housebreaking a 4 month old tiny toy poodle

Question
Hello! I will be purchasing a 4 month old tiny female red toy poodle. She i currently in the pet shop and she weighs about 3 lbs. She is pretty thin and the owner who is also the breeder says that she is healthy. she is very energetic and adorable. I did notice that she does get scard when I talk I have a loud voice and  commanding I will be remembering to speak softly and not so loud when I take her home. I want to train her on wee wee pads. Do you think I should get a younger poodle? I am concerned that it will be hard to train her Please tell me what you think  Thanks  Debra in Puntam county NY

Answer
You might reconsider the 4 months old.  I see many questions where somebody purchased an older puppy and is struggling with housebreaking it.  Often they don't get good care in pet stores, and by 4 months, they have formed bad habits that are hard to break.  You often pay a fortune for a puppy that is a lot of hard work.  If you would like to start with a slightly older puppy, you might look into adoption.  

One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue dogs. These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home to be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them. You may find a rescue near you starting at http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.