Welcome home!
you’ve made the decision to welcome a new addition to your family, but what next?
it’s sometimes difficult to make sense of all the information available online and on social media, so we recommend giving one of our friendly nurses a call to ask all the questions you have – or simply keep scrolling to read a summary of the things we recommend…
the journey home
A short car trip home is usually simple to navigate – but if you’re travelling for longer than a couple of hours
their first night
It’s best to be well prepared for the first night, so you start as you mean to go on – and it may take a little will power to avoid starting some bad habits…
their first vet visit
A Vet examination the day after you get home is highly recommended. We’ll give them a thorough exam and chat through any questions you may have – and we’ll get them onto our early vaccination programme.
feeding and more...
There are a plethora of diets on the market – and plenty of people willing to offer you advice on everything from food to training to parasite control – not to mention social media. This is our advice…
Everyone has a personal preference for a specific breed of puppy. We think this is great – but your pup’s personality will define how enjoyable life will be with them, so we think the 4 most important factors in choosing a pup are: –
personal breeder recommendation
this is the best way to find a puppy, but if this isn't available, contacting breed societies and asking for a list of registered breeders is a good start.
where were they raised?
always try to source puppies that are raised inside a home and therefore socialised to a home environment from early on, rather than those raised in a kennel environment.
have they been vaccinated and vet checked?
puppies should have been thoroughly Vet checked, microchipped, vaccinated and wormed by 6 weeks of age - if not, questions need to be asked.
how well have they been socialised?
socialisation is the most important aspect in raising a relaxed and happy puppy, so asking the breeder what steps they have taken to start socialisation early, is very important.
the trip home
puppies travel well, and usually fall asleep soon after the journey starts.
before travelling, make sure they have had the opportunity toilet well and have a small drink.
puppies can feel car sick too, so feeding is usually not advised before travel.
journeys less than 2 hours long are usually well tolerated, but if they’re longer, we suggest a toilet stop at least every 2 hours.
many breeders will crate train their puppies, so if this has been done, using a crate in the car is a very good idea.
you're home - now what?
Puppies usually take a few days to settle in – but some just arrive and take over the place!
After a journey, a meal is a good place to start.
Use some of the food that they are accustomed to at the breeder, and give them about a quarter of what they’d usually get – then follow our tips
their first few days...
their first night
Once you’re home, especially after a long trip, they’ll be hungry – so a small meal as soon as you arrive home is a great idea, as is allowing them some time on a patch of grass outside to toilet.
Once they’ve eaten and toileted, allow them a wander around to explore their new home.
Most likely, they’ll exhaust themselves after such a big day and will want to have a nap. Pups sleep a lot – especially after meals, so please allow them to have good rest and downtime.
If they have been crate trained, it’s a good idea to have this space set up so they can start sleeping there.
It’s very unlikely that they’ll sleep through the night without waking, especially for the first few nights. This is normal.
Pups also can’t usually hold their bladders for a full night, so a final visit to the toilet area you’ve chosen for them before you go to bed, is a good idea.
call us
There are some key things we need to make sure are completed very soon after you arrive home, so your pup doesn’t fall ill for reasons that are preventable.
Give us a call and we’ll give you some friendly advice – we’ll book their first appointment and make sure that their microchip has been correctly recorded and registered to you.
It’s very likely that your pup will have had their first vaccination, so we’ll advise how we can use our modern vaccines to complete their vaccination program much sooner that has traditionally been the case.
feeding
Start with 3-4 meals a day for the first few days, using the food that has been fed by the breeder. Thereafter, a slow change onto your choice of puppy food can be made.
When choosing a food, base your choice around the following:
- Select a food that is appropriate for your puppies’ anticipated adult body weight. This means that a breed that will be less than 10kg adult body weight will be fed a very different food than a large dog of 35kg adult body weight
- The food must be age appropriate, and
- The food must agree with your puppies digestive tract. For example, if you feel your pup’s stools are loose (they are loose as young puppies, but gradually firm up by 16 weeks old), slimy and they seem to go to the toilet 6-8 times daily, straining when they do so, it’s a good idea to try a food with a different protein perhaps – but it’s probably better to bring them in to see us for a chat
toilet training
- The best thing you can do for toilet training is get ahead of when your puppy needs to go, so that you have the opportunity to reward them for going in the right place. Be aware of the times when they are likely to want to go – this includes after eating or drinking, after waking up, and after a play session. Give them LOTS of opportunities to toilet (at least every hour)
- When you take your pup out to toilet, we suggest walking to the same place each time, by the same route, and wait patiently. Reward calmly when they go, with some praise or a treat. It can be helpful to have them on lead for these toilet excursions so that you can establish a clear routine – rather than your pup thinking it’s a fun chance to play outside. Initially, you may have to wait for some time before they do, but our recommendation is to only bring them back indoors once they’ve toileted.
- It is important not to punish or scold your puppy for going in the ‘wrong’ place (e.g indoors) – as this can create a puppy who is scared to toilet near you, and will hide when they need to go. That will create messes in hidden corners of your house you don’t want to think about!
their first Vet visit
You will no doubt have many, many questions…..and there are way too many to discuss on a website, so write these down and we’ll spend an extended period with you at your first appointment discussing all of the above – and we’ll make sure you’re fully versed on how pet insurance works and how to pick the policy that’s appropriate for you.