All the hours of work with the puppies was worth it when we started handing them out to puppy raisers. That was an amazing feeling. Handing over the puppies to people that are very excited to receive them is amazing and knowing that they could grow up to possibly improve the lives of others makes the hard work worth it. All the puppies left our house by the time the pups were 11 weeks old except Pixie, Scarlett and Paddington. Shortly after eleven weeks we drove Scarlett and Paddington up to Brigadoon Service Dogs where we donated them to be trained and placed. Scarlett did come back with us for a short time so Growing Up Guide Pup could help get her heart repaired and then I took her back to Washington on a solo trip a few months later. Lotus was rehomed five months after the puppies were born. We spayed her before she left us so her breeding days are over. We can happily report she is living the life of a loved and pampered pet now.
Then there is Pixie, the final puppy who is still with us. She was the smallest, although I don’t believe that she still is now that they are grown up. She had a small medical issue with her teeth and so Growing Up Guide Pup offered to keep her. We got the issue taken care of. Her bottom canine teeth came in a little narrow and were hitting the roof of her mouth. She saw a dental specialist, and we were told that this issue seems to be more common with the smaller or “runt” puppies in a large litter. She had her baby canine teeth removed to make her more comfortable and give her a better chance of her adult teeth to grow in the correct position. The treatment worked and her adult teeth grew in the correct position and she is perfectly healthy in every way.
We were raising two puppies for a three month period before Scarlett went to Brigadoon. That was a huge challenge for Matt and I. Pixie and Scarlett were really bonded and we had a hard time making sure they had enough one on one training time. So the new routine was to give each puppy a solo walk twice a day, at least two clicker training sessions a day, individual play time and a short outing each on days that I wasn’t working. They slept in separate crates and were always taken out to relieve by themselves. Also during this time Penny came home to us. That put us at five dogs in the house at the same time. We were still doing dog care from first thing in the morning until we went to bed at night to make sure everyone got what they needed.
Things got easier after Scarlett left and Penny got settled back into the household. I was able to focus more on Pixie’s training and Matt focused more on the care of the other dogs. I thought that Pixie would struggle after her sister left, but it was actually the opposite. She loved the extra attention and her personality really began to emerge.
Pixie was very confident and comfortable at home as a very young puppy, but nervous and shy outside the house. But once I didn’t have to take two puppies on separate outings Pixie got more exposure being away from the house. She also was old enough to join the older dogs on walks and that helped her confidence a lot. I also had more time for clicker training sessions to teach her new things. Some days things were easy for her while other days she would get frustrated easily and not want to train. She has gone from a shy timid slow moving puppy to a dog that can’t wait to leave the house and see the world.
Raising a poodle has been a lot of fun and I have learned a lot. I have learned that it is very difficult to keep a light colored poodle clean during the rainy season. I learned that grooming a poodle is a lot of work. They need brushing daily to keep them from getting matted. A high velocity blow dryer is a must and even with having one it takes a good 45 minutes to dry a fluffy poodle. I learned that clipping the hair on a poodle is a lot harder than it looks. I have still yet to groom Pixie evenly. Pixie is extremely intelligent and learns things pretty quickly, but she is also easily distracted. She still chases leaves that blow in the wind. So even though she can learn things fast, she has a hard time staying focused. I have been told by many that poodles take a little longer to mentally mature so I’m sure she just needs a little more time for her brain to catch up to her physical size.
The other thing I have learned about is Poodletude. Pixie is usually a happy and sweet puppy, but she does have a little attitude. Pixie’s one big issue is that she talks. She will bark at things that she doesn’t understand, things that frighten her or excite her. She has grown out of most of it, but she still barks at other dogs when she sees them. When I used to tell her “quiet”, she would turn from what she was barking at and bark at me. Then go back to barking at the thing she was originally barking at. If I tell her not to pick up something she knows better not to do it but I get side eye and then she will slowly pick up the item and walk away.
My perception of standard poodles has been very wrong. I always thought that they were a little snooty and didn’t have a lot of personality. Pixie is super silly, with lots of personality. She is selective about who she opens up to and shares her true self with, but that’s ok. She is an absolute love and very strongly bonded with me. I can’t move anywhere in the house without her needing to come with me. She has a lot of promise, but still has a lot of maturing to do.
In conclusion the first year of the poodle has been very busy and a bit crazy at times. We had a lot of fun adventures, great triumphs of learning new things and a few embarrassing moments that I can look back on and laugh about. I can’t wait to see how this little oodle of ours grows over the next year. Where will she go? What will she become? Only time will tell to see what path Pixie chooses.
For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us at service dog, service dog law, service dog etiquette, service dog puppy raiser, guide dog