Preparing for our new puppy's first few days

[BlueBoy2]

We are collecting our 14 week old cavachon puppy on Tuesday and im excited and scared!
I have a bed, crate, food, training treats, puppy kong, harness and lead
Do I need anything else?
Plan is to sleep in bedroom the first few nights in crate if its happy to use crate.
He has had all vaccines so ready to go out and about.
Other than that no real plan.
Breeder has been toilet training but I dont think hes 100% yet.
Still sleeping with mum so im expecting a hard few nights.
Any tips and I fo would be greatly appreciated

It's good that he's fully vaccinated, so you'll be able to go straight out.

Have you considered how he will be secured in the car?

Legal requirement to use a ddog seat belt of crate.. Make sure crate is actually crash tested... They aren't all... And register the microchip on your name!

Get lots of sleep in while you can. The sleep deprivation nearly killed me with our last pup - in fact she's put me off any more for life. It took 7 months to get her reliably dry at night.

I'd really work with the crate - it's a great safe space for them, and I used ours a lot when she got overstimulated and bitey.

Have you got toys? Puppy safe to chew, carry and cuddle?
Those big animals with a heartbeat device can help with anxiety and missing Mum and the litter. We had a sheep one for our youngest dog. She still loves it now at bedtime (minus the heartbeat device)
A licky mat and snuffle mat are also good to have.
The breeder should give you a toy or piece of blanket with Mum’s scent.

P.S. I’d also book puppy training classes.

No advice but I’m excited on your behalf 🥰 we have two Cavapoo a boy and girl, best thing we ever did.

We were given a blanket that mum had been using, for comfort in the first few weeks.

7 months🙈🙈
Wow that is a long time!

Breeder did mention those heartbeat toys i thought it sounded a bit gimmicky but maybe I should get one

No I hadn't thought of that, thank you!

Probably a silly question but how do you know if they are waking for a wee or just waking? So on the first night do I take them out everytime they wake?

I would ask the breeder what sort of socialisation has been done with the puppy. And then, depending on what they say, absolutely prioritise doing the bits they have not done and re-doing the bits they have.

The window is anywhere up to 16 weeks, but sometimes less in certain dogs given how fearful they can be (i.e.if you don't socialise them early, you're buggered for doing it later).

On weeing overnight, I can't advise based on my own experience as mine are usually 99% house trained before they go home and sleep through the night. But I would err on the side of caution and take them out when they wake. Better they learn sooner rather than later not to tiddle inside...

I set an alarm - I'd settle her in her crate around 11pm after she'd had 10 minutes out in the garden. Then set an alarm for 2am and 5am so roughly every 3 hours. I also used the alarm every 30 minutes during the day so I didn't get distracted.

Our other dog was dry day and night by 17 weeks, so there is hope. It just depends on the dog and if they're remotely bothered by peeing on the floor

A dog Trainer I spoke to said people overstimulate puppies and actually the crate can be a very safe space for them. much like babies and very young children they do need to have naps and be put in there to relax.

She also said stop giving them water after about 5 o’clock. They don’t need to always be drinking and that minimises nighttime pees.

Since he's a bit older already, I'd ask the breeder what they have been doing. He might already be sleeping through the night. No point setting alarms to take him out if he doesn't need it.

My last puppy slept through the night from 8 weeks old. She whined at about 3am on the first night home, so I took her outside for a wee. Then she went back in the cage and slept until about 8. She slept through from night 2.
My other dog woke during the night until she was about 4 months old. That was a killer.

Wear an old t shirt for a few days then give him that to sleep with in the crate. If you plan to have the crate downstairs eventually I’d just put it down there and sleep close by for a few days. It’s also much easier to take out for a wee if required in the night.

How exciting @BlueBoy2

I wouldn't set any alarms tbh. If he does wake up in the night calmly, with no eye contact, take him out for a wee and use a command word, we say 'do wees!' and then back into bed. Night time is for sleeping and keeping any fuss down to minimum will help him understand it's not play time.
Naps during the day are also vital. My puppy is 15 almost 16 weeks, so a bit ahead of yours, and she is up for an hour to an hour and a half and then has a nap from an hour or today, both have been almost 2 hours which is wonderful.
Most biting and unwanted behaviour is because they are tired, hungry or need the loo. Mine gets zoomies when she needs a poo! Also, if he just crying in the crate if he needs the toilet it will continue for longer than expected and sounds more desperate, rather than just an upset at being away from everyone. You will learn what his different cries sound like and mean.
For the car I have a harness clip which clips around the seat headrest and then clips into her harness. Do not use with a collar. I also have a seat cover for dogs but our seats are leather so slippery.
Work on his recall in your garden and house, and then out on a long line on a harness. We have just started letting ours off on her long line (with a week off due to this heatwave and only being able to walk her once a day in the evening) and she is loving it and being really good and coming back. She also sticks with me a bit and keeps an eye on where I am. We have had her since she was 10 weeks old.
Mostly, enjoy your new family member and come back and introduce him to us when you get him 😊

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Check the microchip details yourself! I learned the hard way.

