Congratulations on bringing your new puppy home!
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| Honor puppies |
A new puppy coming home is very much like bringing a new baby home from the hospital. Everything will be NEW for both of you. Your puppy will be in a completely new environment with completely new people and not have any of his familiar smells, surroundings, his Mama or siblings around.
Here is a list of Do's and Don'ts to get you through the first 24+ hours with your new baby in the house:
DO: Read the FAQ on Housebreaking on this blog before bringing the puppy home. You don't want to start off with any accidents if possible so he doesn't make a bad habit in his new home.
DO: Always use 1 door at first to take the puppy out to potty. This lessens confusion of where he will eventually tell you that he has to go outside.
DO: Always carry your new puppy out to potty. Their bladders are small and he wont be able to "hold it" until he gets outside. ALSO they ALWAYS have to pee as soon as they wake up, so if he is awakened, run him outside first and foremost. Then play time can begin.
DO: Keep the first few days quiet and not a lot of new visitors. Friends and family will want to meet your new puppy but make them wait at least a few days until your new puppy is feeling more at home. This may take up to 2 weeks until you and your new puppy have figured each other out.
DO: Make sure you have some canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin), vanilla or plain yogurt and cottage cheese on hand to mix into their food. They are used to eating with a tablespoon or 2 of goodies mixed in
DO: Have some pee pee pads on hand to make the continued house-training easier. You can use newspapers, but pee pee pads have attractant in them and they will want to use them instead of another surface if they have to go. They are not a "normal" floor surface so they wont set up a bad habit of them thinking it's OK to go to the bathroom on the floor.
DO: Carry your puppy for vet visits and don't allow him on the floor in the vets office. Do put him on the table only after it's been cleaned from the previous patient.
DO: Take your puppy potty on the way home from the breeders house, but ONLY stop at a grassy place such as a restaurant or a hotel that has a safe, clean place for him to do his business. NEVER take your puppy to a pet area at a rest stop.
DO: Keep your puppy on leash at all times when not in a fenced-in and familiar environment.
DON'T: Expect the puppy to eat a lot the first day or two. It's completely normal for them to not be super hungry with all the changes they are going through. If it continues past a couple of days, give us a call
DON'T: Leave the puppy loose in the home if you can not watch him every second, in case he has an accident. If you can't watch him or need to have your attention on something else, then put the pup either in an x-pen, a small bathroom or laundry room with a bed on one end and a pee pee pad on the other end. That way if the pup has to "go" it's not going to hurt their house training.
DON'T: Allow small children to carry the puppy or hold the puppy on a raised surface such as a couch or chair. Puppies can wiggle very easily, fall and be injured. Have the child sit on the floor and hold the puppy and never be allowed to pick up and carry the puppy.
DON'T: allow kids to be excitable, running and being loud around the puppy. Don't allow the puppy to be with a hyper or excitable older dog. Not only can these possibly cause injury, but puppies are like sponges that soak up their environments. If you want a calm, good-natured puppy to turn into a calm good-natured adult dog, make sure any wild and hyper activity is not around them, especially the first 6 to 12 months of age.
DON'T: Allow your puppy to come nose to nose with other unfamiliar dogs that you do not know or if they could possibly be sick
DO: Call us the next day after you get your puppy home and update us how the first night went, ask questions, etc.
DO: Always carry your new puppy out to potty. Their bladders are small and he wont be able to "hold it" until he gets outside. ALSO they ALWAYS have to pee as soon as they wake up, so if he is awakened, run him outside first and foremost. Then play time can begin.
DO: Keep the first few days quiet and not a lot of new visitors. Friends and family will want to meet your new puppy but make them wait at least a few days until your new puppy is feeling more at home. This may take up to 2 weeks until you and your new puppy have figured each other out.
DO: Make sure you have some canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin), vanilla or plain yogurt and cottage cheese on hand to mix into their food. They are used to eating with a tablespoon or 2 of goodies mixed in
DO: Have some pee pee pads on hand to make the continued house-training easier. You can use newspapers, but pee pee pads have attractant in them and they will want to use them instead of another surface if they have to go. They are not a "normal" floor surface so they wont set up a bad habit of them thinking it's OK to go to the bathroom on the floor.
DO: Carry your puppy for vet visits and don't allow him on the floor in the vets office. Do put him on the table only after it's been cleaned from the previous patient.
DO: Take your puppy potty on the way home from the breeders house, but ONLY stop at a grassy place such as a restaurant or a hotel that has a safe, clean place for him to do his business. NEVER take your puppy to a pet area at a rest stop.
DO: Keep your puppy on leash at all times when not in a fenced-in and familiar environment.
DON'T: Expect the puppy to eat a lot the first day or two. It's completely normal for them to not be super hungry with all the changes they are going through. If it continues past a couple of days, give us a call
DON'T: Leave the puppy loose in the home if you can not watch him every second, in case he has an accident. If you can't watch him or need to have your attention on something else, then put the pup either in an x-pen, a small bathroom or laundry room with a bed on one end and a pee pee pad on the other end. That way if the pup has to "go" it's not going to hurt their house training.
DON'T: Allow small children to carry the puppy or hold the puppy on a raised surface such as a couch or chair. Puppies can wiggle very easily, fall and be injured. Have the child sit on the floor and hold the puppy and never be allowed to pick up and carry the puppy.
DON'T: allow kids to be excitable, running and being loud around the puppy. Don't allow the puppy to be with a hyper or excitable older dog. Not only can these possibly cause injury, but puppies are like sponges that soak up their environments. If you want a calm, good-natured puppy to turn into a calm good-natured adult dog, make sure any wild and hyper activity is not around them, especially the first 6 to 12 months of age.
DON'T: Allow your puppy to come nose to nose with other unfamiliar dogs that you do not know or if they could possibly be sick
DO: Call us the next day after you get your puppy home and update us how the first night went, ask questions, etc.