When your puppy arrives home, those first few hours and days can feel a bit overwhelming. A simple plan for water, food, sleep, visitors, socialisation and early training will help everyone settle in calmly and confidently. 🐶💕

This guide follows on from our earlier article about preparing for a new puppy. Once you’ve set up your home and garden, this is your step-by-step plan for that all-important first week together.

First on the Agenda When Your Puppy Arrives Home

If you have any other pets, have them in a different environment for the first few hours to allow your puppy to acclimatise. Baby gates are a godsend here.

Immediately take your pup to your spending area to give them the opportunity to toilet. Administer 50ml of Oralade in a bowl alongside fresh drinking water in your non drip bowl in their sleeping area, as this will help to rehydrate their body after the journey and big life change.

ALWAYS provide access to fresh water and NEVER take the bowl away, as suggested by well-meaning Facebookers.

Avoid feeding for a few hours to allow their tummy to settle (a small scatter would be ok), then feed half a normal feed at the next mealtime.

8–12 week old pups are usually fed four hours apart: 08:00, 12:00, 16:00 & 20:00. When your puppy arrives home will influence which meal you start with, so don’t be afraid to tweak that first day.

When you do feed, ensure it’s from an easy-to-use interactive toy such as My First Slow Feeder or a Snuffle Mat to avoid them ingesting their food too quickly. Feed meals in their pen to create a positive association with that space.

Ensure you’ve already prepped their pen with a few chews and toys so you’re not scrambling around when they arrive.

When they’re a little older, read our article Ditch The Food Bowl to level up their interactive feeders.

It’s a good idea to sprinkle a probiotic on each morning meal to maintain good gut health and reduce diarrhoea in those first few days.

Sleeping: First Nights With Your New Puppy

Young puppies sleep A LOT. Around 18–20 hours a day — leaving you plenty of time to ponder why you ever thought this was a good idea. 😉

Like with young children, they can get irritable if they’re not getting enough rest. I like to put a big soft teddy in their pen as a bit of company. For the first week or two, be prepared to sleep next to your puppy. Because those late-night cries aren’t going to soothe themselves.

Avoid the old-school mentality of just locking them in the pen, going up to bed and letting them “cry it out”.

Whilst you may worry this could cause dependency, it’s actually important you start to create a bond with your puppy. When you build trust, your puppy feels happier being left alone later.

Plus, you’ll be taking your pup out to the toilet a few times throughout the night, so this makes life a bit easier.

Rather than wait for your puppy to “let you know” they want to go to the toilet, set your alarm a few times throughout the night and be proactive about taking them out. Sorry, but this is what you signed up for. 🙂

If your puppy is vocal, never just let them “cry it out”. Comfort, toilet breaks and calm reassurance are the priority.

Usually, after around twelve weeks, their bladder is strong enough to go the eight hours throughout the night without needing a midnight toilet break (assuming you’ve built up to it gradually).

A really useful behaviour I like to train early on is “Find The Crate”.

Family, Friends & Visitors

Try to keep the first week low key. Everyone is going to want to come round and see your new bundle of fluff, but just allow your pup some time to bed in before they are pounced upon, passed around like a game of pass the parcel and used for “let’s take 500 selfies” sessions.

The first seven days should be really chill for your pup. They should never be left alone, so if you have to go to work, ensure you’ve made plans for someone to be home at all times.

Advise visitors and family members to keep comings and goings casual, no dramatic entrances. Never approach the puppy — always allow the puppy to approach you (this will help build confidence).

Avoid touching the puppy’s head; soft, gentle strokes down their back are always best. Continually monitor their body language. If they pull away at any point, STOP.

If there are children in the household or visiting kids, make sure you educate them on how to interact with the puppy. Check out our article on Child Training.

First Trips to the Vets & Safe Socialisation

I’ve recorded a whole series surrounding socialisation, as there is so much misinformation out there.

Until your puppy is fully vaccinated, there are plenty of experiences you can offer them in the home once they’ve settled in, from sounds, humans, to objects & surfaces.

After a few weeks, short car journeys are a good idea and you can let them watch the world go by from the boot of your car, enjoying a stuffed Kong.

You can start preparing for their First Trip To The Vets so it feels as calm and positive as possible.

Avoid busy environments and carrying them everywhere. We want them to be free to make their own decisions and build their confidence gradually.

Chucking them in at the deep end and throwing every experience you can at them is not the advised procedure for socialisation (like it was when I was a boy).

If you know any older, calm dogs, invite them round to give your pup some positive first experiences with other dogs (avoid full-on, excitable “I will jump all over you” types).

You could also start to introduce some handling exercises such as Grooming and getting them used to equipment such as a lightweight harness, lead and collar.

Formal Training: What to Focus on First

This might sound weird, but literally, SAY NOTHING. Whilst they understand tone, they do not speak English.

If you want them to stop eating the skirting boards or give you some kind of attention, high-pitched squeaky noises are your new language — far more effective than repeating their name 37 times.

Focus on using part of their daily allowance of dog food each day to reward them for things they do that you like.

I wouldn’t even bother training “Sit” yet. There are much more important things on your agenda. The word “Sit” wouldn’t come out of my mouth for at least a month.

Never say the word NO! This can cause fear, deteriorate your bond and give them no direction about what you want instead. It’s ineffective, old-school training.

Remember, avoid using any punishment. There is lots of outdated advice out there; check out our video Choosing A Dog Trainer to help you navigate it.

During a consultation with me, we’ll go through a variety of helpful training that will help cultivate the model pup and ensure a harmonious household.

Have a watch of some of these videos taken from our Socialisation Series (embedded above) to see this in action.

Next Steps & Support

When your puppy arrives home, it’s completely normal to feel a mix of excitement and “what on earth do I do now?”. You don’t have to muddle through alone.

If you’d like tailored support, you can book a Perfect Puppy Phone Consultation so we can walk through your exact set-up, routine and questions.

For step-by-step guidance through the whole puppy journey, including sleep, toileting, socialisation and training, check out our Perfect Puppy Online Course.

If you’re still in the planning stage and your pup isn’t home yet, make sure you also read our earlier guide on preparing your home and garden for a new puppy so the whole journey fits together.

When Your Puppy Arrives Home: FAQs