Puppies first night home…

 

When you bring your puppy home for the first time…remember to first introduce them to the front yard to see if they have to go potty after the drive. This is also a great common ground place to introduce them to your other dogs if you have them.

Once you bring them inside you want to try to keep the vibe in the house as calm as possible. This is not going to be the best time to invite the neighbors over to meet your new baby.

Give it a couple days. I know this is hard for a lot of people especially little kids because… they’re so proud of their new puppy and they want to show them off  to all their friends (totally understandable) but it is best to just let your puppy get accustomed to their new environment and their new family first. Discuss this with your whole family before bringing puppy home.

#1 – Puppy Supplies & Setup – Make sure you have a nice cozy place to confine them like a playpen & crate setup or just a crate and get all their puppy supplies ordered and ready to go, so you can focus on just enjoying your new puppy and not running around trying to figure out what they need and where you’re gonna get it….all while trying to keep a happy puppy setup for successful potty training!? Get prepared! 

CHECK OUT OUR PUPPY SHOPPING LIST FOR NEW PUPPIES! 

Just like humans, dogs bond with and have a natural affinity towards their family and have a “pack mentality”.

They prefer the safety and comfort of their family’s company and dislike separation from them. When you bring a new puppy home, it’s important to keep in mind that this baby animal has spent all of their life surrounded by the warm bodies of their mother and siblings.

Separation Stress – When we move this puppy into our home, we’re actually separating them from the only family they’ve ever known, so it should be no surprise that there will be some initial signs of anxiety and even grief.  There will be a transition period for every puppy when they go to theie new home. Some take it harder then others. Some may act shy or timid at first.  They may pant alot the first night,  some may sleep alot or just seem kinda sad. Some puppies may have diarrhea – watch for this one more closely and be concerned if its watery or consistent for longer then 24/48 hours.  Every puppy will respond differently to going home. Most get past it after a few days. Doodle Puppies are very adaptable. 

All these signs of separation anxiety or stress can also mirror true sickness so while you should keep a close eye on them try not to stress yourself out too much but like I said.. if it’s physical symptoms that are lasting past the first 24-48 hours home please,  let your breeder (me) know or vet if you should be concerned.  Your breeder should always be your first point of contact since they should know your puppy better then anyone and what their “normal behavior” is like.  If the symptoms are mild and just blah sadness…  please just trust this eventually does subside and for most puppies rather quickly!  Especially considering what a big change it is for them.  Separation discomfort is a normal part of acclimating to a new home and family, and gentle patience and awareness is called for. Keep them busy and give them lots of reassuring praise and cuddles and they’ll be bouncing around in no time. 

It is this natural instinct that still prompts puppies to whine, howl, squeal and demonstrate restlessness when they’re separated from their families. For the first few days, or weeks, it is natural for a puppy to have trouble falling asleep in their new environment or crate, because it’s natural for the puppy to feel vulnerable and afraid as she adjusts to the absence of her canine brood and learning to feel safe alone.

Teaching them to feel safe alone as a puppy can help to avoid true “seperation anxiety” issues and unwanted behaviors as adults. 

Crate training puppies is invaluable for helping to avoid seperation anxiety in adults! 

Read our blog post on How to Stop Puppy Whining and Crying in the Crate Blog Post!  

PUPPY ENCLOSURE SOLUTIONS AND SETUPS

Day one in the new home will be the most frightful for the puppy, and the most challenging for you to lay the groundwork for your relationship with your puppy.

READ OUR POST ON CRATE AND PUPPY PEN SETUPS!

I recommend a crate and x-pen setup. You can put these almost anywhere in your house but it’s best to put it on hardwood or tile flooring.  I also like to use a large plastic tarp under our playpens. 

You can buy the Waterproof Poly tarps on Amazon (8′ X 10′)  their easy to clean and hard to destroy. You wanna get one that is not too big and not too small.  You should have at least an inch all the way around that is outside of the pen to avoid the tarp slipping, leaking or opportunities for the puppy to pull up the sides while playing and you can tape them down to your floor as well so they don’t slide around. 

