Bringing Puppy Home: Preparing for Your Puppy’s Arrival
Congratulations on your decision to get a puppy! I’m sure you are very excited, and maybe a bit nervous too!
The first dog I had as an adult was quite a learning curve for me. I had two young kids at home, and because I was raised with dogs, I (falsely) thought I knew what I was doing! But many potty accidents later, some tears (not just from my kids), and a few (too many) sentimental items destroyed… I realized I had no clue what I was actually doing!
Learn from my mistakes!
I want to help you prepare for bringing a new puppy home to ensure a smooth transition, and make it as seamless and easy as possible! There are a few things I’ve learned along the way that I wish I had known sooner!
Hi! I’m Dre Nolon, founder of My Loyal Hound and creator of The Puppy System. With 15+ years of experience, I specialize in early puppy training, helping new puppy parents prevent common behavior issues through a love-centered, step-by-step approach. My online puppy course provides comprehensive practical techniques, unlimited personalized support in a private community, and weekly live Q&A sessions. I guide pup parents in how to raise a well-mannered, happy pup with confidence!
*This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost. Thank you!*
Dre Nolon, Puppy Trainer, Founder of My Loyal Hound & The Puppy System
Let’s get started!
I have a free Bringing Puppy Home mini-course to help you prepare for the exciting day! If you’re like me, it feels better to have things ready in advance than to scurry in a panic when something unexpected happens. So, to help, I’ve outlined all the things to consider in those first 48 hours with your puppy so you can be more relaxed and present to enjoy the magic of puppy kisses!
Just like welcoming a newborn, a puppy needs a safe, structured environment to thrive. With a little foresight, you can create a warm and inviting space that sets you and your new furry friend up for success.
Set the Stage: Puppy-Proof Your Home
Puppies are naturally curious creatures, and their explorations often involve their mouths. To keep them safe and protect your belongings, puppy-proofing is essential. Start by removing anything your pup might mistakenly want to play with (or pee on), like electrical cords, household plants, hanging drapes, precious rugs, and any small objects that could be chewed up or swallowed.
Consider playpens or baby gates to block off areas where you don’t want your puppy roaming freely, especially important in the first 48 with your new puppy. Even when you’re supervising your puppy plenty, a designated safe space where they can rest and play without constant corrections will be more relaxing for everyone. Think of your home from a puppy’s perspective and you’ll be amazed at how many potential “playthings” dangers you’ll uncover.
Gather the Essentials: Must-Have Supplies for a Happy Pup
Download our Essential Puppy Checklist for step-by-step guidance on exactly what you need before you bring your puppy home! I wish someone had given me this list before my first puppy came home!
Stocking up on the right supplies ensures your puppy’s first days are comfortable and stress-free (for both of you!). Here’s some must-have essentials to get you started:
- A sturdy, adjustable crate (with a divider that can be removed when puppy grows)
- A cozy bed and soft blankets
- High-quality puppy food and food/water bowls
- Chew toys and interactive playthings
- A well-fitted collar, leash, and ID tag
- Puppy-safe shampoo and grooming tools
- Training treats for positive reinforcement
- Probiotics to minimize upset belly issues
Having these puppy essentials on hand ahead of time will ease your puppy’s transition into their new home. The first 48 hours with your new puppy are stressful enough, am I right?
Schedule Time off: You won’t regret it
It’s easy to underestimate the needs of a puppy before you meet them. But I have yet to come across anyone who regrets taking time off from work! This time isn’t just important for your puppy! It’s going to help you adjust to your furbaby too. Getting your puppy settled smoothly in is an investment in your mental health!
Create a Cozy Den: Choosing the Perfect Spot for Their Crate
Your puppy should have a space of their own where they can rest and relax. In the early days, I suggest you place the crate near the door you will exit most frequently. You will be going out to potty OFTEN, so easy access (especially in the middle of the night) makes a huge difference! In my old house, we had a hallway that was perfect for gating off and housing the crate. It was not in the center of everything, but it also was not totally isolated. I could put my jacket and boots on before opening the crate door, so we could rush outside quickly after naps!
