You’re home and ready to embark on this incredible next season of life with your new pup. Depending on what time of day you get home and how tired your puppy is, they may fall right asleep OR want to explore their new home. Whatever they need to do, give them the opportunity to do it. With your full supervision, of course. 😉
CHOOSING SLEEP
If your pup is sleepy, give them time to walk around, sniff some of their new toys, and get some good snuggles with you or on their new bed. Honestly, let them sleep as long as they’d like before it’s nighttime and really time for bed.
I’ll never forget when we got home…Nash was exhausted and was passed out on his itty-bitty bed and we ordered pizza and just watched him sleep (hello crazy dog parents). We whispered to each other about how cute he was and how excited we were. We just couldn’t believe it; he was home and he was ours!
CHOOSING TO EXPLORE
If your little guy (or girl) chooses the Dora the Explorer route, that’s great, too! Just make sure to, again, transition slowly. Gate off your house (and close doors) and stick to one room for the time being. We kept to just our living/dining room area. It’s important to only introduce your pup to one room at a time (and not allow them to roam free). Allowing them to roam free is not only overwhelming for them, but it also can be dangerous and allow for more accidents to happen. Boundaries are important to establish right off the bat.
HAVING THEIR SPACE
Whatever your pup chooses to do when they get home, make sure you have taken a few minutes to set up their space so they have their own zone. Have their crate/bed ready, some toys out, a water bowl filled. Having a space of their own (even though they may not know it’s theirs just yet), can help them feel a little more welcomed. Heck, they may not notice, but it’ll make you feel like you did the best you could! Haha!
In addition to having their space ready in your home, I also suggest setting up a bag in your car with all your essentials if you like to travel (this won’t need to be done right away, but could be useful once you start leaving the house more often):
- Wipes
- Paper towels
- Towels
- Poop bags
- Water bowl
- Extra leash
TRANSITION SLOWLY
I know bringing home a puppy is honestly one of the most exciting moments. I remember wanting to race around town, show all our friends (heck, even strangers) Nash’s cute face. But then I thought of his needs. I thought, he probably didn’t want to or need to go run and meet all those people. To us, we felt it was important to introduce one thing at a time. Nash’s first night home, we chose a cozy night in, just the three of us.
If you have kids, it’s totally up to you and what’s best for your family how you choose to do this, but I suggest some time home alone with your puppy first, then slowly bringing in your kiddos to meet their new fur-sibling.
What are some things you did when you brought your puppy home? Tell us in the comments!
