Lilly Bits O' Heaven - Angelic Shichon Puppies
Puppy's First Days Home
First of all, congratulations on your new puppy! You have been anticipating the day your puppy will join your family and it is finally here :)
What to expect when you pick your puppy up at our home:
When you pick your puppy up at our home we will be going through
your going home package. It will include your puppies health records,
health warranty, lovie blanket & a toy. We will spend a little time
with you going over these things with you and answering questions you
may have.
The car ride home:
Bring your crate with you for picking up your puppy. It is best for your puppy to ride home in the crate with a toy to keep them busy and their lovie blanket. We will give your puppy a chance to eliminate at our home before you leave. If you have a long car ride ahead of you we suggest you bring a litter box in the car so that if your puppy needs to go potty you can have the litter box available. Bring baby wipes also in case your puppy feels car sick you have a way to clean them up.
When you arrive home:
When you get home, hopefully you have followed our instructions
and have prepared your puppy safe area with an exercise pen in a
busy part of the house. In the exercise pen you should have the
food, water, a few toys and the litter box all ready for your puppy.
Just set the crate in the exercise pen and open the door. Your puppy
maybe tired and want to get a drink, a potty and go back to bed. That
is okay, you have many years to get to know each other from here.
If after your puppy has settled in they begin to play, wag their tail
and engage you, then pick them up and get to know each other.
Just remember they have had a big day and to let them rest afterward.
Goodnight puppy:
The puppy's first night away from Mom & littermates can be scary for your little guy. At LillyBits we crate train our puppies and they will be familiar with their crate. This will be the first time that they will be spending a night alone in their crate. Make sure you have taken up food and water at about 7 pm. You will want to spend time with your puppy playing before bed so that they have a chance to expend energy. A tired puppy is a good puppy. Have your puppy eliminate before bedtime, normally puppies have to eliminate after play naturally.
Now it is time for goodnight. I suggest you have your crate located next
to your bed for the first few nights. This will reassure your puppy with
your smell and sounds. They will know they are not alone. We want to
be sure that your crate is the correct size and if you are using a larger crate
put a pillow or some form of divider in the back so the puppy has enough
room to stand up and turn around but not to potty in one corner and sleep
soundly and clean in the other.
Just a note, the most difficulties in night time behavior that have been reported
to me were from those families who chose to have their puppies sleep far away
from them the first week. If you think about it logically the puppy is a pack animal,
it is instinctual and their job to cry out loudly if they are seperated from
their pack so that their pack can locate them.
There are a few tricks that some of our families have used to help soothe their puppy the first night. One is a warm hot water bottle wrapped in towel in the crate so that your puppy has something to snuggle up with. Another tip that I credit to the Federici family who has three LillyBits is a plug in called DAP - Dog Appeasing Pheromones. They swear by them and have used them with all three of their puppies.
At around 10 pm place your puppy in the crate with a command you want to use - We use "Go to Bed". Then place your puppy with their lovie blanket in the crate and close the door with a " Good Go to Bed". Your puppy may cry some at first but be strong and don't remove them from their crate. You can reach your fingers in and say 'you're okay'.
Your puppy may need to go potty in the middle of night. Discerning what whining is loneliness vs. a potty need will be something you will learn about your individual puppy. Generally if they settled down to sleep in their crate and have woken up and began crying after a several hours it means they have to go potty. Now we don't want to make the middle of the night potty time something to look forward to. In a matter of a fact manner carry your puppy to the litter box and say your elimination command like "potty or get busy". Praise them mildly when they eliminate and put them back in their crate in the same matter of fact manner. If they don't get busy with potty after about 3 minutes and are trying to play instead put them back in their crate. This is no time for play.
Puppies wake up early and be prepared to let them out of their crate whether they have woken in the middle of the night or not at about 6 am. Follow the same potty advice above for the morning except if you like bring them out to their puppy safe area where they have food, water, toys and litter box and go back to bed!
Feeding Schedule:
At LillyBits we feed Blue Fuffalo Lamb & Oatmeal puppy. It is important that you keep your puppy on this food in the beginning and any changes in food be made gradually. The stress of a food change is the beginning can be detrimental.
Your puppy will need water available through out the day. Puppies have high metobolisms and should be fed three to times a day on a schedule. Feeding on a schedule helps with potty training. If your puppy begins being nippy or difficult, check your watch it may be meal time.
Establish a Routine:
A puppy is happiest when a predictable routine is set. Your puppy will sleep a lot in the beginning and it is important that they be allowed to get their rest. After all they will be growing so fast. Setting up a schedule that works for you and your puppy and sticking to it will make a big difference in his development and make training easier for you. Here are two example schedules found in Puppy Care for Dummies by Sarah Hodgson:
Schedule for Work-at-Home Owners
Early Morning Wake Up - Go potty
Breakfast - Go potty after breakfast
Midmorning - Go potty
Afternoon Feeding - Go potty after eating
Midafternoon - Go potty
Dinnertime (4-6 pm) - Go potty after dinner
7:30 pm - Remove water
Mid evening - Go potty
Before Bed - Go potty
Middle of the Night - Go potty if necessary
Schedule for Owners Who Work Outside the Home:
Early Morning Wake up - Go potty
Breakfast - Go Potty after breakfast
Lunch Break feeding and play - Go Potty
Mid-Afternoon - Young puppies must have access to go potty
Arrival Home - Go potty
Dinnertime (4-6 pm) - Go potty after dinner
7:30 pm - Remove water
Before Bed - Go potty
Middle of the Night - Go potty if necessary
Keep in mind supervision and routine is the key to successful training of your puppy. After you have seen your puppy eliminate in the desired location (litter box) is the perfect time to bring them out of their puppy safe area and play with them. Anytime you can not have your eyes on your puppy or will be distracted be sure to either crate your puppy or put them in the puppy safe area.
Expectations:
Remember your puppy is just a baby and they are learning what you expect of them.
If I have any advice it is to relax and enjoy your new family member. They won't be
a puppy for long and will be big dogs soon enough. So please, be realistic in your
expectations.
Anytime you see your puppy doing a desired behavior make sure to praise them and
give them attention. When they are sitting quietly and submissively, pick them up and
give them love. It is normal for puppies to have accidents, chew on things, mouth your
hands, nip at your ankles etc. It is your job to correct them with kindness and consistency
and reward those behaviors you want to stick around.
