So you walk through the door holding your new family addition. Now what? The excitement has built for weeks, and now you’re home.
Taking steps BEFORE your puppy gets home will be key. Have a schedule, a plan, and your supplies set up. Put us on speed dial for when you get outsmarted (because it will happen). Much of our High-Caliber K9 program will sooth the transition, but remember, they have been taken from everything and everyone they know and love. Firm patience will help here too. So let’s go through some aides.
Your Puppy’s First Nights
Hopefully you have read and implemented the steps in Set Up For Success and Puppy Room Setup.
Introduce your pup to his new environment (playpen, yard, and his new crate).
For those of you with other dogs -This is the best place for the pup to meet any new dog. Place the pup in his area and allow the old dogs to smell the new pup through the fence/baby gate. Don’t judge the old dog’s reaction. Remember, you signed up for a new puppy, he didn’t. Some will love puppies, some are indifferent, some hate pups. This will be a slow introduction for the next couple days. You really need to have a good experience here. If all goes well, try taking them both for a short walk together outside. Remember that both dogs need to behave with manners. No stealing from each other, no excessive jumping and biting each other. If it is an old dog, make sure pup isn't too extreme for your aging dog. If it is a younger dog, make sure he isn't too boisterous for pup.
Crate training and potty training begin immediately.
Having your puppy on a set schedule will help give you a better idea when they need to go outside to potty. It just makes life with a new puppy easier all around. I’ve included a sample schedules, but after a day or two make sure you tweak it to your schedule. Puppies can usually make it through the night (6-8 hours) by 10 to 12 weeks old. So your first week, he may need an early potty break.
When taking your pup outside, do so on a leash. Only after he has gone potty, let him off the leash for play. Take him to his potty spot in the yard and stand there, giving your command. Use something you don’t normally say; “Go Potty” or “Do your business”. Stand in one place, don’t be tricked into walking around. Freedom only comes after a potty or he will quickly learn “hey, if I give my potty sign, they will let me out and we can go for a walk!” You need to watch that they truly eliminate. ES pups are smart. They will make a squat motion and look like they are peeing, just to to please you and get a reward.
Watch for potty signs. Every pup has a different signal, some wiggle, some sniff, some whine, some circle. When you see these – quickly walk them on a leash to the door saying “outside”. Pups will potty after eating, after play, and after sleeping.
Here are a couple sample schedules you can try out if you need
Schedule samples
Potty Training Schedule #1
Home all day
Eating 3x a day
7:00 am – Wake up. Go potty outside
7:10-7:30 am – Chore time OR Free time in puppy play pen
7:30 am – Food and water – Trick time with kibble
8:00 am – Potty outside. If they don’t go within 10 min, put them back in the crate and try again every 10-15 minutes before any free time.
8:15 am – Free time in enclosure. Offer interesting encounters with new items, sights, sounds, textures.
8:45 am – Crate time with Kong toy filled with Kibble
10:00 am – Go potty outside, free play inside enclosure, tether training during more chores, or supervised outside play
10:45 am – Crate Time with Kong toy
12:00 am – Food and water. Train with Kibble
1:15 am – Crate Time with Kong toy
3.15 am – Go potty outside, free play or tether or yard time
3.45: am Crate time with Kong toy
5:00 pm – Food and water. Train with Kibble
5:30 pm – Potty, if they don’t go after 10 min, back to the crate and try again in 10-15 min.
6.15 pm – Crate time with Kong toy
8:00 pm – Last water of the night. Leave down until outside time.
8:15 pm – Go potty outside, if they don’t go potty, then back into crate and try again 10-15 min.
8:30 pm – Free time in enclosure, tether, or yard time. Try to wear her out.
9:00 pm – Crate time until 11 OR if your bed time is closer to 10, you can take them outside at 10 pm and then put them to bed at 10:10 pm instead of 11:00 pm.
11:00 pm – Go potty outside, if they don’t go within 10 mins, try again 10 min before they go back to the crate for the night.
11:15 pm – Crate for the night
Puppy may still wake up in the middle of the night to go potty the first few nights while their body is still adjusting to the new schedule. If they go both pee and poop by 10-11 and their last meal was at 5pm, then they should be able to make it through the night by the 3rd or 4th night no problem.
