Your puppy’s first weeks at home:

One thing that you should keep in mind during the whole puppy stage is to be “Firm , Fair and Consistent”.

The first few days home with you, is very stressful for your new puppy. Everything is a new experience to them, which can be very overwhelming. Try to keep things as quiet as possible in the home, not having a lot of visitors on the first day home. Try to bring the puppy into your home during a time that is slow for you .

The buyer should be aware that stress brought on by environmental change can often times bring on signs of illness caused by these stressful circumstances. Usually temporary, these still need to be treated with attention especially if there is persistent diarrhea. A healthy immune system can be lowered immediately through stress, and the stress can cause diarrhea. This is due to the immune system being stressed during the transition from the home environment to his/her new environment. When a pup has a good immune system in place, his body is usually able to keep at bay many parasites such as worms and environmental factors such as Giardia or Coccidia. Once it has been lowered, these if present in the system, will flourish when they get the chance. It is nothing to be alarmed about and is very common in puppies. The puppies will act normal and usually have a good appetite but their stool will become soft and sometimes runny. This can easily be treated, and your Veterinarian can perform a new stool sample to find out if there is anything present in the pup’s system if symptoms continue in order to give proper treatment.

Once you arrive home with your puppy, you want to start a routine as quickly as possible. Your puppy will sleep most of the time at first, but you will notice him/her sleeping less and playing more each day. It is quite common for your puppy to get diarrhea when he/she first comes home. This is brought on by stress, and as long as it is not excessive or bloody, it is nothing to be concerned about.

When you first arrive home with your new puppy, be sure to start your puppy out where you would like them to go potty. Encourage them to roam and explore……and as soon as he/she potties, give them lots of praise. This will start the scent location for future potty trips, and can make potty training easier.

Be sure to keep a schedule (feeding, sleeping, play time, potty times, etc.).

Outings & Visits:

Please keep in mind that your puppy has only had 2 sets of vaccinations, out of a 4 set series. This means that he/she does not have full immunity, and is at risk of contracting serious diseases. You need to be mindful not to expose your puppy to these diseases…..until fully vaccinated.

We suggest that you avoid areas frequented by dogs or wildlife (such as Petsmart, Petco, dog parks, hiking trails, fields, etc.), until after your puppy has been fully vaccinated. Visits with other family/friend pets are perfectly fine; as long as the other dog(s) have been fully vaccinated and are free of transmittable diseases/illnesses.