BRINGING PUPPY HOME: FAQ

Here are some tips to make the adjustment for your puppy a little smoother. These are in no way exhaustive, but are a few things we've learned may be overlooked sometimes. There are many good puppy care and training resources available online.

Making a puppy a part of the family is a big commitment, so enjoy the journey of caring for and training your new puppy!

Our puppies eat Hill's Science Diet Dry Puppy Food

Puppy is growing and has high nutritional needs, so keep food and water available to puppy at all times for the first 1-2 weeks, even overnight. Puppy is adjusting to many new things and may not always feel relaxed enough to eat. Having food available at all times will help minimize the disruption to puppy's eating. If you would like to put puppy on scheduled feeding you certainly may; however, please wait until after the first 2 weeks.

Do not transition puppy to a new food for at least the first week.

If you decide to transition to a new puppy food, please do this gradually over the course of a week. Start by mixing in a small amount of new food with the food puppy has been eating. Each day increase the ratio new food vs. old food, until at the end of the week, puppy is eating all new food.

Puppy is used to dry kibble, so there is no need to feed wet food.

We do not recommend ever feeding puppy human food.

It is a good idea to use heavy, ceramic food and water dishes that do not easily tip over.

If you are going to be house training/crate training, plan on letting puppy outside every 2-3 hours during the day. The idea is to let puppy out often enough that puppy does not have too many mishaps inside, as this will help puppy learn that outside is potty area. As puppy settles in to their new home, you will learn how long puppy can go between potty breaks. As puppy grows, they will be able to hold it for longer periods of time.

Puppies often need to go potty first thing in the morning, and immediately after waking up from a nap.

We have been letting the puppies outside to play and potty in the grass at least twice a day (weather permitting). They have been doing great with going potty in the grass. We have been keeping our puppies in a large playpen, with a litter box in the corner. We use cedar wood chips/shavings in the litter box. As cedar has a very "earthy" smell and a puppy's natural instinct is to potty outside, we have found them making this connection is helpful in getting them accustomed to going potty outside in the grass.

Be patient! Puppy is still a baby and mistakes will happen.

Some families prefer keeping puppy in a room with tile, linoleum or some other "easy-to-clean" flooring that will make cleaning up after accidents easier.

Setting up a puppy playpen with a crate/carrier (with door removed) is a nice way to give puppy some space and also a place to sleep. See the example below. You do not need to do it this way, just an idea :)

Until puppy gets acclimated to your home, it is normal for puppy to cry and whine at nighttime.

Having puppy tired going into nighttime should help puppy fall asleep faster and not cry as much.

Some find that putting the blanket we sent along in the carrier helps puppy settle down to sleep.