The “Puppy Puppy Puppy” command, when would we use that? If he is in danger? You also recommend cheese, chicken or hotdogs after that command, what kind of cheese?
The “Puppy Puppy Puppy” command is a High Rewards Recall Command that we have reinforced with puppy since puppy started eating solid foods. By us reinforcing that command everytime puppy eats, puppy will associate that command with coming back to you with the understanding that there will be a high reward treat when he gets to you. This is only a command used when giving food to puppy, or in am emergency situation. An emergency situation would look something like: puppy got off the leash in an unknown area, you need to get puppy back to you ASAP. The goal is to not overuse that command and it is ONLY used for emergency situations when you would need to recall puppy back to you. If you are struggling with this command I highly recommend pursuing training from a professional trainer. I am a breeder and specialize in raising puppies from birth to 8 weeks and any continuation of training should be supported by you and a professional trainer working in tandem.
When would we need to use the boiled chicken and rice? I was under the impression table food is not a good idea? I thought no table food would be better.
You are 100% correct in your assertion that table food is not a good idea to feed dogs as a replacement for their regular meals. When you hear someone recommending a boiled chicken and rice diet, this is typically prescribed when your dog is experiencing an upset stomach and needs help balancing out with a very plain meal replacement, temporarily, until the sickness passes. In most cases, this would typically apply to your puppy if your vet is recommending this prescribed course of diet treatment. Sometimes table food can be used as a High Rewards Treat alongside our "Puppy, puppy, puppy" Recall Command. This would be used sparingly as a treat only, not as a replacement for a meal.
About the crying in the crate, you mention to ignore crying in the crate. How do I know he needs something like potty and when to ignore it?
As far as crate training goes, I would suggest treating puppy in his crate similarly to a baby taking a nap in a crib. You, as his owner, will eventually fall into the best routine that works for you. There are no black and white times that I recommend you strictly following. Make sure and take away food/water about 30 mins to an hour before crating puppy. I recommend crating puppy no longer than 3 hrs at a time during the day. If you plan on leaving puppy there longer, then I would set aside time to slowly work puppy up to whatever desired length you would want. We have families that have to work during the day and they crate their dogs during the day. I would work closely with a professional trainer in this situation. However, our puppies are trained to take one 3 hour midday nap and they do sleep through the night in their crate from 8-9pm to 6-7am, without any potty accidents! So you know that longer than 2 hrs is a possibility to work up to! Just keep in mind that when you take puppy, he will not instantly know your intentions. There will be accidents because your puppy is so young. But if you maintain consistency throughout the transitionary period, eventually puppy will pick up on what you want from them and it will be their new normal.
Why is it bad if they are excited to see/greet us and why should we ignore that?
This is something that you will start to notice more when your puppy is older. When you see an excited dog, it is not always a happy-excited dog, but a nervous/anxious-excited dog which can become unpredictable in unfamiliar situations. If you can't tell the difference then I highly recommend a professional trainer in this situation. As a puppy, it might be cute for them to jump all over you and lick you up, but as an adult that can be an inappropriate behavior if it was happening to a child or an elderly person. Ignoring the behavior and waiting for your puppy to wait patiently for you to go to him would be a better, more positive behavior to reinforce, rather than jumping. Your love and affection is another High Reward Treat and they will learn quickly how to best get it.
What do you do if he starts biting?
Biting: all dogs go through a biting phase as puppies! This is their teething phase and it will feel like forever. The good news is that it is a temporary period of time until they hit adulthood, between 6 months and 2 years old you should see a big decrease in biting and chewing. From when you get your puppy to the time the Vet gives clearance to start walking regularly, I would highly recommend redirecting the chewing/teething with toys appropriate for puppies, puzzle games, and lots of play to work your puppy's mental energy off. We have a lot of those teething bones/toys listed on our Amazon Favorites tab. I would also recommend not leaving puppy by themselves when you need to walk away. I would keep puppy in a safe area or their crate. When you start exercising them regularly, you will notice a serious decrease in the amount of biting and chewing. Again, this phase is temporary and only becomes excessive if they have too much unworked energy. Just remember this is normal puppy behavior and not meant as an intentional slight to you. You both will find the otherside!
Is it true that we shouldn’t let him sit on the couch with us?
If you want your puppy to sit on your couch that is totally up to you. If you do not, that is also your decision. It will not make you a bad person if you do/don't want your dogs on the couch (LOL), in fact, in our home our dogs go through phases of on our couch or only on their dog beds. For us, when we have a new puppy in the house that is still learning boundaries we enforce our dogs (and the cat) to all stay on the dog beds next to our couches. It is totally your call and what works best for you. If you are having a hard time communicating yes or no couches to your puppy, I would highly recommend contacting a professional dog trainer.
Is it true that when walking he needs to be walking behind us, how do you make sure that happens?
The way you want your puppy to walk on a leash is something that you would need to talk to a professional trainer about. There are certain things that you will find your puppy responds to. And there are things that you will want to communicate to your puppy that they might not understand immediately. When there is a communication barrier like that a professional needs to step in to help you communicate better to your puppy. Regardless, I recommend walking your puppy, after your Vet gives the go ahead to start walks, and getting a feel for how it goes. I would then consistently walk your puppy for a week or two and figure out if it works great for the two of you (YAY!) or contacting a professional trainer if you need help in communicating your needs to your puppy. Sometimes the solutions to small problems are obvious but we need a really good translator to help us more properly communicate.
Do you have a video on how to bath a puppy?
We do not have videos on how to bathe our dogs. This is something that I recommend asking a groomer. It isn't hard to bath your dog yourself. A quick hose down in the shower or outside when it's warm enough is sufficient for a messy puppy. But when we are discussing hair maintenance we highly recommend going to a groomer. We are not professional groomers of poodles/doodles. This is a specific type of hair that grows like human hair. Because they don't shed, they need regular hair cuts. Our preference is to take our dogs to a grooming salon. I would look into groomers who offer the following: Ear cleaning, face styling/cleaning, hair cut (based on length preference), clean feet and sanitary area. Our favorite cut for our poodle and doodles is the Teddy Bear cut with clean feet, ears and sanitary.