As a part of my program I will be donating to Spay and Neuter Syracuse. In a 6 year period two unaltered dogs can lead to to the production of approximately 67,000 dogs that would need to be adopted. So if adoption isn’t right for your family please consider donating to a spay and neuter program. Adoption is a very admirable thing to do and for the dog you save it means the world. Adoption can be very good for people that can’t dedicate the time that a puppy requires, and with some work you might find the perfect dog for your family and skip some of the struggles of puppy training. Unfortunately not all the dogs that need adopting fit with every family. Some will need a very specific home and lots of work. They don’t come from health tested parents and may have some very difficult behaviors. They may not be safe with children and other animals and may have triggers you don’t know about. Adoption might not be right for your family but you can still help homeless dogs by donating.
The more information you give me the better I will be able to match puppies and families. If you require a low shedding puppy, that will rule out some of the puppies from your selection pool. Temperament some dogs are better suited for first time dog owners. I temperament test the puppies so if you haven’t had dogs before we can match you with a puppy.
Little to no shedding. Will get snow balls and very dirty when outside. Everything sticks to this coat. Can be grown out with lots of brushing or kept short for a non-shedding low maintenance dog. Regular brushing needed for coat over 1/2 in.
Grooming every 4-8 weeks.
FI – Furnished
Low shedding but might make some tumbleweeds when kept long. Most likely will get snowballs but less than FF. Can be clipped short for low maintenance and low shedding. Can also be grown out and benefits from monthly deshedding, which will decrease matting. Regular brushing needed.
Grooming every 6-12 weeks.
II – Unfurnished
Will shed less than a Newfoundland, more like a setter to golden retriever. Best adventure dog coat will have guard hairs to repel snow, dirt and sticks. Can be trimmed up but not clipped short. Will require at least some brushing. Might get mats in ears and rear side of legs (feathering). Benefits from monthly desheds.
Dogs love to pull. It makes them feel good. Newfoundlands were bred to pull carts along with their other aquatic activities. Poodles are hunting dogs. Dogs love working and spending time with their people. It’s one of the beautiful things I love about them.
It is our job to provide our canine family members with a life that fulfills them. I know many of us look at the life of the average pet dog and think, “I wish I could just lie around all day getting fed and loved.” Now think about that being your entire life, confined to a house with someone that provides for you and loves you but nothing else for years. Does that actually sound good?
Dogs would love to be with us all of the time. Unfortunately, in today’s society that is not allowed. Most of the time they need to spend many hours at home by themselves during the day. Dogs are capable of sleeping quite a bit. As predators, spurts of exertion and activity and then long periods of rest are natural. This is where dog carting and driving can change your dog’s life! In 12 minutes I can hitch up my dogs take them for mile, and be back. They are happy, satisfied and ready for a nap. Physically, I am incapable of running with my dogs and they love to run, so when I hitch them up and they get to go it is a joyful experience for all.
If you are considering one of my puppies, please also consider what you would like to do with it: carting, driving, backpacking, agility, scent training, search and rescue, maybe a therapy or service dog. These are dogs capable of so many things the real limit is only our time.
If you have children, dog carting is a wonderful way to be able to spend time with everyone in an organized fashion. You can get the dog for a walk and the kids out of the house all at once. You can walk at a reasonable pace, you and the dog(s) are happy and generally the kids are happy too. These are great dogs for helping in the yard. They really enjoy the outdoors, pulling a cart full of mulch while getting to spend time with their owner is a good day for them.
As a groomer, it is very important that proper grooming practices should be followed. This will be a part of the rest of your puppy’s life and it should be enjoyable. I will have already started getting the puppies used to grooming and strongly recommend keeping up on it. Keep the coat short or properly brushed out to prevent matting. Check the ears regularly and put cleaner in after swimming and baths. Brush the teeth daily and provide heathy chews like Antlers, Bully Sticks, and Water Buffalo Horns. NEVER RAWHIDE. Nails should be clipped or ground every month.
Grooming should be a calm relaxing experience, not a battle. After a good walk and a meal, take the puppy for grooming practice. Start with a relaxing massage. Show the tools ahead of time. Do not let the puppy play with the tools. When the puppy is relaxing from the massage, start to run the comb and brush through the coat. If the puppy tries to get up or go after the brush firmly nudge them and massage them until they relax again. Always try to end on a good note. If you can go once over on one side with the brush or comb while they are relaxing that is good enough for one session.