If you don’t have a hallway like this, choose a quiet, lower-traffic area in your home for their crate – somewhere cozy but not isolated.
How big should the crate be?
We want your puppy to love their crate, and while it might sound counter-intuitive, I have found a tighter space works best. The crate should be large enough for your puppy to fully stand up, turn around, re-position, and settle again. In these first 48 hours with a puppy, we want that crate smaller and cozier than you might expect. We don’t want excess room for them to go potty in the corner and still have a dry sleeping area.
While the space might seem tight, and your dog might seem reluctant to embrace the crate, keep a positive attitude and introduce the space with positive reinforcement, using treats and praise to help them associate it with safety and comfort. Over time, this den will become your puppy’s go-to spot for napping and unwinding. Inside The Puppy System, I have 5 easy crate training games that can help your pup learn to love the crate! You will also find a tried and true schedule to ease any crate training concerns you might have.
Happy Homecoming: Welcoming your New Puppy Home
Trust is the foundation for building a rock-solid relationship with your puppy. Your puppy should feel safe and supported around you. Bonding takes time; calm interactions with them from the very start will give them a sense of security. Read my blog post 6 Ways to Connect & Bond with Your Dog for my 6 favorite bonding activities.
The way you introduce your puppy to their new home sets the tone for everything else to follow. Keep the environment calm and predictable, and this includes your energy too. This is a big adjustment time for them, as they leave their littermates (and everything that was familiar) to slowly settle into your home!
Keeping the energy calm during the first 48 hours with your puppy will help minimize any overwhelm or potential overstimulation. Calm begets calm. Give your new puppy time to sniff and explore this unfamiliar setting at their own pace. You can introduce them to the neighbors later. Try to replace excited squeals with gentle caresses. The most important relationships in the first 48 hours with your puppy are with you and the immediate family. Remember, everything is new for a young puppy, and possibly a little scary, so patience is key. Have some yummy treats on hand so you can begin rewarding good behavior right away!
How much space does a puppy need to explore?
During the first 48 hours at home, your puppy needs less space than you think. A more contained space will keep them out of mischief, allow you to supervise more carefully, and prevent messy potty accidents. Having a puppy-proof space builds a puppy’s confidence because they are less likely to get scolded for being curious and playful and getting into things they shouldn’t be exploring.
Take some time to explore new spaces together so your puppy can become familiar with their new space. You will be their tour guide during these first 48 hours with your puppy. If you have a backyard, keep your puppy on a leash so you can teach them where to go potty and prevent them from getting into areas of your yard they should steer clear of. I love to keep the puppy close to me in the beginning, we are both getting to know each other! I will walk the puppy calmly around the yard on a leash so they know the gardens and the mulch are off-limits! I actively keep the central lawn area more interesting by playing games in the open spaces. This same philosophy can be used in your living room, making the couches less interesting and playing on the floor, making open spaces more appealing.
It’s easier to give your puppy new privileges and access to more freedom if they have earned it than it is to take away access to spaces they have previously enjoyed.
Introducing Puppy to New People: Keep Everyone’s Energy Calm
When introducing your puppy to family members, especially kids, encourage everyone to remain calm. Allow your puppy to approach people at their own pace, instead of people approaching the puppy. By having treats on hand and offering a happy, welcoming voice, the puppy will warm up to people quickly! Resist the temptation to carry your puppy everywhere, or pick the puppy up, especially if they are asleep.
Sleeping puppies need space!
Sudden movements or unexpected loud noises can be intimidating for a puppy! If there are children in the home, teach them how to handle the puppy gently, emphasizing the “personal space” the puppy deserves. This respectful approach will pay off with a more affectionate dog who is resilient, calm, and appropriately bonded with each member of the family.
The first 48 hours with a new puppy are all about bonding and building trust!
If you want to practice great puppy handling exercises, my Bringing Puppy Home (free mini-course) includes a training lesson on how to properly pick up a puppy gently. This is a great activity to practice regularly during the first few days with your new puppy!
