New Puppy Guide - Help and Tips

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting time, but it can also be a little overwhelming. After all, you're now responsible for a tiny creature who needs to be fed, trained and loved.

I have put together a short guide of my top tips to help you prepare for those important first few weeks with a puppy.

Prepare your home. Before your puppy arrives, take some time to puppy-proof your home. This means removing any potential hazards, such as cleaning supplies, medications, wires, or small objects that your puppy could choke on. Check around your garden for any holes or gaps in the fence or gate to make sure the puppy isn't tempted to take themselves out for a little adventure. Set them up a quiet area where you can put them for naps, or when you cannot supervise them.

Introduce your puppy to their new home slowly. When you first bring your puppy home, let them explore their new surroundings slowly. Don't overwhelm them with too much new stuff at once. Leaving their litter and mum is a scary day so let them get used to one room at a time, and then gradually introduce them to the rest of your home over a few days.

Start toilet training straight away. When you arrive home with your new puppy, take them to your garden, or toileting area before setting foot in the house. Spend as much time there as possible, let them explore, and get to know the area, and you. If you can, stay out there long enough for them to empty both bladder and bowels outside before going into the house. Have a little party when they do go, with cuddles and treats. Once they have used this area once, it will be much easier for them to understand what you want them to do when you take them out for toilet time throughout the day.

Get your puppy accustomed to noises and people. It's important to understand the difference here between slowly exposing them to different sounds and smells and the traditional style of trying to cram as much exposure in as possible in the first few weeks. Slow and steady wins the race on this one, give puppy at least a few days to settle in and build a bond with you, before taking them out into the world.

Start small, go to the park, but sit on a bench far away, and watch the other dogs/people from a safe distance, and reward your puppy for calmly watching the world go by. Take them to a shop but sit in the car park and watch the people and trolleys go by from a safe distance, let them take in all the strange sounds and smells from the safety of your knee.

If every new interaction they have with the world is exciting and frenzied, or worse scary and overwhelming, they will likely continue that pattern into adulthood. If their first few experiences in the world result in them feeling safe and happy with you, you are setting them up for a lifetime of success.

Be patient and consistent. Training a puppy takes time and patience. Stay Calm and be consistent with your training and don't give up. With a little time and effort, your puppy will be a well-behaved member of your family.

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Puppy Checklist; important things to think about for those first few weeks:

• Set up a pen, or crate where puppy can go for quiet times or naps. Puppies need 18 hours of sleep a day, and like toddlers, sometimes need a little help when it's time to wind down.

• Puppy proof. Hide all wires, and move anything you don't want to be chewed out of reach. preventing bad habits from developing is much more effective than having to break habits afterwards. Don't give your puppy the opportunity to develop a taste for shoes!

• Get some good quality puppy food, ideally one that is available to buy locally, you’d be surprised how much those little guys eat, and it's handy having a local shop for emergency restocks! Spend some time researching and finding something you're happy with.

• Good quality training treats. They need to be suitable for puppies, soft, stinky, and small are what you are looking for, you’ll be doling out plenty in those first few weeks, so the smaller the treat the better.

• Toys, puppy doesn't need hundreds of toys, one chew toy, one stuffed toy, one for throwing, and something for playing Tuggie should be enough to start with. Its better to have just a few and replace them regularly as puppy grows, to keep things interesting.

• Find a local vet, and take puppy for a ‘happy visit’ to meet the staff and have some cuddles. It is much better if this is their first experience at the vet, and if possible arrange for vaccinations to be done separately so that their first experience is a pleasant one.

• Have a toilet training plan. Think about the placement of your crate or bed, the further puppy has to walk to get to the garden door after a nap or a meal, the more likely they are to have an accident en route. I don't usually recommend puppy pads, but if they are necessary, where will you place them? I would recommend putting them as close to an outside door as possible, and only ever in 1 place. Take puppy out every 30 mins to start with, and in addition to that they will need to go out after eating, playing, napping, or drinking. Have a little party, and lots of treats every time they get it right. If they don't go, pop them back in the crate for a few mins and then try again. Don't bring them inside and send them off to go on the living room rug!

If they do have a few accidents, don't make a fuss, just clean it up quietly, you don't

want puppy to be nervous to go in front of you next time you're in the garden.

• Collar and Lead. Put a light puppy collar on when they get home, and for a few minutes every day clip the lead to it, and let it trail on the ground as they run about and play. As they get used to the feeling, you can start to pick up the lead and encourage them to walk next to you (without any pressure on the lead)...this is a great foundation for when they are able to start going for walks.

• You will also need; poop bags, a water and food bowl, and a harness if you plan to use one. you don't need to spend a great deal on any of these things, as puppy will soon outgrow them.

• Calm, Consistent, and Patient. Easier said than done I know, but try to keep in mind that they are just babies, and you wouldn't punish a toddler for making a mistake. Try to clean up any mess without any fuss, and praise, praise, praise when they get something right. This way you will have a puppy who isn't scared to have a go at things, and quickly learns how to make good choices on their own.