Caring for Your New Pup

New puppy parents are usually full of questions about how to best care for their new baby. On this page, I will try to cover some of the most frequent, basic questions on feeding, training & general care.

There is currently a great deal of controversy regarding canine vaccinations, with widely varying opinions on which vaccination (if any) should be given and how often. Added to that is the argument against life-long vaccination schedules, versus one adult shot per ten years or so. Here at Stoney Hollow, we tend to take the middle road. While I do feel that dogs in general tend to be over-vaccinated, I also think there is a real need for ongoing vaccinations throughout the puppy's life. We don't want to over do, but we do want to ensure that we give each puppy the best possible oportunity for a healthy life. If you would like to read a little more about vaccinations, click the link below:

Ugh. Fleas, ticks, worms - can we talk about someting a little less disgusting? Unsettling as it may be. parasites are a fact of life with dogs - toy poodles included. If you don't understand the problem or don't take the necessary precautions, your poodle WILL have parasites of all kinds. In this section, I'm going to address several different kinds of very common parasites, list preventative measures and offer inexpensive resources for obtaining the supplies you need. Yes, you can get everything I recommend at the vet. However, you will pay a GREAT DEAT MORE for it. I am going to tell you what we do here at Stoney Hollow and show you how to do something similar to give your poodle optimal preventative health care and a nominal cost. Ready? Let's Go!

Fleas and ticks are the most obvious parasites. You really can't miss them. First, your poodle will start scratching like crazy, maybe biting and licking around the base of her tail and her ears. If you look on these areas, and also on her belly, you may actually see fleas running around. Look deep into her coat right on her skin and you may see brown flecks that looks like dirt - that's flea dirt.

There are several things you can do to prevent and/or eliminate fleas. Many people use flea baths, flea soaps, sprays, etc. We don't. We have found, living here in the mountains where fleas are in great abundance, that all of that is a waste of money and effort. For us, we have found that the single-most effective treatment available is Frontline. This product is available in drops, which most everyone is familiar with, and a very handy spray that comes in two sizes. You can order spray on Frontline from Lambriar Animal Products, and I will give you a link for that in a moment. You can also order the drops very inexpensively from the Pets Megastore. This outlet is in Australia, but I have found that converting the Aussie dollar to American is a great advantage for us, as it makes the Frontline and Advantage flea products about half of what you would pay here in the states. It takes about the same amount of time to ship here as most mail-order companies(4-5 business days), and the shipping is not significantly more. I ordered from the PetsMegastore when we were still using Frontline drops and highly recommend them.

Ticks are not as common on toy poodles. This is probably due to the fact that most toy poodles don't do a lot of running around in tall grass, which is where ticks love to hide. They kind of jump off the grass onto your poodle, then crawl around until they find a good spot (usually behind the ears). Once they find a spot they like, they bite into your poodle's skin and begin to suck blood. Ticks are not very big when they first attach - perhaps as small as 1/8" in diameter. But when they start to fill with blood, they get huge, disgorged with blood and disgusting. You can remove a tick by placing an alcohol filled cotton ball over it, squeezing some alcohol onto it. Then take a tissue and gently pull the tick off. You want to be sure to kill it with alcohol first, as it will remove it's head from your poodle's skin as it dies. If you just tear it off the poodle's skin, you may tear the head off, leaving it in the skin and possibly causing an infection. To me, an infection is better than a tick, but if you can prevent a problem, you should do it.

Roundworms: Also known as "puppy worms", These are probably the most common worms in dogs. Nearly every dog has them and will keep getting them. Roundworms are contracted through the mothers milk and contaminated soil. They show up the your poodle's stool or vomit (if they have a really bad case) and look like thin, curly spaghetti. Other signs of roundworm are rough coats, bloated belly, diarherra and vomiting but most infestations are not that obvious.

Hookworms: These appeas as small white or reddish-brown segments less than an inch long. These worms "hook" onto your poodle's intestinal lining and feed on their blood. They release eggs into the intestine, which is then passed on through the feces. Hookworms cause blood loss, which can lead to anemia - potentially fatal to puppies.

