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Bringing home a new puppy

The first days set the tone — calm routines, safe spaces and patience beat excitement.

Prepare before arrival

Puppy-proof the home before pickup: hide cables, secure cleaning products and toxic plants, and set up a quiet resting spot with a crate or bed. Collect the food the breeder used so you can change diet gradually rather than all at once.

The first nights

A puppy leaving its litter is lonely and unsettled. Keep the bed near you the first nights, take short toilet breaks, and expect broken sleep for a week or two. A worn blanket or toy that smells of the litter can comfort them.

Routine and house training

Take the puppy out after every sleep, meal and play session, and praise the moment it goes outside. Feed at set times, keep early days calm rather than overwhelming, and book the first vet check to confirm vaccinations and deworming.

Test yourself: New puppy basics

How should you change a new puppy's food from what the breeder fed?
  1. Switch to your chosen brand immediately
  2. Transition gradually over several days
  3. Mix in table scraps to add variety

Correct answer: Transition gradually over several days

A sudden diet change upsets the stomach; blend increasing amounts of the new food over several days.

How often should a young puppy be taken out to toilet?
  1. After every sleep, meal and play session
  2. Only first thing in the morning
  3. Once it learns to ask, not before

Correct answer: After every sleep, meal and play session

Frequent trips after sleeping, eating and playing, with praise outside, build reliable house training fastest.

What helps a puppy settle on its first nights away from the litter?
  1. Leaving it alone to cry it out
  2. Lots of late-night play to tire it
  3. Sleeping near you with a litter-scented blanket

Correct answer: Sleeping near you with a litter-scented blanket

Closeness and a familiar scent comfort a lonely puppy; isolation on the first nights adds stress.

When should the first vet visit happen?
  1. Only if the puppy seems ill
  2. Soon after homecoming, to check vaccination and deworming
  3. Not until six months of age

Correct answer: Soon after homecoming, to check vaccination and deworming

An early check confirms health, vaccination and deworming status and starts the veterinary relationship.

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