When we bought our beautiful Poochon, Biscuit 2 months ago, we honestly had no information about this breed of dog. We weren’t thinking of buying a Poochon. As I explained in my post Introducing our Poochon Puppy, Biscuit was one of many puppies of all different breeds available to us. So we let the dog choose us!

If you’re thinking of buying a Poochon puppy, there are some things you might like to know about owning a Poochon before going to look at one and then falling in love with it!

Things to know if you’re thinking of buying a Poochon Puppy:

1. Shedding

Poochons don’t malt per se and are often described as hypoallergenic. However, they can leave fur on your clothes if they brush up against you. This isn’t much but it is something to bear in mind if you wear a lot of black cloning!

2. Coat Maintenance

Honestly, a Poochon requires brushing every day. I brush Biscuit daily for about 15 minutes at a time. Poochons have 2 layers of fur. The fur that naturally falls from the coat gets stuck in the fur and must be removed by brushing.

Biscuit’s fur gets matted very easily. So if I miss a day of brushing, she has mats throughout her coat, which are really difficult to brush out. Biscuit’s coat tends to mat around the area she wears her harness, so around the neck and at the top of her chest.

If you are thinking of buying a Poochon Puppy, be prepared to make brushing part of your daily routine.

3. Grooming

Biscuit has already had one puppy grooming session. She is due another one soon. This involved a bath, brush, nail trim and the trimming of her fur around her eyes and toilet area. Biscuit can have a full groom from 6 months old. This will involve a bath, brush, nail trim and (if we chose) trimming of her full coat.

She requires a visit to the groomers every 6-8 weeks. In between those sessions, I will be bathing her weekly (as I do now). She often requires washing of her toilet area a couple of times a week as this tends to get a little messy because she has so much fur.

4. Temperament

Poochons are naturally friendly, curious and playful pets. They’re instinctively loyal and protective of their family. Biscuit loves to cuddle on the sofa, however, she also enjoys her own space. Quite often she will join us on the couch and then after a while jump down to sprawl on the floor.

5. Intelligence

Poochons are highly intelligent dogs. They love to learn new tricks and to keep practising those tricks with you.

So far, Biscuit can fetch and drop a ball or a stick. She can also sit for a treat.

We encouraged Biscuit to go to the toilet on her puppy pad as soon as we brought her home. The first trip to the toilet she did on the floor. I placed her on the pad and she’s done it either on the pad or outside ever since. She is a very fast learner.

6. Sleeping

On the whole, Biscuit sleeps from around 11 pm until around 7 am. And this has been the norm since the day we brought her home. On the odd night, she might wake up to go to the toilet at around 5 am. I put a puppy pad outside her crate, and she goes to the toilet and then goes back to sleep.

She also has frequent naps throughout the day.

7. Separation

I was told that poodles have rather bad separation anxiety. I can honestly say we haven’t experienced this. We only leave Biscuit alone for a maximum of 4 hours. A few weeks ago we installed a puppy camera. That way if we pop out we can keep an eye on her and can tell if she is becoming distressed.

We often leave her with a relative if we will be out for a number of hours and she enjoys her time with new people.

8. Crate Use

We currently use a crate. Biscuit knows that when she goes in the crate it is bedtime and she tends to fall asleep straight away in there. She has a blanket and toys to soothe her in the crate. Some people are against using crates. I’ve used them on all my dogs. I never use the crate as punishment. Biscuit is calm and content in there and I know she can’t damage anything or herself whilst she is in there.

8. Walking

Biscuit is fantastic on the lead. The first two walks, she was unsure and wouldn’t really move. Eventually, I sort of pulled her to encourage her to walk. She understood what was expected of her then and she has been fine ever since.

We are experimenting with letting her off the lead. She is doing rather well. Biscuit will come to her name and doesn’t venture too far from my side.

I take Biscuit for a walk twice a day for around 30 minutes at a time.

9. With other animals

Poochons love to socialise with humans as well as other dogs. Biscuit was a bit of a barker when we first brought her home. But since she has been out on walks and has seen how other dogs behave, that has now calmed quite a lot.

Whenever she sees another dog in the park, she does this funny little movement where she jumps up on 2 legs in excitement as she approaches the dog. Biscuit has never been aggressive towards another dog and just loves to play.

Biscuit is still not used to cats. I don’t think she understands what they are. My Mum has 3 cats and our neighbours have cats. Biscuit will sniff them and try to play. She has never been aggressive towards any cat.

10. Poochons around Children

We have an 8-year-old daughter (as well as an adult daughter). Biscuit adores our youngest daughter. She quickly identified her as a playmate and they have been best friends ever since. Our Poochon is great around all children and only wants to play when she sees a child.

As she is a puppy she tends to nip when she initially sees a person. However, she is getting better at this. We always warn children or anyone who wants to stroke her that she is going through this nipping phase which all pups do.

Biscuit absolutely loves to be around children and will play for hours and hours.

11. Diet and Nutrition

The diet and nutrition of any dog is vital. This will change depending on their breed, their weight, their activity, their lifestyle, any allergies, and much more. There are many known foods, for example, oatmeal is a great source of protein and carbs for dogs. You will need to speak to your vet, to come up with a diet that is nutritious for your poochon, that comprises high-quality protein, minerals and vitamins. But, a poochon diet is very easy and simple to figure out.

So if you’re thinking of buying a Poochon, we hope you found this post helpful. If you are a fellow Poochon owner, please let us know in the comments below if you have any tips and advice for anyone who is thinking of buying a Poochon.