Pup's first day home.... 10 things

[Soter]

I have decided on a list of things to do when my pup gets here (late August)

(During what i will be doing, toilet time outside will be included whenever nesacary)

1. Bring it in the house, not with loads of people crownding around cooing

2. Offer it water (not food straight after a car journey)

3. Show it it's crate and bed, and a toy

4. Let it explore areas of house it is aloud into, with constant supervision

5. Play with the puppy, make it feel happy

6. Offer it food around lunch time, (it should be arriving early morning)

7. Begin putting puppy inside crate, getting it used to bed

8. Play with puppy some more

9. Settle puppy down inside crate, give it a good chew toy

10. Bedtime, go to bed yourself, get up for toilet times when nesacary


Please tell me if anything needs changing on that list
I would appreciate any advice you have
im an ammature at dog ownership


Soter

[kigndano]

i think you should not script it so heavily.

then you will feel like you failed if you dont get to all of your list.

rules and boundaries should be established from the very first day your pup arrives.

but the crate may take a while, showing the house may take a while.

you may even get carried away and play for a long time.


play it by ear, dont feel so pressured to get it all done.

there is lots of time ahead to train him.

[BusterBoo]

don't forget to call your Vet to make an appointment for a first checkup!!

Other than that......enjoy your pup! Get lots of sleep the night before because there is a good chance you won't get much sleep for a few nights once he/she is home!!!

[Chaser]

I agree, you shouldn't try to plan too carefully, because chances are the puppy will have a different plan entirely. It could go more like:

Get home, run around like a maniac, pee on the floor, pass out for a three-hour nap.....

Just remember that puppies have no notion of rules and boundaries - it's your job to teach them, and it can take time to do that.

[TeriM]

Yep, expect the unexpected . Our puppies always seemed to need a bath (and then lots of cuddles) on their first day home . Don't be upset if the pup isn't that interested in you for the first few days, sometimes it can take a bit if he is missing littermates.

Good luck .

[kigndano]

i forgot...

good luck!


hopefully he doesnt have any in him

[ashtoreth]

Originally Posted by TeriM

Yep, expect the unexpected . Our puppies always seemed to need a bath (and then lots of cuddles) on their first day home . Don't be upset if the pup isn't that interested in you for the first few days, sometimes it can take a bit if he is missing littermates.

Good luck .

about the missing littermate, I guess i'm lucky mine will already be without littermate for a while, and his parents will be out for runs twice a day, so he'll already learn to be alone... I hope

[bendyfoot]

oh, and be careful about giving water as soon as he gets home. Sometimes an excited pup/dog will drink too much and then get sick (throw up). Let him settle in a bit, and then offer a little water if he's interested.

And yeah, expect the unexpected...

Before he comes home make sure you've gotten down on your hands and knees and crawled the areas of the house he's going to be allowed in, looking for potential hazards: electric cords or cables, breakables, etc.

[histears]

Wow, the unexpected man my pup peed a lot the first little while, every 20 minutes (NO JOKE) It was a night mare and we have a weird way of getting to our back yard, 3 doors to go through. I had to carry him out the first few weeks because he would mess on the way if I didn't. Every pup is different and reacts different to change. Mine cried some but, not very much. He was 7 wks when I got him. Puppy proofing is crucial as young pups will explore everything they can get to and if it fits you can guarantee it will end up in their mouth.

My advice is relax and don't pressure yourself too much, if you stress over it too much you might get discouraged and you want this pup to be enjoyable as well as trained. He/She will love you and want to please you and you may even be pleasantly surprised at how well He/She responds to you.

Good Luck and God Bless.

[Lissa]

I tend to overanalyze things as well but I agree with the others, the puppy is likely to have a completely different schedule in mind!

However, I have to say that I love seeing you put so much thought into this! Working in a pet store, so many people are picking up their puppy the same day they are buying the collar for it... I often wonder how mentally prepared they are for a puppy, let alone if their house or schedules are!

Something I would add, is enroll in puppy classes now to ensure that you have somewhere to take the puppy immediately. Socialization is crucial!

I would also suggest that instead of offering food, I would use the food in training sessions or at least have the puppy work for it.... For example - I would have him go in and out of his crate as much as possible, each time getting him stay inside a bit longer (using his meal as a reward) or I'd have a treat dispensing toy so he doesn't just inhale his food.

Good luck!

[Soter]

Don't worry, i won't be stricly keeping to that schedual, it was just a general gist of what i might do.

Thanks for the input though, the only reason i posted it was because i needed to know what i shouldn't do.

e.g.

Thankyou to bendyfoot for saying that i shouldn't give my pup water straight after a car journey the same as i wouldn't give it food, it might get sick and for warning me to check that there isn't anything in the puppy's chewing range or anything dangerous at it's level, i have to check for that

Thankyou to Lissa for advising me to enroll the puppy in puppy clasess for socialization...................................

So, any more advice is reaslly really welcome, i might let you know that i am a little bit nervous because i have never ever had a dog before, even though i have done my research and am still learning!!!

soter