Bringing puppy home - first week
First Week For Your Puppy.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOUR NEED?
When you bring your puppy home for the first time, your puppy's first week is the most crucial time for you and your puppy. Your puppy training starts from this point on. There are a few things you have to keep in mind when you introduce everything to your brand new puppy.
Every dog trainer agrees on how important socialization is for a dog. The window of opportunity for socialization is when the puppy is between 3-10 months old. Dog owners usually bring their puppy when he is around 8-10 weeks old. Therefore, the time you bring the puppy home, all the training begins at that point. So you want to put extra effort into preparing and learn about the process.
#1. PUPPY-PROOF EVERYTHING
Safety is always number one. When you do the puppy proofing, expect the worst, and prepare for everything. Your new puppy will be curious about everything as soon as he passes the awkward stage in the beginning.
Don't expect your puppy to make the judgment. Start putting things away. Yes, your dog will eat your homework. You may think, " I will train my dog not to touch and chew on things." Get rid of all the things that could cause trouble.
You don't want to give any temptation to your puppy. Remove or cover all the wires and cords. Electric cords are the most hazardous, so make sure to hide them or place them underneath special cable moldings. And don't forget to get the trash can out of sight. You don't want the trash can turning into a food bank for your puppy.
#2. PREPARE FOOD AND WATER
And other supplies. Bowls, Leash, Collar or Harness. Of course, you want to have good quality food for your dog. As far as the amount and frequency, prudentpet.com has put an easy and simple guideline for the schecule. The guideline gives the amount based on the puppy's weight.
#3. PREPARE SLEEPING AREA FOR THE PUPPY
I would strongly recommend a crate and pen. The crate and pen will be very helpful to housetrain your puppy. Since this is a topic of its own, I will post another article on this content.
#4. INTRODUDUCE SPACE BEFORE PEOPLE
Remember, he is new to everything. You want to take everything at a slow pace. Let him check out all the rooms and space around the house. While you are following him around, it is super important not to talk much. You want to follow him quietly. I know we want to baby talk with your puppy, but when you introduce a new environment, talking will only trigger either excitement or anxiety. Cut out all the talking and let him do his things.
And follow him and take note of he is checking. Don't forget to prepare treats. You need to give him yummy treats when your puppy is checking around because it will bring a positive experience with you and the house. And have some toys ready. He may find something to play or chew things that he is not supposed to. When you take things away, make sure to give him a toy. That way he won’t be so possessive or obsessive with his stuff.
#5. NOW, INTRODUCE YOUR FAMILY. GRADUALLY.
Avoid any surprises or loud noises. Don't startle your puppy. When we get excited, we clap and make loud noises. For dogs, quiet introductions are the best. It is best not to touch, pet, and hug your puppy until you have entirely desensitized your dog. Dogs are not comfortable with some of the human gestures to express affections. So you want to take things slow while learning about the dog's body language.
#6 MONITOR AND OBSERVE YOUR PUPPY
You want to obeserve our dog closely. Learn the body language of your puppy. Get some more information on calming signals. I have put a youtube video below on the calming signals. Make sure to watch it toroughly. You want to be able to decode your dog's body language in order to better commnunicate with your dog. In many time, our puppies are trying tell us something, but because of lack of knowledgy, we often discard the signs which could add more stress to your new puppy.
#7. SOCIALIZATION AND POTTY TRAINING
If you want to learn more about the potty training, please visit potty training post in my blog. But here, I want to mainly talk about socialization.
Socialization the most important topic that most dog owners often discard. Socialization is not about making friends and meeting other dogs. There are three segments to socialization; positive association, desensitization, and conditioning. The goal of socialization is so that your puppy will be comfortable with people, dogs, things, and surroundings. As a result, you are conditioning your puppy to listen and look up to you. In most cases, the root cause of the dog's behavioral issues is fear, anxiety, and stress. We want to make sure that our puppy is in a good emotional state so we can live together happily ever after.
Positive association. It is about creating a positive experience with your dog. Since you are the owner, you want your puppy to experience positive things about you every time. Always have dog delicious dog treats ready. You want to be generous at this point. Absolutely no scolding or yelling at your dog. Scolding and yelling have zero benefits. You want your puppy to think, "When I go to the owner, I will have fun, and there are gonna be great treats available. He is always calm and happy around me."
Desensitization is your puppy is getting used to the surroundings. Desensitization applies to things, noises, and people. Your puppy may not comfortable with them at first. But the goal is that you are telling him, "you need to be comfortable because I am comfortable and I am near you. You don't have to fear." It is like saying everything is okay because I am right next to you.
The third stage of socialization is conditioning. This is the stage where your puppy is simply calm and comfortable. When your puppy is in this zone, all other training will go very smoothly. You will have a well-behaved dog later on. Since your puppy is so comfortable and calm, he/she is conditioned to listen and follow you around. This way your puppy is no longer nervous, anxious, or stressed.