The first day at home with your new puppy may be a bit overwhelming, but the feeling of joy you get from seeing your doxie pup in their new home will make it all worth it. And knowing what to expect and how to prepare for your puppy’s first day can definitely make the transition smoother for both you and your puppy. Our first day at home with our dachshund puppy was both amazing and also very emotional but we enjoyed every minute of it! Keep on reading if you would like to find out more. 🙂
First Day At Home With Our Dachshund Puppy – Table of Content:
- First morning with our new puppy
- Bonding with our new puppy
- Our puppy’s first nap in her new crate
- Enjoying getting to know our puppy
- Getting our puppy ready for her bedtime
- How did the training go on the first day
First Day At Home With Our Dachshund Puppy
First morning with our new puppy
The first day with our little puppy started when we collected her from her breeder and drove her for about an hour before arriving home safely. Bringing our dachshund puppy home was less stressful for her than expected but she was not used to being driven in a car and vomitted twice. So we would definitely recommend bringing some wee pads or an old towel with you. Just so you are prepared for any potty accidents or sickness.
First thing we did upon arriving home, was to take Daisy out for a potty break. She did very well during the car journey without having an accident so we knew it was time to take her out to relieve herself. And surely enough, she did a huge wee straight away! 🙂 Despite of being tired after the journey and having an upset stomach, she was keen to explore the garden and play a little. Although we thought she should get some rest first, it was important to us to follow her lead and just go with the flow.
After a short play in the garden, she wanted to go back inside to explore her new home. We made sure that our house was dachshund proof before collecting her so we wouldn’t have to stress about removing dangerous items while she was roaming around the house. You can learn more about puppy proofing your home by reading our article on Best ways to dachshund proof your home.
Bonding with our new puppy
Soon Daisy started yawning so we put her in her new cozy bed and lifted her up onto the sofa to be close to us. But of course, true to her dachshund origin, she straight away climbed into our daughter’s lap before happily falling asleep. 🙂 It was very nice to see she was bonding with us so well. And it was obvious she already picked her favourite person. 🙂
Daisy slept for about an hour before waking up. Although she was still a bit shaky and a little scared, it was clear she craved human touch and cuddles. She especially loved placing her head on the palm of our hand and found it very comforting. She went for another potty break straight after her nap, followed by a long cuddle session, after which it was time to give Daisy her first meal.
Being aware that her stomach might still feel a bit upset after the car journey, we were not expecting her to eat a lot, if at all. However, we didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to feed her inside her new crate. This would help her to get accustomed to it and develop a positive association with being inside of it.
We placed her bowl inside the crate first and let her climb in herself. Although she wasn’t hugely excited about her food, she did eat some. And since she was already in the crate, we let her play in it a little. Which again creates a positive association with being in it.
Our puppy’s first nap in her new crate
We spent another chunk of the afternoon letting her explore the house, bonding and playing before she was ready for another nap. This time we put her to sleep in her new crate with the gate open. She had her mum’s blanket with her together with her ‘heart beat’ soft toy and we sat on the floor right next to the crate to make her feel safe. She cried a little but was so exhausted that it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.
We had to stay close to her crate until she woke up because every time we moved she would wake up and cry. We didn’t mind as we wanted to spend the whole day with her to make her feel loved and secure, which really helped us and her with the bonding.
If you would like to find out more about the soft toy that mimics a real heart beat, then you can check it out on Amazon UK or Amazon US. Our Daisy finds the toy very comforting and is still using it at bedtime.
Enjoying getting to know our puppy
The rest of the day went by quite fast! We cuddled and played a lot while letting Daisy explore the house a bit more and taking her our for regular potty breaks. We realise this sounds a bit repetitive but that is pretty much what you will be doing with your new puppy on their first day.
Do not overwhelm your puppy by taking them on outings or visiting relatives or friends. Keep it very simple and very relaxed. Block the whole day just for your puppy and don’t try to do work or any household chores around them. This is your and your puppy’s time to get to know each other so enjoy it!
We fed Daisy her dinner around 6pm and yet again placed her bowl in her crate with the gate open. She ate a bit more than she did earlier at lunchtime but still wasn’t that crazy about it. This was absolutely fine and to be expected considering everything was still new to her.
Your puppy will probably not eat much the first few days until they settle and relax a bit so don’t expect ‘miracles at mealtimes’. She wanted to relax for the rest of the evening so we just cuddled a lot in front of the TV and let her chew her toys and nap on our lap.
Getting our puppy ready for her bedtime
Daisy was ready for her bedtime by 8pm so we took her out for her last potty break before putting her in the crate for the night. We followed the same steps as we did earlier in the day and placed her mum’s blanket and the ‘heart beat’ soft toy in there with her. But this time, we closed the gate so she couldn’t get our during the night.
She cried for about 10 minutes but my daughter sat next to her crate and put her hand inside, which really helped to calm Daisy down. She placed her head on my daughter’s hand and eventually fell asleep. We were really pleased to see that despite of her crying somewhat, the crate training during the day worked well and helped relax her.
I will tell you all about how she did over night in my next diary entry so stay tuned! 🙂 But before you leave, let’s reflect on how the training went on the first day. 🙂
How did the training go on the first day
Little puppies are like sponges and learn very fast, which is why it’s really important to start their training the very first day they arrive to their new home. Don’t overwhelm your puppy by teaching them unneccesary commands the first day but start with the essential training, which is potty and crate training. You can also start by introducing your puppy to some house rules if they start chewing your things already.
We took our puppy for her first potty break as soon as we had arrived home. We must stress that you should think about your approach to potty training upfront and that’s how you should start from day one. Be consistent and don’t give your puppy mixed messages. For example, do you want to use a bell placed by the door? What verbal cues are you planning on using when going out and when your pup does their business?
Daisy went out for a potty break every time she woke up, after she ate and after she played and about every 30 minutes in between. She did really really well and didn’t have any accidents indoors on her first day home. And she already picked her favourite potty spot in our garden too. 🙂
To learn more about how to potty train your puppy, make sure to read our article on How to potty train your dachshund puppy easily and fast!
As for the crate training, it’s really important to start getting your puppy accustomed to the crate during the day rather than ‘throwing them in at the deep end’ at night time. Consider picking your puppy up from their breeder during morning hours so you have plenty of opportunities for crate training throught the day.
You want to feed and play with your pup inside their crate and let them have a daytime nap in there too. Start with the gate open and stay nearby otherwise your puppy will be too scared if left alone. We are not going to lie…the first night will not be easy so be prepared for a restless night but there are ways how you can help your new puppy settle down at bedtime. You can find out all about them in our article on How to help your dachshund puppy settle in.
First Day At Home With Our Dachshund Puppy – Watch Us On YouTube
Would you like to see what Daisy got up to on her first day at home? You can watch her fun video below.
First Day At Home With Our Dachshund Puppy – Let Us Know What You Think!
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