What To Do With Your Pup Today
1. Put On A Calming Collar
Put a calming collar on your pup as soon as possible. We like the Adaptil collar! Don’t worry if your pup scratches at it at first. It’s just a new feeling. This will pass quickly.
2. Spray The Crate Or Car With An Anti-Anxiety Spray
If you're driving and not flying, you might also consider spraying the interior of your car and/or the carrier with a calming spray before putting your pup inside. Again, we recommend the Adaptil brand.
3. Potty Your Puppy Before Going In The House
Potty your puppy as soon as you get out of the car. Use the Puppy Potty Training Solution steps:
- Have your pup on leash and have treats in your pocket.
- Take your pup to its potty area.
- Say your “go potty” cue (from your Family Meeting sheet).
- Wait patiently for your pup to urinate. When it does, say Yes and give it a treat.
- Stay out a little longer outside to see if it needs to defecate, which usually takes a bit longer. It may or may not poop but you shouldn’t go inside until your pup pees.
4. Introduce Your Puppy To Human Family Members
If your pup will be living with other people, start with quiet, calm introductions once you get home. Have everyone sit on the floor in a small circle and put the pup in the middle so he can move from one person to the other to greet and be greeted. If you have other pets, it's best to put off those greetings until your new pup is more comfortable.
5. Give A House Tour
Calmly introduce your pup to your home on leash
- Walk your pup through the house, showing him the various rooms
- Show him where the crate, water bowl, toy basket, and ex-pen are
- Show your pup where you will feed him
- Let him sniff and get accustomed to each room in the home
- If your pup seems concerned or hesitant, just wait or go sit down quietly in the room. It’s okay if it takes the pup a while to be comfortable in a room, especially places like bathrooms or garages
- Keep him from getting on furniture that it is off limits by shortening the leash
- Notice what attracts your puppy and once done with the tour, finish your puppy proofing
- Notice what worries your puppy, such as TV noises or hanging drapes, and use those to compile your next week’s plan to enable your pup to get more comfortable with those things
6. Do A Little Training
Train your pup for 5-10 minutes in a couple of sessions today. Yes, we want you to get started training your puppy immediately so you can communicate with him from the beginning.
- Taking Treats (1 minute). Teach your pup to take treats. This may seem silly but some pups aren’t very coordinated so practice getting the treat into your pup’s mouth!
- Teach “Yes!” (2 minutes). Two sessions of Step 1, Teaching Your Puppy the Marker. Say “Yes!” or click the clicker and put a small treat in your pup’s mouth. Repeat this 15 times in two 1-minute sessions today
- Teach Your Pup His Name (3 minutes). Three 1-minute sessions of Step 1 of Teaching Your Puppy His Name
- Start Crate Training so You Can Sleep Tonight (4 minutes). Do three to four 1- to 2-minute sessions of Lesson 1 of the Crate Training course
- Supervise Inside. Directly supervise your puppy 100% of the time today so you can begin to identify your pup’s signals that he needs to go outside and you can avoid any accidents
What Not To Do Today
- Have loud, exciting introductions to the family. Yes, everyone is excited. Yes, it’s a great day. But we need to be cognizant of the pup’s needs today, so have a quiet greeting session
- Do not let children carry the pup around. The rule should be that children must be sitting on the ground or a couch to hold the puppy. It’s too easy to drop a pup early on. Not only will it frighten the pup and break down his trust in the family, but it can seriously injure a puppy
- This is not the day to show your puppy off to family and friends. There will be time for that later, but for now, let your pup get to know you and your immediate family
- Do not take the pup for a walk through the neighborhood or into a public place where other dogs venture
- Do not introduce the puppy to any dogs outside of your household, and even those, we’d recommend you wait on. Your dogs and cats can safely meet with the pup in an ex-pen or crate so the older pets can get accustomed to the new addition
- Do not feed your pup anywhere near another dog or cat. Puppies have little understanding of appropriate meal manners. You don’t want your pup blundering into the other animal’s space while they are eating
- Do not give your pup fatty chew toys today, such as pigs’ ears or bully sticks. Since stress diarrhea is a risk now, use low-fat chews like beef tendons or strips, stuffed Kongs, or Nylabones for the first few days
- Avoid dairy products today, except string cheese. Do not add yogurt or milk to your pup’s meals today. If your breeder included these things in your pup’s meals, then add them in gradually over the next week, but not today
- Try not to confine your pup for long periods until tonight. Your pup will likely be noisy and concerned when put in the crate or ex-pen without you today. You can start using confinement tomorrow, but if you can keep your pup with you today, it will be ideal. If not, consider tethering your pup to you so you can still do other things while monitoring the pup
Reminders
- Don’t forget to get your pup in to see the vet in the next few days.
- Enroll your pup in Puppy Kindergarten ASAP so it can go to class between 12 and 16 weeks. Earlier is fine but later is less valuable.
