Family Pet Consulting; Puppies; Living with a New Puppy, Emotional Adjustments

Living with a New Puppy
Emotional Adjustments Being Made by Your Puppy
During the First Week or Two in Its New Home

20a. Living with a New Puppy

Emotional Adjustments Being Made by Your Puppy During the First Week or Two in Its New Home

Puppies are very special because they are so impressionable that they have not yet had time to learn habitual ways of dealing with the world. Dogs acquire personalities and habits early in their lives, so it’s a good idea to start training your puppy to become the pet you want while it is still young. Because your puppy has just suffered a traumatic separation from its mother and littermates, it should be handled with patience and gentleness and eased into the family’s routine. These instructions are intended as general guidelines to speed the process of you and your puppy becoming accustomed to each other.

Play with the puppy, but give him no opportunity to use his teeth on you. Make the sessions short with no trauma involved, that is, no forceful discipline. Do not grasp the puppy’s muzzle and shake its head. After all, your puppy has just been taken from comfortable, protective surroundings and should be assured that it has come into an even more wonderful place where gentleness and soft hands will always be available. Do not use your hands for any form of discipline if you can avoid it. This first week is vitally important to establish the magical bond of trust between owner and animal. Don’t handle it for more than fifteen minutes at a time. Speak in a soft, quiet tone of voice. If possible, you should go into a quiet room, close the door, and devote these few minutes once a day to your puppy. When you are busy or there is noise and confusion in the house, it should be returned to its crate or exercise pen. Quality of time together is important.

Last Updated July 15, 2000
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