The first day you bring your puppy home will be an exciting experience for you, your puppy and other family members.
Your puppy has a lot of adjusting to do with so many new things to learn and explore. They will most likely feel a bit insecure for a period of time, until they adjust to their new living arrangements and get used to being away from their mum and litter mates.
Remember that all puppies are babies and need to be handled with care and given lots of love and protection. It will be a very exciting time for the family and other pets, so during the first introduction, make sure everyone is quiet and calm.
Crates and pens are a great way to provide your puppy with their own safe space.
Start by settling your puppy into a smaller area that is designated as their ‘safe space’ or ‘den’. Try to make this a positive place to be by spending lots of play and cuddle time there. You can then gradually give your puppy time to explore their new home and environment under supervision.
Let your puppy practice short periods of alone time in their space when they appear to be calm, and then try to gradually increase alone time without them becoming distressed.
Reward calm and independent behaviour to reinforce that your puppy is okay on its own and is loved even when you are not there.
When introducing the new kid on the block to your other pets, start slowly after all the excitement settles and consider the following steps:
- For the first few days, it is best to let them have their own space and just get used to the new smells in the house.
- Then bit by bit let your other pets spend short periods of time near the puppy area under supervision.
- In time they will usually all be happy to share their space without stress and over excitement.
We hope you and your new puppy enjoy those first few weeks at home together. Drop us a line on our Contact page if you have any more questions.
