What to Expect
When You Bring
Home a New Puppy

Here’s what to expect when you first bring your new puppy home.

Some puppies will be confident and curious; others might be more cautious. As you spend time bonding with your puppy they will settle down into their new environment.

Your first week with your new puppy will be full of change. It might take a couple of days for your puppy to settle in, eat comfortably, and sleep soundly. You can do a few things to make the transition smoother for all of you.

For the first 3-5 days keep things relaxed. Allow time for everyone to settle in. Limit visitors for the first three days to reduce stressors for your puppy.

Don’t leave them alone for the first five days. Use a hands-free leash so they can’t wander out of sight while your attention is elsewhere. Plan activities around their naptimes so you can stay in the same room while they rest in their xpen.

Put up baby gates or keep doors closed to areas where you have decided the puppy will not be allowed. This will establish healthy boundaries early.

Use cue words for things like eating, bathroom and naps when you can, but don’t pressure yourself or the puppy to learn too much during your first week.

The first few days are all about bonding. Play, cuddle, and show them that you can be trusted. If your puppy starts using their teeth during play, our puppy biting guide offers gentle ways to redirect them.

Confident Puppies

Puppies with outgoing personalities will run all over the house exploring every nook and cranny they can access. Their favourite spots are usually where you don’t want them to go! They’ll do the same thing in the yard; this kind of puppy will keep you on your toes but is unlikely to have as many of the physical stress symptoms.

Cautious Puppies

Puppies with quieter personalities usually sit in the area they are set down and only explore if they have someone with them. This kind of puppy will build confidence by bonding with you and becoming familiar with their new home.

Normal Stress Behaviours

You may observe some of these physical stress indicators. These usually clear up as the puppy becomes more settled.

  • Drooling
  • Diarrhea
  • Low Appetite
  • Shivering
  • Crying or whimpering
  • Restless movement, trouble settling in one spot

Moving to a new home can affect a puppy’s sleep and appetite, but diarrhoea, repeated vomiting, marked lethargy or refusal to eat should not automatically be put down to stress. If signs are significant or do not improve promptly, contact your veterinary clinic.

Going Outside

Carefully managed introductions to healthy, familiar, appropriately vaccinated dogs can be part of a puppy’s early socialisation. Avoid high-traffic dog areas and tailor precautions to your puppy’s vaccination history and local risks.

At first it is safest to stick to your local neighbourhood until your puppy is fully vaccinated.

Avoid dog parks, designated pet areas and anywhere else where there are unknown dogs. 

Sleeping Through the Night

At eight weeks, overnight toileting needs vary between puppies. Watch for signs that your puppy needs to go outside and be prepared for an overnight toilet trip. You can gradually extend the interval as your individual puppy consistently settles and remains dry.

But you should still expect their first few nights could be a little more restless due to new sights, smells and sounds around them.

Pro Tip: An empty stomach can be one explanation for yellow vomit, but it is not the only one. If it happens repeatedly, or your puppy is otherwise unwell, seek veterinary advice rather than assuming that a bedtime snack will resolve it.

If your puppy is overly fussy or having difficulty settling down at night you can try a few things:

  • Place a blanket over their crate to make it cozier
  • If the room is warm, remove anything from the top of their crate for better airflow
  • Put the xpen around their crate and clip the crate door open so they can choose to sleep inside it or on the floor where it’s cooler

Summary

  • Limit visitors and keep things very relaxed for your first week home
  • Your puppy might have some physical stress indicators for the first couple of days; this is normal
  • Sleeping through the night might happen right away, but if they don’t, make the suggested adjustments to help them relax

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