Finding a Groomer
Most likely you will need to find a professional groomer. It can be done at home but it is hard, messy, and can be dangerous. You might injure your dog or your dog might injure you. As a groomer I can give you some inside information. When you start looking at puppies, start looking at groomers. Call around. Some groomers will not want to take Newfypoos as clients, so it might take some leg work. The good ones will most likely be booked out 6-8 weeks in advance. I like to start puppies at 12 weeks with the bath and face trim, but you have to know the salon is properly sanitized between dogs. Your vet may recommend waiting until your puppy has all their shots, as that is the safest. Dogs should wait 2 days after any shots to be groomed so they are not sore or at risk of shot reactions.
Grooming Tools
Under coat rake or coat King
Is a very good tool for keeping the coat at a manageable level. Many poodle mix dogs have a lot of trouble with matting. The hair tends to be very thick and soft. If used probably, the rake will remove some of the extra thick soft undercoat that these dogs inherited from the Newfoundland genes. Other dogs get their undercoat from Golden, Labrador, maybe Australian shepherd. Well-bred poodles have a hair quality similar to sheep, super tight curls with a springy texture that locks the coat in position. Friction causes matting, so the more floppy coat of these mixes moves around too much causing matting. if any of you are familiar with the process of felting that is basically what matting is. The rake leaves behind the harder guard hairs that are less likely to mat and can be brush more easily. I like to use it in the bath, the coat is more elastic when wet and covered with shampoo or conditioner and less likely to create coat damage that could lead to further matting.
Metal Greyhound comb
This is a very important tool because it will tell you if you are getting the haircut you want or a short one. If you can get a comb through your whole dog the day before a grooming appointment your groomer will be able to use a comb attachment on the clippers which can leave you with up to two inches of hair. One inch is fairly standard. Not all groomers have a two inch comb, so if you are wanting the longest possible cut you may want to buy a two inch comb LINKED HERE. Any snag you hit with the comb will need to be brushed out, either with the comb or a slicker brush. It’s not the groomers job to brush your dog out. If you want to keep them long, you must become a competent brusher.
Slicker Brush
This can be used for line brushing or for working out small mats and tangles you find with the comb. It is also a good way to remove seeds and vegetation. Then follow up with the comb to make sure you get everything. The slicker brush pulls less than the comb, so dogs tend to tolerate it better but it can cause brush burn if improperly used. You can practice using tools on your arm to see how much pressure is comfortable.
Mat Breaker
One of the scariest tools to learn to use, but it has a job and does it well. There are many variations of this tool, some more dangerous then others. I like the mini mat breaker from Ryan’s Pet. Its small size makes it easy to control and get in the places it needs to go. I would never try to de-mat a whole dog as this would be painful and inhumane, but sometimes they will get a mat behind an ear, on the legs or tail, and if it’s tight a mat breaker or clippers are what you need. A mat breaker is basically a comb made out of serrated blades with rounded tips. It is designed to be able to slip behind the mat and with a rocking motion be pulled through the mat to divided it into sections that are easier to brush out. It will thin and damage the coat wherever you use it so it is not a tool for frequent use.
THE STUFF
This is a light, nongreasy spray-on conditioner. I like to apply a light misting after the bath before drying. It can also be be applied before brushing the dog out. It does make surfaces very slippery so be careful were you spray it.
Shampoo Sprayer
Makes getting your big hairy dog clean much easier. Attaches to a standard garden hose, mixes shampoo and water.
Velocity Dryer
A valuable tool for drying your dog in a timely fashion. It will also will let you check for matting, see if the skin looks healthy, and can also blow off snowballs.
Wet Deshed
Every 4-6 weeks on a dog with 1+ inches of hair I do a deshed bath. Lather the whole dog with quality dog shampoo suited to you puppies needs; something moisturizing is good because these dogs need lots of baths. Once the shampoo is on, take the coarse undercoat rake, start at the front and gently but firmly slide the rake through the coat making contact with the skin but not pressing hard.
Go over the whole dog with the rake, but stop at the base of the tail. Comb out the tail after the bath. After this once over, rinse and shampoo the face again. Apply conditioner to the body and go over the dog again, starting at the face and working back again, leaving their tail. Rinse very thoroughly, and clean ears then proceed to dry.
Please don’t say these phrases to groomers it makes them grumpy
“Don’t make it look like a poodle.” (Your dog might have poodle structure because it is part poodle. You can say, “I don’t want clean face and feet,” or “No poodle cuts please.”)
