Ahh, the first week with your new puppy. If you’re fortunate, you have some time off to devote to snuggles, play and training, especially potty training at all hours of the day and night. Developing a routine is the most important thing to begin once puppy is home. Let them settle in at their own pace for the first three or four days, taking out for potty breaks after naps, play, meals and before crate time and sleep. Diligence, patience and consistency will go a long way to making this magical, difficult time go by more smoothly.
A good rule of thumb, as told to me by my vet clinic manager and neighbor, is the rule of threes – three days to decompress, three weeks to settle into a routine, and three months to truly bond and feel secure. If you consider this, it helps create more realistic expectations around those first few days and weeks. Don’t try to rush your pup or the process. They will progress on their own schedule. And realize that this all goes by so quickly. Take the time to truly just simply enjoy them without worrying about making them the perfect family dog. Although training can begin right away, keep it light and playful.
As I look back on Charlotte’s first week and months, I realize now that it took us a long time to develop our routine and schedules. I wish I had been more diligent about setting up that routine for her. I think this would have helped with the potty training that we struggled with so much. Had I taken the time to pay more attention to her cues, I would have caught on much more quickly.
The first couple of days she slept in an exercise pen right next to my bed or in a kennel on the bed. I had purchased large, waterproof mats that protected the bed and hardwood floor and used potty pads at one end of the exercise pen to encourage her to go away from her kennel if needed. That arrangement worked out well, because she was kept safe without worry of her falling off the bed, my floors and bed were protected, and she was close enough to feel secure. It was simple to take her out during the night, but she soon slept through the night – a welcome surprise!
I don know that the first week went by in a sleep-deprived blur, much as it does when you bring a newborn home. And it was equally as magical!