First Night With a New Puppy

You can prepare for your new puppy’s arrival by ensuring your home is safe and well-equipped and introducing it to other dogs and animals in your household.

To prepare for your new puppy's arrival, it can be helpful to create a new puppy shopping checklist to ensure that you have everything ready for that first night. After all, your puppy must have several items to ensure a happy, smooth transition into its new environment, including a comfortable bed, food and water, and appropriate toys for play. 

As you make your puppy essentials shopping list, go over their sleeping arrangement, what you will do at meal time, home preparation, toys and training materials and so on.
 

•    Remove Hazards: Ensure that any poisons or hazards are out of reach before bringing your puppy home.
•    Install Baby Gates: Baby gates can be used to limit your puppy's access to safe areas of your home, allowing them to slowly acclimate to their new surroundings. Doing so will also protect them from hazards like stairs until they are big enough to navigate them safely.
•    Set Up a Bed or Crate: Prepare a designated bed, crate, or calm area for your puppy's first night to help them learn where to relax and feel secure.
•    Spend Time in the Safe Space: Spend time with your puppy in their designated area to help them feel comfortable and build positive associations.
•    Provide Interactive Toys: Offer interactive food toys in this space to promote licking and chewing, which can help your puppy feel calm and relaxed.
 

•    Determine Boundaries: Clearly explain each area of the house. Decide if your puppy will be allowed on the sofa and other furniture, inside the house or outside, and so on.
•    Sleeping Arrangements: Choose where your puppy will sleep, whether in a crate, a designated bed, or another area.
•    Restricted Areas: Identify parts of the house that will be off-limits to your puppy.
•    Consistency: Plan these rules before your puppy arrives to ensure consistent training and a clear understanding of boundaries.
•    Set Up the Environment: Prepare your home in advance, blocking access to restricted areas to prevent your puppy from entering them.
 

If your family already has a dog, then it is a good idea to prepare for introducing your new puppy to the older dog. Be sure to consider your older dog’s temperament and needs. Your older dog will need a quiet place to retreat to when they wish to rest on their own. Resources such as meals, treats or enrichment toys should be given to your puppy and older dog separately to help prevent any resource guarding and potential damage to their budding relationship.

Young puppies do not have the bladder capacity or training to go through the entire night undisturbed. If you don’t want accidents when everyone goes to bed, you will need to listen to and respond to your puppy’s unique needs related to its toileting schedule. 

Some tips to help with puppy toilet training at night include:
•    First Night Routine: On the first night with a new puppy, take them outside to relieve themselves before bed, introducing the start of a new habit of going to the toilet before sleep.
•    Consistency: Be consistent with your routine. Follow up with an early morning opportunity for your puppy to relieve themselves to cement the toilet training habit.
•    Positive Reinforcement: Praise your puppy each time it successfully goes to the toilet outside, perhaps even following up with a treat to reinforce its behaviour.
•    Create a Positive Experience: Ensure that the first night with your new puppy is as positive as possible to build a strong bond with your puppy and help them feel confident and secure.
 

The first night with a new puppy can be challenging. Your puppy may have trouble falling asleep and feel vulnerable in an unfamiliar environment. They have just been separated from their family for the first time, which can be overwhelming and leave a lasting feeling of anxiety over the next few days.

If you are wondering how to set up an area for a new puppy to help them feel safe and secure, follow these steps:
•    Create a Comfortable Space: Set up a cosy area with a dog bed and dog blankets to make your puppy feel at home. This can help them adjust more easily to their new surroundings.
•    Crate Training:  If you plan to use a crate, start crate training on the first night. Place the crate in your bedroom so your puppy knows you are nearby. This proximity allows you to respond to their needs quickly.
•    Make the Crate Inviting: Line the crate with those soft dog blankets and add safe, age-appropriate dog toys. The crate should be a calm and comforting space, not a source of stress.
•    Gradual Adjustment: Don't close the crate door until your puppy is comfortable inside. Gradually increase the time your puppy spends in the crate, working up to closing the door.
•    Reassurance and Presence: Your presence is crucial during the first few nights. Comfort your puppy and let them know they are not alone.

