolute cuteness overload but have taken on board what the breeder has said and what we have learned about temprement and waiting for that to develop before making final choice. We are very lucky to have the pick of the two boys and no rush to decide.

This is my other half with a very welll but accidentally puppy coordinated jumper! 

There are three puppies in there, the black and white is female and already sold. It's the red and white and the brown and white that we have the choice between. Both boys. Both utterly gorgeous! Both wonderful in their own ways!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Joy is a lap full of puppies!


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## Poodle Pip (24 d ago)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Joy is a lap full of puppies!


It really really is!!!! I found some better ones of our two boys. 💜


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Oooohhhhhh I love the brown and white pup's winsome expression 😍. So nice to have the chance for visits, though this breeder seems like one who would choose well for you regardless.


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## Apricot mini momma (Dec 22, 2020)

Oh they are both darlings!😍


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Made me think of this 

*ONCE YOU GET YOUR PUPPY, THERE WILL ONLY BE THAT PUPPY IN THE WHOLE WORLD.*

See the whole blog post here, see #5 and #6 on choosing a puppy.
Puppy buyer etiquette | RufflySpeaking


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Little brown-and-white has the sweetest expression!


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