6 Tips for Bringing Puppies Home

Adopting a pet is a really wonderful thing. In most cases, they are brought home when they’re small, and the first days at home can be somewhat chaotic. In this article, we’ll give you some tips on bringing puppies home.

Bring puppies home: what to do and what not to do

Puppies are really adorable, sweet, and they bring out the best in us. However, they can also be somewhat complicated during the first days of their lives. You must teach them many lives, and they also have to adapt to their new home.

Bringing puppies home is a joyful experience, a “before and after” in our lives. However, it’s true that they can sometimes become a nightmare if you don’t know what to do with them. Pay attention to these tips:

1. Let them smell everything

The first thing the dog will do when they step in their new home will be to inspect it. They’ll smell every corner, and might get into places that they can’t get out of alone. You must allow them to sniff and get to know the spaces in the home, even the places he’s not allowed in, like your bedroom.

2. Let them socialize

It’s true that puppies can be somewhat vulnerable to illness until they’re four months old. Therefore, veterinarians don’t recommend taking them outside. So, once they’ve passed that stage, it’s essential for them to have contact with other pets.

Even if there are pets at home before the puppies arrive, you have to let them get to know each other right away. How? By introducing them to each other.

This means putting them in front of each other with you close by enough to prevent any possible fights. You might have to try several times before they become friends. It all depends on each animal’s personality. Don’t stop until they get along well from the beginning.

3. Give them their own space

This means that when you bring a dog or cat into your home, you must give them their own beds, or something they can call their own. Determine where they will sleep, eat, etc. We also recommend that you give them a toy right away, so they will understand that they’re in a nice, fun place.

4. Be careful about separation anxiety

In most cases, puppies are used to being in the company of their mother and some siblings. Up until a few hours ago, they probably had slept in the warmth of their family. However, now that they’ve been adopted by humans, they’ll need similar conditions so they can rest and feel safe.

When it comes to bringing puppies into your home, you’re not obligated to let them on your bed or stay with them all day long. However, you do need to give them a comfortable mattress, a blanket to cover them with, and some company until they get used to their new home. 

Some people decide to adopt a pet when they’re on vacation from work or college so that they can spend more time with the animal. They leave the house little by little so that the animal doesn’t miss them as much.

5. Feed them according to their needs

The vet will tell you how many times per day and what portion a puppy should eat. Usually, you should feed a puppy four times daily, and of course, always provide them with fresh water.

6. Teach them to go to the bathroom

You could say that this is the most complicated part about bringing puppies home because up until now, they probably urinated and defecated in any place close to where their mother was.

Since you can’t take them outside at first, you’ll have to pick a place where they’re allowed to relieve themselves. It could be the bathroom, the laundry room, the balcony, or the patio.

A good technique to make them use only these “restrooms” is the following: pick up the excrement in a plastic bag and take them to the location you picked out. That’s how they’ll know it’s the right place. When it comes to urine, you can place some newspaper down to absorb it. Don’t forget to clean the prohibited area well to remove the smell, and prevent them from going back there the next time they have to go to the bathroom.

Keep in mind that they won’t comply with the rules for the first few days. You must be very patient, and teach them by being strict but love them at the same time. Remember that they don’t do anything on purpose and they are still learning how to live. Once they get used to it, everything will be easier.

Hopefully, after reading this article, you have learned some useful things when it comes to bringing puppies home.