Wave your tails in the air! There is a new puppy in the house! My house! Last month I brought a new puppy home. He was exactly eight weeks old when he came to live with me. Exciting times for sure. Oh what fun! Oh what joy! Oh what razor sharp puppy teeth he has!
Of course puppies are adorable, that is how they suck you in! However, even for a seasoned professional such as myself, puppy-raising is a mixed bag. I’ve raised many, many puppies over the years. My own personal dogs, foster pups, and I have even reared and trained up a few pups for clients in the past. I adore puppy raising. Early puppy development is fascinating to behold. Puppies learn so quickly and the world is full of adventure and exploration. I never tire of it. That said, each and every time I’ve got a new furry tyke in the house, within days I am cursing myself. Grumbling, “what was I thinking?”
That is because having a puppy in the house is quite an adjustment; especially if you’ve never had a dog before but frankly, even if you have and are used to life with a more mature canine counterpart.
Puppies are indeed a lot of fun but they require a lot of time and attention. Here is a brief rundown of my first week with my little guy, Lazo.
First order of business, bonding and acclimation! Naturally bonding is a process, but it’s important to take a little time to let your pup become familiar with you before whisking him away from his first and only familiar surroundings and comfort zone. This is one of those times when I so very much wish we had a verbal language in common with dogs. Wouldn’t it be nice to just be able to explain to a pup who you are and your intentions? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the puppy could be better clued in on the entire process?
Imagine what it must feel like to have your entire world unsuspectingly turned upside down one day. When you take a puppy home you are not only changing his environment, but also removing him from his mum and siblings as well as from his human family. Puppies are babies and need to feel supported and protected, changing homes has got to be a bit of a shock to their system. Please keep that in mind for the first few days. This is also one reason why pups cry when left alone. It’s their audible location mechanism. Crying and howling would help mum locate a lost pup. Our job is to take time to build relationship with lots of play, feeding, and care. It’s up to us to make sure our newest family member feels safe and secure.
It is also our job to teach our puppies how to calmly accept, and even enjoy their alone time. I personally like to crate train puppies because crates provide a safe place for a puppies where they can learn to settle down and relax, and a crate keeps a puppy out of trouble by preventing housetraining accidents when left unsupervised. I pair crate time with games initially, simply teaching the puppy to enjoy going into his crate voluntarily and to accept the door being closed. I feed at least two meals a day out of food stuffed interactive toys inside the crate for the first few weeks to help build a strong positive association and to give the pup something to do to keep his mind off of the fact that he’s alone in his “room.”
Next on the agenda is to begin housebreaking right away. I make it my personal mission to be sure that my pup is always in the right place whenever the urge strikes. This is not difficult, but it is time consuming at first because puppies cannot “hold it” very long and so, need multiple trips to their appropriate preferably outdoor toilet area each day. The rule of thumb is: Take your puppy outside to eliminate every time he comes out of his crate (on the hour at first), every time he wakes from sleeping, right after every meal, and every 15 minutes if your pup is out and about in the house with you exploring or playing. Always reward your pup for eliminating outside. Never take it for granted and never leave your pup free to roam around in your house unattended. That kind of privilege is earned over time.
Once you have your home routine settled, it’s very important to introduce your puppy to all of the sights, sounds, smells, places, and people he’ll be expected to accept as an adult dog. I take little Lazo out for field trips every day. The key here is for the exposure to be short and sweet. Our outings are rarely more than 10 minutes in length, minus the car time. I hold him in my arms as we explore cafés, banks, pet supply stores, shopping centers, and home improvement store because he’s not yet fully vaccinated and shouldn’t have his feet touch the ground in most public places, especially not in places with high dog traffic. Sometimes the outing is to the home of a friend or family member where Lazo is allowed to get down and explore. Be sure to watch carefully so your pup doesn’t encounter any frightening experiences, and bring a portion of your pup’s daily ration along to handfeed in these new environments as part of the plan to make positive associations.
So there you have it. My top four priorities for life with a new puppy. Most importantly, let your pup be a pup, but make it your responsibility to keep him safe, out of trouble, and to build his comfort and confidence.
My final advice is to register for a puppy kindergarten class where the two of you can hone your skills together, as a team. You’ll get a chance to commiserate with other puppy owners on your lack of sleep as well as share puppy pics with others who are equally enamored! Welcome to the tribe!
Kelly Gorman Dunbar is Director of the Center for Applied Animal Behavior, where she recruits and trains the instructors for the Dunbar family business, SIRIUS® Puppy & Dog Training. She is the creator of the SIRIUS Sniffers scent-detection program. Kelly is also Founder and President of Open Paw and consults on various matters.
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