Surviving The First 7 Days Of New Puppy Ownership & Beyond

So you’re bringing your new puppy home tomorrow and you’re wondering what can I do to make this first week as streamlined as productive as possible right? I bet you’ve just found out your new pup can’t go to puppy classes until it’s had its first two jabs …..and it turns out there’s about a 3 week window between UK canine vaccinations these days – oops don’t worry not a lot of people know this is the case either – that’s why your friendly neighbourhood dog trainer is here to lend a hand 😍👍

Prologue – Firstly it’s ok for your puppy to sleep with you for the first few nights. Doing this for a few days isn’t going to set the pup up for a lifetime of sleeping in your bed – all of these things mentioned below are to help your dog settle within the first week with as little drama as possible . It can all be gradually phased out – just remember your puppy has spent the last 8-10 weeks Co-sleeping with its siblings and possibly its mother so you are the next best thing . Be it on your chest or at the side of the bed even at arms length so it can be comforted when restless and also so you can quickly whip the puppy out for toilet breaks. Did I mention that in the first few weeks you are going to have to watch puppy like a hawk? Hourly visits to the designated poop station is going to be completely the norm from now on 😅 Help with toilet training is for another day and will deserve its own blog post….. but in the meantime for the first few days sleepless nights accidents and getting into some sort of routine will be the order of the day as well as the following things……

1- Wherever You Go (where possible) Take The Pup Too

This is the first tick off of your puppy socialisation list ✅ By carrying puppy in your arms so it can simply see their surroundings and the sights and sounds of your daily life together you are already getting some valuable practice in in regards to socialisation. Remember socialisation isn’t simply meeting as many people and other dogs as possible it’s also simply observing sights sounds and travelling with their family . Puppies don’t actually have to touch or greet people & other dogs or even be on the floor for “socialisation” to occur – we have a small window of opportunity to expose our puppies to tall men tall women children bikes cars buses the shops men in hats wheelchairs etc etc All of which should be done with positive interactions and minimally – Let’s not overwhelm the puppy (Google – Flooding behaviour- a post for another day also) but let’s do 15 minutes a day around the block whilst being carried and stopping at friends houses for gentle meet ups and positive handling. Depending on the breed of dog your puppy is going to mature quickly – you have until roughly 18 weeks old (this is by no means set in stone) but until this point the puppy is developing its environmental experiences after this you are likely going to need to train any fears and phobias that arise with positive training rather than naturalised socialisation (you know – those puppies that are spooked by cars for example have likely never been exposed to them before 18 weeks of age or have had an adverse encounter before or after this point) So let’s be mindful of these things within our 8-10 week window before it’s gone forever 👍

2- Start teaching your puppy that when you leave you will always come back

Next up start your home alone training from day 2 of your first week – let’s set your puppy up to know that you leaving isn’t anything too overwhelming or scary as you will always come back – it is also adding mild resilience to slightly stressful situations (you going out of the room can be deemed stressful) *Side note- always keep an eye on your puppies body language whilst doing this training- yawning and prolonged screaming or crying suggests you’ve let it go on too long and may hinder any training you’ve already achieved.

Start training Puppy Peekaboo micro absences (like leaving treats outside the toilet door whilst you go in or behind a baby gate whilst you and get a parcel) literally a minute at a time and do this several times throughout the day. Also provide a space (perhaps a crate with the door open) with a toy on a rope with treats inside but cannot be moved (kong on a rope toys would do well here) to provide a space where the puppy can actively take itself off for a time without you that is a positive experience. I will be going over all of these training protocols in my upcoming evening webinar for new puppy owners (link coming soon).