Establish a Routine: Puppies Thrive with Structure
Dogs thrive on a reliable routine! The sooner you establish a schedule, the better. Set clear expectations and structured systems for feeding, potty breaks, playtime, naps, and training. A consistent routine will help your puppy anticipate what’s coming, and feel more secure.
Routines also prevent a dog from getting overstimulated!
Potty Training 101: Schedule Potty Breaks
We want to get you past this messy stage as quickly as possible. Investing time early to teach your puppy where to potty will give you better results than anything else. During the first 48 hours with your puppy, you will need to take your puppy out to potty often! Anticipate potty breaks instead of waiting for your young puppy to signal they need to eliminate. By the time your puppy gives you a signal, it is likely too late!
Remember, your puppy does not know where to potty! It’s up to us, their teacher/parent, to show them where to go! Regularly scheduled potty outings reinforce good potty habits.
With a schedule, you will know when your puppy is napping in the crate, and you will have blocks of time when you don’t need to worry about potty training. During “awake time,” you will go out very frequently, reinforcing the selected potty spot and taking your puppy to it before they have an emergency. In the first 48 hours with your puppy, I recommend setting alarms on a schedule to remind you to take your puppy out to potty.
Take your puppy outside frequently – especially after waking up, eating, drinking, playing, and before naps. Use consistent cues like “Go Potty” and praise them after they do their business.
Our ambitious yet achievable goal is to have ZERO potty accidents in the first 48 hours with your puppy, and I am here to give you expert guidance if you want a tried and true method: join THE PUPPY SYSTEM.
Feeding Time: When and How to Feed Your Puppy
Puppies are growing rapidly but their digestive system is still maturing. It’s ideal to feed puppies (under 6 months old) three small meals per day, plus healthy training treats. In fact, many dogs are even willing to train with their kibble, which is great since we reward them often while training.
Don’t change a puppy’s food!
Stick to the food they were eating before coming home to prevent diarrhea or loose stools. Do not change their food for the first 2 weeks of coming home (or longer)! No one likes an upset belly! Changing the puppy’s food too soon could really set back the potty training too.
Please trust me: introduce any dietary changes gradually.
In the first 48 hours with your puppy establishing a routine is SO important – and that includes mealtime. If we can get them on a consistent meal schedule, we can get their digestive system regulated which significantly improves potty training outcomes! A diet rich in fiber can help firm up their poop.
Avoid overfeeding your puppy. Reduce mealtime calories (by giving smaller portions) and replace those calories with kibble mixed with higher-value protein treats during your training games. Dogs are happy to work for their food!
My first dog was given too much freedom outdoors too soon. We had a terrible time with her recall as she had a powerful nose and a taste for adventure! I wish I had known to limit her mealtime calories and replace them with healthy (higher value) treats when we were playing together. I also would have kept her on a long leash out in the yard, we could have saved ourselves a lot of headaches by keeping her closer to us when she was young!
My best advice is:
- Schedule 3 reliable mealtimes a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
- Avoid grazing/free-feeding to establish sustainable routines and to help with reliable potty training.
Supplement mealtime calories with kibble or puppy training treats to keep your dog motivated to train with you.
How much sleep does a puppy need?
Puppies need between 15-20 hours of sleep a day! Trust me, when you have a puppy it does not feel like they sleep this much, but a structured sleep schedule and gentle crate training help to ensure your dog gets the sleep they need to grow and thrive!
Sleep is essential for a puppy’s cognitive development. A well-rested dog is calmer, more resilient, and more available to learn new things. They are more alert and focused during awake time, making them ideal training buddies.
Puppies are growing and learning so much during their first year, and most of that growth happens before the first 6 months.
Sleep is essential for physical growth. Growth hormones are produced during sleep and this affects the proper development of bones, muscles, and tissues.
While a puppy is sleeping, they’re consolidating and processing all the new information they learned during the day. Imagine how much is happening for a young puppy who just left their beloved littermates and their familiar surroundings to meet new people in a new home. All of this is very stimulating and requires a lot of processing time! During the first 48 hours with your puppy, give them plenty of undisturbed rest (in their crate) to help them integrate their new surroundings into their nervous system during sleep.
