When you take home a new puppy from the Breeder, remember that
you are not best mates yet, you are virtually strangers who have only met perhaps once before picking him up. The first few days in a new home are really stressful for a
puppy. They don’t know the family, the house, the yard, the neighborhood
noises, and smells, or other pets.
Dog proof your home
This is an activity you should do before you get your dog or puppy home. We know with puppies that they aren’t toilet trained or chew trained, or house trained, Why wait to find out by discovering your runners chewed to pieces or your best shoes severely chewed?
Assume the worst and pick everything up or put it away. Check for exposed power cords that could be chewed and consider turning power switches off when the dog or puppy is unsupervised. As you get to know your new dog, as you train it, and provide for its needs (eg. chew toys such as bones, stuffed Kongs, pigs' ears, and exercise through games and daily walks), you can then start to put those things back.
Start your toilet training program the instant you get your puppy home. you need to take it outside regularly for opportunities to toilet and don’t leave it unsupervised in the house at all.
Feeding-
Some puppies will not eat greatly the first couple of days when they arrive in a new place, this can happen and just be patient, they may even show signs of Diarrhea or loose stools , and some even vomit due to the changes. You may use any Human over the counter medicine like Gaviscon, Maalox, or Pepto Bismol. Also always you can do a bland diet with white rice and boiled chicken breast, no bones, no seasoning.
If diarrhea persists it is advisable to take your puppy to the Vet for a Stool checkup many times even tho he may have come clear in the stool sample that the Vet did prior to you taking him home, the parasite, Coccidia, Giardia, or hookworms may have not shown in the float slides when they tested them, but with the stress of the home change the Immune system reacts and the puppies do start showing the effects of any of these parasites or bacterias.
The best environment to provide for your dog or puppy is an error-free one that doesn’t allow them to make mistakes.
Children Whilst the adoption of a new pet is a very exciting event for children, their enthusiasm must be supervised and controlled. It is essential that the new dog is not crowded by children or forced to interact with them until the excitement of being somewhere new has worn off.
When it is time for the children to meet the puppy have them sit down with a small treat on the palm of their open hand, and one at a time they may call the puppy over.
Teach the children how to pat and stroke the dog by patting it under the chin and throat, and not on the top of its head. Then take the focus off the dog by giving the children another activity. This way the dog can get to know the children at a pace it is comfortable with.
It is extremely dangerous for a child to hug your new puppy, and you must not allow it to happen. Hugging is a human action that reflects affection, from a dog’s point of view it is a dominant/ aggressive action.
Depending on the temperament of the puppy, it may retaliate and try to scream or even snap, or it may feel threatened and try to escape, but as the child holds on stronger, it may cause more panic in the puppy in its attempt to break free.
Submissive dogs may try to turn off this dominant action by displaying submissive behaviors such as urination. Even if the dog does not react outwardly to the child hugging it, the dog may start to actively avoid and dislike being around the child. Teach the children that when the dog is sleeping or even just lying on its bed, it is to be left alone.
It is critical for the success of the adoption of the new puppy to learn to like children and not feel harassed or threatened by them. Once the dog or puppy has settled in, relationships have been forged, training for both children and dog has commenced and the family understands and knows more about the puppy, and the puppy understands and knows more about the family, a hug from a trusted friend can be a lovely experience.
Just as dogs-Puppies need to be taught how to behave around children, children also need to be taught how to behave around dogs. One of the first lessons is to teach children to respect dogs and not treat them as a toy. Remember, young children should never be left alone unsupervised with a dog or puppy.
Home Alone
It is always a good idea if commitments allow, to take a few days off work or at least have the weekend to help settle a new dog or puppy in. With adult dogs where history is not known, we don’t know if they can jump or climb fences (or dig under them), so it would be foolhardy to leave them alone in a strange yard for long periods of time. If they can jump fences, then this is the time they are likely to do so, as it’s not their ‘patch’ yet. They have not started to form a bond with the family, the yard is strange and unfamiliar, as are the sounds and smells of the neighborhood. Further, we don’t know if the dog is a digger, pulls washing off the line, or does some other unwanted behavior in its efforts to keep itself occupied.
When you first bring thenew puppy home, you need to spend time together in the yard first, playing games, and just hang out with the puppy whilst it explores its new home. When not supervised initially, either have the puppy inside, or confined to a playpen, Kennel or crate, or some other suitable place where there is a comfortable place, water, and a chew toy.
The first time you leave your puppy unsupervised in the backyard, do it while you are home and give it something to do to keep it there, such as a bone or stuffed Kong. Watch it from inside your house. Over the next few days, gradually increase the time that the dog is left unsupervised in the yard. Always give it an activity to do, such as a treasure hunt for food treats, a raw bone, a stuffed Kong, or a treat ball.
if You go to work, don't leave him by himself in the yard, you need to place him in a play-Pen, or Crate and try to come at lunchtime to take him out and spend some time with him.
Establishing the rules from the word go
One of the kindest things you can do for the puppy is to have consistent rules and start working towards them as soon as you get him home. Make sure the whole family knows what the rules are and what to do, such as when a puppy jumps up for attention. Teaching the puppy the household rules will enable the family and the dog to live in harmony together. Using positive motivation training techniques (reward-based training) will help to quickly establish a strong bond based on mutual respect, and elevate you to the leadership position. STRUCTURE is Primary in a puppy's life, this way he truly creates respect and will bond strongly. He needs to be truly engaged with the family.
The first night when the lights go out
Even if you don’t believe in having dogs inside your house, it is not advisable to leave the puppy outside alone even if he is in a crate on its first few nights. As stated earlier, your home is still a strange place to the dog, so it may fret, bark, and try to escape from the yard to find company.
Make sure the puppy is secured somewhere, such as in the laundry, or a garage where it has a comfortable warm bed and water. From your dog’s point of view, it would like to sleep in the same room as you, as it is a social animal and therefore has a strong need to belong to and be part of the pack. For some people this is unacceptable, so keep in mind that wherever you decide the dog is going to sleep, if it’s not in the same room as you, it may cry and whimper once you put it to bed. Do not go to the dog if it starts to make a noise. It is crying from emotional isolation, it wants company, and if you go to it even to tell it off, you have just given it company, and therefore reinforced the crying, which ultimately strengthens the crying behavior.
Be prepared, let your neighbors know that you are bringing a new dog or puppy home, and there may be some settling-in issues. If the crying is not rewarded by you attending to the dog, it should stop within a couple of days. Before putting the dog or puppy to bed, make sure it has been fed and gone to the area designed for him to pee and poop.
With a puppy, play an energetic game 30 minutes before bedtime, so it is tired and more likely to settle down for sleep. If you have a puppy or young dog, and it cries during the middle of the night (eg. it has woken from sleep), you need to get up and take it outside for a toilet break (no matter how cold it is).LOL!
Enjoy your new companion - the effort and training you put into your dog will ultimately determine the success of the adoption. Dogs aren’t born knowing the household rules and polite greeting manners; it is something you must teach them.
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