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You and your pup - The first few days
By Scotty Valadao – Friends of the Dog
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Bringing a new dog home is comparable to bringing a new baby home ! Here are some suggestions as to what to expect and what you can do to ensure that things go smoothly.
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Try to take a few days off work to settle your pup down and get your schedules and routines into place. You have a totally ‘blank slate’ in front of you, so now is your time to mould the pup for life and what you do, or don’t do, in the first few days will make a huge difference. It is much easier to teach the behaviour you do want, rather than change the behaviour you don’t want at a later stage!
So often I see people that would never dream of letting their dogs on the furniture, allowing a puppy access to it, and then lo and behold, a pattern has been set! Additionally, if you don’t want a dog that jumps up to greet you, don’t allow it at the beginning, rather set the precedent that your pup sits to greet people.
The ideal method to transport your pup from the breeder to your home is to use your crate, but with a wad of newspapers in it instead of a blanket, or else a small, old blanket that can be easily washed. If you don’t have a crate, then use a cardboard box instead, also with a wad of newspapers in it. Have some spare newspapers with you. This is because it is very common for a pup to either vomit or empty its bowels when it first goes in a car, due to carsickness and stress. Alternatively you can hold the pup on your lap, but again, cover yourself in case of vomiting or elimination. It is recommended to do some TTouch beforehand and to get the pup used to the car which is mentioned in Plan for a successful homecoming article.
If at all possible try and pick up your pup yourself rather than it being brought by somebody else or by train or freight. If a pup has a very bad experience in its early days it could have a lasting effect. Nowadays we do have the benefit of TTouch which allows us to help dogs to overcome stressful situations such as these, but I personally believe that prevention is better than cure! If you are travelling a long way by car with the pup, read the notes on Preventing and Treating Heatstroke.
Unless you have purchased your pup from a top class professional breeder, your first stop should be to the vet to ensure all is in order and that vacs have been done correctly.
When you arrive home with your pup, take it immediately to the place you have chosen for the pup to use as a toilet area, by carrying it to avoid any mistakes. If you want your pup to always eliminate in one particular place in order to avoid ‘landmines’ all over the garden, now is the ideal time to start the training. The chances are that after travelling in the car the pup will be ready to relieve itself. The second it does relieve itself, reward with a small treat immediately (use the same food as the breeder initially in order not to upset the stomach) and bring in a cue such as ‘good hurryups/wee wee etc’. I do have the habit of using the cue ‘hurryups’ when taking a dog or pup to eliminate. This is due to having a GSD pup in the middle of winter when we had a property at the Vaal River. The temperature was definitely minus something or other, and I used to stand, middle or the night, blanket wrapped over my gown and absolutely freezing, trying to hurry the pup along by constantly saying ‘hurry up, hurry up”! Then take the pup straight to the area you have chosen for it to sleep and be safe in, and make sure there is clean fresh water as it will be thirsty after the drive (Crate Training). Have some nice chewies such as Busy Buddy Squirrel Dudes for the pup to chew on as well as a soft cuddly blanket for it to cuddle up in (or the one you brought back from the breeder) and let it have a lie down and take in what has happened.
This may well be the first time that your pup has been away from its family so it may be a bit stressed and this may result in whimpering or crying. Whatever you do, ignore this behaviour and rather offer the pup a delicious stuffed chew toy to distract it. If you give into it and go and pick up the pup, your pup has just successfully managed the first part in ‘people training’! Ignoring the pup will set a precedent for settling down quietly and calmly and learning that whining, crying, barking etc doesn’t work. Because a pup is so cute and cuddly, we seem to get into the habit of continually being with it and picking it up. Just remember that you are now training your pup to expect that particular behaviour from you! This will just make it harder for the pup to learn to be alone at a later stage; rather teach the pup the appropriate behaviour as it first comes home.
When the pup wakes up again, take it outside to the chosen toilet site and again reward the elimination behaviour. Now bring the pup into the area where the family is and begin the introductions and start to get the pup used to it name. Bring your ‘house rules into play right from the beginning. Also don’t pay too much attention to the pup and be with it on a 24/7 basis otherwise you will (inadvertently) be starting the foundation for demanding behaviour and possible separation anxiety if you do not stick to the routine you would be using during the week.
