After Your Puppy's Home

After Your Puppy is Home

DO play with your puppy but give it lots of rest. New puppies tire quickly, especially when 1st adjusting as the stress overstimulates them.
DO keep your new puppy in a small, enclosed area with enough room for a bed and easy access to food and fresh water. Your new puppy should be confined/protected and kept as stress-free as possible! Moving away from its siblings into a new, unfamiliar surrounding is already very stressful on them. Due to the stress, sometimes, otherwise dormant parasites, can be released into their gut and could cause diarrhea and other health issues.
DO pay attention to what your puppy eats. NO TABLE SCRAPS and know what foods & houseplants are poisonous. Make sure you puppy proof small items just as you would for a baby and also move items you do not want chewed on.
DO keep an eye on their stool. If it becomes watery or bloody, syringe Pedialyte or Gatorade into their cheek and make a vet appointment. Some loose stool can just be from stress or from eating something they shouldn't have. That is why I recommend probiotics to help with upset stomachs. Pay attention more to their behavior and if in doubt, see a vet. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
DO learn the "puppy shuffle"...keep feet on the floor and walk slower with a little puppy. Do not allow children to run and jump or wrestle with or around new puppies. It cannot only hurt the puppy but may also teach the puppy to play too roughly with the children as they will then learn that is acceptable "play." Open the PDF for more information on how to introduce children to your new puppy!

DO NOT have all of your friends over right away to see your puppy. Stay home more during his/her transition! This is a new baby and just like human babies they need lots of rest. Too much activity and stress can cause problems with an overgrowth of bacteria in their gut.
DO NOT leave your new puppy unattended in the yard.
I HIGHLY suggest that you DO NOT take your puppy anywhere public such as the pet store, the groomers, dog parks and to even limit YOUR exposure to pet stores and such places that people can bring their pets into. There are much higher levels of Parvo and other dangerous bacteria in these locations. Your puppy will not be fully immune until at least 16 - 18 weeks old, and all puppy vaccines have been completed. You could accidentally bring Parvo into your own home on your shoes from a pet store. (Shop for your pet online to be the safest!) You should also limit visits from other dog owners until their vaccines are complete unless you know the visiting dogs are up to date on their vaccines and have not been in questionable public places. Personally, I even carry my new puppies into my vet's office. I never take any chances and I recommend you take precautions as well.
DO NOT change the puppies food immediately...this must be done GRADUALLY over at least a 2 week time period or even longer... the slower the better. (Start by mixing 1/4 new with 3/4 old for at least a few days, then 1/2 and 1/2 for awhile and finally 1/4 old with 3/4 new for a few more days before completely feeding them all new food). Preferably, feed an entire bag of what I have been feeding before switching to a new food. Everything else is changing for your new puppy so at least keep his/her food constant for awhile.