Your NorthPaws Puppy

Puppies love to explore, escape and test everything with their mouths, especially their teeth!

These are not exhaustive lists, but points to consider:

INDOORS

• Electric cables 
• Batteries 
• Carpets 
• Furniture
• Sharp objects 
• Places they could hide (including washing machines!)
• Dangerous chemicals 
• Indoor plants - some can be toxic if eaten
• Stairs – puppies should be kept away from steep drops and stairs until they are at least three months old, when they will need teaching how to and supervision at all times 

OUTDOORS

• Do they have quick and easy access to the garden for toilet training?
• Can they escape the garden? 
• Can they squeeze through hedge gaps, under gates etc?
• Garden plants – are they safe for puppy to chew on? There are many apps and websites that can help with this

Puppies new home is strange and unknown, as are you, and so the first few nights need to be about helping your new puppy settle in, feel safe and begin to bond to you. 

Puppies who are shut away in these early days can easily go on to have separation-related behaviour problems. For that reason, some view the best place for puppy to sleep is in a crate or a puppy pen next to your bed with clean water and a cosy blanket. When you have a routine that works for all nailed and set in stone then you can both sleep easy. So don’t rush it, give them the time they need to become confident and sleep happily. 

When your puppy first comes home, they will usually sleep upwards of 20 hours a day, so they spend much more time snoozing than they do awake! Sleep is incredibly important for your puppy as it aids healthy growth and contributes to the development of their central nervous system, brain, immune system and muscles, and it gives them a chance to process all the things they have learnt while they were awake.

An overtired puppy is just like an overtired human baby - fractious, restless and difficult.

During the day, you will find your puppy will suddenly crash wherever they are! Make sure they are undisturbed until they wake up again, full of energy and ready for another adventure once they have been outside for a toilet break!

Everyone will have a different opinion of sleeping routines, whether to crate train or not and this is a very personal decision. At NorthPaws we ask for the puppy to have a quiet, warm, comfortable, cosy, place to sleep that allows them to develop and feel safe.  

This is often the most frustrating part for many owners but is also one of the most crucial early learning opportunities. Getting it right can be quite simple and will make these first weeks more enjoyable for all. 

Bad habits developed now can take weeks to resolve. Puppies have poor bladder control, like a new-born baby, and will need to go to the toilet several times an hour while awake.

You may want to consider buying some puppy pads and some pet friendly cleaning products e.g. Simple Solution Dog Stain and Odour Remover from Pets@home.

Puppy pads

These are the modern alternative to newspaper! They are alternatives to the puppy pads sold in all pet stores. NorthPaws use human bed incontinence pads, they are washable and cover a larger area. You can also buy washable puppy pads therefore reducing the plastic waste building up in landfill. 

Dogs are naturally pack animals so being alone is not a natural feeling. Puppies need to be introduced to short periods of being alone slowly and patiently while young. 

• After the first few days, practise leaving puppy for a short period of time. Then slowly lengthen the time you are out of sight
• Tire puppy out before leaving them alone. Play a game, take for a walk
• Keep arrivals and departures low key, but don’t sneak in or out of the house either
• Give them ‘leaving toys’, things they don’t always have so they are special e.g. Kong filled with treats, an item of your clothing, 
• Leave the radio or TV on, this can cut out background noises
• ALWAYS remove collar/harness 
• Structure and routines can help to reduce anxiety
• Ask a neighbour/friend to pop in if you are going to be out for a few hours
• OR of course you could always have more than one dog so they have company!!!