![\"yorkshire](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/hannah-grace-fk4tiMlDFF0-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\")
Before they come home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Yes, you\u2019ll need a lot of things before your puppy comes home. Get your wallet ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Crate: <\/strong>It\u2019s not a prison if you don\u2019t use it like one. Crates are included in lots of our best puppy tips for the first week – especially for toilet training. Ellie-Bo<\/a> has quite good ones. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Puppy playpen: <\/strong>Playpens help give your puppy a nice area to play and chill out in without getting into a pickle. Yaheetech <\/a>has nice ones – they\u2019re nice and sturdy. But you can use baby playpens too!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Comfortable bedding: <\/strong>You want your baby to have a good night\u2019s sleep, right? Vet bed will do the trick. They\u2019re washable, soft and cozy. Here<\/a> are some good ones that won\u2019t make your money evaporate. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Heat pad: <\/strong>Heat pads will keep your puppy warm and comforted because is immitates the warm feeling they got from their mother and littermates (AW!). Snuggle safe <\/a>is a great option – you can tell by the name.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Food and water bowls: <\/strong>Fresh water for your puppy please! These <\/a>ones are the ones you want, they won\u2019t get tipped up easily.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Enzyme Cleaner<\/strong> \u2013 For cleaning up wee and poo accidents. It\u2019s fine, it\u2019s part of the journey. Here\u2019s <\/a>a good example of an enzyme cleaner we like to use. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Puppy Pads: <\/strong>Puppy pads are a good idea before your puppy is good to go outside. There is a wild variety of puppy pads out there in the market, so our latest review of Zigzag approved puppy pads<\/a> should help you make up your mind.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adjustable collar: <\/strong>No chokers please, let those stay in the 90s. A soft, light collar like this<\/a> is great. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ID Tags: <\/strong>Not being funny here \u2013 but the UK law demands all dogs wear an ID tag. Trust us, you wouldn\u2019t want to get in trouble with them. Flexitags <\/a>are great because you can get all the essential information engraved on them like your name, phone number and address. This one should be at the top of your list of things to get in your puppy\u2019s first week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Narrow training lead (2 meter long)<\/strong> \u2013 Nothing too heavy with thingys to adjust in length. Here\u2019s <\/a>a good one you can look at. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Puppy Food<\/strong>: Quite an essential for your puppy\u2019s first week. But before you go on a shopping spree, ask your breeder what they are feeding them and if they can give you a couple of days\u2019 worth. When they make it home, mix some of their old food with the new one so their tummies don\u2019t get too upset and poopy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Chew toys<\/strong>: You\u2019ll definitely need them way beyond the first week with your puppy. There are way too many of them to choose from but the Nylabone <\/a>ranges for puppies are pretty special.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Puzzle toys<\/strong>: They\u2019re like dog sitters made out of rubber by making mealtimes much more fun and lengthy to avoid bloating, while giving you some peace and quiet. West Paw Toppl <\/a>is great, it also helps your puppy learn to problem solve.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Commercial Training Treats<\/strong>: Again, we\u2019ve done a great job at having way too many options to choose from. But one of our favorites, at least for your puppy\u2019s first week, is the dehydrated meat treats. They\u2019ll help keep your puppy focused like none other when training. Our puppy treat review article<\/a> has the la creme de la creme of treats – choose any of those and you\u2019ve made it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Treat pouch<\/strong>: Gross, nobody likes sticky, meaty pockets. The Mikki treat pouch<\/a> is a great budget-friendly and low-key option to avoid that!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"puppy](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/andrew-schultz-DTSDD968Mpw-unsplash-1024x576.jpg\")
Photo by Andrew Schultz<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Bringing the puppy home<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The car ride home<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Make the transition easier:<\/strong> It\u2019s not that easy to leave mum for puppies, so we have to do our best to make their journey to their home sweet and comforting. You can ask the breeder for a blanket to impregnate the smell of their mother and siblings and use during your puppy\u2019s first week to help them settle in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prepare for the journey home: <\/strong>Decide where your puppy is going to go in the car for the journey home. Take a warm blanket with you, and preferably have someone there to carry them on their lap. If you don\u2019t have anyone to hold them, set a crate or carrier secured onto the passenger seat so you can be close to them. Let\u2019s not go driving with them on your lap please.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pee stops:<\/strong> Don\u2019t want to start your puppy\u2019s first week off with wee in the car! If you live far away from the breeder\u2019s, make sure to stop every 30 minutes for a toilet break. Of course, having accidents is not a problem. It\u2019s just part of the journey (literally). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prepare for smelly accidents: <\/strong>If it\u2019s a long journey back home, you definitely want to pack paper towels and line their crate with puppy pads. Have an enzyme cleaner ready with you in case they have an accident! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- By the way, lots of puppies often get upset tummies on their way home\u2026it\u2019s our way of nicely saying they get poopy or sick. To avoid cleaning up stinky things from in-between the cracks of your car, you can ask your breeder that morning. But they might just be sick anyway, just letting you know.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