By setting up an area for your new puppy with the right elements, you can help them transition smoothly into your home and establish a strong foundation for your relationship.

Creating a well-structured feeding schedule will help with your puppy's ongoing growth and development. Here are some tips to help new owners plan a puppy feeding schedule:
•    Determine Feeding Frequency: Puppies have small stomachs and require more frequent meals compared to adult dogs. After weaning, puppies typically require 3-4 meals a day while adult dogs are typically fed once or twice a day. A newborn puppy feeding schedule for a hand-reared puppy would be feeding every few hours.  
•    Set Regular Puppy Feeding Times: Establish consistent feeding times to help regulate your puppy's digestion and behaviour. The best times to feed a puppy are typically morning, midday, and evening.
•    Portion Control: Measure the food portions according to your puppy's age, size, and breed, as well as the type and quality of food. Overfeeding can lead to obesity while underfeeding can hinder growth.
•    Create a Routine: Consistency is key. Stick to the same puppy feeding times each day to create a routine that your puppy can rely on.
•    Monitor Health and Appetite: Monitor your puppy's weight, energy levels, and appetite. Adjust puppy dinner portions as needed to ensure they are getting the right nutrients. Your veterinary clinic can help you with advice to ensure your puppy’s dietary needs are being met.

By following these guidelines, you can establish a healthy and effective puppy feeding schedule that supports your puppy's overall well-being.
 

Scheduling playtime is an excellent way to help your puppy burn off excess energy and prepare for a restful night’s sleep. It offers:
•    Energy Release: Engaging in physical activity helps your puppy expend pent-up energy, reducing the likelihood of restlessness at night.
•    Mental Stimulation: Interactive play stimulates your puppy’s mind, promoting better sleep.
•    Bonding Opportunity: Playtime strengthens the bond between you and your puppy, creating positive associations with bedtime.
Some examples of puppy play time activities include:
•    Fetch: A short game of fetch can help tire out your puppy while providing mental stimulation.
•    Tug-of-War: A brief tug-of-war session can be both fun and exhausting for your puppy.
•    Puzzle Toys: Using puzzle toys filled with treats engages your puppy’s brain and can help tire them out mentally.
•    Training Sessions: Incorporate a few minutes of basic training exercises, such as sit, stay, and fetch, to combine learning with play.
•    Gentle Play: End playtime with a few minutes of gentle play or petting to help your puppy wind down.

Incorporating playtime into your puppy's nightly routine can help them transition smoothly to bedtime, ensuring a more restful night for both of you.
 

It's common for new puppies to feel anxious and cry during their first few nights in a new home. They may cry and whine to communicate with their new family, just like human babies do. While this can be upsetting to listen to, it is generally normal behaviour and an indication that your puppy needs something. After all, they are dealing with separation from their familiar, new surroundings, and a host of new sensory inputs. 

You should never ignore a crying puppy, but there are some things you can do to help you manage a puppy crying at night and encourage them to be more independent, such as:
•    Puppy Crying in Crate: If you hear your puppy crying in the crate, it’s often because they're feeling lonely or scared in an unfamiliar environment. Make the crate a comforting space with soft blankets and a favourite toy.
•    Nighttime Comfort: A puppy crying at night typically seeks reassurance. If you can, place the crate in your bedroom so your puppy can sense your presence, allowing them to feel secure and reduce anxiety.
•    Addressing Whining: If your puppy is whining in the crate, avoid immediately letting it out, as this may reinforce the behaviour. Instead, soothe them with gentle words and wait until calm before offering any physical comfort.
•    Establish a Routine: Consistent bedtime routines can help reduce nighttime crying. Ensure your puppy has had enough playtime and a chance to relieve themselves before bed. Providing them with things to do independently will support this process. Fun things to chew, eat, and smell are all great enrichment ideas.

AU-CAN-0037-2024