We are eagerly awaiting a standard poodle puppy (no pups born yet, so not counting chickens etc.).  I am too excited and have started to buy things...

What do you NEED for a puppy?

I so far have ordered a playpen (our preference over a crate for various reasons).  Yesterday I went to a cheaper type shop and bought several chew, rope and squeaky toys, a small collar and lead (that will only fit for a few months) a small soft bed, a slicker type brush, some stainless steel bowls, some poop bags and dispenser for them - all of that cost under £30 so i've not gone nuts. 

What do you NEED for a puppy, what is useful to have, what is useless nonsense?  For instance should i buy a full grooming kit (will be doing our own grooming, so that would include fairly expensive clippers) or add bits as needed?  I am resistant to buying puppy pads - would rather a) try to get puppy outside every time and, b) use newspaper over a shower curtain if need be - but am i mad?  I am doing my research re: insurance but i will obviously be waiting to arrange all that until pup is home anyway.  We already have a vet picked out - I need to call them for advice but i KNOW i will sound like a nut enquiring about care for a theoretical puppy...!

I fear i am suffering from that effect where you forget the shops will still exist AFTER the puppy comes home...

I don't think I'd buy a puppy pen unless it was VERY tall -you are talking about a large breed of dog here, won't take a pup long at all to learn to climb/jump out.   

If you're going to groom a Poodle yourself, you best  get some lessons from the breeder, and will then also need good quality grooming scissors, combs and a grooming table, plus no doubt a blaster/dryer on a stand.   Other than the clippers you will need a few different blades for them.  Shampoos, nail clippers etc -all of this you are best off getting advice from the breeder about.

Puppy pads are useless, yes, you don't want to have to house train twice! (First teaching pup it is okay to go indoors, then changing it to NOT being okay.) Straight out from day one is the answer.

squeaky toys,

If you try using those you risk your dog chokeing or blocking, either will kill it. Apart from that if they are in a park with one another dog might attack it and others simply take it off pup......many other risky things as well.
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with regard to insurance most breeders of kc registered dogs will include insurance free for 4 ? weeks from pick up. make sure that is inforce before you leave the breeders house. Last thing you need is something happening and you arnt covered  even , and I hope not , before you arrive home. after that you get the opportunity to stay with the kennel club insurance or you may have decided to change to another. With regard to asking vets about puppy care I would also get others advice as many vets will try and sell monthly plans for flea. worming and vaccination. Its a good idea to investigate that with a neutral party as a lot of this is not necessary as often as many vets would have you believe. There are also more natural ways to worm and flea treat even to the point as I do of only treating if the parasite is present. which it rarely is.   with regard to vaccinations again research for the future and remember boosters are not needed on an annual basis. 3 yearly is more than sufficient for the core. It may be helpful to look for training classes in your area. good positive ones ( treat based ) nothing Cesar milan style. maybe people who are from the association of pet dogs trainers or one of the other good organisations. Institute of modern dog trainers is another I believe that's worth looking at.. Go along and watch before signing up .
re treats and chews. please don't use the rawhide type ones or any of the smoked /not smoked bones that are sold . they really shouldn't be inn the market as can cause serious problems.

With insurance, is it better to go for lifetime cover?  I have a friend who did so and her insurer refused to renew when her horse was diagnosed with a lifelong condition..  What do others do?

A good book to get is The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey. Very useful bible for new puppy owners.

Thanks so far!

Re: the pen.  Yes don't worry, we have thought it through, it's the best fit for us.

Re: toys/chews - the squeaky toys are for when *I* decide to play with the dog (i.e. as a training motivator), and for supervised play only.  NOT to be "lying about" for the dog to play with alone and certainly not to be used on walks (do people actually do that?).  I haven't bought rawhide or bones, although have used smoked bones in the past without issue - we examined them frequently and binned them if there were any signs of splintering - is the splintering potential the danger?

I've already found a positive training class not too far away, which has a puppy playgroup stage, a basic obedience stage and then goes on into more advanced obedience if you want to continue.  I think they also feed into various agility/flyball groups.

Thanks Jodi, i bought it a year ago and am on my 3rd reading :)  I also have brain games for dogs and a few others.

re bones any type of cooked bone is potentially fatal.Its not just splintering but they can block as digestion is harder and if they splinter you don't necessarily know it been swallowed before damage is done. I used them in the past and got a way with it. now I know better I think my lucky starts I did get away with it. Imo easiest is to avoid.Raw bones are fine  even more so if u raw feed then they are a necessary part of the diet  but I would still be careful with the weight bearing marrow bones as they are often to hard for teeth..
Toy on walks are fine as a reward , my dogs are food orientated in the main but one loves his ball and its fantastic for recall and rewards

Lots of folk on here set up a direct debit into a savings account instead of insurance.

I've never bothered with it personally, an educated gamble but its paid off for me. I've had this breed for over 40 years and not had any major problems.

Guess it depends on your personal circumstances/breed, if my girl died no amount of money would compensate me for my loss and if I was hit with a massive unexpected bill I'd just pay out of savings. If she was suddenly diagnosed  with a long term illness requiring continuous payouts I'd kick myself but still think I've won over the years.