You can find where to find all the stuff needed to make your own puppy playpen in your house on my Recommended Puppy Supplies Page or our Puppy Crate and X-Pen Setups Blog post.

You need a crate big enough so that the puppy can at stand up and turn around without hitting their head on top and long enough for them to sprawl out because puppies do love to sprawl!!… but NO bigger.

Buying a crate with “room to grow” isn’t a good idea UNLESS you make use of the divider that comes with almost all metal crates,  because in a crate that’s too big your puppy will create a bathroom area on one side of the crate and a bedroom on the other and during potty training this is exactly what you wanna avoid and also one of the major benefits of crate training… puppies don’t like to eliminate where they sleep… so you give them just enough room to sleep,  not pee and 💩 poop.

If you’re using a large plastic shipping style kennel then you can put a box or something in the back to make the space smaller (if you must)  but I do recommend buying the metal crates with the dividers instead.  

Dogs and puppies are naturally clean animals and do not like to soil in their den or where they sleep,

They do not need fluffy pillows and dog beds yet,  save those for AFTER potty training.  They will just pee on them and chew them up. You can just put a towel in there or a stuffed animals or beanie babies works great to keep them company and snuggle!

If your puppy continues to go potty in the crate remove all the bedding until they stop. The more accidents they have in the crate the longer potty training will take.  Puppies can do just fine without bedding as long as the room is kept warm.  Remember these are still dogs. They will gladly sleep and snuggle in dirt.  *smile

You should avoid putting absorbent material in the crate until you’re confident they won’t soil it. A puppies favorite place to relieve themselves is on soft things.. like carpets, pillows, dog beds, towels, clothes, paper.. etc. Do not allow them that opportunity. Yet.

Once your puppy is potty trained you can spoil them with cute dog beds and blankets… but until that day believe me when I say you will truly regret it when your puppy chews up and pees on that expensive new doggy bed.

MORE X-PEN PUPPY ENCLOSURE EXAMPLES

   

Before settling in for the night, I recommend wearing your puppy out with playtime and making sure their bladder and bowels are “empty”. I strongly suggest keeping the puppy’s resting place near your bed for the first few nights to help her feel less lonely and during day you should have their crate setup in the most social part of your home so they can feel part of your family (pack). 

If you plan to use a kennel or crate, wait until the puppy is in a calm submissive and relaxed state before closing them in but also BEFORE taking them out. 

Make sure they’ve stopped crying for at least a few minutes before taking them out of their crate or pen. If they’re just crying for attention and not notifying you they need to go potty you will only reinforce the whining by taking thembout too soon. They’ll think to themselves “Oh Ok,  crying actually gets me what I want”!

If you have them on a set eating, drinking and potty schedule then then you should know if she’s crying for attention or if its a potty notification whine.

Doodle puppies are extremely smart.  Watch out because its just as easy to accidentally reward and actually “train” our puppies to repeat negative behaviors as it is to reinforce the good ones! 

While it is important that puppies not feel trapped and that they not associate anything negative with their sleeping arrangements you also don’t want to spoil them too much. Promise they all eventually learn to like their crate,  their den.  Give it time,  be patient and consistant. Human babies sleep in cribs and puppies sleep in crates.  It’s for safety reasons as much as it is for potty training and if you’re consistent and successful…  potty training will go quick and eventually you can just leave the crate door wide open during the day and they’ll still choose to nap in it. 

The more you get to know your dog the easier all this stuff gets but the first few weeks (for most) will be a challenge.

So,  just prepare for some “puppy issues” every puppy is different and every puppy will have their issues..   just be consistent with your schedule,  don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy the puppy process.  Puppies grow up so fast and these not so fun things all pass eventually with some effort and training on your part and be forgotten in no time. 

Recommended Reading List:

• How to Potty Train a Puppy Using Effective Housebreaking
• Crate Training your New Puppy –  A Step By Step Process by Dr. Ian Dunbar
• What to do When Your Puppy Whines at Night
• Puppy schedule
• Crate Training Schedule
• Training a Puppy without a Crate