New Owner Information
“May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am!” Anonymous
Shavano Creek Ginger Snap
@ 8 weeks
Realistic Expectations
Happiness is a warm puppy
You go to the breeders home. The pups are all social. They are quiet in the pen. The breeder shows you videos of them being totally relaxed at a dog show. All looks amazing and you bring your puppy home.
Then reality hits. The puppy may cry in the crate for the first few nights making you tired and agitated. The happy social puppy is refusing to greet the half dozen overly excited friends you invited over to see your new puppy. The puppy refuses to walk on a leash. Many are wondering how did my perfect puppy turn into a nightmare?
So let’s discuss realistic expectations of when a puppy goes home. First of all the puppy has been in the breeders home since birth. They had their mother and often littermates. They had their routine, were taught expectations and were completely in their comfort zone. Now suddenly they are taken to a totally new environment. Picture yourself being dropped into an unknown country, often in a different part of the world. You know only a few words of their language. Different trees, animals, smells, temperature, and people. Now in the middle of this we are switching up your routine, decide to have a party with people you don't know, and ask you to do jobs you have no idea about. Overwhelming to say the least.
This is what every puppy goes through when going to their new home. Stress manifests in different forms. From not eating, to a reluctancy to play and greet people. From being apprehensive at the vet’s office or as strangers reach for them. Diarrhea, vomiting and depression can occur.
So what can you as a new owner do to help your little one acclimate?
- Most puppies take 3-4 weeks to acclimate to their new home. Repeat after me THREE to FOUR WEEKS! Not just 1-2 days. I can’t stress this enough about how much time is needed for a dog or puppy to feel comfortable in their new home!
- Limit guests during the first week. We understand you are excited to show off your new baby but they need time to adjust. Plan on waiting 1-2 weeks before inviting people over. Then ask your guest to sit on the ground and let the puppy approach them. No squealing and grabbing at the puppy.
- Set up a good routine. Restrict the puppy to a small area of the house. This not only reduces them being overwhelmed but also allows you to watch them.
- Don’t expect a 9-13 week old puppy to walk on a leash. Instead work at home with a leash where they are comfortable. Let them drag the leash, use treats to encourage them to walk with you.
- If your puppy is refusing to walk give them time. My first trips to town with puppies a walk around a small block took 1 1/2 hours. We only move when they initiate the movement as they need time to take in the different environment.
- Understand your puppy needs time to see you as family. Expecting an immediate bond is unrealistic.
- Train your puppy. This not only helps you to bond but the puppy to look to you for direction and input.
- Lastly be patient. Don’t declare “omg there’s something wrong with this dog”.
Nothing occurs overnight. Outings should be planned at puppy speed. So while you might imagine a fun walk around the lake, in reality your puppy might only be able to handle walking a short distance that day.
Most outings for me take a long time, as I am often just standing still as the puppy cautiously explores the new environment. Patience is key!
Remember if the puppy was wonderful at the breeder’s house but now is struggling, you as the owner, need to help the puppy adjust which takes time, patience and training. Have realistic expectations and give the puppy positive experiences. Each puppy is an individual, don’t compare your current puppy to past pets and judge their behavior based on how another dog handled things. Lastly, try to see thing’s from a puppy’s perspective and adjust situations accordingly.
Author: Karen Balinski
Killara Field Spaniels
Then reality hits. The puppy may cry in the crate for the first few nights making you tired and agitated. The happy social puppy is refusing to greet the half dozen overly excited friends you invited over to see your new puppy. The puppy refuses to walk on a leash. Many are wondering how did my perfect puppy turn into a nightmare?
So let’s discuss realistic expectations of when a puppy goes home. First of all the puppy has been in the breeders home since birth. They had their mother and often littermates. They had their routine, were taught expectations and were completely in their comfort zone. Now suddenly they are taken to a totally new environment. Picture yourself being dropped into an unknown country, often in a different part of the world. You know only a few words of their language. Different trees, animals, smells, temperature, and people. Now in the middle of this we are switching up your routine, decide to have a party with people you don't know, and ask you to do jobs you have no idea about. Overwhelming to say the least.