3- Start “No Big Deal” Training

This is for those of you who may find that they have a naturally anxious dog or one that becomes nervous if you leave them to go outside for example- the concept of “No Big Deal” training is that we practice something so often it becomes predictable and therefore No Big Deal. So by braking down things that predict that scary things are going happen we Gradually practice a step by step version until the pup becomes relaxed when you do it OR settles down whilst you are doing it like it’s No Big Deal- An Example- your puppy is getting increasingly anxious every time you go to go through the back door to put the bins out – start by braking it down to HANDLE TOUCHES / OPENING THE DOOR/ TAKING A STEP THROUGH etc etc Simply do each thing 10 times in a row until your puppy gets bored of following you or goes and settles down before moving on to the next step- you may only need to do one or a few of these steps but it’s in steps so that we don’t rush the puppy. ANOTHER SIDE NOTE- make sure you are only attempting these things after your puppy is SAFE- Sleepy All tired out Full & Empty as in been to the toilet . This is so that your pup will be able to concentrate better if they are hungry full of energy or needs a wee there won’t be much learning going on. By starting now, your puppy will have a 1-3 week head start on being left or simply is acclimatised to exits and entrances from people- before you decide to go back to work too, instead of waiting until your puppy is 6 months old before it’s being left alone for the first time.

4- Start as you mean to go on with Toilet Training

It’s one of the most common requests for advice in regards to the first few weeks of puppy ownership as you can imagine people want to get to the bottom (no pun intended) before it’s too late but realistically your brand new puppy (if the breeder hasn’t done any training beforehand) can take anywhere up to 12 weeks to get right and still dogs will have accidents right up until 18 months old (I mean meeting new people is sooo exciting right?) so please more than anything BE PATIENT. Then remember to look out for “needing the loo” body language and get them out hourly or after eating or drinking/ after a big playtime (they will forget they need to go if they are having fun) after sleeping -basically hourly for the first few weeks (set a timer if you need to). Don’t – put puppy pads down if you are not going to be around to clean it up straight away & try not to make a big deal about peeing in the house just be more vigilant for the signs next time (sometimes by making a big deal we inadvertently teach our puppy to simply go when your not around or when your back is turned when the puppy feels safe because they haven’t actually learned where they should go yet but only know you get angry and scary for some reason when they go and you are nearby (did we cover that they are very good at making body language associations) and Do –clean any accidents with enzymatic cleaner to get rid of the ammonia smells that encourage puppies to go again in the same place. Also restrict puppies movements if accidents are happening frequently (think movable puppy pen).Be Prepared- have treats by the back door to put in your pocket so you can mark and reward puppy the minute a pee is taking place make sure your enthusiasm doesn’t distract the puppy however as this may lead to them forgetting what they are doing and coming back inside to pee when they’ve “remembered again” and always be PATIENT its the key when waiting and saying “wee wees” for the 18th time that day 😅👍

5- Begin GRADUAL crate training if that’s what you eventually want your puppy to be ok with

What’s your end game? Where will the puppy be left if you’ve got to go out for an hour or two – if it’s in a crate under the stairs start gradually crate training with the door OPEN for now and this is likely to take time to build up to closing the door and being genuinely happy and settled inside – I’d give the pup at least 7-10 days of everyday practice to be able to be left for a few moments – remembering to go at the puppies pace and making sure all good things happen in the crate with the door open. I WILL ALSO HAVE A PROTOCOL FOR CRATE TRAINING 101 IN MY UPCOMING WEBINAR. If you want your puppy to be left in the kitchen behind a baby gate the training will be the same teaching the puppy to settle in that space WITHOUT you with the baby gate shut is exactly the same procedure minus the crate it would just be in a bigger “Pen”. For this your puppy will next need to learn to settle ……..👇

6- Learning to settle using the “Magic Mat”.

I can’t stress enough how much I use this little bit of training in almost every aspect of dog training from puppy class to general impulse control work and trick training. It’s the simplest easiest thing to teach from the beginning after perhaps luring behaviours with treats (see the next point 😉) It’s amazing what a piece of mat can do for you and your puppy (Side note= most dogs don’t like to sit or lie down on a shiny surface or the cold ground hence why I like to use a piece of “Magic Mat”) this can be anything – a towel a bath mat a piece of vet bed (I tend to use the latter) but it must ONLY be associated with good things put it down next to you a sprinkle treats on it and sit calmly with them and place treats between the paws to encourage the pup to stay – put kongs and treats and feed their food on it to begin with EVERY time so you begin to build an association MAT = GOOD STUFF HAPPENS once you have begun to do this out it in the crate and feed in there then take it on the move and encourage settling in other rooms (remember your micro absences from step one?) it’s all useful – you can even start to train tricks on it……..👇

7- Get a heads up on puppy class and begin “Yes” Training – it’s like Clicker training without the click

