bringing a puppy into your family

The day you’ve all been waiting for! Welcoming the precious puppy in their new home! Have you thought of the experience from the puppy’s point of view?

We always emphasize the fact that the puppy you are bringing has been used to a certain environment for about 16 weeks – prior and post birth. A puppy moving to your family is overwhelming while it is The Day your family have been waiting for. 

Let’s take you back a little, some of you might remember or have witnessed the 1st day at kindergarten and a child’s reaction crossing the doorway into the kindergarten.  A lot of crying, sometimes screaming, the fear of the unknown is very real. Even though kindergarten is a safe environment filled with lots of fun still that doorway is the scariest step ever. 

For a puppy, it’s exciting to receive all the cuddles and attention, however there comes a point when novelty of the cuddles wears off and uncertainty starts creeping in.

Allowing the puppy to adjust and settle in with constructive guidance is priority over teaching cues. Guiding a puppy through your environment and your lifestyle is the most beneficial for all. 

It’s important to keep in mind that your puppy does need boundaries (Safety Zone: a bed, a playpen, a crate) where the puppy can rest and process all that has happened. Puppies respond extremely well to “Guide me” technique rather than “Do it, cause I said so”. Don’t forget puppy learnt a lot by guidance from their mom from birth and boundary is one of the things that puppy is taught.