Picture by Sami Bull.
ALL CREATURES Pet advice from Helen Bull, of CALM Dog Training and Pet Services
DECIDE beforehand where the puppy is going to sleep, eat and be allowed around the home.
If you only want him to use certain parts of the garden, make sure you have a fence around it before the puppy arrives.
Work out a timetable of duties for everyone involved in the puppy’s day-to-day routines.
Buy a notebook to write notes and command words, so everyone uses the same words.
Your pup’s breeder should have told you what food the puppy eats — make sure you have some available to feed him when he arrives.
Other things you will need are bedding, two stainless steel bowls, dog-friendly toys, a collar and lead and lots of newspaper.
An indoor crate gives a pup wonderful security and can be made snug and cosy with bedding from the breeder.
A DAP Diffuser, which gives off bitch phermones, also helps to settle the puppy.
Your puppy may feel isolated and lonely without his litter mates and mum for his first few nights in his new home. Some owners are happy to place the puppy’s bed or cage close to them, so the puppy can have some reassurance that he’s not alone. Others like to leave the puppy asleep in another room.
Either way, try not to go to him if he cries or barks as this may encourage the behaviour.
Make sure your puppy has had a chance to go outside before bed and don’t feed him within three hours of bedtime.
Pups need to go to the toilet as soon as they wake.
Get your puppy up and take him to the garden to encourage early house training.
Establishing a routine is the best way to help him settle. Feed him at the same times and in the same places and make sure he spends time on his own each day, to prevent him becoming over-dependent on you.