Bringing a puppy home: getting the first days right

A puppy’s first days in its new home count double. It has just left its mother, brothers and sisters and familiar smells, and suddenly discovers a house, noises and people it doesn’t know. Well prepared, this arrival goes smoothly and lays the foundations of a relationship of trust. Here is how to organise yourself, from the day before to the end of the first week.

Before the arrival: prepare the house

A puppy explores everything with its mouth. Get down to its level and go round the rooms it will have access to.

• Tidy away electrical cables, shoes, children’s toys and small objects it could swallow.
• Put cleaning products, medicines and bins out of reach.
• Check your plants: oleander, castor-oil plant and several common houseplants are toxic.
• Secure the balcony, terrace and stairs. A puppy can slip between very narrow railings.
• Decide in advance which rooms are off-limits and keep the doors shut.

Then choose its corner: a quiet spot, out of draughts and traffic, but from which it can see the family. A puppy isolated at the back of a garage cries and becomes anxious; a puppy set up in the middle of the hallway never rests.

Starter equipment

No need to buy half the shop. For the first week you need:

• two bowls, one for water and one for food;
• the same food it was eating until now;
• a washable bed, or a travel crate lined with a cloth;
• a light collar or a small harness, and a lead;
• two or three chew toys suited to its size;
• a cleaner for accidents, ideally an enzymatic one.

Our article on essential accessories explains what to choose and what can wait. You will also find good second-hand equipment in the supplies listings.

The big day

Collect the puppy in the morning, ideally the day before a weekend or a day off: you will have time ahead of you and it will have the whole day to discover the place before night.

For the journey, put it in a travel crate or on a passenger’s lap, with a cloth that smells of its mother if the seller can give you one. Drive calmly and bring something to clean up with: many puppies get carsick.

When you arrive, first take it to the spot where you want it to relieve itself. Then let it explore one room at a time, without chasing it or passing it from arm to arm. Show it its water and bed, and let it come to you.

The first night

This is often the hardest moment. The puppy has never slept alone and will probably cry.

There are two schools of thought. The first is to put it in its own room from the first evening and not respond to the crying. The second, gentler and now recommended by many trainers, is to place its bed near yours for the first nights and then move it away gradually. A reassured puppy sleeps better, cries less and becomes house-trained faster, because you hear it when it needs to go out.

Whichever you choose:

• take it out just before bedtime;
• plan a middle-of-the-night trip outside for the first few weeks: a two-month-old puppy cannot hold on for eight hours;
• never scold it if it has relieved itself during the night.

Setting up a routine

Puppies are reassured by regularity. From the second day, set fixed times for meals, outings, play and rest.

A puppy of two to three months eats three to four times a day. Take it out when it wakes, after every meal, after every nap and after every play session: these are the moments when it needs to go. The full method is in our guide to house-training.

Don’t forget sleep. A puppy sleeps sixteen to twenty hours a day. An over-excited puppy that nips everything and no longer listens is very often a tired puppy. Teach children never to wake it.

Introductions

Children

Set clear rules before the arrival: nobody carries the puppy without an adult, nobody disturbs it while it is eating or sleeping, nobody shouts or runs around it. Sit the children on the floor and let the puppy come to them. Never leave a young child alone with a dog, whatever its age.

Other animals

Introduce another dog on neutral ground, on a loose lead, and let them sniff each other. At home, give each its own bowl and bed, and supervise for the first few days. With a cat, go step by step: let the cat watch from somewhere high up, with the puppy on a lead, and never force contact.

Food in the first days

Keep the same food for at least a week, even if you plan to change it. The stress of moving is already enough to upset digestion. When you do change, do it gradually over seven to ten days, mixing the old and new food. Fresh water must be available at all times. For choosing food, see our guide to feeding your dog well.

The first vet visit

Book an appointment within a week of the arrival, without waiting for a problem. The vet examines the puppy, checks the health record, continues the vaccinations and deworming, and advises you on food and parasite treatments. Bring all the documents the seller gave you.

Until the vaccinations are complete, avoid places frequented by many unknown dogs and don’t put it down on the ground in the street. You can, however, carry it to get it used to the sounds of the city, and let it meet healthy, vaccinated adult dogs: socialisation must not wait.

Mistakes to avoid

• Inviting the whole family and the neighbours on day one.
• Leaving it alone for long hours in the first week.
• Punishing it for a house-training accident or a chewed object.
• Changing its food straight away.
• Giving it the run of the whole house unsupervised.
• Giving in to everything “because it’s little”: what is allowed as a puppy will be allowed as an adult.

Key takeaways

Calm, routine and patience: these are the three keys to a successful arrival. Prepare the house beforehand, give the puppy time to discover its new world, set up a routine from the second day and see a vet within the week. The basics of training can then begin in good conditions.