This is what every puppy goes through when going to their new home. Stress manifests in different forms. From not eating, to a reluctancy to play and greet people. From being apprehensive at the vet’s office or as strangers reach for them. Diarrhea, vomiting and depression can occur.
So what can you as a new owner do to help your little one acclimate?
- Most puppies take 3-4 weeks to acclimate to their new home. Repeat after me THREE to FOUR WEEKS! Not just 1-2 days. I can’t stress this enough about how much time is needed for a dog or puppy to feel comfortable in their new home!
- Limit guests during the first week. We understand you are excited to show off your new baby but they need time to adjust. Plan on waiting 1-2 weeks before inviting people over. Then ask your guest to sit on the ground and let the puppy approach them. No squealing and grabbing at the puppy.
- Set up a good routine. Restrict the puppy to a small area of the house. This not only reduces them being overwhelmed but also allows you to watch them.
- Don’t expect a 9-13 week old puppy to walk on a leash. Instead work at home with a leash where they are comfortable. Let them drag the leash, use treats to encourage them to walk with you.
- If your puppy is refusing to walk give them time. My first trips to town with puppies a walk around a small block took 1 1/2 hours. We only move when they initiate the movement as they need time to take in the different environment.
- Understand your puppy needs time to see you as family. Expecting an immediate bond is unrealistic.
- Train your puppy. This not only helps you to bond but the puppy to look to you for direction and input.
- Lastly be patient. Don’t declare “omg there’s something wrong with this dog”.
Nothing occurs overnight. Outings should be planned at puppy speed. So while you might imagine a fun walk around the lake, in reality your puppy might only be able to handle walking a short distance that day.
Most outings for me take a long time, as I am often just standing still as the puppy cautiously explores the new environment. Patience is key!
Remember if the puppy was wonderful at the breeder’s house but now is struggling, you as the owner, need to help the puppy adjust which takes time, patience and training. Have realistic expectations and give the puppy positive experiences. Each puppy is an individual, don’t compare your current puppy to past pets and judge their behavior based on how another dog handled things. Lastly, try to see thing’s from a puppy’s perspective and adjust situations accordingly.
Author: Karen Balinski
Killara Field Spaniels
Food
He who feeds a hungry dog feeds his own soul...
Your puppy has grown up on Fromm Puppy, Orijen Puppy, and Honest Kitchen Puppy formulas. They have also been introduced to raw and cooked feeding. We have done extensive research and have excellent results with this diet combined with wholesome treats. If you decide to change your puppy's diet, please taper them off our formula with the food we sent home with you (blend with the new food) to minimize stress and illness a sudden diet change can cause. Please do your own research and sign up with Dog Food Advisor to receive updates on any dog food recalls that might affect your puppy. This could save your puppy's life. As a rule we try to avoid legumes and fillers. Please feel free to ask us if you have any questions about food.
Offer food 3 times per day for the first week while he/she learns to eat in meals. Your puppy has been on free choice, with dry food available all day for grazing, with warm food wetted with water and goats milk offered 2 times a day. You will want to start providing meals to make house breaking easier. So, put down a bowl of dry or wetted food and leave it for 15 minutes. Then remove it. Initially, the pup may eat very little. First, he/she must acclimate to the new surroundings and second, the pup must learn that the food will not always be there. Do not worry if your puppy eats very little for the first 24 to 36 hours. Some will eat right away and never miss a step, but others are more nervous about being away from their littermates and in new surroundings. In terms of the amount to give, put down a bowl with 1 cup. As time goes on, give a little more the next day if it all got cleaned up or decrease it the next day if it was not all eaten. Feeding in the crate is a good idea, both to help with housebreaking and to ensure that food aggression does not develop if you have other pets around. You can add a couple tablespoons of Purina Pro Plan canned food to their evening meal for a treat to encourage them to want to enter the crate.
