Puppy Advice

Your puppy's first night

The first night will be hard as this will be your puppy’s first time away from mum. It’s quite likely your new puppy will cry. This is because they have been used to company. Here’s five tips for your puppy’s first night:

Young puppy's first night resting on bed with small teddy

1. Prepare your puppy

Before you bring your puppy home, in weeks leading up to collection take or send a small blanket that smells like you to the breeder and ask them to put this in with your puppy so they can become familar with the smell. This will help them to settle when you bring your new puppy home. Repeat this a few times with fresh smell and then ask the breeder to keep the remaining blanket with your puppy and their litter mates. Your puppy will then have something that smells familiar, which can provide comfort during those first few nights.

2. Make time for play

Spend time playing with your puppy before bedtime, but don’t over-excite them, to keep them awake until you are ready to turn in.

Scent work is a great activity to do with your new puppy as it is calm and produces dopamine and serotonin to help make your puppy feel happy and content. You can use treats or some of their dinner. Here are some top tips:

Start by hiding a couple of treats in sight of your puppy and ask them to "find it".
Gradually add more, building to hide some behind chair legs and table legs, and just out of sight so your puppy starts to work their nose.

10 minutes of scent work is approximately the same as a 30 minute walk! So lets get those noses working.

Chews are also a great way to occupy your new puppy, they help settle them down and relieve teething pains. While ensuring your puppy is chewing the right things. Be sure to use natural puppy safe chews which are suitable for those small teeth.

3. Prepare for toilet trips

Take your puppy to the toilet – bear in mind you may need to take a few toilet trips during the night.

4. Get into a bedtime routine

Decide where your puppy should sleep the first night. It is a good idea for them to sleep in their own bed, rather than yours, to help establish a good puppy bedtime routine. If you’re going to be using a puppy crate, some people prefer to take this into the bedroom or near the bedroom to start with, to help to settle a puppy on the first night and let them know you are nearby. You can then gradually move the crate into their own space as your puppy stops waking at night.

5. Take a rest

Try to get some sleep yourself – caring for a new puppy can leave you feeling tired and stressed.

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