First Week with a New Puppy: Essential Guide for Pet Parents
Bringing Home Your Puppy: What to Expect in the First Week
Bringing home a new puppy is a thrilling experience, filled with joy, cuddles, and plenty of challenges. The first week with your puppy is an exciting, fun, and tiring adventure! You'll be building a strong foundation for good behavior, training, and a lifetime of joy together. Setting the stage for a happy, well-behaved puppy—and creating lots of memories along the way!
In this guide, we’ll answer some of the most common questions new puppy owners have about the first week with their furry friend.
What Are the Most Important Things Pet Parents Should Do in the First Week with Their Puppy?
The first week with your puppy is all about building trust, setting routines, and starting socialization. Here are the most crucial things to focus on:
1. Establish a Routine
Puppies thrive on routine, and sleep is a crucial part of that routine! Just like human babies, puppies need plenty of sleep to grow, learn, and develop healthy behaviors. In fact, a young puppy can sleep anywhere from 18 to 20 hours a day—so making sure they get enough rest is just as important as feeding and playtime.
Without enough sleep, puppies can become cranky and overstimulated. Establishing a consistent schedule for feeding, potty breaks, playtime, and bedtime helps your puppy feel secure, reduces anxiety, and ensures they’re well-rested and ready to take on the world.
2. Create a Safe and Comfortable Space
Ensure your puppy feels safe and comfortable by creating a designated area where they can rest, play, and relax. This might be a crate, a puppy pen, or a cozy bed in a quiet area of your home. A consistent, calm environment will help them adjust more quickly to their new home.
3. Socialization
Socializing your puppy in their first week is the start to raising a well-adjusted adult dog.
While your puppy may not be ready for public outings just yet, you can begin introducing them to different sounds, sights, and people in the comfort of your home.
This helps them get used to new experiences, builds their confidence and reduces the likelihood of your puppy developing fearful and problematic behavioral responses to everyday objects and people in their life. [For more information on socialization click here.]
4. Establish Potty Training Habits
Start potty training your puppy immediately. Take them outside frequently—first thing in the morning, after meals, after naps, during playtime and before bedtime. Positive reinforcement (treats and praise) when they go potty outside will help them associate the behavior with rewards.
Where Should a Puppy Sleep on Their First Night?
The first night with your new puppy is often filled with anticipation—and a bit of anxiety, both for you and your puppy. Many new pet parents wonder where their puppy should sleep. The answer depends on your preferences, but there are a few key considerations:
1. Crate
A crate provides your puppy with a safe, den-like environment and can help with potty training. It may take some time for your puppy to adjust, so be patient. You can place the crate in your bedroom, which can be comforting for your puppy during the night. A soft bed or blanket inside the crate will help them feel cozy. Remember to do some crate training with your puppy before you start using the crate as their sleeping area.
2. Close to You
Many puppies experience separation anxiety when left alone for the first time. Keeping your puppy's crate or bed in your bedroom or nearby can help them feel less anxious.
3. Consistency is Key
Regardless of where your puppy sleeps, consistency is essential. The sooner you establish a sleeping routine, the quicker your puppy will adjust to the new environment. This consistency helps with crate training and encourages your puppy to feel more secure in their space.
How Much Training Can You Really Do with a Puppy During Their First Week?
While the first week is an exciting time to bond with your puppy, it’s also a critical period for laying the groundwork for housetraining and socialization.
Socialization as Part of Training
Socialization is a form of training. In the first week, introduce your puppy to different people, environments, and experiences at a pace that’s comfortable for them. This doesn’t mean taking them to crowded places but rather exposing them to new sounds, objects, and gentle introductions to other pets in your home. Positive experiences in this early stage will help your puppy become confident and well-adjusted.
Housetraining
Housetraining is another form of training that should start immediately. Be consistent with taking your puppy outside frequently, and reward them when they go potty in the right spot. Crate training can also assist with housetraining, as puppies tend to avoid soiling their sleeping area.
Desensitization and Socialization During the First Week
Socialization is one of the most important things to focus on during your puppy’s first week. Remember to incorporate treats and/or praise during each new socialization experience so the experience is positive for your puppy.
- Introduce New Sounds
- Begin by exposing your puppy to new sounds, such as doorbells, vacuum cleaners, or doors closing and opening.
- Positive Exposure to New People and Pets
- The first week is also a good time to introduce your puppy to family members, friends, and other pets in the household. Keep interactions calm and positive. If you have other pets, supervise interactions carefully to ensure everyone feels safe and comfortable.
- Exploring the Home
- Allow your puppy to explore different rooms of your home and get used to their environment. This helps reduce any potential anxiety about new spaces and fosters confidence. Just make sure to puppy-proof any areas where there may be hazards.
Try Puppy Training Games Online to Boost Learning and Bonding
Puppy training should be fun—for both of you! One great way to keep your pup engaged and reinforce learning is by incorporating fun puppy training games into your routine. These games are especially helpful for puppies with high energy or short attention spans. For example you can try playing hide and seek with your puppy using scent games.
There are now many puppy training resources online that can guide you through playful exercises that build obedience, confidence, and trust. How to Train a Dream Dog offers a variety of excellent resources for new pet parents on their website and YouTube channel.
Whether you're looking for fun dog training games to help with impulse control, or structured puppy training games to work on commands like “sit,” “stay,” and “come,” these resources are a great supplement to in-person training.
Signing up for a puppy training class—either virtual or in person—can also introduce you to new fun puppy training games and help you build a stronger bond with your pup through positive reinforcement and play.
These training activities make learning enjoyable, promote good behavior, and are an awesome way to tire out an energetic pup both mentally and physically!
What to Expect in the First Week with Your Puppy
The first week with your new puppy can be overwhelming, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Expect some challenges, including:
- Frequent potty breaks: Puppies need to go potty often, so be prepared for frequent trips outside (including in the middle of the night!)
- Sleep disruption: It’s common for puppies to have disrupted sleep patterns as they adjust to their new environment.
- Chewing: Puppies explore the world with their mouths, so you may notice them chewing on furniture, shoes, or other household items.
- Play Biting: Puppies play bite—it's a normal and important part of their development. Be prepared for your puppy to bite you during play time. You'll need to start teaching not to bite you and what they should be biting instead!
- Crying at night: Separation anxiety can lead to crying or whining during the night. This is normal and will improve as your puppy becomes accustomed to their new home.
Final Thoughts
Your first week with your new puppy is an exciting and critical time. By establishing routines and focusing on socialization, housetraining, and engaging in fun dog training games, you’ll help your puppy feel secure and confident as they adjust to their new life with you. With patience, consistency, and plenty of play, you’re on the path to raising a happy, well-behaved dog!
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