If you work full time, you will have to take some extra steps. Look for a dog walker or a friend/neighbor that will take care of the pup at mid day. Remember, unless night time, a pup should not be confined long term in a crate. They are not socializing or growing their experiences or mind while in a crate. Max is 4 hours at a time during the day.
Potty Schedule #2
Works Full Time
7:00 am – Wake up. Go potty
7:10-7:30 am – Free time, Tether
7:30 am – Breakfast, Training session with kibble
8:00 am – Go potty. Crate Time – leave stuffed Kong
12:00 to 1:00 pm – Have a friend/neighbor come to let your puppy out for a break
6:00 am – Owner home and takes pup out to potty
6:15-6:30 pm – Free time, Training, Tether, wear her out
6:30 pm – Dinner. Training session with kibble
7:00 pm – Potty outside, if she doesn’t go potty, then back into crate and try again 10-15 min.
7:30 pm – Crate time or enclosure time. If using enclosure, make sure you are watching like a hawk
9:00 pm – Food and water, training with kibble
9:30 pm – Go potty, if she doesn’t go try every 10 minutes.
9:40 pm – Free time
10:00 pm – Potty outside. If bedtime is closer to 10, take her outside at 10 pm and then put them to bed at 10:10-10:15.
11:00 pm – Go potty. If she’s gone potty at least once after dinner and she’s not going again, just put them to bed.
11:10 pm – Crate for the night
What if they are still going potty in their crate?
Your schedule isn’t right for pup: Every pup is different, some go 10-20 minutes after they eat, while others may take 30-40 minutes. Typically, a 8 week old pup will urinate approximately every 3 hours, a 12 week old every 4 hours. Some pups only poop once a day, while other may go 3-5 times a day; depending on several factors like diet, stress, exercise. No hard set rule, adjust your schedule to fix you and your pup. Sometimes it helps to keep track with a notepad.
You allowed too much space: If a crate is too big, they will pick a spot away from the bed and soil.
Sometimes they will mess on bedding. I’ve only had this happen with hound pups, but if it happens to you, get rid of anything that is absorbent. Replace their bedding with a stuffed animal to cuddle instead.
Make sure puppy is only eating on schedule. Kong toys should be stuffed with a slow-release type stuffing, like some peanut butter or frozen broth. Only give kibble in the Kong as a meal during your schedule.
You may be so excited to invite all your friends and family to come meet the pup. I would caution against this. Give the pup 2 or 3 days to explore and learn his new home and begin the bonding with you. The long ride home, the new people, the new places, sights, sounds, smells, water, being alone without mom and siblings are all very stressful. This is a very big step for an infant. Give him time to settle before introducing more than your household. Don’t be surprised if your puppy sleeps – a lot. It takes a lot of sleep to grow a body and allow the brain to process new experiences.
It may be hard to get through the first night, but it’s important that you do. You really need the pup to learn that it is ok to be alone. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for separation anxiety later on. The litter has already had experience with crate training at my house. By the time you take them home, they will have spent time in their own crate, enjoying goodness. If he cries, this may tug at your heart strings, but just remember this isn’t cruel or unusual punishment. Think of it as tough love. If you take your pup out because his crying has done you in, your pup will know that crying gets him out – and you’ve set the stage for a more miserable time for you both.
Follow the crate training rules – have dinner an hour before bed time. Then go out to potty immediately before giving the pup a treat for kenneling up. Make sure he has a few toys (like a kong with a bit of peanut butter smeared in it, or a raw meaty bone**), his blanket that smells like mom, maybe a ticking clock to mimic his siblings heart beat (remember to shut off the alarm) or a radio turned softly to a talk show. Pup may give a bit of a fuss, but should settle in quickly. If he does not, take him back out to potty, then directly back to the crate (no playing at night – or he will expect it every night).
**A word on bones. Do not used cooked or smoked bones. They get hard when cooked so they splinter and can get into dog’s gums and throat. Use raw only. It is ok to freeze them. Do not use bones that are too big. A rule of thumb is ‘give only bones that did not support the animal’ - IE leg bones are often times too big. This is to keep from breaking teeth. Do not use bones that are too small without supervising, like chicken bones. We use rib bones from goat, lamb, small pig, or small deer for pups. Adult dogs can easily handle cow ribs. We get ours from our farm or hunting, but most butchers carry dog bones.
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