First Days Home
Your puppy has been raised in a home environment with lots of hands-on care. The babies are born in home and stay under controlled temperature until about 5 weeks of age. After 5 weeks, they are transferred to a puppy play area for exercise and socialization.
Important: Early Socialization Window
What you do in the first days and weeks of bringing your pup home sets the stage for your life together and is a major influence on how your puppy grows into a dog.
Sleeping Arrangements
The puppies are used to sleeping together on soft, clean, fuzzy blankets piled up on each other. There are 2 methods to simulate this, depending on your preference for long-term habits:
Method 1: Sleeping in Your Bed
If you plan for your puppy to sleep with you in your bed:
- Start with a small soft-sided pet carrier with a soft blanket inside
- After the last potty period for the evening, place your new baby in the carrier on the bed with you where he can see you
- This way, you are alerted in the night if the baby rustles because he has to go potty
- Get up and place him where you want him to learn to go (pee-pad or lawn)
- He will usually settle right back down for the rest of the night until morning
- You won't wake up to any bad surprises in bed
Method 2: Own Bed/Carrier Training
If you want to train your puppy for his own bed/carrier:
- Set up a puppy corral near your bed where your puppy can see you
- Place his carrier, complete with soft blanket, on one end with door tied open
- Place pee-pad on the other end
- Puppies naturally sleep in a den-type enclosure where they feel safe
- They go to the end furthest from their bedding to eliminate
- This establishes his carrier as his "safe place" and begins pee-pad training
- Provide plenty of toys/chews to occupy in his/her alone time
Leash and Crate Tips
Putting a leash on your puppy and attaching it loosely to your belt works well if you think you may be distracted for a moment. If you'll be leaving the house, your puppy should stay in his crate (and he can use this for nap time as well).
Daily Schedule
Your puppy's current schedule at the breeder:
Morning (Around 7:00 AM)
- Young babies are fed a mash of soaked kibble
- By the time you get your puppy, they will be weaned onto completely dry kibble
- Dry kibble is left out all the time for snacking
Evening (5:00 PM)
- Dinner includes canned food or fresh meat
- Daily vitamins are given
All Day
- Fresh water is left out at all times
Adapting to Your Schedule
It's important to know that your new puppy easily adapts to your schedule and is eager to please. Gradually change their feeding, sleeping and play times to yours with patience.
House Training
Your puppy has already begun the house training process:
- At 3 weeks, puppies naturally begin to try to move off of the bedding blanket to eliminate
- The breeder encourages this by placing the blanket on one side and the pee-pad on the other
- By 4-5 weeks old, they all go to the same area to eliminate
- It's not totally house trained but it's a start
Training Options
There are good YouTube videos on house training whether you choose to train to pee-pads or to your lawn. If it's to the lawn, crate training is a great tool. Just please don't ever leave your puppy enclosed in a crate for too long!
Important Training Principles
- You should start teaching your puppy where to go potty from the second you get home
- Using consistency, positive reinforcement and patience, take your puppy outside to the appropriate spot right from the start
- Avoid using indoor pads for your puppy to piddle on as this will only confuse him (unless you plan on having him use these into adulthood)
- Obedience training should also start early on, including teaching your puppy to come when called (recall)
- This is one of the most important commands your dog needs to know for his own safety
Be Sure to Reward
Be sure to reward your dog when he successfully comes when you call him; don't use it as an opportunity to do something your dog's not fond of, like trimming his nails. But positive body experiences, like nail trims, are also an important part of getting your puppy acclimated to stress-free physical examinations.
Toys and Play
At this point, your puppy has been given many stuffed animals and soft squeaky toys to play with. Anything new and moving is an attention getter!
Recommended Toys
- Moving toys: A stuffed animal with a leash or string around its neck can be great interaction as your puppy chases it. It sparks their predator drive and is cute to watch.
- Water bottles: Even plastic empty water bottles excite a new puppy as they pounce on them and hear the crackling noise
- Soft rubber treat balls: Great for fetching and packing treats like soft chews or knotted small ropes
- Teething toys: Greenies, rope toys and safe chewing toys are always appreciated
Important Safety Note
Please don't feed rawhide from China. There have been many deaths from contaminated chews on the newsfeeds. Soft frozen beef is also a great way to give your puppy something to chew while soothing his gums during the teething process. Please feed this only while supervised to avoid choking!
Dr. Becker has a great article on bones for your dog. If you can't find it on her website, contact the breeder for a copy.
Supervision and Safety
Keep Your Puppy With You
It's tempting to open your front door and let your puppy run through your house with abandon. But not only can this be overwhelming for your puppy, it can also be dangerous.
- Your puppy may not be accustomed to staircases and could fall
- They will almost certainly chew on whatever they can get their teeth into — including your new furniture and electrical cords
- In excitement, they may pee on your expensive rug or attempt to "play" with your less-than-forgiving cat
Best Practice
A better idea is to keep your puppy with you at all times, giving him your full attention on him. This way, you can get him outside right away if he shows signs of needing to potty, and you can redirect him if he starts to chew on something he shouldn't.
Attention and Love
Last, but certainly not least, be sure to give your puppy plenty of attention and love. Not only are the snuggle sessions one of the irresistible benefits of pet ownership, they'll also teach your puppy that human handling is enjoyable, making vet visits and nail trims infinitely easier later on.
Setting the Foundation
With the above ground rules in place, concerning not only diet but also safety and training, you're setting your puppy up for a lifetime of health and happiness.