Taking Home Your Puppy!

When bringing your puppy home, there are a few things that will be helpful right out of the gate!

1) When you bring your puppy home, take them to their potty spot in the yard (or wherever you plan on them going to the bathroom) first! Do not take them into your home first. They will have just had their ride home in the car and the stress of leaving their familiar environment. Take them to the yard and let them sniff there and be curious. Give them time. Let it be a positive, explorative time to become familiar with where they are going to be going potty. If all goes well you may get a potty right off the bat, right where they are supposed to go! Yay! Be sure if this happens their is a big "yes potty!" that goes with it so your little one knows they have already been successful!

2) After your new puppy has visited the yard and hopefully gone potty, you are ready to take them inside.

The first few days keep things VERY simple. Your puppy has just left his/her litter mates, mom and everything familiar they have known since they were born. The first few days should just be allowing them to get to know your home, family and smells and lots and lots of rest. Save visitors for at least a few days out. A week if possible. Be careful not to give your puppy to much space in the beginning. Keep them confined to a small area with fun toys near you where you can keep your eye on them and they can explore and be super successful with potty trips!

3) According to the American Kennel Club, a puppy can sleep between 18 to 20 hours a day. A puppy will not always pay attention to their internal clock telling them they need to rest. So it's best if you help the little one along! You can help them by having a schedule. Puppies thrive on schedules and learn very quickly this way! "Your puppy may nap every hour or so, sleeping from 30 minutes to as long as two hours. All of this sleep is perfectly normal." (akc.com) A healthy sleep schedule will make life so much better for the both of you.

 4)Learn the cue's your puppy gives when they are over tired. Things like frenetic racing about, crazy biting and nipping, difficult to interact with and overall craziness! Very much like an over tired toddler, your puppy's behavior will tell you when they need sleep if the schedule hasn't already. Listen to this and stop play and remove them to their crate or designated sleeping space where they can rest safely and peacefully. 

5) Enjoy learning your puppy's language. Your puppy does in fact speak to you! It's a wonderful language that can become something you both enjoy! Watch your puppy. The way they begin to circle and sniff intensely before they go potty can tell you when to get them outside quickly!

The way they respond to your calm, fun, loving voice can teach them and you a comfortable and wonderful way of interacting.

Watch how they approach you, how they approach your children, family members and friends. This will tell you a lot about their temperament and how quickly or slowly they are comfortable with meeting new people. You should never force your puppy to meet and interact with other people, dogs or animals on your terms. This can lead to an overwhelmed puppy and misbehavior. Instead, let the puppy explore new people or animals on their own terms in the beginning. Be patient. You will find that your puppy grows into a well adjusted dog who knows people and appropriate dogs are safe, loving and fun!

Watch how and when your puppy eats and drinks. This will tell you if they are getting what they need and when to take them out to the potty.

6) GOING POTTY! Puppies go potty after they wake up, after they drink, after they eat, after they play, after they are introduced to a new environment... puppies go potty a lot! But if you know the relative timing of these things, you set you and your puppy up for great success! He just woke up... out to potty! (carry a new puppy outside so there is no accident on the way) She just played a bunch... out to potty! He was just introduced to a new space... out to potty! She just ate... out to potty! Consistency with this in the beginning will pay large dividends for both of you in the future! 

Use a key word with going potty and lots of praise so your puppy learns quickly when it is time to go to the bathroom.

A word like, "go potty", or "get busy" or "hurry up" can help your puppy associate what their task is when taken outside to go potty. Then a big "YES potty"!! and lots of praise. Going potty in the right place is a happy thing!

7) Use your puppy's food as a training tool. You can use your puppies regular meals as their incentive for learning the basic essentials in the beginning. Throw it in the crate to make the crate a fun place and a game and say "yes crate!" every time they go in. Give them bits of their food and "yes!" as you use their name and they look at you. Puppy's food is a great training tool! You can also feed your puppy in their crate to teach them what a wonderful place it is!

8) Teach your puppy their name. Begin your relationship and training with your puppy's new name. Use their food or tiny bits of healthy treats and a happy healthy "yes (with name)!" every time you use their name and they look at you. This is the first and most important thing to teach your puppy.

9) A happy "yes!" is your power word. This word, accompanied by whatever you are asking them to do is a powerful teaching tool. Puppies and dogs LOVE to please you! Attach whatever command you are teaching in the moment to your "yes!" as you train. "Yes sit!", "yes touch!", "yes down!" etc.