Taking your puppy home for the first time

Taking a puppy from its litter mates and all it has ever known is very stressful for a puppy. The best thing you can do for her is to ensure the transition is as easy as possible, to do this you should already have prepared for the puppy’s arrival by having:

• A bed for the puppy which is solely hers. Preferably a plastic or material basket, something the puppy cannot chew and hurt himself. We use Vet bed as a blanket for a plastic basket for cleanliness. All water like substances which get in contact with Vet bed, pass straight through. This is helpful on long journeys for a car sick dog. It makes clearing up in a hurry easy. It is also useful around the house and is easy to clean together with being very comfortable. It can be purchased from ebay.

• Food and water bowls, to which the water bowl is constantly available with fresh clean water

• Toys As the puppy will begin to loose its baby teeth, it is always a good idea to have something to soothe her discomfort with something she is allowed to chew on. Toys also strengthen the bond between dog and owner as they learn that you are not just a food and discipline provider, you are fun too!

• Adequate newspaper or puppy training pads for house training. The puppy training pads let off a scent which makes the puppies used it as a toilet. We have begun house training using newspaper. The puppies are going towards a part of the play pen where the newspapers are to relieve themselves.

• Collar and lead. Although the puppy is not going out for walks yet, it is a good idea to get them used to both of these aids at a young age for short periods of time.

• Grooming kit. It is useful to have a puppy brush to get them used to being brushed when they are older. We have already been brushing them twice a week from two weeks old. The website I have relied on to trim both my dogs:

Isselhoeve

When you leave with your puppy we will supply you with a small supply of food to which they have been weaned onto. If you choose to change the food we suggest you do it very gradually.

As a rule of thumb, in the first few days of getting your puppy home, we suggest that you let your family bond with the puppy and keep visitors to a minimum during these crucial days. When you feel that your puppy is ready for visitors, continue the socialization program we have been following, aiming for the puppy to meet 100 new people by 12 weeks old together with different situations it will experience when it’s older. We think they have already seen about 45 people. You could try taking your puppy into town before its injections by carrying her under your arm, to meet people. Within the first week of being at home it is always a good idea to have your puppy checked by the vet. The vet can also talk you through the vaccinations which they will need.

It is always nice for a puppy to have some comfort during this stressful time, especially at night. You make wish to do this by staying with the puppy until it settles which may be days or weeks. A crying puppy is simply trying to reunite with his pack and it is a complete waste of fantastic bonding time to let them simply “howl it out”. You could use a large laundry bucket at the side of your bed with his vet bed in it. When he wakes during the night you’ll be right there and can take him out immediately if he needs to go to the toilet, or offer him a comforting cuddle if he’s frightened.