You can happily interact with the pup and play with it, but let it have time alone in the crate/play area, on a regular basis. In addition you can have a bed or crate for the pup to settle down in the family area. Have a few chew toys for the pup to chew on here as well. Doing this will teach the pup that it does not need to have attention/companionship on a 24/7 basis, and that lying quietly chewing a bone is an acceptable part of family life. Think about this from the human perspective – we teach our children to sit quietly and read a book, then why not our dogs? If you watch a pack of dogs in the wild, you will see that a lot of time is spent lying quietly by themselves.
The same applies if you need to go to the shops or out for a while – after habituating the pup to its crate/safe area (after having taken it to the toilet) with some chew toys to keep it busy. Dr. Ian Dunbar, the eminent veterinarian and behaviourist and founder of Sirius Puppy Training, advocates that all pups should become ‘Chewaholics”. This makes for the pup only chewing legal items and is a wonderful way to entertain your pup as well as safeguard the furniture! (Destressing, Physical & Mental Stimulation). Once your pup gets used to being left for a few minutes, you can gradually extend the time period the puppy is left alone, remembering that as soon as it wakens, it must be taken immediately to the elimination area.
Do try to get a routine going for your pup as soon as possible and tie it into your own (and dogs) current family life. This will make the transmission easier and the pup will now exactly what to expect.
The first night may be very stressful for the puppy as it is away from its mother and litter mates, and this is the ideal time to do some TTouch, even if just Ear Touch. The TTouch will go a long way towards relaxing the pup and ensuring a happy puppy that will be more likely to be relaxed and sleep better. A short time before bedtime, spend some time playing with the pup in order to tire it a bit (a tired dog is normally a good dog!) and then last thing at night, take the pup out to the toilet and then pop it in its crate. Personally, I keep the pup in its crate on the floor, next to me in the bedroom. I put in a hot water bottle with warm water in it and cover this with the blanket I brought back from the breeder. It is important to ensure that the hot water bottle is not too hot.
If the pup cries during the night, I will take it out to the toilet and then pop it back in, with a lovely stuffed chew toy, and not interact more than this with the pup. To do so would encourage the pup to cry and look for attention. If it continues crying, I cover the crate with a blanket and leave it, making sure it has a nice big chew bone to distract it. If the crying continues I will move the crate to another room and then take the pup out about once every hour and a half (an eight week pup normally eliminates between every hour and a half to every three hours). Using the crate in this manner, I find that the majority of pups are toilet trained in a few days and will go though the night fairly quickly, as long as you take them as late as possible and first thing in the morning, even going to bed later or getting up earlier than usual.
Toilet Training. When taking the pup during the night or in the morning, carry him so that he cannot have a mistake. The more persistent you are in implementing this routine the quicker the pup will be trained. It is a lot of work but well worth the effort. My own Brady went through the night (from about 11p.m. to 6a.m. by the third day) and I believe this was due to crate training and consistency on my part.
If you did not go to the vet on the way home, then do take your pup to the vet as soon as possible, especially if brought from anywhere other than a reputable breeder . This will give you the peace of mind that a full medical has been carried out and lower the chance of disease, fleas, worms etc, being spread. Your vet may suggest changing the food to another brand, but I honestly believe it is better to use the food the breeder has been feeding for the first few weeks, until the pup has settled and I know its normal elimination pattern and consistency of the stools.
After that start changing the food to the one the vet has recommended. When changing food (even with an adult dog), do it slowly by substituting a little of the new food daily and gradually change it over a period of a week or so. With a puppy I go very slowly and will even take up to two weeks to change food. Doing it this way allows the time to see if the pup is having any reaction to the new food. If the pup shows any change in tummy motions, does not want to eat or shows any listlessness, don’t increase the new food; keep the proportions constant for the day. If the tummy does not settle, or gets worse, contact your vet immediately. Pups are very susceptible to tummy problems and illness, and getting your pup to the vet as soon as possible is very important.
Once your pup has settled, it is time to start to introduce it to the different family members. Do this slowly, letting the pup get to know people one by one, rather than as a crowd descending on it. When it comes to introducing the pup to other animals, do this slowly and carefully as well, to ensure a positive outcome (Introducing your pup to your other dogs). What does have to be remembered, is no matter how cute and fluffy and loveable your pup is, it is the bottom of the human/canine pack and if other dogs are present in the family, they are to be greeted first, taken notice of first etc, otherwise you are surely setting a precedent for possible bad relations. In dog terminology we do not refer to this as jealousy, rather that the pack hierarchy is not being respected, and believe you me, to most dogs, status is a very important part of their lives! Again, if we think of it from a human aspect, we do the same thing – a new baby is born and when we take a present and come to welcome it into the world, if there is a toddler around, we normally take a present for the toddler so that the child does not feel left out and jealously starts.
