Bringing A New Puppy Home – Part 2: General Tips

In the part 2 of our series on bringing home a new puppy, we are giving general advice on the first nights with your new best friend. If you would like to know more about our tips to get ready before your puppy’s arrival, read the part 1 of our series.

Some things to consider

Bringing a new puppy home to be part of your family is an exciting time, however the first few nights can be a bit testing and require a little adjustment to help the new puppy settle in.  Following these tips and tricks will help to make this transition for you and the puppy a little easier.

It may be helpful to arrange for a week off work when puppy first arrives to help settle him in. Introducing the cute little puppy to your neighbours will hopefully have them excited about the new addition and possibly more tolerant if there are a couple of noisy nights ahead as puppy gets used to its new environment and routine, plus they may be able to check in on the puppy if you need to go out for any extended time.

When considering a name for your new member of the family, remember that single syllable names are preferable so it’s easy for your puppy to hear and acknowledge. It is always a good idea to take the puppy to the vet for a health check as soon as you can. Make this a happy experience so your puppy associates going to the vet as a positive thing. They will also be able to advise you on a vaccination regime for your puppy.

General Puppy Tips

• Puppy may cry or whimper the first night or two as he gets used to the new environment. Try to ignore this behaviour as any response from you may teach him that crying gets him attention.  See puppy’s first nights for some helpful hints.
• Do not smack or hit your puppy. This will only exacerbate the problems and potentially make him fear you rather than fix the behaviour.
• When your puppy does something naughty and you discover it later, it is too late to correct the puppy. Unless you catch them in the act, your correction is not linked to the naughty behaviour as far as the puppy is concerned.
• Puppies cannot reason or rationalize, which makes “time out” an ineffective and confusing form of punishment. The puppy will not sit in the laundry repenting for what it has done wrong.
• Remember to reward your puppy when it is doing the right behaviour, even when that is simply lying calmly on its bed. A dog is a pack animal that is looking for a leader to guide it, and it’s your responsibility to be that leader and to teach him right from wrong and what are and aren’t acceptable behaviors. If you do not show the puppy through your daily interactions that you are a good leader the puppy will be naturally inclined to take on the role itself.
• Start from the moment you bring the puppy home through consistent positive reinforcement, don’t allow bad habits to develop.

Next time we will be giving more specific advice on issues like chewing and toilet training, stay tuned! If you need personalised advice or want to know more about our puppy services, contact us today.