I Recommend reading thru these articles about Bringing Puppy Home, it covers the car ride, introduction to its new home, crate and potty training. etc. It has tons of useful information!! The more research you do before the big day, the better you can help your puppy adjust to his new home.                                                                              

The car ride home

The big day arrives, and it is off to pick up the new puppy. Coming home will start out with a car ride from the shelter or breeder’s home. Try to keep this from being an overly stressful experience for the pup. The main problem dogs have with car rides usually is not what we humans refer to as motion sickness, but simple anxiety about the vibrations, sounds, and to a lesser degree, the movement. Many dogs that have developed problems with car rides get nervous or even nauseous before the engine is even started. It is important that this first trip not be a bad experience that regresses into a repetitious behavioral pattern

 Puppies First Night Home

 When you bring your puppy home for the first time…remember to first introduce them to the front yard to see if they have to go potty after the drive. Once you bring them inside you want to try to keep the vibe in the house as calm as possible. This is not going to be the best time to invite the neighbors over to meet your new baby.

 Give it a couple days. I know this is hard for a lot of people especially little kids because… they’re so proud of their new puppy and they want to show them off to all their friends (totally understandable) but it is best to just let your puppy get accustomed to their new environment and their new family first. Discuss this with your whole family before bringing the puppy home. Make sure you have a nice cozy place to confine them.

 Just as humans do, animals bond with and have an affinity towards their family. They prefer the safety and comfort of their family’s company and dislike separation from them. When we bring a puppy into our home, it is important to keep in mind that this baby animal has spent all of her life surrounded by the warm bodies of her mother and siblings. When we move this puppy into our home, we are actually separating her from her family, so it should be no surprise that there will be some initial anxiety and grief on the puppy’s part. Separation discomfort is a normal part of acclimating to a new home and family, and gentle patience is called for.

 It is this natural instinct that still prompts puppies to whine, howl, squeal and demonstrate restlessness when they are separated from their families. For the first few days or weeks, it is natural for a puppy to have trouble falling asleep in her new environment because it is natural for the puppy to feel vulnerable and afraid as she adjusts to the absence of her canine brood. Day one in the new home will be the most frightful for the puppy and the most challenging for you to lay the groundwork for your relationship with your puppy. 

 I recommend a crate and x-pen setup. You can put these almost anywhere in your house but it’s best to put it on hardwood or tile flooring. I like to use a large plastic tarp under our playpens even on our hardwood flooring since we don’t actually have real hardwood floors if water spills from their dish or they have an accident.. and the liquid is left for too long it will start to warp the flooring. I learned the hard way. 

 You can buy waterproof Poly tarps at Homedepot or on Amazon.com (6′ X 8′ Multi-Purpose Waterproof Poly Tarp) and their easy to clean and hard to destroy. You wanna get one that is not too big and not too small You should have at least an inch all the way around that is outside of the pen to avoid the tarp slipping, leaking or opportunities for the puppy to pull up the sides while playing. 

 You can find where to find all the stuff needed to make your own puppy playpen in your house on my Products I Recommend  Page.

 You will need a crate that the puppy can stand up and turn around in but no bigger. Buying a crate with room to grow isn’t a good idea because the puppy will create a bathroom area in one part of the crate and sleep in the other so only give them enough room to sleep in.

 Dogs and puppies are naturally clean animals and do not like to soil in their den or where they sleep, don’t give them the option, the crate should be big enough for them to lay down comfortably. They do not need fluffy pillows and dog beds yet.

 You should avoid putting absorbent material in the crate until you’re confident they won’t soil it. A puppies favorite place to relieve themselves is on soft things.. like carpets, pillows, dog beds, towels, clothes, paper.. etc. Do not allow them that opportunity. Yet.

 Once your puppy is potty trained you can spoil them with cute dog beds and blankets… but until that day believe me when I say you will truly regret it when your puppy chews up and pees on that expensive new doggy bed. 

 Before settling in for the night, I recommend tiring the puppy out and making sure that any bathroom needs are taken care of. I strongly suggest you keep the puppy’s resting place near your bed for the first few nights to help her feel less lonely.

 If you plan to use a kennel or crate, wait until the puppy is in a calm submissive and relaxed state before closing her in. Read more on Crate training your puppy here.

 It is important that she does not feel trapped and that she not associate anything negative with her sleeping arrangements.

                                       

                       ALSO READ: Surviving the First Night with Your Puppy!

                                                                What to do when your puppy whines at night!

 

 

Feeding Schedule for Puppies:

The puppy’s feeding schedule will be somewhat dictated by your own personal schedule. You do not want to leave food out for the puppy so that he can just eat it whenever he wants. You want the puppy and his entire body on a set feeding and potty schedule. This is best accomplished by feeding the pup what he will eat at specific times on a specific schedule. Puppies under six months of age should be fed three times daily; after 6 months they may be fed twice daily. By feeding on a set schedule, the dog will then go to the bathroom on a more set schedule and make housetraining easier and faster. Make it a habit to give the puppy some quiet time after the meal. Do not let the children romp and play with him for the first hour to an hour and a half after eating. This can lead to some stomach upsets. The puppy will probably need to go to the bathroom within 30 minutes after eating. A puppy’s meal schedule must include three measured meals a day, preferably at the same time every day. The best time for your puppy’s first meal is around 7 a.m., noontime for lunch, and 5 p.m. for dinner. The last meal should always be around 5 p.m. so that he will have ample time to digest his food and eliminate one last time before bedtime. Stick to this schedule until the puppy reaches 14 to 18 weeks old, at which point the meal schedule should change to two meals a day (unless your veterinarian suggests otherwise) 

 

We are often asked how much is my puppy going to weight full-grown, here is a little fun way to guess!!

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy Updates: Your feedback is very important to us especially on things like size, shedding, temperament, and train-ability. Family feedback helps us to make future breeding decisions and also to better predict how our future litters will develop as adults. Now and then we would really love it if you would share with us your dog's pictures and any helpful information as your puppy develops. Good or bad we want to know anything you’re willing to share with us. We will be here day or night to answer any questions you might have for the life of your dog. We’re not vets and we’re not dog trainers but our life does revolve around dogs so we might just have a few tips to share with you. Enjoy your Southern Charms Little Luvs puppy; they will change your life in many ways for the better and we can actually promise you that.