First few hours with the puppy at home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Take it slow! Let them explore: <\/strong>Your puppy\u2019s first week or days can feel quite overwhelming – everything is so new to both of you! But it might be good to know that you don\u2019t have to do it all at once. Everything will fall into place eventually\u2026even if it feel like it\u2019s just falling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Puppy toilet training beginnings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Going to the loo: <\/strong>Even before they get home, you should decide on where their toilet will be. Ideally, a small, enclosed outdoor area with grass or a soft surface is great. Right. So on your first day with your new puppy, make the introduction to the toilet the first thing you do as soon as you get home. After their journey home they\u2019ll probably want to go, so place them on the ground in their allocated loo area\u2013 and wait. When they\u2019re finished, praise them with a treat and a cuddle. Great! This was also the first step for toilet training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be their toilet guide: <\/strong>In your puppy\u2019s first week, you\u2019ll be their toilet guide. Actually scratch that – it will be your new title for the coming months probably. Help your puppy know where they should go to the toilet by having a specific toilet area, and taking them there regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meeting the family <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Saying hello for the first time:<\/strong> Your puppy has all the time in the world to meet everyone you\u2019re friends with but for the first week with your puppy, let\u2019s stick to those living in your house. Allow your puppy to approach them when they are ready rather than jumping on them directly for a cuddle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First night with the puppy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
See? This is where the crate will come in handy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Place their crate next to your bed:<\/strong> Especially during your puppy\u2019s first week, they\u2019ll need some extra love at night. Having you close to them at bedtime will help them feel safe and cozy. Our guide for puppy crate training<\/a> will be of great help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stay half awake<\/strong>: On the first day with your puppy, or should we say night, you might have to sleep with one eye open so you can listen for squeaks since this might mean they need the loo. If it\u2019s the case, take them straight to their toilet area and back! But it might be that they just need you instead of the toilet\u2026just lean over and talk to them gently to comfort them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Things to do in the first week with the puppy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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- Begin socializing: <\/strong>Socializing your puppy doesn’t mean having them invite everybody in the neighborhood over for a coffee, it simply means teaching your puppy how to think about the world and how to behave properly in it. Our article shows you the ropes and gives you a useful weekly puppy training schedule<\/a> too. You can start off easy, getting them used to the opera sounds of the vacuum cleaner is a good start. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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- Start training schedule: <\/strong>You can start training pretty much as you waltz through the door; \u2018training\u2019 meaning toilet training, socialization, sleep training and crate training. Here\u2019s an article <\/a>that tells you more about what training to focus on for the first week with your puppy – it will make things a whole lot easier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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- Trip to the vet: <\/strong>It\u2019s probably a good idea to get them to meet their vet from the start. They\u2019ll be meeting them quite often in their lives so it\u2019s quite important they like each other\u2026 We want to keep drama away when there’s a need for a check up. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"small](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/david-clarke-sVtcRzphxbk-unsplash-768x1024.jpg\")
Photo by David Clarke<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Beyond puppy\u2019s first week<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So we know the first week with your puppy was already quite a lot. With all the schedules, checklists, early morning and late nights you must be exhausted. But we\u2019re just getting started here, so we\u2019re glad to see you\u2019ve been doing so enthusiastically well so far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the first week with your puppy, you\u2019ll want to keep up the great, consistent routines you\u2019ve created with training, playtimes, feeding and toilet trips – we\u2019ve actually written an article about the Ideal Daily Puppy Routine<\/a> if you\u2019re wanting to get it even more narrowed down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Has the first week flown by? You\u2019ll be glad to hear there are many more to come. Your journey is just beginning so you can look forward to seeing your puppy take on the world like a piece of cake. Or a piece of kibble, more like. Here is an article with far more tips for new puppy owners<\/a> – there just could never be enough, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Trip to the vet: <\/strong>It\u2019s probably a good idea to get them to meet their vet from the start. They\u2019ll be meeting them quite often in their lives so it\u2019s quite important they like each other\u2026 We want to keep drama away when there’s a need for a check up. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Start training schedule: <\/strong>You can start training pretty much as you waltz through the door; \u2018training\u2019 meaning toilet training, socialization, sleep training and crate training. Here\u2019s an article <\/a>that tells you more about what training to focus on for the first week with your puppy – it will make things a whole lot easier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Begin socializing: <\/strong>Socializing your puppy doesn’t mean having them invite everybody in the neighborhood over for a coffee, it simply means teaching your puppy how to think about the world and how to behave properly in it. Our article shows you the ropes and gives you a useful weekly puppy training schedule<\/a> too. You can start off easy, getting them used to the opera sounds of the vacuum cleaner is a good start. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Puppy playpen: <\/strong>Playpens help give your puppy a nice area to play and chill out in without getting into a pickle. Yaheetech <\/a>has nice ones – they\u2019re nice and sturdy. But you can use baby playpens too!<\/li>\n\n\n\n