Insurance premiums rocket after about 8 years old I think.

Life time cover, great in theory and then the firm says we are no longer doing dog insurance.

Ooops tried to edit but left it too long.

When I said "this breed" I didn't mean your breed, apologies I'm expecting a litter of pups so not allowed to mention my breed.

Thought Standard Poodles were a healthy breed but I've never owned one, maybe other members could advise better on the need for insurance and the likely health problems associated with standard poodles ?

Have a look on the Zooplus website in the dog chews area. They do a lot of dried bits of animal chews, some more long lasting then others. I gave mine calf hooves (not filled) when she was a pup which was ideal for little puppy teeth and newly sprouted big teeth. Had to discontinue with them as she grew as they are a bit on the small side. They do smell rather when being chewed which you either put up with or encourage the pup to chew outside. Nowadays she has beef dried scalp strips and Bavarian cow ears!

> I haven't bought rawhide or bones, although have used smoked bones in the past without issue - we examined them frequently and binned them if there were any signs of splintering -

Very dependent on experience.  I've used them for 40 years and they help my toy breed because toys are awful for yucky teeth.  I have one Chihuahua bitch that is so bone mad that if you ask her to go out for a wee, she will race round finding her bone.  She actually has it in her mouth while squatting.  When they get left outside and get muddy I actually put them in the dishwasher.  I have a trug in the kitchen full of bones.  I imagine I've been lucky, but it works for me.

Poodles are my second favourite breed (after Border Collies) and you will find that they learn fast.  I actually did obedience and tracking with a toy poodle and she loved it.

It's important to  remember that Poodles are the second most intelligent breed after Border Collies so do help your pup with games that make them think.  Start with easy 'find' games, gradually building up.  I always 'hid' something behind a twig, making sure that it was findable.  And always made sure that my dog could see me hide it.  (In full sight really.)

Standard poodles are big dogs not ine tp risk a cooked bone on my chi probably couldn't do her self much damage with a Cooked bone but  I wouldn't risk it and would find something else hooves are great as someone suggested. As for insurance yes always lifetime tje other isn't worth it as u can easily end up with the company excluding things. For me the savings plan wouldnt work as unfortunately with two of mine now having allergies and previous dog having 3 different tumours my claims have substantially out weight premiums even on my older dogs.of course it could change but I wouldn't want to risk not being able to treat due to lack of money.i know it doesn't work for everyone

In my view major need is to find a good puppy socialisation/basic training class and get a place booked as the best ones get fully booked. And don't take peoples word for how good class is- go and visit class in action without your dog before deciding.
also a long line is an essential - great for recall training . not an extending lead as thats a very different thing.

Number one thing for the poodle coat is a good COMB.
Slickers, brushes etc only 'top brush' and can leave you with very nasty knots near the skin.
Get puppy used to being combed right down deep into the coat otherwise it will need shearing rather than groomed.

This is fab, thanks all.  A long line is definitely on my list.

My breeder grooms and has very kindly offered to show me what's what and advise on equipment too.  When you recommend a "good comb" - i assume you mean a greyhound comb?  One of those metal ones with varied tooth gauge?  It's on my list (WHY is it called a greyhound comb?  Surely you wouldn't comb a greyhound with one?).  What about one of those 6-12 curved tooth "dematting combs"?  I am guessing i will probably need one when the coat begins to change, but will i need one before then (assuming daily or almost daily grooming will be the norm?)?

I forgot - we are also borrowing a crate for the car.  It won't fit an adult poodle in, it's just to give us time to decide how we want to go forward (crate vs boot divider and guard).  It will fit comfortably for about 6 months.

Another question - re: garden.  I am currently re-fencing one side of it because some fencing is loose after the stormy winter.  How high would you think a fence should be?  It's 6-8' (slight slope so higher in relation to ground in some places than others) ranch fencing on two sides (which i'm going to add mesh fencing to the bottom 3 feet of to prevent small-puppy escape) but there is a short section of wall which is only about 5' - i was going to add a trellis to the top of that to be extra secure?

Yes a good, large, graded, steel comb.
Nail clipping from an early age is also vital, many grow nails at a funny angle and they don't wear naturally so start early.
Ear plucking needs to start young too as it can cause issues later.
I never found my standard to be a jumper...a silly madam ....but a normal sized fence contained her.

Insurance is peace of mind, imo, especially with vet prices being what they are nowadays. Once you have paid the excess for each condition, you don't have to worry what the bill(s) comes to and can have all tests done/alternative therapies, if your vet approves and insurance company okays it. It's very helpful in cases where the dog has a lifelong/chronic condition too.

Hi, I have a standard poodle (rescue) who is 3 years old in October. He is a wonderful dog and has a wonderful temperament and outlook on life. A word of warning though, please ask your breeder about Addisons disease. My boy is being tested at the moment. I have discovered that there is a lot of it in his pedigree and am very concerned that poodle and labradoodle breeders continue to breed from affected dogs. They are obviously more bothered about making money than the health of the dogs that they are breeding. A reputable breeder should not mind you asking the question.