Tapeworms: Usually seen in freshly passed stool, tapeworm segments are white or pinkish white and resemble grains of rice, Normally, they are harmless but annoying. There are two types most common here in the U.S. the flea tapeworm is the most common. That is one reason why flea control is so vital. The other type of tapeworm involves the poodle biting into a host animal such as a mouse or rabbit.

Heartworm: This worm also looks spaghetti like, but you won't ever see it. It gets into the heart of your poodle, where it grows and eventually fills the heart enough so that it can no longer function. Heartworm is very easy to prevent and extremely difficult to cure. Here is another case where prevention is very important.

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian. I am simply a Toy Poodle breeder who has learned a number of effective things on prevention of disease and maintainance of poodle health. To that end, please understand that I am not prescribing or diagnosing your poodle's health issues. If you have questions, please see your vet.

We use three main products here at Stoney Hollow in prevention of the parasites mentioned above.

Panacur/Safe-Guard(fenbendazole): This is available through your vet as Panacur, but is also available generically as "Safe-Guard". It is extremely effective against roundworms, whipworms and hookworms, but not against tapeworms - although the label does claim tapeworm. As Safe-guard, it is considered a livestock wormer.

The dosage for liquid is 1 cc per 10 lbs., once a day for 3 consecutive days. Other breeders use other dosages, but this is what my vet recommended for toys poodles. We have found fenbendazole to be very effective at this dosage.

We buy it in liquid form at Tractor Supply in the section for goat dewormers. The cost works out to something like 35¢ a dose/$1.05 per treatment. If yo compare prices, you'll find that you'll pay a lot more than that at the vet's office, plus the cos of the visit.

Praziquantel: Tapeworms are more difficult to handle. There is really only one effective drug to resolve tapeworms. Previously available only through prescription, Praziquantel (also known as Droncit) is 100% effective in all field trials. You only need one tablet per 6-10 lbs - which is the size of most toy poodles. It is available through most animal veterinary supply catalogs.

Ivermectin: Also known as Ivomec, this is a cattle/sheep/swine dewormer that is especially effective against heartworm, In a multi-dog situation, it is the only way to go. You can also buy heartworm medications through the Pets Megastore. Unless your poodle has already started a heartworm prevention program, please have your toy poodle tested for heartworm before you begin preventative treatment. If she already has heart worm, the wormer will kill the worm in her heart and possibly cause congestive heart failure. You MUST have her tested before you start unless she is already on a heartworm medication. Our puppies have already been started on heartworm medication in the form of Ivomec before they leave here.

Housetraining your pup is extremely important. More dogs are abandoned, returned and destroyed everyday because they made a mess in the living room (again) than any other "sin" they could commit. Toy poodles are extremely intelligent and eager to please, so housetraining is usually accomplished fairly quickly on the age of the pup. Our training CD, "Good Dog! House Training Your Dog with Love", offers simple, practical ways to house train your pup. Also included are patterns for belly bands and pup panties, just in case!

We take great pride in the amount of effort we make to socialize our pups before they go to their new families.All Stoney Hollow Puppies have been handled, loved, and played with almost since birth. As a result, I feel that we have a vastly superior puppy, in terms of outgoing personalities, general happiness and ability to adapt to new situations.

That being said, there are still certain circumstances where you pup may need some help adapting.

Your House - Puppy's New Home

It is a wise new puppy parent who already has everything your pup will need BEFORE he gets there. A crate, toys, blankets, puppy training pads or newspapers, food and water dishes and food are all things your pup will need as soon as he walks in the door. Having these things ready will save you a lot of headache and make the transition to your home much easier for your pup. You may find that your pup is shy or quiet for the first couple of days, but this is very normal and he will learn to adapt to your home very quickly if you follow these guidelines.

Children and Pets

I recommend that you not allow small children to hold or handle your pup at any time without supervision. Though they mean well, lttle children just do not realize fragile how a pup can be. Don't let any one handle him roughly, ever. And for the first few days at least, try to avoid loud noises.

By the same token, introduce your new puppy to your other family pets very gradually. Your older pets may show some jealousy, but they will over come this if you don't favor the pup over them (at least not in their presence). Never leave your pup unsupervised with a bigger, older dog. Play can easily turn into something far more dangerous, and your pup could be badly injured or killed. I know, you're thinking, who could think that your old family pet could ever do something like that. But it does happen and it is best to just not take any chances with your pup's healthy and safety.