Yuveliya and Her Puppies

Tales from a nursery

Unicum: how Yuveliya taught her four lovely Toy Poodles to use puppy pads

Early in the morning, a cheerful symphony of tiny yawns and barely perceptible wagging tails can be heard in our breeding nursery. Yuveliya, a lovely, proud Toy Poodle mother, rises from her space. Beside her, four little pearls begin to stretch: two puppies with warm apricot coats that gleam like honey, and two little ones as black as night, whose coats are already beginning to form their first, wonderfully soft curls.
This is the story of a special litter and how, under the attentive guidance of Yuveliya and the Unicum team, four tiny Toy Poodles are learning the golden rules of living together and house training.

Waking up and Mother Yuveliya's first lesson

As soon as the little ones open their bright eyes, the first of the day's three key moments begins: waking up.
A Toy Poodle puppy only a few weeks old has a tiny bladder, and the need is immediate.
This is where the secret of our method comes into play: learning by imitation. Yuveliya needs no words. With a confident step, she leaves the sleeping area and heads towards the puppy pad, strategically placed on the opposite side of the pen. The four little ones watch her, ears pricked. The first to move is an apricot puppy, followed closely by a little black brother. Guided by instinct and the familiar scent of the pad, they step onto it on unsteady paws. At that very moment, we fill the room with praise and cuddles. For them, doing the right thing immediately becomes the most enjoyable game in the world.

Food and play

The three-moment rule. Shortly afterwards, the nursery comes alive at mealtime. The four little Toy Poodles empty their bowls with infectious enthusiasm. Once they have eaten, a lively play session begins: the two apricot puppies chase each other with little bounds, while the two black puppies tussle over a small soft toy suited to their size.
Food plus play means that they will soon need to relieve themselves. This is when our presence becomes essential. Before an accident can happen, the puppies are gently guided onto the pad. No scolding, no rushing: only consistency and positive reinforcement. When they get it right, a small special treat and plenty of praise celebrate their success.
Managing space: early life in “concentric circles”. Reviews often say that house training a Toy Poodle is difficult because of its small size. At Unicum, we believe the secret lies in managing space.

Yuveliya's little ones are not immediately given an entire room where they could become lost and confused. They grow up in a defined, protected environment, a playpen where the puppy pad is always visible and easy to reach. For such a small puppy, having the “toilet” within sight removes the possibility of error. It is a simple mental map that their remarkably bright minds—typical of the breed—memorise in just a few days.

Towards their new families: the puppy pad as a bridge

Before long, these four lovely apricot and black puppies will be ready to bring happiness to their new homes. We will always explain our professional approach here at Unicum to the families welcoming them: the puppy pad Yuveliya has taught them to use is not a final destination, but a temporary bridge. In their new homes, soft rugs will be rolled up temporarily to prevent the puppies from confusing them with the pad, as they feel similar beneath their paws. And walk by walk, once they are old enough to have fully developed bladder and bowel control, the four little ones will discover that relieving themselves outside, on the grass, earns an even greater and more memorable reward.

As we watch Yuveliya resting proudly while her four little ones sleep peacefully and cleanly in their bed, we know we have made the right choice. A Poodle not only benefits from careful morphological and genetic selection, but also grows up with a foundation of calm, intelligence and good habits that will remain with them throughout life.