Bringing in the above will allow you to put into place the behaviour you want from your pup in order for it to become a well mannered, well behaved and well loved member of your family and, together with some of the articles mentioned above, will pave the way for success.
So often I see people that would never dream of letting their dogs on the furniture, allowing a puppy access to it, and then lo and behold, a pattern has been set! Additionally, if you don’t want a dog that jumps up to greet you, don’t allow it at the beginning, rather set the precedent that your pup sits to greet people.
The ideal method to transport your pup from the breeder to your home is to use your crate, but with a wad of newspapers in it instead of a blanket, or else a small, old blanket that can be easily washed. If you don’t have a crate, then use a cardboard box instead, also with a wad of newspapers in it. Have some spare newspapers with you. This is because it is very common for a pup to either vomit or empty its bowels when it first goes in a car, due to carsickness and stress. Alternatively you can hold the pup on your lap, but again, cover yourself in case of vomiting or elimination. It is recommended to do some TTouch beforehand and to get the pup used to the car which is mentioned in Plan for a successful homecoming article.
If at all possible try and pick up your pup yourself rather than it being brought by somebody else or by train or freight. If a pup has a very bad experience in its early days it could have a lasting effect. Nowadays we do have the benefit of TTouch which allows us to help dogs to overcome stressful situations such as these, but I personally believe that prevention is better than cure! If you are travelling a long way by car with the pup, read the notes on Preventing and Treating Heatstroke.
Unless you have purchased your pup from a top class professional breeder, your first stop should be to the vet to ensure all is in order and that vacs have been done correctly.
When you arrive home with your pup, take it immediately to the place you have chosen for the pup to use as a toilet area, by carrying it to avoid any mistakes. If you want your pup to always eliminate in one particular place in order to avoid ‘landmines’ all over the garden, now is the ideal time to start the training. The chances are that after travelling in the car the pup will be ready to relieve itself. The second it does relieve itself, reward with a small treat immediately (use the same food as the breeder initially in order not to upset the stomach) and bring in a cue such as ‘good hurryups/wee wee etc’. I do have the habit of using the cue ‘hurryups’ when taking a dog or pup to eliminate. This is due to having a GSD pup in the middle of winter when we had a property at the Vaal River. The temperature was definitely minus something or other, and I used to stand, middle or the night, blanket wrapped over my gown and absolutely freezing, trying to hurry the pup along by constantly saying ‘hurry up, hurry up”! Then take the pup straight to the area you have chosen for it to sleep and be safe in, and make sure there is clean fresh water as it will be thirsty after the drive (Crate Training). Have some nice chewies such as Busy Buddy Squirrel Dudes for the pup to chew on as well as a soft cuddly blanket for it to cuddle up in (or the one you brought back from the breeder) and let it have a lie down and take in what has happened.
This may well be the first time that your pup has been away from its family so it may be a bit stressed and this may result in whimpering or crying. Whatever you do, ignore this behaviour and rather offer the pup a delicious stuffed chew toy to distract it. If you give into it and go and pick up the pup, your pup has just successfully managed the first part in ‘people training’! Ignoring the pup will set a precedent for settling down quietly and calmly and learning that whining, crying, barking etc doesn’t work. Because a pup is so cute and cuddly, we seem to get into the habit of continually being with it and picking it up. Just remember that you are now training your pup to expect that particular behaviour from you! This will just make it harder for the pup to learn to be alone at a later stage; rather teach the pup the appropriate behaviour as it first comes home.
When the pup wakes up again, take it outside to the chosen toilet site and again reward the elimination behaviour. Now bring the pup into the area where the family is and begin the introductions and start to get the pup used to it name. Bring your ‘house rules into play right from the beginning. Also don’t pay too much attention to the pup and be with it on a 24/7 basis otherwise you will (inadvertently) be starting the foundation for demanding behaviour and possible separation anxiety if you do not stick to the routine you would be using during the week.
You can happily interact with the pup and play with it, but let it have time alone in the crate/play area, on a regular basis. In addition you can have a bed or crate for the pup to settle down in the family area. Have a few chew toys for the pup to chew on here as well. Doing this will teach the pup that it does not need to have attention/companionship on a 24/7 basis, and that lying quietly chewing a bone is an acceptable part of family life. Think about this from the human perspective – we teach our children to sit quietly and read a book, then why not our dogs? If you watch a pack of dogs in the wild, you will see that a lot of time is spent lying quietly by themselves.
