Your puppy quick-start guide

Before your puppy comes home

Getting a few things ready in advance makes the first days calm for everyone.

• A crate sized for the adult dog, with a divider while your puppy is small
• A soft bed or blanket (we send one that smells of mum and littermates)
• Food and water bowls, and the same food your puppy eats with us
• A collar or harness, a lead and an ID tag
• Safe chew toys and a couple of soft toys
• Puppy pads and an enzyme cleaner for accidents
• A soft brush, puppy shampoo and nail clippers

Puppy-proof your home at your puppy's height: hide cables, lift shoes and small objects, and block stairs and gaps behind furniture.

The first day

Keep the first day quiet. Show your puppy where to sleep, eat and go to the toilet, then let them explore one or two rooms at their own pace. Visits from friends can wait a few days.

Take your puppy outside to the same toilet spot after every meal, nap and play session, and praise them warmly when they go.

The first week

Most puppies cry on the first nights away from their littermates. It helps to:

• Put the crate next to your bed so your puppy can hear and smell you
• Take them out once at night for a quick, boring toilet trip, then straight back to bed
• Keep a steady routine for meals, naps, play and sleep

Book a check-up with your own vet within the first 72 hours. Take your puppy's health record with you.

Health basics

Your puppy has started vaccinations and deworming with us. Your vet will complete the vaccination course and advise on flea, tick and worm prevention for your area.

Call your vet straight away if your puppy stops eating, vomits repeatedly, has diarrhoea for more than a day, seems unusually tired, or has trouble breathing. Small puppies can go downhill quickly, so it is always better to ask early.

Until the vaccination course is complete, avoid places where unknown dogs walk, such as parks and pet-store floors.

Feeding

Keep your puppy on the food they eat with us for at least the first two weeks. If you want to change food, mix the new food in gradually over 7 to 10 days.

• Under 12 weeks: 4 small meals a day
• 3 to 6 months: 3 meals a day
• Over 6 months: 2 meals a day

Follow the amount on the food bag and adjust so you can feel, but not see, your puppy's ribs. Fresh water should always be available. Never feed cooked bones, chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic or anything sweetened with xylitol.

Sleep and energy

Puppies need 16 to 20 hours of sleep a day. An overtired puppy bites more and listens less, so plan short play sessions followed by quiet time in the crate.

Keep exercise gentle while bones and joints are growing: short walks and free play on soft ground rather than long runs or jumping from heights.

Grooming and handling

Handle your puppy's paws, ears, mouth and tail every day, with treats, so grooming and vet visits are easy for life. Brush a few minutes daily, trim nails every one or two weeks, and check ears weekly. Long-coated and doodle breeds need a professional groom every 6 to 8 weeks once their adult coat comes in.

Socialisation

The weeks from 8 to 16 weeks are when your puppy learns what is normal. Calmly introduce new people, sounds, surfaces and places, a few at a time, and always let your puppy watch from a distance first. Carry your puppy to see the world before their vaccinations are complete.

A good puppy class is one of the best things you can do in the first months.

Play biting and nipping

Mouthing is normal puppy behaviour. When teeth touch skin, stop the game for a few seconds, then offer a toy instead. Never tap or hold your puppy's mouth shut; it makes biting worse. Biting usually fades by 5 to 6 months as adult teeth come in.

Basic training

Short, happy sessions of 3 to 5 minutes work best, several times a day. Reward what you like with a small treat and praise the moment it happens.

1. Name: say their name once and reward when they look at you
2. Sit: lure the nose up with a treat until the bottom goes down
3. Down: lure the nose from the chin to the floor
4. Come: run a few steps away, call happily and reward big
5. Wait: a short pause before food bowls and doorways
6. Leave it: reward for ignoring a treat in your closed hand
7. Drop it: swap a toy for a treat
8. Place: go to their bed and settle
9. Touch: touch your hand with their nose, a handy way to move your puppy

Common mistakes to avoid

• Too much freedom too soon: give access to more rooms as house training improves
• Long, tiring days: overtired puppies have more accidents and bite more
• Punishing accidents: it teaches your puppy to hide, not to go outside
• Skipping socialisation until vaccinations are done: carry your puppy out and about instead

We are always here

Questions are never a bother, from the first night to your dog's old age. Call us on our phone number or email kamiwebhost@gmail.com.