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!