Planning your new puppy's homecoming
Bringing a new puppy home is much like planning a child's first day at school. That single experience can make or mar the future success of a dog's life with you.
Think of yourself as that puppy being taken away from its mother and litter mates. All you have known in life is your mother's warm, caressing tongue whenever you cry. There are always litter mates to play with when awake, and to snuggle up against when asleep. Then an unknown human takes you away from the comfort you have known all your life, and puts you in some strange place. Of course you are not going to know what you can or cannot do. Furthermore, because you are in unfamiliar surroundings, you are going to call out to and cry for your mother.
It is imperative that you plan the rules of the house before the puppy comes home. If there are several family members, sit down and discuss the rules together.
- Will the puppy be allowed inside the house?
- If so, will it be allowed in all rooms?
- If not, to which rooms do you wish to confine the puppy?
- Will the puppy be allowed on any chair, bed or the lounge? If only one, which one?
Puppies need strict rules to adhere to from the very first instance.
So, introducing a new puppy into your household is a planning process for the entire family. It is ideal if someone who is interested in training the puppy to know these rules is home for the first few weeks after the new puppy arrives, to concentrate on the puppy's early training.
Remember, you are always the ‘boss' and as soon as you feed the puppy, it will instinctively regard you as such. While you assert this position quietly but firmly, a mutual respect will develop almost immediately.