GOING HOME
You should be familiar with all of the possible
stresses involved with the changes of going home. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. This is a VERY IMPORTANT
time in your puppy’s life and it is vital that you make its transition as
smooth as possible.
Go straight home.
Do not take the puppy to visit friends, relatives or neighbors on the
way. Do not allow visitors to the house
for several days. Lock away all other
household pets, particularly adult dogs.
The puppy will be going through a traumatic experience. It has never been away from its mother,
littermates, prior owner or its house.
Keep the confusion and distraction to a minimum. The first few days are crucial to a puppy’s
emotional stability and can have a strong bearing on how it behaves in your
family. We will also try to send you home
with a piece of cloth with the mother’s scent still on it. This should help comfort the puppy in its
new home. Puppy-proof your entire house
before you come to pick up the puppy (or at least have you or someone else as
soon as you get home accomplish this).
It only takes a brief moment for tragedy to strike. Do not place your puppy on a sofa, bed, or chair.
Dislocated or broken bones may result from even very low falls to the
floor.
Purchase a leash and a collar in advance. They are not needed for the ride home but
once there, they are essential items for any outside excursions. Bring three towels when you come to pick up
the puppy. Keep one dampened in a
plastic bag for any accidents during the car ride home. If not using a crate, the puppy should be
snuggled all the way home, offering reassurance all day and for the next few
days. The air conditioner in the car
should be kept as low as possible and windows should remain up.
Bring one or two empty gallon jugs when you pick up
the puppy. I will fill them with water
from my home to which the puppy has grown accustomed. Put the water in the puppy’s dish upon arrival at your home. Immediately refill the water jug with water
from your own tap. After several days
of this the puppy will be entirely weaned onto your own local tap water. Do not assume that your tap water is the
same. Puppy’s systems are very
sensitive at this time and will show you the folly of your way by voiding their
upset stomachs onto your floor.