🐾 Bringing Home a Puppy: The Ultimate Guide to Starting Off Right 🐾
Bringing a puppy into your home is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences, but it’s also a huge responsibility. Those first few weeks are crucial in shaping your puppy into a well-mannered, confident, and happy dog. Whether this is your first puppy or you’re adding to your pack, this guide will help you lay the right foundation from day one.
Over the next 10 weeks, I’ll be sharing a step-by-step guide to raising a well-balanced puppy, covering training, socialisation, behaviour, health, and problem-solving. But before we jump into that, let’s make sure you’re fully prepared for what’s ahead!
🐶 Setting Yourself Up for Success
Before your puppy even arrives, there are a few things you can do to ensure a smooth transition:
1. Puppy-Proof Your Home
Puppies are naturally curious and love to explore with their mouths, which means anything within reach is fair game! Take time to:✔ Remove hazards – Keep electrical cords, toxic plants, small objects, and cleaning products out of reach.✔ Secure loose items – Shoes, remotes, and anything chewable should be stored safely.✔ Use baby gates – Block off areas you don’t want your puppy to access unsupervised.
2. Create a Safe Space
Puppies thrive on routine and security. Having a designated puppy area will help with training, prevent overwhelm, and give them a place to retreat when tired.
🐾 A crate – Helps with toilet training and gives them a secure “den.”
🐾 A cosy bed – Choose something soft and washable.
🐾 Puppy playpen – A great way to keep them safe when you can’t supervise.
3. Stock Up on Essentials
Having everything ready before your puppy arrives will make life much easier.
Here’s what you’ll need:
✔ Food & water bowls – Stainless steel or ceramic are best.
✔ A high-quality puppy diet – Ask your breeder or rescue what they’ve been fed and transition gradually if needed.
✔ A well-fitted collar and lead – Lightweight and comfortable for early training.
✔ Chew toys – Helps with teething and prevents destructive chewing.
✔ Enrichment toys – Puzzle feeders and snuffle mats keep their minds busy.
✔ Puppy pads – Useful for toilet training, but don’t rely on them too much!
✔ A training treat pouch – Essential for rewarding good behaviour on the go.
🐾 The First Few Days: What to Expect
Your new pup is entering a completely new environment, so expect some excitement, curiosity, and nervousness.
Here’s how to make their first few days as stress-free as possible:
Day 1: Keep It Calm & Predictable
🐶 Let your puppy explore at their own pace—don’t overwhelm them with too many people or places at once.
🐶 Stick to a structured routine—mealtimes, toilet breaks, playtime, and naps should be consistent.
🐶 Expect crying at night—comfort them, but don’t reinforce whining by immediately picking them up.
Day 2-3: Start Gentle Training
Your puppy is learning all the time, even when you’re not actively training.
🐾 Use their name often in a happy tone so they associate it with positivity.
🐾 Introduce simple commands like “sit” and “come” using treats and praise.
🐾 Start toilet training—take them out after eating, after waking up, and every 1-2 hours.
Day 4-7: Bonding & Socialisation Begins
The more positive experiences your puppy has now, the more confident they’ll be as an adult.🐾 Introduce them to different sounds—vacuum cleaners, washing machines, doorbells.🐾 Handle their paws, ears, and mouth gently to prepare for vet visits and grooming.🐾 Start leash training indoors so they get used to the feel before going outside.
🐕 Building a Strong Bond Through Training
Training should be fun, rewarding, and pressure-free at this age. Focus on short, positive sessions rather than long drills.
1. Toilet Training Tips
✅ Take your puppy to the same toilet spot each time.
✅ Reward them immediately when they go outside.
✅ Watch for signs they need to go—circling, sniffing, whining.
✅ Be patient! Accidents will happen—never punish them, just clean up and try again.
2. Socialisation Without Overwhelm
Your puppy needs to experience the world, but too much, too soon can be scary.
✔ Introduce one new person, place, or experience per day.
✔ Carry them outside before vaccinations to get used to sounds and smells.
✔ Keep interactions positive—if they seem nervous, don’t force it!
✔ Vet check - are they ready to go out? Ask your vet.
3. Preventing Future Behavioural Issues
🐾 Chewing & biting – Give them appropriate chew toys and redirect unwanted chewing.🐾 Separation anxiety – Leave them alone for short periods so they learn to be independent.
🐾 Jumping up – Reward calm greetings rather than overexcitement.
🐶 What’s Next?
Over the next 10 weeks, I’ll be guiding you through everything you need to know about raising a happy, confident puppy, including:
🐾 The best way to teach recall from the start
🐾 How to socialise your puppy safely
🐾 Loose lead walking basics
🐾 Stopping problem behaviours before they start
🐾 Feeding, health, and enrichment tips
✨ Follow along each week for expert puppy training tips!✨
📩 Sign up for our newsletter to get exclusive puppy training advice straight to your inbox!
Commenti