First 48 Hours Home with your New Puppy
Finally, it’s time to bring your new puppy home! Here are a few things to remember that will hopefully help make the first few days as enjoyable as possible!
Crate Training Schedule
First and foremost- lots of bonding and cuddles!
Consistency is key - Feed your puppy the same food at the same time each day. Puppies are fed 3-4 times a day and do best on a strict schedule.
Do not feed pups past 6:30 pm for nighttime ease
Don’t Overfeed - Growing to rapidly can cause, hip and joint problems.
Appetite Changes - The first few days home can be stressful for your puppy with a new environment, new people, new sounds, etc. This can sometimes cause low appetite or even loose stools in some puppies. Do not worry too much, stick with regular meal times and take up any leftovers after 15-20 minutes - if the low appetite persists for more than a day or two - it may be worth having your pup checked out.
Puppy Exercise
Puppies need much less exercise than adult dogs. If you over-exercise a growing puppy you can overtire it and damage its developing joints, causing early arthritis. A good rule of thumb is a ratio of five minutes exercise per month of age (up to twice a day) until the puppy is fully grown, i.e. 15 minutes (up to twice a day) when three months old, 20 minutes when four months old etc. Once they are fully grown, they can go out for much longer, but still- NO pavement running (if you’re a runner) till they reach past 18 months. You can damage their hips permanently.