There is no pressure to do any trick training begin with you could simply just start to get you dog ready for leaving, toilet training and crate training if you wish but learning the mechanics and timing of training without any body pressure on your dog and simply luring with something rewarding (in most cases that’s small pieces of treats broken up) means you can actually move your puppy throughout your home without even touching them and getting them in the right frame of mind for training before you even step foot into a puppy class will give you a massive heads up before you even start walking your puppy. Simply put , Yes training, is when you use the word “Yes” to mark a desired behaviour and then reward your pup. The puppy must simply learn that the word “Yes” means reward and repeat repeat repeat this is where a click would be but I’m lazy and forget to carry one with me but I’ve always got my voice – Good tip here – simply mark and reward when you see your puppy doing something without you having asked for it it eg= settling on a mat “Yes” and toss him a treat do this ten 10 times and your pup should start to work out yes means treat- this then becomes the predictor of a reward once you have cracked this simple step you are ready to start learning some simple tricks.

8- Learn a few tricks

Luring a sit purely using an upward hand motion with a treat – WAIT FOR IT the minute your puppies butt hits the mat say “Yes” and give a treat – hold out your hand until your puppy touches your hand with his paw ,when he does say “Yes” and reward – you’ve just SHAPED the beginnings of “PAW”. Put a treat on your pups nose and lure him in a tight circle say yes the minute he gets back to the start and reward – you’ve begun “spin” all wonderful little things to begin boosting your puppies mood and building a positive little bond between you both – make sure everyone in the home knows how to do this and when to mark and reward with yes – you don’t even need to add a word for sit paw or spin really, that comes in puppy class (mostly hand signals will be just fine for the moment😉)

9- Begin to work your way through a socialisation list

Make a list: what will your puppy need to be ok with ? Do you have a baby? It might need to be ok with loud noises and the washing machine as well as people visiting and the pram moving about- do you have small children – factor in multiple visits to the door and different children coming and possibly handling the pup (teach them how to do this gently and what not to do around the puppy and at feeding times) or will he have to live with a cat or do you have regular visitors with other dogs? Make sure your pup is introduced when able to do so in a gentle and sensible way – also a big issue seems to be getting used to a car – treat it like crate training and all the good things happen in the car in a crate before the car has even gone anywhere – go to the vets when you don’t need to ,this will build up the association with treats and getting on a table and then add in places you will regularly go for a walk – simply sit and watch the world go by whilst you both listen to cars and traffic. Obviously this doesn’t all need to be done in the first week but you can plan over the next 3-8 weeks to see at least one or two examples of everything you may encounter in real life scenarios, remembering to carry your puppy and to not overdo it everyday as you will have a cranky tired puppy to deal with as well as everything else.

10- Lastly start getting your puppy associated with his collar harness and lead

If I had a £1 for every time someone said to me we need to start walks but he hates his collar and or lead I would have…..about £50😅 Start after a handful of days of being home say “yes” and treat him for going near his harness and collar and do some NO BIG DEAL training with the clip on the collar or Velcro or clasp noise of a harness do it frequently so it’s no big deal by the end of the week put a lead on and treat your puppy then put on a lead and treat so they get used to the feel of it attached but don’t fret too much about this part you have at least three weeks to start this before the big FIRST WALK👍👍

Hopefully when you get your puppy home he has a wonderful confident personality – if you do find yourself with a nervous or shy puppy remember all of these things will take double perhaps triple the time to master. Be kind to yourself and your puppy if you find yourself in this category and you may even find that standard puppy classes might not be the correct choice to begin – I will make that my next blog post – so check back for advice on Helping Nervous Puppies Go To Puppy Class. Most of all remember to enjoy those first few weeks at home with your pup as they fly by and take as many pictures as you can everyone is in the same boat to begin with but using these steps you can have a puppy that is three weeks ahead of everyone else in regards to toilet training crate training settling at night trick training and home alone training.

I hope this helps – if you need a puppy cheerleader or more help with 1-2-1 training you can find me at my social link below👍 Ps check out my blog on 7 Things to consider BEFORE you bring a puppy home below👇👇

https://about-town-pets.com/2022/10/18/7-things-you-should-consider-before-getting-a-puppy/

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