Moodle Care: 9–18 months

Moodle care · Growing confidence

Moodles: 9–18 months

From 9 months up to 18 months. Choose another chapter below whenever you need it.

What to expect

A small body can disguise a dog still learning how to manage the world. Your Moodle may be confident at home yet uncertain around busy footpaths or larger dogs. Let them approach at their own pace and reward calm observation; sociability does not require greeting every dog.

Everyday care for your Moodle

Practise cooperative handling at floor level on a secure surface. Introduce toothbrushing gradually and ask your vet to check retained baby teeth if you notice double rows. Give them a quiet sleeping space where children and other animals leave them alone.

Food, exercise & rest

Have your vet confirm when growth food should change to adult food. A handful of treats can be substantial for a small dog, so measure meals and use some of the daily ration for training. Break activity into comfortable walks, play and rest.

What to watch for

An intermittent skip or holding a back leg up deserves a veterinary knee examination. Maltese and small Poodle parent lines can be predisposed to slipping kneecaps. Poor growth, recurring vomiting or unusual episodes of dullness also need assessment rather than repeated food changes.

Questions for your vet

Bring weight records, the food label and vaccination history. Ask about teeth, kneecaps and whether equipment fits safely. Our walking harness starts at 36 cm chest; it may be too large for your Moodle.

Use the Australian health calendar to plan prevention. Vaccine timing depends on the product, history and local risk. For tick-risk areas, ask about effective prevention and daily tick checks.

A small thing to try together

Create a calm greeting routine: look at a person from a comfortable distance, reward your Moodle, then move away before they become worried.

These chapters organise care; they are not fixed biological milestones. Parent-breed risks are discussion points, not a diagnosis or a prediction that your Moodle will develop a condition. New concerning signs can occur at any age.