The same applies if you need to go to the shops or out for a while – after habituating the pup to its crate/safe area (after having taken it to the toilet) with some chew toys to keep it busy. Dr. Ian Dunbar, the eminent veterinarian and behaviourist and founder of Sirius Puppy Training, advocates that all pups should become ‘Chewaholics”. This makes for the pup only chewing legal items and is a wonderful way to entertain your pup as well as safeguard the furniture! (Destressing, Physical & Mental Stimulation). Once your pup gets used to being left for a few minutes, you can gradually extend the time period the puppy is left alone, remembering that as soon as it wakens, it must be taken immediately to the elimination area.
Do try to get a routine going for your pup as soon as possible and tie it into your own (and dogs) current family life. This will make the transmission easier and the pup will now exactly what to expect.
The first night may be very stressful for the puppy as it is away from its mother and litter mates, and this is the ideal time to do some TTouch, even if just Ear Touch. The TTouch will go a long way towards relaxing the pup and ensuring a happy puppy that will be more likely to be relaxed and sleep better. A short time before bedtime, spend some time playing with the pup in order to tire it a bit (a tired dog is normally a good dog!) and then last thing at night, take the pup out to the toilet and then pop it in its crate. Personally, I keep the pup in its crate on the floor, next to me in the bedroom. I put in a hot water bottle with warm water in it and cover this with the blanket I brought back from the breeder. It is important to ensure that the hot water bottle is not too hot.
If the pup cries during the night, I will take it out to the toilet and then pop it back in, with a lovely stuffed chew toy, and not interact more than this with the pup. To do so would encourage the pup to cry and look for attention. If it continues crying, I cover the crate with a blanket and leave it, making sure it has a nice big chew bone to distract it. If the crying continues I will move the crate to another room and then take the pup out about once every hour and a half (an eight week pup normally eliminates between every hour and a half to every three hours). Using the crate in this manner, I find that the majority of pups are toilet trained in a few days and will go though the night fairly quickly, as long as you take them as late as possible and first thing in the morning, even going to bed later or getting up earlier than usual.
Toilet Training. When taking the pup during the night or in the morning, carry him so that he cannot have a mistake. The more persistent you are in implementing this routine the quicker the pup will be trained. It is a lot of work but well worth the effort. My own Brady went through the night (from about 11p.m. to 6a.m. by the third day) and I believe this was due to crate training and consistency on my part.
If you did not go to the vet on the way home, then do take your pup to the vet as soon as possible, especially if brought from anywhere other than a reputable breeder . This will give you the peace of mind that a full medical has been carried out and lower the chance of disease, fleas, worms etc, being spread. Your vet may suggest changing the food to another brand, but I honestly believe it is better to use the food the breeder has been feeding for the first few weeks, until the pup has settled and I know its normal elimination pattern and consistency of the stools.
After that start changing the food to the one the vet has recommended. When changing food (even with an adult dog), do it slowly by substituting a little of the new food daily and gradually change it over a period of a week or so. With a puppy I go very slowly and will even take up to two weeks to change food. Doing it this way allows the time to see if the pup is having any reaction to the new food. If the pup shows any change in tummy motions, does not want to eat or shows any listlessness, don’t increase the new food; keep the proportions constant for the day. If the tummy does not settle, or gets worse, contact your vet immediately. Pups are very susceptible to tummy problems and illness, and getting your pup to the vet as soon as possible is very important.
Once your pup has settled, it is time to start to introduce it to the different family members. Do this slowly, letting the pup get to know people one by one, rather than as a crowd descending on it. When it comes to introducing the pup to other animals, do this slowly and carefully as well, to ensure a positive outcome (Introducing your pup to your other dogs). What does have to be remembered, is no matter how cute and fluffy and loveable your pup is, it is the bottom of the human/canine pack and if other dogs are present in the family, they are to be greeted first, taken notice of first etc, otherwise you are surely setting a precedent for possible bad relations. In dog terminology we do not refer to this as jealousy, rather that the pack hierarchy is not being respected, and believe you me, to most dogs, status is a very important part of their lives! Again, if we think of it from a human aspect, we do the same thing – a new baby is born and when we take a present and come to welcome it into the world, if there is a toddler around, we normally take a present for the toddler so that the child does not feel left out and jealously starts.
Bringing in the above will allow you to put into place the behaviour you want from your pup in order for it to become a well mannered, well behaved and well loved member of your family and, together with some of the articles mentioned above, will pave the way for success.
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