The First Days with a Puppy – What to Do?

Whether your puppy has already moved in or is about to become a part of your life: the first days with a new dog are often filled with excitement and a lot of questions. In this post, you will learn how to prepare, what to pay attention to, and why relaxation is so important.

The First Days with a Puppy – How to Prepare?

If your dog’s move-in is still ahead, you have time to prepare thoroughly. You have probably already stocked up on dog food, toys, beds, and treats. However, to ensure that both you and your new four-legged roommate have a truly relaxing time together, there are a few more things to consider.

#1: Food for Humans and Dogs

In the first few days, you should not leave your puppy alone for more than a few minutes. Running out to do errands is not an option. Make sure you have some food stocked up so neither you nor your puppy will go hungry.

#2: Keep Excitement and Stress Away

The first time in a new home is not only exciting for a puppy. The separation from its mother, siblings, and everything familiar is traumatic and a big change in the dog’s life. New smells, sounds, unfamiliar people, a new environment, uncertainty, and lack of trust are already stressful enough.

Therefore, it’s crucial to avoid adding more excitement. Yes, family and friends will want to admire the new addition to your family, but you should avoid visits in the first week. Try to schedule appointments after this period.

#3: Have Cleaning Supplies Ready

Even if your puppy was almost house-trained at the breeder’s, its bladder control is not fully developed yet. Additionally, you will need to learn the signs that indicate when your puppy needs to go. The excitement of the move also plays a big role. The rule of thumb is to take your puppy outside after sleeping, eating, and playing, but expect accidents occasionally.

Keep kitchen towels, a good all-purpose cleaner, and an enzyme cleaner handy. If your puppy is used to puppy pads or toilets from the breeder, you can use these as aids initially. However, move bath mats, bed covers, and rugs out of the way.

#4: Create a Puppy-Proof Zone

Puppies are like little children. They put everything in their mouths, fit into the tiniest gaps and corners, are faster than you can blink, and can both make unbelievable messes and put themselves in dangerous situations in an ordinary living room.

While they look cute, they can also test your patience. Whether it’s digging in a flower pot, knocking things over, or chewing on your favorite TV cable, puppies can create a trail of destruction during every waking moment.

If you want to protect your furniture, avoid constantly shouting „NO!“, and not worry all the time, create a puppy-proof room. If you want your puppy to roam the whole house, make sure to store toxic or dangerous items out of its reach. This also applies to anything you want to keep safe. You can even skip using the trendy boxes and gates if you plan properly.

Pro Tip: If you have large potted plants that you can’t move, attach high fences around the pot. This way, your puppy won’t be restricted but will be effectively prevented from spreading soil by digging.

#5: Prepare Entertainment

When a puppy moves in, you should plan to stay home during the first period. Between the many potty breaks, cleaning up accidents, and 3 to 5 meals, your puppy will need plenty of body contact, time to play, and time to explore.

But your puppy also needs plenty of rest and sleep to process all the new experiences. It shouldn’t be the center of attention all the time, as this can quickly become stressful for it. If you work from home, you will already be distracted.

If you have taken time off, prepare entertainment for yourself. Good books, catching up on your favorite TV series, movies, knitting, or crafting – whatever helps you relax.

This is important for several reasons, as many people experience what’s known as „puppy blues“ in the early days. Ensure you stay relaxed, so your puppy can feel comfortable too.

The First Days with the Puppy – What to Do?

It’s time, your puppy has arrived! Now what?

Take small steps to help your puppy settle in and to get used to the new situation.

Ready? Let’s start with:

Step 1: The Grand Tour

Whether you’ve only been on a short trip or a long drive, the excitement is usually high upon arrival. Some puppies will be tired, others ready for mischief. Limit the tour of your home to the essentials and let your puppy explore at its own pace.

The location of water, food, and the dog bed is all the puppy needs to know initially. Don’t be surprised if your puppy follows you everywhere in the first few days or watches from a hiding place.

Both behaviors are normal and nothing to worry about. On the first day, besides short walks, feeding, and sleeping, there should be no additional activities. Play and cuddling – if it’s initiated by the puppy – are, of course, fine. But avoid overwhelming the little one.

Step 2: Establish a Routine

In the first months of its life, your puppy had a relatively reliable routine. If you’ve asked the breeder the right questions, you know the daily schedule. The best approach is to maintain this routine at first and gradually adapt it to your own.

Fixed times for going outside, eating, and playing will make you reliable and predictable, which in turn creates security and helps your puppy feel comfortable faster.

Step 3: Stay Calm, Be Considerate, Allow Closeness

No matter how well a puppy was prepared for life outside its first home, its world is turned upside down. Siblings, mother, familiar toys, and people – everything is suddenly gone. While you can’t explain this to your puppy, you can help it feel safe by remaining calm, considerate, and allowing closeness.

Avoid hectic activities or loud noises in the first few days. If the puppy wants to cuddle, let it, and stay seated or lying down as much as possible. This helps the puppy find rest, sleep, and develop a bond with you. If your puppy offers you a play invitation, join in! If it prefers to sit and observe rather than walk on a leash, stay still or sit down with it. Let it play when it has the energy. The first days are all about cuddling, playing, and getting to know each other—there’s no rush.

Step 4: Avoid Training

You likely want the best for your puppy and aim to get everything perfect from the start. After all, you want your puppy to grow into a well-behaved dog, right? So, it must be the right time to start training, right? Wrong! The first few days are already full of new experiences for your puppy. It has to adjust to a new home, new people, a new environment, and new rules, all without its mother and siblings for comfort.

If you try to add training for commands like sit, stay, come, or give paw on top of this, you will stress both the puppy and yourself. Puppies are not very receptive in the early stages, so training will likely not be successful. Instead, allow your puppy to learn naturally.

It will learn that chewing on furniture is not acceptable, that the trash can is off-limits (when you can see it), and that it should go outside to relieve itself. One of the most common mistakes new owners make is wanting too much too soon, which leads to frustration and stress for both you and the puppy.

Step 5: Don’t Forget Yourself

The early days with a puppy can be exhausting even for experienced dog owners. Frequent walks, accidents in the house, and constant repetition of new rules can be overwhelming. You might find yourself making mistakes, being either too gentle or too harsh in corrections, or feeling uncertain.

Some people even experience “puppy blues,” feeling frustrated, exhausted, or in tears. So, make sure to take care of yourself. Eat, drink, and rest whenever you can. Your puppy depends on you for everything. You need to stay strong and calm to care for your new companion.

Additionally, puppies do not benefit from being constantly surrounded by anxious energy. If you’re stressed and uncertain, it will affect your puppy’s behavior and hinder the development of a strong bond.

The First Time with a Puppy: Relax and No Pressure!

Have you already signed up for puppy classes? Have you booked a training course? Got a trainer on hand? Do you have gates, a puppy pen, and barriers ready? What, you haven’t made any puppy playdate plans yet?

Forget the pressure. The first days should be all about relaxation and getting to know each other. Take the time to let your puppy settle in. Don’t rush it. If your puppy wants to run and play, let it. Energy needs to be released but aside from that, physical contact and food there doesn’t need to be anything else on your to-do-list.

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