Taking Your Puppy Home
It is advisable to plan well in
advance when you want a puppy as the last thing a new puppy needs
is to arrive at its new home just prior to Christmas (responsible
breeders will not allow puppies to leave them at this time) or
when a family holiday is planned which could disrupt the puppy's
routine as a critical time in its development. To avoid problems
it is worth checking beforehand whether the breeder expects to be
paid in cash or by cheque as, bearing in mind past incidences,
some breeders won't accept cheques for puppies. Your pup's
breeder may insist on delivering it as this will enable them to
see where the puppy is to spend its life, but if you are to
collect it 
then plan the journey so that you don't
have to stop on the way home if the puppy is not old enough to
have been fully inoculated, as contact with other dogs or land on
which they have been, must be avoided at all costs. Take with you
plenty of newspapers or old towels because even though older dogs
are usually enthusiastic car travellers this is not always the
case with puppies and several short journeys may be necessary to
acclimatise your pup to travelling. A large box placed on the
back seat next to a passenger, if possible, with some interesting
"toys" for the puppy, is useful on a long journey. This
gives the puppy a feeling of security, more so than being held
for a long time unable to move about. Let the breeder know in
advance of the time that you plan to collect the puppy and
request that it is not fed for four or five hours beforehand and
that its drinking is kept to a minimum. Experienced breeders will
do this automatically but if you are buying from someone with
their first litter they may not have thought of this.
Arriving Home
This can be a very traumatic
time for a puppy as, having possibly just undertaken its first
car journey and arriving in new surroundings, it will also be the
first time it will have been away from its litter brothers and
sisters. Take the puppy to the area of the garden you would
prefer him to use for relieving himself and put him down gently.
It can't be stressed enough that at this age despite seeming
quite substantial, all the weight is supported by muscles,
tendons and very soft pliable bone so care must be taken to avoid
and sudden pressure on the joints as this can cause irreparable
damage. Next, offer him a drink which he may well be ready for
and a light meal which he may refuse. Before introducing him to
his sleeping quarters, take him to the "toilet area" as
it is important part of a puppy's early training that it learns
to relieve himself after every meal especially if he is to live
in the house. If there are children in the house then make sure
they realise how important it is to the puppy that he is left to
sleep peacefully when he wants to. A tired puppy can be just as
irritable as a tired child!