“I like them fluffy.” (You should find a length you can maintain without your dog getting matted.)
“Please don’t shave them.” (A good groomer wants you happy, but torturing dogs for aesthetic reasons goes against our morals, so sometimes they must be clipped short.)
“I want a puppy cut/teddy bear.” (This is very nonspecific. Better to find what length you want and how you want the ears and tail trimmed, bring pictures, and talk to the groomer. It might take a couple grooms to find the right look, don’t be afraid to say what you like and don’t like on pick up.)
Do not bring in pictures of puppies that have NOT had hair cuts and request your dog look like this. (They are groomers not time machines.)
Do not ask to be squeezed in. (Groomers can’t make more time in their day and rushing makes for bad grooms and injuries.)
When they are born puppies are blind and deaf. They rely on smell to stay with mom and their siblings. They are completely dependent on mom. This is when we will start early neurological stimulation.
Transitional Period 2-3 weeks
Puppies can start to hear and see. Teeth are beginning to come in. The puppies are now urinating and defecating without having to be stimulated. This means we can begin litter training, which will facilitate potty training later. Puppies that are not litter trained and get used to relieving themselves where they sleep can make potty training more difficult.
Primary Socialization 3-5 weeks
Senses are all working full tilt. We are going to work on noise desensitizing and clicker training. Potential owners may be allowed to visit.
Secondary Socialization 5-16 weeks
Puppy Training 5-8 weeks
We will be working on getting the puppies used to many things. We will practice car rides, walking on a leash, getting a bath, brushing and grooming, crate training, working with the commands; sit, lay down, come, stay and leave it.
Puppies join their forever families 8-12 weeks
Training is every day every experience! The months of work I have done to make these puppies good can be undone in a matter of days. The whole family needs to be ready to work with the new family member so they will learn the rules of the house.
Remember to have a vet appointment for the day after you bring puppy home. Bring your health guarantee for the vet to sign. You should bring them in a carrier for the first couple of vet visits until they are fully vaccinated for parvo. Vet offices are a place where sick dogs and dogs with parasites spend time so it is important protect your puppy. If you haven’t already you should call to schedule your puppy’s grooming for 12-16 weeks of age.
The puppies will be well prepared for their new homes. If you can organize to have time off when you are going to be bringing your. puppy home; this will be most beneficial. A good two weeks would be ideal for establishing proper potty habits in their new environment. When you are bringing your new puppy home bring a bully stick or some smelly treats to lure them. Whenever possible it is best to let the puppy enter new situations by their own power. This will be very important for the rest of their life and create a dog that easily enters new environments and doesn’t balk and freeze.
The key to potty training success is to prevent accidents and reinforce good behavior. Confining the puppy to a small area, preferably on a hard surface such as a tiled kitchen is perfect. They do not need the run of the house, that would lead to accidents One step at a time. Small areas with gates or keeping puppy on a leash is ideal. You should set up their crate in an area where they can feel like they are a part of the action but can observe safely.
They will need to be taken outside to relieve themselves every 30 minutes when they are awake and possibly a couple of times at night. Your new puppy will need to eat three times a day. They will also want to play whenever they are awake.
Once your puppy is 12 weeks old they should be vaccinated against PARVO, which is the main concern to bringing them to places for socialization. Once the vaccine has had time to work, you may begin regular walks and a puppy training class may be beneficial, depending on your experience. I find two one mile walks a day to be ideal. They should be structured, not a wild free for all. You can have organized stops to sniff and let them take care of business, but that should be your choice. I use the command “Go potty.” This is also a good time for them to have their first professional grooming visit. The younger a dog is when being introduced to new experience the better it will go and the less fear and resistance there will be.
6-18 Months
Welcome to adolescence. All the wonderful training you dog has received seems to go right out the window at this age. Your dog is like a combination of a teenager and a two year old. Stay calm, be patient, your good dog is still in there. A little extra training every day and some extra exercise will help. In a few months, with some work you will be through the worst of it. This is going to be the age for spaying and neutering unless recommend by your vet. Females should be spayed before their first heat at 6 months. Male dogs can benefit from waiting until a year, but if their behavior is being a problem neutering will most likely help. Neutering doesn’t replace training but it can help take everything down a notch.
By the time your dog is three, they should be the best version of themselves and you can enjoy them for the rest of their life.
