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What To Do On Your First Night With a New Puppy
When you bring home a new puppy for the first time, you need to give them time to get used to your home, family, and routines. A new puppy is an exciting addition to the family, but you must introduce them carefully. Your new puppy has had a big change. They started the day in a place that they were comfortable in and now they are in a new environment with a bunch of strangers.
Your first night with your new puppy is crucial. You need to make them feel comfortable and let them know that they are safe and loved. They might be scared, and they won’t know what is expected of them in your home. You need to have patience and care with your new dog. One of the best ways to make your dog feel safe, be comfortable, and learn their new routine is to put them in a crate during their first night.
This will establish a routine with the crate. If you start to crate train them from the first night in your home, you will be much more successful than if you wait. By putting them in the crate their first night, they are learning that it is their space and that going there is part of their new routine. Crate training also helps with other types of training like house training.
Take Them Outside First
The first thing that you will do when you bring home a new puppy is to take them out to use the bathroom. You might want to do this before going inside your house for the first time. Your dog will be extra stimulated when you first go inside, which could lead to overexcitement and a bathroom accident.
Take your new puppy in the yard before going inside. Give them time to smell around the yard and use the bathroom. Then, you can take them inside.
Let Them Explore Your Home While Supervised
When you first go inside your house, your new puppy will probably want to explore everything. You should let them do this, but supervise them. That way, if they get into something they shouldn’t or have an accident, you will be there to correct the behavior or clean up the mess.
Your dog will probably spend a while simply exploring their new home. Allow them to explore and get comfortable. They might be feeling overwhelmed with all of the changes they are experiencing but will start to feel better once they are more comfortable at home.
Show Them Their Crate
Once they have explored your home a bit, you can show them to their crate. Your dog’s crate should be a place where they feel comfortable and safe. The crate should not be used as punishment. It should be available to them at all times as a space to spend time and relax.
For now, you should keep their crate in your bedroom, preferably right next to your bed. This will allow them to know that you are close to them during the night and will help them feel more comfortable. Make sure there is a dog bed in the crate, as well as a few soft toys for them.
The goal here is to make their crate extremely comfortable and to let them know that it is a space that they are allowed to use. Keep their crate next to your bed until your new puppy has fully settled into their new home. Then, you can move it away or out of the bedroom if you want. Though, they might prefer to stay next to you in the long term.
Feed Them In The Crate
To help your new puppy feel comfortable in their crate, you should feed them their meals inside of it. By doing this, you will ensure that your dog has positive associations with the crate and will be more comfortable staying in it.
One of the biggest hurdles that people face with crate training is the dog not liking being kept in the crate. This is one of the best methods for reducing fear and keeping your dog happy when they are in the crate.
Take Them Outside Before Bed
One of the last things you should do before going to sleep with your new puppy is to take them outside to use the bathroom. This is not only an important part of establishing a nighttime routine but can help prevent bathroom accidents during the night.
Now that your new puppy is somewhat used to their crate, they will not want to use the bathroom there, to begin with. By letting them use the bathroom right before bed, you can help make sure that they don’t have an accident during the night.
Put Them In The Crate For The Night
Now it is time to close your new puppy in the crate for the first time. They might not like being shut in the crate at first. They might cry and whine for a while, asking to be let out of the crate. If they are reacting poorly like this, don’t give in. Keep them in the crate. Try not to leave the room so that they aren’t afraid of being left alone.
After a little bit, your puppy should calm down and eventually fall asleep for the night. Be alert for any whining or barking during the night. Your new puppy might not be able to hold their bladder all night long. You might need to take them for a potty break during the night or early in the morning. Try not to get too annoyed at this, it should get better over time.
After a few weeks of crate and house training and the implementation of a solid routine, your new puppy will make it through the night without whining or needing to use the bathroom.
Things You Should Teach a New Puppy
When you bring home a new puppy, there is a lot of training that you need to do together to help them feel comfortable in your home and get used to your routine. Puppies are young and exploring the world around them. Training helps your puppy adjust so that they can be well-behaved in their new home.
The most important types of training for a new puppy are:
- Crate training
- Housetraining
- Obedience training
In the following sections, we will discuss the importance of these types of training. We will also give you some tips for these types of training.
Crate Training
Crate training, as we have discussed, is the best way to make your dog feel comfortable in your home and establish a routine. This guide has walked you through the first night at home crate training a new puppy. You should continue to crate train your puppy in the long term. Leave them in the crate while they are home alone in addition to at night.
Your puppy might not like being left in the crate while home alone. Many dogs don’t enjoy this, and dogs with separation anxiety dislike it even more. If your dog tends to whine, cry, or bark when you leave them in the crate, you may need to spend more time on training.
Start by putting your puppy in their crate and leaving the room or the house for just a few minutes. When you come back in, ignore your dog for a few minutes before letting them out of the crate. This will show your dog that you will be coming back, but that they shouldn’t get too excited when you come home because you won’t release them right away.
House Training
Another important thing to teach your new puppy is how to use the bathroom outside instead of inside. New puppies have no concept of where they are allowed to use the bathroom, so you need to teach it to them. One great way to house train your puppy is to stick to a strict routine for going out, eating, and sleeping.
Set up a routine that works for you and your family, and stick with it. This should include taking your puppy to use the bathroom outside before going in their crate or going to bed. If your puppy has an accident inside the house (and they probably will while they are still in training), try to stop them and bring them outside to finish if you can. If you can’t stop them, just take them outside right after. Don’t punish them for having an accident. Rather, just ignore it.
If your dog is having frequent accidents in the house, you might need to take them outside more frequently. Prevent them from getting a full bladder and needing to go inside by taking them out frequently.
Obedience
Finally, you must teach your new puppy obedience commands. This includes commands like:
- Sit
- Down
- Leave it
- Come
These commands allow you to help your dog behave in any situation. If you properly teach your dog these obedience commands, then they should be able to respond to them in any situation despite any distractions.
The best way to train any dog is to use positive reinforcement. This means that you will reward good behavior rather than punishing bad behavior. Punishments only lead to your dog becoming afraid of you, while positive reinforcement is an effective training method.
Reward your dog during training with praise and treats. You may need to try a few different kinds of treats until you find their favorite. Positive reinforcement will encourage your dog to repeat the action over and over until they perform it on command. This process will take time but is well worth it in the end.
Teaching obedience is a great way to make sure your dog is well-behaved and safe when out in public. Additionally, obedience training requires a lot of quality time to be spent between you and your dog. This will strengthen your bond and will in turn encourage your dog to listen to you even more.
