My new puppy – Introduction, toilet training & more

When puppies get removed from the litter it is inevitably a highly stressful, if not a traumatic experience. The best we can do is to make the transition and integration into the new family as smooth as possible.

When the puppy first arrives at your home it is a good idea to immediately bring it to the area where you want it to do its toileting. Once the puppy relieves itself as is most likely to do after the travel to your place praise it warmly and give it a treat. Then let it explore its new territory. Give it time to take in its new home without without fuzzing over it or demanding its attention. Let it come to you and when it does reward it calmly but do not be over affectionate. The puppy needs your calm, reassuring energy more than anything else at this stage.

The first one or two nights in the new home it is a good idea to let the puppy sleep in close proximity to you. But you do not want to foster dependence or bad habits, hence after the first or second night the pup needs to learn to sleep by itself. It is possible that the pup will whine for attention when you start doing this. It is a good idea to leave the pup alone for short time periods during the day. If the pup cries during the night let it continue for a while. At some stage you might come out, switch on the light, look around, give the pup a disapproving look, switch off the light and go back to bed, but do not give it attention otherwise, unless you want to develop a bad behavior. You can come out a few times during the night and repeat the above – basically you are showing the pup that you are there, that there is no problem and hence you do not approve of the whining. Being consistent with this will stop any crying at night in no time.

In case you want to change your pups diet, do that slowly and gradually. Initially stick with whatever diet the breeder/shop fed to not upset your pups stomach too much. Slowly introduce other foods if you want. To get started on toilet training take your puppy, straight after mealtime, to the place where you want it to do its business. Spent some time with your puppy in that area and wait till the pup is doing its business. Immediately reward it warmly, praise it and give it a special treat when the pup relives itself. In case a mishap happens inside, pretend it has never occurred. When you see your pup toileting inside calmly get hold of its collar and walk it outside to the toileting area, but without making a commotion. You just want to establish a connection with the right spot. Obviously bring the puppy to the designated toileting area every hour or so and immediately after your pup wakes up. If you continue to be on to that for a couple of weeks you can most likely say, “what toilet problems?”.

When introducing your pup to your home keep intense smells and sounds at a minimum. When introducing strong smells or objects that make loud noise do it gradually and from a distance. There is surely many more things which need to be looked at but this should give your pup a good start in his new home and family.