The first week with a new puppy is wonderful, and it is also tiring. Almost every family we have placed a puppy with has rung us at about day three sounding a little shell-shocked, so here is the honest version.
Days one and two
Your puppy has just left everything it has ever known. Expect a quiet, sleepy dog, or an overexcited one, and expect it to switch between the two without warning. Keep visitors away, keep the house calm, and let the puppy come to you rather than passing it round.
Day three
This is the day the tiredness catches up with everyone. Night waking is normal. A crate beside your bed for the first few nights saves more sleep than any gadget we have ever seen sold for the purpose.
Days four to seven
The personality starts to show. Appetite settles, toilet accidents drop off sharply as long as you are taking the puppy out after every sleep, meal and play session, and the first proper games begin.
Worth having ready
- The same food we have been feeding — change it gradually, over a week, if you want something different
- A crate big enough to stand up and turn round in, and no bigger
- A soft brush, so that grooming is a normal thing long before it is a necessary thing
- Your vet booked for a check-up in the first few days
And ring us. We would far rather answer a question on day three than hear about it at six months.