Try not to get pulled in by the marketing of gourmet pet food companies (e.g., ‘human-grade’, holistic,‘ organic’, ‘all meat’, ‘all natural’, ‘grain-free’). These companies tend to put more of their emphasis on marketing ‘buzz words” than on long-term nutritional studies. Video of wolves morphing into dogs imply that your pet needs to eat similar to a wolf, but this is inaccurate. Wolves are obligate carnivores, because they do not make the enzyme amylase that is needed to metabolize carbohydrates. Dogs, however, DO have this enzyme and get energy from grains.
Offer food 3 times per day for the first week while he/she learns to eat in meals. Your puppy has been on free choice, with dry food available all day for grazing, with warm food wetted with water and goats milk offered 2 times a day. You will want to start providing meals to make house breaking easier. So, put down a bowl of dry or wetted food and leave it for 15 minutes. Then remove it. Initially, the pup may eat very little. First, he/she must acclimate to the new surroundings and second, the pup must learn that the food will not always be there. Do not worry if your puppy eats very little for the first 24 to 36 hours. Some will eat right away and never miss a step, but others are more nervous about being away from their littermates and in new surroundings. In terms of the amount to give, put down a bowl with 1 cup. As time goes on, give a little more the next day if it all got cleaned up or decrease it the next day if it was not all eaten. Feeding in the crate is a good idea, both to help with housebreaking and to ensure that food aggression does not develop if you have other pets around. You can add a couple tablespoons of Purina Pro Plan canned food to their evening meal for a treat to encourage them to want to enter the crate.
Try not to get pulled in by the marketing of gourmet pet food companies (e.g., ‘human-grade’, holistic,‘ organic’, ‘all meat’, ‘all natural’, ‘grain-free’). These companies tend to put more of their emphasis on marketing ‘buzz words” than on long-term nutritional studies. Video of wolves morphing into dogs imply that your pet needs to eat similar to a wolf, but this is inaccurate. Wolves are obligate carnivores, because they do not make the enzyme amylase that is needed to metabolize carbohydrates. Dogs, however, DO have this enzyme and get energy from grains.
Crate Training
Dogs do speak, but to only to those who know how to listen.
Your puppy has been started in crate training. Crate training is the easiest way to housetrain your puppy and also gives him a safe place to go when you are not home. Use a small plastic hard crate or a wire crate that comes with a moveable divider. Initially, you can make the crate smaller with the divider. Puppies do not want to soil the area where they need to lay down, and so by keeping the area small, they are reluctant to urinate/defecate and will “hold it” until you take them out. If the crate is too big, they will use one side as their bathroom and the other side to sleep on. Crates should not be used as a punishment area, and pups should not be confined in them for more than a few hours during the daytime. Many families crate their dogs at night.
There are many good books for learning how to housetrain your puppy. In general, pups will need to urinate/defecate within minutes of waking up from a nap, within 15-30 min after eating, and often after a hard play time of running. So, those are the times that you should take your puppy outside to a designated area and wait for them to “go”. Say “go potty” each time and when they do, praise them and make a big fuss over what a good dog they are!
Since your pup was trained to use a litter box and/or a pee pad since 3 weeks of age, it can be helpful to get some paper pelleted litter and put a pile of it in an area of the yard where you want your pup to 'go'.
There are many good books for learning how to housetrain your puppy. In general, pups will need to urinate/defecate within minutes of waking up from a nap, within 15-30 min after eating, and often after a hard play time of running. So, those are the times that you should take your puppy outside to a designated area and wait for them to “go”. Say “go potty” each time and when they do, praise them and make a big fuss over what a good dog they are!
Since your pup was trained to use a litter box and/or a pee pad since 3 weeks of age, it can be helpful to get some paper pelleted litter and put a pile of it in an area of the yard where you want your pup to 'go'.
The Bond and Commitment between a dog and his owner is for a Lifetime...
Shavano Creek Ginger Snap and Boone @ 8 weeks
