# What to expect? 6 month old standard poodle puppy



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think of six month old pups as like children in that stage between babyhood and adolescence - neither one thing nor the other! He will have lost many of his puppy teeth, but adult teeth will probably still be coming through, so anticipate needing to redirect the urge to chew.

A lot will depend on his background - if he has been raised in a happy home, and carefully housetrained and socialised, he should sleep through (with last thing and reasonably early trips out), and be a cheerful, bouncy,oversized puppy. If he has missed out, or been abused, there is still time to help him grow up into a wonderful adult, but you will need to be prepared for more work and an even larger time and energy commitment than for the average pup of that age. Good luck - I hope for his sake and yours he is the perfect fit!


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## Pluto (Jul 8, 2012)

We are still in the adjustment phase with our 10-month old, but she is not sleeping through the night and requires a potty break at around 3 am. She also requires a potty break at 3 pm, so I am running home during the day to let her out. 

She is chewing quite a bit, but it has been easy to direct her to rawhide rather then hairbrushes (she doesn't care for rubber/plastic dog toys).


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## Kim (Sep 20, 2012)

Thanks very much to you both for the information.

A 3pm potty break wouldn't be a problem (I work from home). I can manage a 3am break, too, but would prefer to sleep through the night. We recently lost one of our dogs, a Lab, to cancer, and due to the meds he was taking he couldn't make it through the night for the last couple of months. I am "used to" getting up in the middle of the night, but I do enjoy the sleep.

I am not sure about this pup's socialization. Apparently a blind man owned him. He thought that he could handle a puppy and had hopes of turning him into a service dog, found he needed more help with the day-to-day care than he expected. He's got people helping him, but isn't sure he'll be able to count on help when winter weather hits, so he has decided to find the dog a new home. (He currently still has the dog. He asked the rescue to find it a new home, but he didn't want him to go into the shelter, so we're supposed to meet him on Saturday.)


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

Hi Kim -- I'm so glad that you found a pup (or a potential match) so quickly. That's great news! 

My little girl is only a year and a half, but I can't for the life of me remember when she started sleeping through the night. LOL. Good thing that there are people like FJM on this forum who actually know something about puppy development. 

I agree with FJM that you should find out as much as possible about his background. In addition to being prepared for possible remedial work if he has not had a good beginning, it would be helpful to know as much as you can about his routine and any training. It is best to start him on the same food and feeding schedule. Ask about what training he has had and what (if any) commands he knows. 

I have adopted two adult poodles, and they both adjusted very well. Don't know if you will be keeping the same name, but the pup will adjust to whatever you call him, so IMO you should feel free to use whatever name you want. I changed my first dog's name but kept the second (Bob--I never would have chosen that name, but it fits him!).

I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes and hoping that this proves to be a good match.

Edit: Just saw your post about the previous owner. This sounds like the pup has had a reasonable beginning in life which is great. Sounds like a terrific find!!!


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## Specman (Jun 14, 2012)

We got out mini Max when he was 6 months old from a breeder. He looked like a full grown dog but still acted very much like a puppy. In fact a 10 months he still does. Expect a few setbacks when he comes into your home. Max was housebroken and crate trained when he came to us but we had to start over with house training and he convinced us that he was not crate trained. He probably was but we were softies! There were a few nights with minimal sleep at first.

This lasted for only a couple of weeks tops before he got adjusted or got us trained! These dogs are very smart and adaptable and can become the dog you want them to be. I guaranty the your new dog will end up training you as well so try to realize when he is doing it so at least you can cooperate with him!

Poodles are great dogs/

It took us about a


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## papoodles (Jun 27, 2011)

Kim,
My puppy will be 4 months old ( Oct 15), and she has been sleeping through the night since we brought her home two weeks ago.I take her for a last potty break at 11:00, and she is fine until 6:30. am. She does not sleep in a crate, she sleeps next to our bed.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

I think it really depends on the dog; poodles are often kind of standoffish to people they don't know, so the dog MIGHT be a little aloof. But he might be a really active, goofy, lovable guy, so expect anything! Both of ours slept right through the night from day one (we got them at 11 weeks old), and Maddy as you may know is a real terror. But she always has slept really well! You should be able to get a feel for whether he is laid back or energetic just from your visit, as well as collecting all the background you can which is important also for health reason. Good luck!!


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

At the age of 6 months, a puppy really should be able to sleep through the night. They can generally hold their urine for at least as many hours a they are old + 1 or 2 hours. In my experience, most 6 month olds can hold it 8 hours overnight easily if they have been properly crate trained. Now, if you are going to be giving the dog free run of the house (which I don't suggest at this age) then that's a different story. 

There will be some teething, and a lot of puppy antics still. Since you've raised a lab, you know that they don't reach maturity until well into their second year of life, and poodles are no different. You're going to have to keep the pup entertained and make sure you socialize it well. You should start training asap, and just enjoy the puppy stage.


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## Sawyersmomma (May 28, 2012)

I got Sawyer at 5 months and he was already potty trained. Because it was a new place though he did have a couple accidents, but that was it.
He lost all his baby teeth in month 6, so they'll probably all be gone, or going very soon.
Sawyer was able to sleep through the night, Although I never crated him, he's slept on my bed since the first day (yes, he's 27'' now and it's a little ridiculous!)
I took him out to pee at 10 at night, preferably 12AM if I was up but didn't go out of my way to stay awake, and would get up at 6 or 7 to take him out to pee. Then I could go back to bed with him until I actually wanted to get up. He learned the routine, and had non-squeaky toys to play with if he got bored. I'd give bones too for something quiet to do.]
He was INSANELY hyper... definitely expect that! bouncing all the time! And will probably be mouthy until all his teeth grow in, so get some soft toys too.
You'll love the new pup


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