Don't assume the breeder has got all the chip numbers and people's details the correct way around. I had my dog for a whole year before I found out the breeder had mixed up all the chip numbers and my dog was registered to some random! (and presumably I someone elses' dog was registered to me!) Thank god she never went missing or got lost during that time.

The guy at Petrac says it happens more often that you think with litters of puppies.

Just check it yourself, and don't assume the breeder has given you the correct chip number either. Ask a vet to scan your dog, take a photo of the reader showing the chip number that is definitely in your dog in front of you, and then check it all on the website yourself.

How do you enforce a nap if they do t want one? Unfortunately I had children who very rarely slept and I did have quite bad postnatal depression so I think im extra worried about getting this right especially the sleep! Would like to avoid puppy blues if possible

@BlueBoy2 using a crate or a pen really helps. We confused things to start with by having one in the living room and then one in our bedroom. We then just used the bedroom one but she was waking us from around 5am so we put it in the spare room next door and she sleeps until 7-7.30am which is amazing. She goes in there for her naps too, though with the hot weather, I kept her in the living room with me where I had a fan and the temperature was more comfortable.
I also had a non sleeper and pnd and it was hard, so I really sympathise with you. Puppy blues can still happen. I have felt it a bit with this one and I did with my previous one, but it's not the same as pnd so please try not to worry too much on that front if you can 💐

Thank you sounds like great advice. Im unsure whether on the first night to start in bedroom or kitchen which my bedroom is just off. I suppose we will see how it goes

@BlueBoy2 when we brought ours home at 10 weeks, I slept in the living room with her. I was on the sofa and she was in her crate. It meant I could get up every hour and a half when she needed to go out. I ended up sleeping there for almost two weeks and really missed my bed.

Another thing I would add is chill and dont make a big deal of stuff, dogs feed off your energy.

If you are turning every "first" into a big deal and being on edge or over-poised/primed for how pup may/may not respond - then he will feed off that energy. Just go about your daily life with him without being like "okaaaayyyyy treat now I am going to get the hoover... treat shhh yes hoover treat its okay babbyyy - *treat treat - is ok okay babbyyyy" .....you get the gist. Just get the hoover out and act normal.

Or getting all anxious, primed and ready with the tube of primula because you can see an ice cream truck coming up the road

I remember, on day three I took my 13 week old to the pub and didnt think twice - she was chill. Start as you mean to go on, dont make a big deal about stuff, go about your daily life with pup in tow and a lot of the time they will follow your lead for cues on how they should feel.

It was only a few months after , when I really got into reading training atuff that i realised how neurotic the dog training world can be.

ETA - reapond to behavioural problems as they come up... IF they come up. But dont accidentally create any by making a mountain out of a molehill

Thanks for this I think im trying to plan everything how will I hoover or cook dinner,what will do with him. Maybe I'll need to just chill out a bit and see what happens. I think I've read too much now and im thinking every worse scenario will happen

Yep. It is so easy to go there and get sucked in. Nightmare. Just stick to no nonsense, common sense, dont over complicate it.

Remember these two expressions to keep your world sane:

"Train the dog in front of you not the one the internet assumes you have/will have. "

and;

"The only thing two dog trainers will agree on is what the third one is doing wrong! "

Enjoy the puppy stage, play play play til your heart is full because one day he will be too old and arthritic, dont stress about accidents inside bc it wont be like that forever, take videos of his little puppy lollops, waddles and movements... so many videos, and just adjust your house to reflect the fact you have a puppy (i.e. expect your puppy to behave like a puppy!

Dont get me started on all those stupid videos on tiktok that are like "my ten week old puppy walks to heel for the entire walk, retrives game, makes the tea and does a crossword every day" 🙄 Does it fuck! A lot of that stuff is for clicks and likes, and is just a clip of footage ...dont fall for it. Dont compare your puppy to that crap. xxx