He's settling in really well, and is a really fast learner. He's a bit nibbly when playing with the kids, the older two are getting better at putting the toy into his mouth if he tries to mouth them and just ending the game if that doesn't work, the youngest I am just there with them to keep things under control the whole time. With me he plays very nicely, this morning he got over excited and put his teeth on me (first time in days), but I ended the game and he was much politer a few minutes later when I restarted it. Poodles are very smart!

I have realised a flaw in my plan to carry him out every day - dogs are hot! Its like carrying a large hairy infant with a fever! And in this weather it's a killer. I'll continue to try to find a way to make it work in the mornings, as we see people of all ages and it tires him out beautifully (he wakes up full of energy and isn't likely to settle well when I leave for the morning school run), but I think he's going to stay in his pen in the afternoons. I left him for 50mins yesterday and he was fast asleep when I left and when we came back. He's settling nicely into a routine and manages 6-7 hours sleep overnight no bother.

His housetraining is coming on brilliantly, he's done one poo in the house, ever (an hour after we brought him home). And maybe 4 wees but only one since Saturday and that one was right next to the back door (which I think he thought I'd gone to open but actually I was putting the kettle on ) My next problem to solve is that we have a playhouse in the garden and he wee'd in it this morning, so I'll need to somehow teach him that that particular bit of "outside" is actually "inside" as far as the humans are concerned. His bells are already very handy - if you need him to wee (because it's bedtime or you need to go out with him or to leave him) you can just hit the bells and he runs out and does a wee. We took him to my in-laws on Saturday, I hung the bells on their patio doors and gave them a shake and he ran straight out into their garden and had a wee and didn't wee or poo in their house at all.

I'm gradually switching his food, he is enjoying the new stuff but it is more work to chew (orijen). I'm going to get him some nature's menu too as he loves raw stuff. He's not all that excited about his chewy toys, but I have calves feet coming today so hopefully they will interest him.

I've been grooming him daily and have scissored his tummy hair a bit shorter (it was getting wee on every day!). I plucked his ears a bit while my 10yo fed him raw beef mince. That task is definitely going to be a work in progress...

He's getting fairly good at the "off" command and his recall isn't too bad, so I might add "sit" in somewhere today too.

So all good, he's a great wee boy.

Regarding chews - have you tried rice bones and Fish 4 Dogs sea jerky skinny strips ? My dog loves them both and they're not full of nasties.
Plucking ears is definitely a chore !!!

re housetraining . Are you teaching him to go in one area or just outside. If its one area then the playhouse wont be a problem

> I'm gradually switching his food, he is enjoying the new stuff

Just wondering why after only 3 or 4 days of having your new pup, that your changing the food he is on?

Have been following your story for a while,apart from your other major commitments (children) you remind me so much of me when I was looking for our first dog! So glad you've got him and really pleased you're doing so well with him.

>Just wondering why after only 3 or 4 days of having your new pup, that your changing the food he is on?>

I asked the breeder about feeding (was planning on changing him in a few months) before he came home and she said they really weren't keen on what they were on and she was planning on changing her keeper over soon but she didn't want to transition the litter right before sending them home, she approved my choice of change and told me the minimum time to transition in (i'm actually doing it much slower) and sent him home with enough of the original stuff that we could move him gradually.

When he was on 100% eukanuba he was having about 1/4 of his bowl before leaving it. Now he's on 1/3 orijen and 2/3 eukanuba he is eating about two thirds of his bowl, but seems to only leave eukanuba.

I didn't begin until I'd had him weighed at the vet's and I have a notebook with his feeds throughout the transition worked out mathematically to the gram (obsessive, moi!?).

>Re housetraining . Are you teaching him to go in one area or just outside. If its one area then the playhouse wont be a problem>

Well theoretically to go in a particular place, but he has already grasped inside/outside but is still patchy on going in the "right" place.

keep working on the right place. I picked mine up and put or guided him where I wanted although I know not every one agrees with this , he is a gsd so not small by the way. My view was every time he did it in the wrong place was a step backwards so the number of times he did  it in the right place was best . I only treated when we were in the right place.  dog number 2 and 3 I was less on it so to speak and now have gsd that only goes in the gravel area which was intended and number 2 and 3 I have given up and anywhere outside is good. my fault poor training
I would definitely  go for here is where you do it  anywhere else is not what I want right from the get go . That is of course if it matters to you

A method I have seen used for this is to have a puppy pen set up in the toileting area and put him there each time you take him out5 for a wee/poo.  After they have been doing this for a fe2w weeks the pen is removed and they continue to use their toilet area.

Especially useful in the case of a communal garden, small children that will tread and track in poo, tryng to preserve a nice lawn etc.

I'm a little bit not-sure about it all, as I'd like if he uses the patio (easiest clean up) BUT I had a rescued dog once who had been taught only to go in long grass and he was really anxious right up until the end of his life if he had to go on concrete or gravel or short grass. Initially he would hold it for ages until he had to go with huge urgency and in huge volume, latterly he would go but then try to eat it or just become really anxious and flighty.

Now, obviously the anxiety was the central issue rather than the location (he was nearly 5 when we got him) but I know for certain that my pup will be expected to go on a variety of surfaces as we go out and about and will be taking him, so different gardens, parks, holiday rentals etc. So I don't really know if I want to train to a specific area, for fear of making him worried about going in other areas.

So I was sort of thinking to continue teaching him his "go" command (get busy!) and then once he understands it well using the command with him on-lead if I need/want to keep it contained.

I think it will largely depend on the dog. As your rescue became anxious over the issue of where to go may well be due to whatever happened to him prior to you having him or his own nature.
We don't have any grass areas at home and all my dogs have been taught to toilet on gravel, but they will happily toilet on most other surfaces. My young golden will if taken out and asked to toilet, go on the gravel where she was taught to go as a pup. If left to her own devices then she will toilet anywhere in the garden. When out her preference is long grass and you can see her eyeing up areas for just the right kind of grass before toileting, then she spends a few minutes searching for the right blade of grass before getting down to work so to speak. However, if she's gotta go then she will go on most surfaces. She prefers not to on a hard surface and will hold on, but doesn't appear to get anxious at all.

See this is exactly it, I don't know what my old boy was like as a puppy. I do know he arrived in the rescue age 3 and was returned twice before we took him. We think he was a failed gundog as he was so terrified of bangs and of loud men in wax jackets! He was anxious in general, not just about this, but we had him until he was nearly 13 and he was still worried about having to poo on "wrong" surfaces, having never once been scolded about it by us in 9 years.

This wee guy is very confident and resilient so far. I guess I'll see how I go and adjust according to his reactions. My main focus so far has really been on trust building and love. Was so sweet this morning when the kids got up (my husband had gotten up to take him out first) and he was utterly thrilled with them, running back and forth between them wriggling with joy that "his" kids had appeared. He did the same yesterday when my husband came in from work. So lovely bonding with him.

I like that method brainless but didn't think about until afterwards. My shep inly associates his area when we are hime anthere else he just goes but does understamd the be quick command at any time