Sleep is also important for maintaining a healthy immune system. And a well-rested pup is a happier and calmer puppy. And a puppy who is not sleeping on your lap will sleep more soundly. All naps should happen in the crate, or future crate training will be harder.
A lot of troublesome puppy behaviors can be addressed with a proper sleep schedule and ensuring sufficient rest. So, don’t underestimate the importance of undisturbed sleep (scheduled consistently) throughout the day.
Teaching Puppy to Sleep Through the Night: Set an Alarm
I love sleep more than I love chocolate!
Everyone is happier when with a good night’s sleep, so proper sleep training is something I take very seriously. We want everyone to sleep through the night as quickly as possible, and a few preventative steps can make a world of difference.
I consider sleeping through the night to be from 10pm – 6am (8 hours). Expecting a puppy to stay in a crate longer than this is unrealistic, at least for the first year.
Puppies need around 15+ hours of sleep each day, so the rest of their sleep will be scheduled throughout the day with naps in their crate. Scheduled daytime sleep will help improve nighttime sleep, as calmer and well-rested puppies sleep more soundly.
Keep your evenings calmer, and create a soothing nighttime routine to help your puppy settle. Avoid high-energy activities before bed, lower the lights, provide a final potty break, and then place your puppy in their crate with a soft blanket and a comfort item like a heartbeat toy. Use cues like “Go to Bed” and relieve them for potty breaks at consistent times.
The first two nights with a puppy home can be tiring!
We want to make sure we wake the puppy up instead of waiting for the puppy to alert us if they need to potty. The puppy will learn to trust us and the crate if we anticipate their potty needs early, and we take them out before they need to go.
Beat the bark: Don’t wait for your puppy to wake you up with a bark to get out of the crate. Instead, set your alarm for every 2 hours and take your puppy out BEFORE they announce they have to go potty.
Eventually, you can gradually increase the time between potty breaks.
Begin Puppy Training ASAP!
Everything is a learning opportunity and whether you intend to train intentionally or not, your puppy is picking up on your cues. Make sure you are setting your puppy up for a lifetime of success by giving them a solid foundation early on.
Your dog is SUPER smart! Way smarter than you might think! If you don’t guide them toward positive behaviors, they will inevitably develop behaviors you might not like! Puppy training begins right away.
It’s so much easier to prevent puppy problems than it is to correct them later. Communication is central to all good dog training, and this communication happens every single time you pick your puppy up, call their name, feed them a meal, or put on their collar.
If done well, the training process should feel deeply satisfying for both you and your puppy! Every interaction is a learning and bonding opportunity! Puppies learn through trial and error, seeing what gets rewarded. There’s nothing more fun than watching your dog’s mental gears turn as they figure out a new lesson!
With each new lesson, your puppy’s confidence will grow, and they will be excited to keep learning from you with future training games. Remember – training should be fun! If it’s not, your dog will lose interest and you will get frustrated.
Simplify the process of training by creating daily routines that fit seamlessly into your schedule. How you feed your dog, put their collar on, open the door, or greet new friends are all moments to practice polite manners.
The first 48 hours with your puppy lays the groundwork for a happy and well-behaved companion.
Consistency, patience, and love will guide the way.
- Sign up for my free Bringing Puppy Home mini-course to learn everything you need for a seamless transition home.
- Download our Essential Puppy Checklist for step-by-step instructions to prepare you for those first 48 hours with your puppy.
- Train your puppy like a pro: you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.
The Puppy System 4-week online course provides comprehensive lessons that cover everything you need to know to raise the calm dog of your dreams. It includes 8 weeks of live Q&A sessions and a private community with unlimited personalized support. The training lessons are available to review for 12 months. This course is designed to set you and your puppy up for a lifetime of success by laying a solid foundation of good behavior early on!
My friend, you don’t have to figure this all out on your own. I would love to hold your hand and support you every step of the way! In The Puppy System, the first 4 weeks are neatly outlined with schedules, games, activities, and lessons to make sure you can build a rock-solid relationship with your puppy, beginning on Day 1!
I hope to see you in class!