My new puppy is here!! Now what??
The first day home is exciting, wonderful, overwhelming, scary, and HUGE for you and puppy! The first step is to relax and enjoy. Puppy will grow (much faster than you think!) so take lots of pictures; puppy needs structure, so create a routine; puppy needs to bond, so give tons of snuggles; this journey will sometimes be exhausting and difficult, so try to keep your sense of humor and laugh along the way! Remember that puppy will feed off of your energy. If you are stressed and anxious, she will be too. If you are exhausted and frustrated, so is he. Stay calm, take it slowly, and recognize that you and your puppy will make progress slowly and steadily. Before you know it, puppy will sleep through the night in his crate without a fuss, he will be toilet trained and learning tricks, and you’ll wonder where that tiny little guy went!
333 is an important reminder the your puppy is a BABY and has a lot of growing and learning to do. Don’t set your expectations too high. Just relax and enjoy the journey.
Resources
If you haven’t found a good trainer and registered for puppy kindergarten, do it NOW! Look for a trainer who is positive, gentle, structured, and willing to include the whole family in the journey. Remember to do IN-PERSON training classes. Your puppy will learn from other puppies and dogs and will also enjoy the socialization! And your dog trainer will become your new best friend!
We have recommend several awesome puppy training books! Find them here.
There are also wonderful videos available to help with specific issues. We are going to recommend and link a lot of the resources shared by Southend Dog Training. Unfortunately for most of us, they are located in the UK! But fortunately they have posted a huge library of resources on social media. ((Disclaimer: We love trainer Adam with Southend, but he does use colorful language to make his points, so his videos are not suited for young children! Parental discretion is advised.))
First, let’s start with the basics.
Potty Training (aka”Potty Learning” or “Toilet Training”)
Please read, re-read, and re-re-read the potty learning booklet we included in your pup’s folder. It is short, sweet, and to the point. Follow the instructions carefully and your puppy will catch on quickly. If you are having trouble, here are some good resources:
As you can see, crate training is an essential part of toilet training!
More on crate training:
