Welcome & Overview

Thanks for helping take care of Mocca, the miniature poodle! This page has everything you need — what to feed, when to walk, vet info, and how Mocca likes to live her best life.

Daily Routine

Mocca doesn't have a strict daily routine, she will adapt to your schedule. However, if you are working it is best to tire her in the morning so she will be more relaxed throughout the day.

  • Morning — Outside for bathroom; long walk so that she is tired for the day (30-60 min).
  • Nap time — After activities, she will usually nap for several hours.
  • Noon — Midday potty break and second walk (15-60 min).
  • Afternoon — Nap time.
  • Evening — Third walk (15-60 min).
  • Right before bedtime — Final bathroom break.

Feeding

Food: Dry food, e.g. Wildkind Strong River or Little Bay from Futterhaus.

Portion:

  • Mocca eats 2 scoops of dry food (ca. 50 g) for breakfast and for dinner.
  • If Mocca doesn't eat right away or skips a meal but is otherwise normal, that's completely fine. If she doesn't eat her food for more than 24 hours or seems lethargic, see Health & Safety.

Treats OK:

  • Any store-bought treats for dogs (break bigger ones into smaller pieces).
  • She especially loves a frozen Kong filled with peanut butter and Joghurt/Quark.
  • You can give her a treat any time she obeys a commando, but only if she does it perfectly, for example she stays seated until you release her with an 'ok'!

Not OK: Many human foods are toxic to dogs (e.g. chocolate, avocado, grapes...), see this list. Never give rests of your meals to Mocca.

Treats to keep her busy:

  • if Mocca is being high-energy and you need your peace, you can ask her to go on her Decke and give her a filled Kong, a piece of Ox penis, Rinderhaut or other chewing treat to keep her busy for a while.

Allergies: None.

Walks & Exercise

Gear:

  • Red collar & red leash; remember to bring poop bags.

Safety:

  • Never let her off leash when on the street or board walk, as she may suddenly run across the street.
  • Watch out for food waste on the street, Mocca will try to eat it. This can be dangerous, so try to avoid her eating anything from the ground as much as possible (say Nein loudly if she tries, and pull her away from the food).
  • Watch out for runners and cyclists when Mocca is off leash, as she may cross their paths and might make them fall.
  • Mocca loves running after birds, so be careful if you're approaching one as she might run off! Say Nein when you see she's looking at the bird, and reward if she doesn't jump towards the bird.
  • Mocca is still a teenager and might chew on anything 'fun' she will find in the house (ear plugs for instance)

Leash-On behavior:

  • Leash must theoretically be on at all times in public spaces (Ordnungsamt may fine you).
  • May pull; if she does, do not talk, but give a firm tug. This is not pleasant and she usually stops pulling after a couple of tugs.
  • Reactive to off‑leash dogs rushing; place your body between and walk away.

Leash-Off:

  • Safe to remove it when Mocca is on a walk that is not close to a road, or in the forest.
  • Make sure to watch out for runners, cyclists and other dogs.
  • When other dogs are off the leash, Mocca can play with them.
  • When other dogs are on the leash, Mocca should not interact with them. Make her sit and wait for them to pass by and reward her (with treats) if she is calm.

Example routes:

  • Halbinsel Stralau — single path, lots of other dogs, watch for bikes and runners.
  • Treptower Park — wide space, lots of grass and other dogs for Mocca to play with.
  • Hasenheide — wide space, lots of grass and other dogs for Mocca to play with.

Play:

  • Loves to play tug with you, e.g. with a small rope. Avoid moving the rope up and down, only side to side to protect her neck.
  • You can also play hide and seek with her, she will love it! Just take a toy, walk to three different places and hide the toy in one them. Then give her the command Such and she will find the toy. Reward her with a treat when she finds it if you like.
  • Is learning fetch; 10–15 tosses max to avoid overdoing it.

Home & Environment

Sleeping:

  • Sleeps in her dog bed in the living room or the hallway.
  • If she cries a lot, maybe let her sleep in the dog bed inside your room the first night, since she might be nervous because of the new environment.

House rules:

  • She is allowed on the couch at our place, but not on the bed. You can forbid her to go on your couch if you want. In that case, be consistent and do not allow it even once, she will remember it forever!

Cleaning:

  • Clean Mocca's feet with a towel after a walk to keep your floors clean. If she is muddy, carefully rinse her paws off with a showerhead and reward her with a treat afterwards.

Leaving Mocca alone:

  • Mocca can easily stay alone for multiple hours. The more tired she is, the more relaxed she will be, so it is best if she has had a walk or played not too long before. Also make sure to give her the chance to pee before you leave. When we leave, we usually give her a snack, like a Kong or something to chew on. This helps to keep her calm.

Behavior & Training

You may reward Mocca with a treat after giving her a command or asking her to do a trick. But only if she does it perfectly! Don't reward her if she does it half-heartedly or if you had to ask twice.

Commands she knows:

  • Sitz (sit): Will sit down; reward when calm. May only move when you tell her OK.
  • OK: Release command - ends any exercise/command.
  • Bleib (stay): Will stay in place and wait for you to come back. Only use this when you don't got far (e.g. not when leaving the house). Reward when you reached her.
  • Hier (here): Will come to you and sit down. Reward only if she came right next to you and sat down.
  • Nein (no): Stop any behavior you don't want (e.g. chewing the carpet or begging for food). Do not reward.
  • Aus (drop it): Drop any object she is holding. Reward when she dropped it. This is still difficult for her.
  • Decke (go to her bed): Will go to her bed and sit down. Do this before giving her food or or chewing treats to teach her to be patient.
  • Down (lie down)

Tricks she knows:

  • Pfote (paw)
  • Top (high five)
  • Männchen (man)
  • Steh auf (stand up): She will stand up on her hind legs.
  • Herum (around): Will run in a circle around you.
  • Herab (down): she will do a downdog.
  • Pirouette (turn): She will turn around in a circle.

Handling tips

  • Jumping on people: push her down with your hand, ask for Sitz, reward when calm.
  • Barking at door: ask her to got to her Decke on bed; reward quiet after 3 seconds.

Health & Safety

When to seek help

  • Bloat signs (restless, distended belly, unproductive retching) — go to ER now.
  • Heat stress (excessive panting, wobbling) — cool, offer water, call us.
  • Vomiting more than 2x in 6h, or blood in stool — call vet.

Mocca at the beach