Puppy is Coming Home!

Public

Feb 5

What should I expect?

Your puppy has spent it’s entire life on top of, beside, or underneath it’s littermates. And now, they have been pulled away, ridden in a car (or plane) and suddenly find themselves in a place with new smells, sights, sounds, strange people and pets. They will be scared!

They will most likely have ‘checked out’ from the trip. It’s a coping mechanism that animals have. It will make them sleep or otherwise act very quiet for the first day or two. Then you’ll really start seeing their personality shine after they start getting a good feel of their place in your home.

CRYING. Those first few days are really rough. They will most likely show how they miss their mother and siblings by crying. It can get loud and that is normal. Crating them and placing their stuffie in the crate with them with a blanket over the top helps and muffles the noise until they become accustomed to it. Don’t bring them into your bed unless you plan to have them sleep there (and occasionally pee there until they have bladder control).

PEE. Lots and lots of pee. They are puppies and their bladder control is very limited until 5 months of age. An 8-week old puppy is equal to a 9-month-old toddler child. So be patient and don’t scream, yell, or hit a puppy. They are not doing it on purpose. Dogs do not have those human feelings of revenge.

CORRECTION. Telling them no more than 10 seconds after something has occurred confuses the dog. They cannot connect a behavior they did in the past with the words you’re using now. They will try all sorts of placating behavior trying to please you.

CHEWING. Teething is real. And a lot. Have lots of chew toys around. They start their teething just a couple of weeks after coming home and things like shoes, walls, furniture, etc are not off-limits to them unless you make it so. I have several chewing toys here that you can redirect the teething to save your stuff.

POO. They will most likely have loose stools. Puppy diarrhea is very common when switching to their permanent home and dealing with stress. Taking care to give them a safe warm place with a blanket or stuffie that they can hide and feel safe in will help. Have a lot of patience as they learn your routines. Try not to switch them off of the food that the breeder has them on, at least for the first week. And then slowly transition them to the quality food of choice. Or you’ll deal with more diarrhea. 100% canned pumpkin (not pie filling) can be given in a heaping teaspoon anytime their stools become loose. It’s healthy for them and they love it. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays and save it in a baggie in the fridge for future times/treats.

If they have been brought via car or plane, they may also be carsick that first day, overall feel crummy from their experience, and may vomit from motion sickness. It’s very sad but common. They perk up after that first day.

Training is an integral part of being happy with your Pomsky puppy. We offer a 25% discount code with Baxter and Bella’s Lifetime Membership, which offers 24/7 online and 1x1 training options. To access this discount code, please become a memboer.