those first few weeks with your new puppy...

Due to many requests we will attempt to cover some of the basics to make the transition to a new home easier for both owner and puppy!

BEFORE YOU LEAVE TO PICK UP YOUR PUPPY:

- Section off a small area for your dog and "toddler proof" your home and/or outdoor area eg. dangling electrical cords, slippery surfaces, gaps in fencing, small items for choking risk etc all need to be taken care of. A puppy is just like a small child
- make sure you have called a few vets in your area and determined if there are any who specialise in large breed dogs.
- your breeder should have given you a diet and care sheet before you pick up your puppy, this will enable you to have all the correct food and any medication (worming treatments and the like) ready.
- when travelling always have a suitable crate so your puppy can be safely contained, holding them on your lap is not safe!
- ideally the breeder will not have fed the pup since the night before you are due, this will minimise the chances of the dog being ill or making a mess. Always stop every hour or so to let your pup out. Bring an empty bottle with you so you can fill it up at the breeder's house for the trip home. You can buy collapsible water containers for use when travelling - a plastic shower cap will also do the job.
- bring a towel or similar cloth with you and get the breeder to rub it all over the mother before you leave. Spread it over the pup's new bed when you get home and he/she will accept it.
- bring newspaper with you and either ask breeder to give you a piece the pup has already toileted on or keep a piece from the journey home. Place this in the area where you would like your pup to toilet.


WHEN YOU GET HOME:

- keep puppy contained in a small area, giving him/her the run of the house will not only make toilet training difficult but it will overwhelm the pup.
- don't feed pup for at least 3 hours after travelling, leave only fresh water.
- make sure pup's bed is not too big, they like a small cosy nest to sleep in. When sleeping with their litter mates they are all squashed up into a tight ball so like the safety of confinement. Most pups cry at night due cold, a small cosy bed will help prevent this.
- if bringing home a pup with children in the house make sure the children understand that when pup is in it's bed it isn't to be touched, puppies need an enormous amount of sleep or they will fail to thrive and become bad-tempered. A large cage is ideal for this purpose, when pup is in the cage it shouln't be touched, when it chooses to come out then playtime can commence.


TOILET TRAINING:

- if keeping dog indoors hopefully you have a huge stockpile of newspapers collected before you bring your pup home. As suggested above, put a piece of used paper on top of the fresh paper to help pup know the appropriate place to toilet. It is always wise to place this paper near a door, it makes the transition to outdoors easier.
- if dog is kept outdoors, take pup to the place you would like him/her to use. Always leave one poo in the place you want pup to use, if you remove all the poo everyday then pup will have trouble knowing the correct area.
- the best times to take pup out to toilet are when he/she wakes, after exercise or playing, half-way through mealtime and about half an hour after mealtime. If you take pup out half-way through a meal you will find pup eats better.