What would you (now!) do from day one?

[Wishful25]

Hi, we’re due to welcome our puppy into our home in 2 weeks. It’s our first puppy and we have two kids, 10 and 8. I’ve read lots of threads on here which are really helpful, but haven’t found one that covers what to prepare in advance and what golden rules or routine would you recommend from day one?! Thank you.

Torch for the garden, easy to slip on shoes and a warm coat next to the back door. We've had our sprocker baby for a week today..... I'm exhausted and it is fairly relentless to be honest even though she's been really good. Don't plan ANYTHING in the short term.

Expect upset tummies due to the change too. Don't change food until they are really well settled in with you and even then do it slowly slowly slowly.

Another vote for the FB group Wolfiefan and MellyPapa mentioned, their Congratulations on Your New Puppy pack is absolutely brilliant.

Start getting them used to being handled all over, including their feet and having their ears, eyes and mouth looked in. Also crack on with nail clipping and teeth brushing early. Particularly with nails it's so much easier (and better for the pup) to make it a positive experience and keep their nails short right from the start than trying to get on top of it once they're an adult.

Don't just go to the vet when you have to. Short, positive trips to the vets (i.e. pop in, give them some treats, maybe let the receptionists have a cuddle, etc.) when they're small will stand them in good stead for necessary trips when they're older. A lot of vets run puppy parties which can be good for this although check how they're run before signing up. A room full of puppies just running riot together whilst the humans chat can end up being very counter productive.

Even if the pup seems fine on their fist car trip home it's still a good idea to build up some positive associations with the car. Feeding them and giving them treats in there then building up starting with very short trips.

Find a decent puppy class (the aforementioned FB group can recommend someone for you if you post, they've also got a list of good trainers by county in the 'Files' section) and pick your insurance (so it's ready to activate in time for when the cover from the breeder runs out) before the puppy comes home.

If you can, sectioning off an area (and preferably a boring one) of garden rather than allowing access to all of it can really help with toilet training as there's less for them to get distracted by. I blocked off a paved area just outside my utility room for puppy training and it's been so useful I've had it properly fenced off since. I don't mind the dogs going in the garden when we're out there but it's so much easier keeping on top of poo picking when most toilet trips are just to one particular, easy to clean area. That said I do have four dogs so more poo to deal with than most!

It’s never too early to instill good manners! Mine are generally wonderful and I worked hard with them but there are things that I wish I hadn’t let slide as they’re so much harder to correct later than just get right in the first place.

For example I wished I had taught them better car manners from day one. They love the car but they are awful when getting out. Teach your puppy to be calm and wait to be let out of the car without all the writhing and squealing I am stuck with 😂 Similarly insist on calm behaviour from day one when putting on harness/lead etc to go out. Again with the writhing and squealing and overexcitement! It’s quite cute as a puppy but as they get older you’ll regret not insisting on calm behaviour while preparing for a walk.

One of mine is really not great at having her teeth examined so I would really advise practicing inspecting teeth and mouth regularly from day one. It’ll save a lot of stress later on. Thankfully she has good teeth and everything was clear on her dental last month but I wish I had taught her to tolerate examinations better for mine and the vet’s sakes 😳

You can never do too much research! Learn about dog body language, behaviour, the way they think, different training methods—all very valuable and will help immensely when building a relationship.

Probably the best thing I did with mine which I always advise new owners is talk to the puppy constantly. They begin to pick up on cues very quickly and I’m amazed at what mine have learned just by my talking and interacting with them For example—feeding routines, each other’s names (I say go find xxx and they will), names of their toys, phrases like “are you hungry?” “Where are you going” asking them to jump up somewhere or jump down and lots more. It’s incredible what they pick up on if you ensure you keep talking to them and showing them things in a positive and rewarding way.

My puppy was pad trained with her mother but toilet trained easily. I also found that once they go for walks they poo then rather than in your garden.

Also we left him alone for a bit from day one and he accepted that easily.

For me we didn't have a regular walk time or any real routine other than going in their basket in the kitchen when we went out and when we went to bed.

Being a first time owner I really worried about what i read on the internet but it was a lot easier than I feared. Enjoy your new pup!

Before the puppy comes remove rugs and other floor coverings that are difficult to clean, put things that might get chewed, e.g. shoes, toys, etc away in cupboard and get some baby gates/room dividers to control the space the puppy has access to.

Also visit dog training classes local to you to check out their training style and see if you like it and would like to join. Many places offer puppy socialisation classes which puppies can join with just their first vaccinations. These involve a little bit of training and socialisation with other dogs and humans. They should include a variety of exercises, e.g. greeting people wearing hats/carrying umbrellas, teaching the puppy to feel comfortable being examined on a table as they would be during vet visits, grooming, etc.

I would avoid any trainer who talks about dominance, packs, etc and find an effective clicker trainer.

Oh, like @junkmail said - the car. Never ever ever let them get out of the car until you give them a cue. You will sometimes have to get them out of a car on a busy-ish road, and the last thing you want is them jumping out into traffic... Start training the 'wait' from the start - ask them to wait, give them a treat and then lift them out (jumping out is for over 1 yr only to protect their joints).