TAKING YOUR NEW PUPPY HOME
We strive to prepare your puppy the best we can for his/her new chapter in life. Here are a few helpful tips when taking your new puppy home: Set a routine and stick to it. This will make your life and your puppy's life a lot less stressful.
FEEDING:
We recommend a feeding schedule of 3 meals per day until your puppy is 6 months old and then continue with 2 meals per day.
Our dogs and puppies are eating TLC pet food. You will receive 1 weeks worth of food as well as can receive a discount on your first order of pet food.
(For more info on TLC pet food CLICK HERE). Water should be available at all times throughout the day.
POTTY TRAINING:
Our puppies are started potty training on pee pads until after they have had their first vaccines. Once they have had their first shots they start to transition into going outside in the yard. We have a doggie door which they learn to use so they can have the freedom to go out as needed. Winter weather takes a little more coaxing to go outside.
You should try to take your puppy out for a bathroom break at least once every 2-3 hours. A general rule for young puppies is they can hold it for 1 hour for every month of age but going out more frequently will help reduce accidents. They should go out immediately after they wake up, after playing and after eating or drinking, as well as before bed for the night. Try to use the same place and a phrase such as "go pee" to help reinforce the habit. Once they have gone immediately reward them by praise and or a treat.
Try to time your last feeding so that it is at least 2 hours prior to bedtime. This will help ensure that your puppy has been able to relieve him/herself before bed which should help everyone sleep through the night.
We also recommend restricting access to your whole house without supervision until your puppy is fully potty trained. Carpet can be a very inviting area for your puppy to decide to relieve him/herself. You can use baby gates to block off certain areas or can purchase a portable puppy play pen. These pens allow you to set your puppy up in a smaller area anywhere in the house and can be used outside if your puppy is having trouble relieving him or herself while on a leash outside. I recommend the collapsible wire playpens that are available in most pet stores or on Amazon.
WALKS AND EXERCISE:
We start getting our puppies used to wearing and walking on a harness. During the colder months most of their training is done indoors but weather permitting we take them outside for short walks.
Your puppy will do better walking on a harness than using the collar. It can be quite threatening to a small puppy to have someone pulling on their neck.
SLEEPING:
Our puppies go through a transition at weaning time. They start by sleeping with their littermates and occasionally an adult other than mom if they need help settling. The next step is sleeping with only 1 of their littermates (generally we switch them around so they don't get too attached to a particular sibling). After this they transition to sleeping in their own crate with a favorite toy. Generally by the time they are ready to leave they are comfortable sleeping through the night in their own crate. It can still take a few nights in their new homes to settle back into their sleep routine. A few things that can help are establishing a bedtime routine with a CONSISTENT TIME. An example: supper at 7, take away left over food and water by 7:30, take outside for bathroom break and walk after done eating, at 9:30 take outside for before bed potty break, put into kennel in a quiet place.
You can put your puppy in a kennel in a separate room where they won't be disturbed or in their kennel near where you sleep). Some puppies are content to be left alone and as long as you can hear if they cry to go out in the night that works. Others do better sleeping near you. I don't recommend allowing them to sleep in bed with you unless they will always be allowed in your bed. It may help them settle and go to sleep but will make putting them back into the kennel at night much harder. If you have to get up to let them out for a potty break in the middle of the night make sure it is just to go potty. If they want to play and you encourage this you will have a puppy who cries every time he/she wants to come out to play.
The times on here are just an example and can be modified to fit your schedule. The main thing is sticking to a regular routine.