One of the most exciting days, and no doubt a day you have been waiting for! As exciting as this day is for you, it can be stressful for the puppy, there are some things you can do to help ease this stress for puppy:
- A puppy is a huge investment in both time and money. Make sure you are ready for this lifelong decision before deciding to bring a puppy home. If you have never had a puppy before it’s helpful to talk with friends who have dogs/puppies and ask them about the puppy phase. If you decide the puppy phase isn’t for you but would still like a dog, there are many great older, already trained, dogs who are looking for homes.
- Prepare your home and the puppies living space. Puppies like to chew, and will get into trouble with small items left around the house that could be a choking hazard. It’s best to keep all items you don’t want puppy to chew on out of his reach.
- Purchase needed supplies. Before bringing a puppy home you should already have his crate, toys, food, bowls, bed and blankets. Talk with your vet and the breeder to see what food they recommend. It’s best if puppy can stay on same food for the first week or so and then slowly transition to a new food, if you decide to feed puppy something new. Caniotic is great to have on hand before you bring puppy home as it can help with diarrhea, common when puppies are in a stressful situation like moving to a new home.
- Picking up puppy. Many puppies will get carsick on their first few car rides. Make sure to plan ahead before you pick up puppy to have a safe way for him to travel on the ride home as well as towels to clean up any mess he may make.
- Bringing puppy into the home. Once you get your puppy home it’s important to immediately show them the potty spot outside. If your puppy goes potty outside it’s important to praise them as well as to begin to teach them a word you can use for potty breaks. Many people will teach their dog “go potty” and say that when their puppy potties outside and then right away give them a treat! Your puppy will learn that “go potty” means they are outside for that rather than playtime.
- Slow introductions. Now that puppy is home and has gotten to explore their potty area you can let them have a supervised exploration of the house. Show them where their food, water and bed are. During this time its best not to bombard the puppy with all the new family members, bring other family members and pets to the puppy slowly for introductions. The puppy’s crate/bed is to be the puppies safe place and not a place for punishment. Teach children that if the puppy is in their space they are to be left alone.
- Bedtime. Puppies need a lot of rest time! It’s important to make sure your puppy gets adequate rest. Many puppies have a hard time the first few nights away from home. This is likely the first time they have slept away from their littermates and on their own. If you want your puppy to get used to sleeping in a crate many people recommend you start this on night one, but know that many puppies will loudly protest this for awhile. There are other people who let their puppy sleep with them in bed from night one. Whatever sleeping situation you choose, it’s important to keep it consistent so that the puppy can learn what to expect and become comfortable with their routine.
- Play! Playtime is so important for puppies! A puppy needs to be able to get out their energy as well as playtime can be used as learning time. Teaching puppy new tricks and manners helps to build your bond with the new puppy while teaching them how to behave.
- Health. It’s important to keep your puppy healthy, this includes keeping your puppy away from other unknown dogs until they have received all of their vaccinations. Feeding your puppy a good food and Caniotic daily probiotic can go a long way to supporting their overall and digestive health. Did you know that a lot of your puppies immune system comes from the good bugs in the digestive tract? In addition to helping reduce new environment stress diarrhea Caniotic can boost your puppies overall health.
- Love and Patience! Lastly your new puppy needs lots of love, and along with all that love some patience. Give your puppy time to adjust to their new environment, be patient as they will likely have some accidents in the house and chew on something other than the toys you have gotten them.