- Schedule your pup’s first visit with the groomer, if it needs professional grooming or if you do not want to learn to do toenails.
What To Expect From Your Pup Today
For your pup, coming home with you is a huge transition day, most likely the biggest of his short life. Although you have been eagerly awaiting your puppy, he had no idea you were about to show up in his life. Even if your pup is concerned about finding himself amongst a new family, be assured that it was time to leave his original home. Litters of pups cannot stay together forever or problems arise. This transition is both healthy and normal so rather than feeling bad or guilty, know that you are enabling your pup to realize its potential and live its best life.
- Some pups will be excited about the change, often too excited
- Some pups will be overwhelmed and thus subdued
- A few will be afraid and will need your support to realize they are safe
- Don’t worry about any of those reactions or think they are who your puppy will be in the future
- Simply use this day to help your puppy settle in
What Else Should You Expect From Your Pup Today?
- Even if your pup was potty trained at the breeder, he will have no clue about house training at your house. Your pup won’t know where the potty is, how to get there, or who or how to ask to get there. It is your job today to be sure your pup does not potty in the house, so be very vigilant and don’t let your pup out of your sight! When in doubt, take them out!
- Your pup may or may not eat well today. Sometimes coming home is too exciting, too much change, and too anxiety-provoking for pups to eat. Don’t worry.
- Warm your pup’s food to about 100 degrees to bring out the delicious smells. Test the food on your wrist or inside your forearm to ensure it’s not too warm
- Give your pup 10 minutes to eat all he wants
- Avoid adding anything else to your pup’s meal once you’ve put the bowl down
- After 10 minutes, pick the bowl up and put it in the refrigerator
- Wait until the next mealtime to feed again, although you can use training treats in the meantime
- Your pup will likely be socially unsophisticated today with people and other dogs. He may bite too much, cower, bark, and other strange behaviors. Just ignore those behaviors and limit the pup’s access to other pets using the ex-pen, crate, and leash. If you have time, you can go for a Parallel Walk with both dogs, but it will be fine to wait to introduce them until tomorrow. More on that in Introducing Your Pup to Other Pets.
- Your pup may get diarrhea from the stress of the move. Loose stools are a very common issue for pups in their first weeks in their new home. Intestinal parasites or worms can also cause problems in these early weeks. To help avoid loose stools, mix the following into your pup’s food along with some warm water, starting with the first meal.
- Fortiflora: ½ to 1 packet per day
- Bentonite clay: use a pinch for pups under 5 pounds, ⅛ teaspoon for pups 5-10 pounds, ¼ teaspoon for 10 pounds, and an additional ½ teaspoon for each additional 10 pounds
How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep
First, prepare your pup’s crate:
- Have it right next to or even on the bed
- Cover all but the front of the crate with a sheet and put a mat and some non-squeaky toys inside, including the Snuggle Puppy with the heart beating and, if your pup is tiny, the heating packet on. (Large or heavily coated pups may get too hot from the heating packet and hot puppies are miserable puppies.)
- Spray the inside of the crate and the Snuggle Puppy with Adaptil spray
- Toss a handful of delicious treats into the crate and close the door so your pup can’t steal them before bed
- Put your pup’s leash, poop bags, and a small bag of treats on top of the crate
- Position your shoes, a flashlight, a jacket, and anything else you’ll need for a potty trip near the door you’ll be using.
- Potty your puppy immediately before bed, quietly and without excitement
- Keep your pup with you until you have finished getting ready for bed, brushing your teeth, etc.
- When you are ready to go to bed, put the pup in the crate and turn out the lights
- Expect that your pup may be unsettled for several minutes. Dangle your fingers through the side of the crate to reassure him
- Go to sleep. It’s been a long, exciting day but keep one ear open to your pup!
Middle-Of-The-Night Potty Walks
It is very likely you will need to get up either in the middle of the night or early in the morning because your pup needs to potty.
- Listen for your pup moving around in the crate. Your pup may whine, bark or scratch, but don’t depend on it. If your pup starts rattling around in the crate, take him out
- As you take your pup out of the crate, put on the leash, and grab the treats
- Say nothing to your pup
- Carry or walk your pup out to the potty area
- Say your potty cue, hold the leash and say nothing more until the pup potties. Use the flashlight to be sure you know whether or not he goes
- If your pup doesn’t potty within 10 minutes, he was likely just bored!
- When he potties, give a SMALL treat, say a quiet “Good Dog,” and return him to the crate
- Do not play or cuddle or chat with your pup! This is quiet time and you need to teach her that it is for sleeping not playing
- Return your pup to the crate without a treat or further conversation
If your pup barks again shortly:
- Dangle your fingers through the side of the crate to reassure him
- Drop the sheet over the front of the crate so it is completely covered
- Take your pup back outside using the steps above
