The Transition
Moving homes can be one of the most stressful things for our furry family members— especially when its for the first time, and they’re without the people they’ve been used to their whole lives. There are a myriad of things to worry about during the transition, but most things in this list are perfectly normal and common things that you shouldn’t be too concerned about as a new owner.
Quinn & Rover’s Red Abstract F1B Cavapoo Puppies
Digestive upsets
We have a handout that we give on Preventing Poor Poop that perfectly describes the nature of digestive upsets, and why your pup might be experiencing issues and how to treat or overcome the upset digestive system! We also send a little powder bag filled with pre & probiotics that our buyers can sprinkle on top of the food for a little extra boost to help them settle their stomachs. This tends to be one of the biggest issues we hear about during a transition. Poor poop can be normal among a transition and generally isn’t a thing to worry over— just something that time and adjustment can heal along with pre and probiotics and the other treatments our handout lists.
Lack of eating/drinking Sufficiently
This is probably the second thing that we hear about the most as breeders. People worried that their pup isn’t eating or drinking “enough.” This is also fairly common. It’s important to realize that dogs will only eat enough to fill their caloric needs. You’d think that with a big transition they would want to eat more to makeup for stress, but that just isn’t true. Sometimes they cut back on food and water intake. Not to worry, this is totally normal. Especially for our puppy buyers who feed Life’s Abundance dog food. Because Life’s Abundance is so high in calories, it means they will eat less overall than any other dog food and they will poop less. The nerves and stress of being in a new home and environment without the people or other dogs that they’re used to cause them to cut back. As they get more used to their new home, this issue will correct itself as they get used to their new routines.
Quinn & Rover’s Red Abstract F1B Cavapoo Girl “Zoey”
Not Pottying Outside
The beginning of the transition is critical to establishing routines for potty training. We generally suggest that you take your pup outside for a potty break every 2 hours, so that they can get the hang of pottying outside in their new home. At the beginning, they may “refuse” to do their business outside. Again, this is fairly common. They aren’t used to your yard, their new environment, and they just need to get used to the idea of the routine. While they may not potty during each 2 hour break, they will get used to knowing that they will have the opportunity to do so.
Another great potty training tip is to make sure to take your pup outside about 20 minutes after eating, drinking water, or taking a nap. Once they get up and moving their digestive systems start moving the food through rather quickly and they can’t really hold it well enough until a routine is set in place! Some puppies do better than others, but luckily the poodle-part in our dogs make them pretty smart and eager-to-please!
Quinn & Rover’s Apricot Abstract F1B Cavapoo Girl “Ginger”
Crying in the crate
We highly recommend the transitional toy, the Snuggle Puppy (optional for an additional $40) to our customers. Purchasing this plush toy directly from us ensures that we can get familiar scents on it. This additive benefit greatly helps during the transition as they are missing their old home, mom, and siblings. With this familiar and comforting scent, it can lessen the sad cries that you’ll hear from them in the crate at night.
Another tip to help with whining in the crate is to make sure you aren’t rewarding poor behaviors. If you let them out from the crate because they cry, they’ll pick up on that and whine even more because they know that you’ll just let them out. Be very careful about when and how you let them out because they’re certainly smart enough to make quick associations between behavior and rewards.
