Bringing up Puppy! Preparing house & and Bonding

Join us in this series, where we follow in the footsteps of our lead trainer and owner Linda Brennen, as she gets her new puppy and experiences all the challenges and joys of adding a new puppy to the family.

Each day we will be sharing videos, pictures and blog posts that includes great tips for all new puppy owners – follow us on Facebook and on Instagram to get daily updates, or check back here daily.

As you will find out, getting a new puppy can be a challenge… even for trainers!

View the entire series at HERE

Before puppy arrived, we went through our entire house to ensure it is a safe and secure place for puppy (and for Karl, our Bernese Mountain Dog). The video below is a personal tour showing our preparations – listen in and you will be able to find some great pointers for your own preparation for puppy.

Bonding

The first week with our new puppy we focused on bonding and helping him feel comfortable and secure in our care. We made it a point to not leave him alone during this time.

We have been introducing him to a crate in our bedroom, which he sleeps in at night; and the pen in the family room, where he naps during the day.

We did struggle getting him to nap the first couple of days and realized that since he had come from Texas, he was not used to the cold in Colorado! We added a space heater and that has helped him settle down and nap/rest better.

Puppy is nice and cozy warm with a space heater to help him sleep.

He is struggling with being able to relax enough to go to sleep on his own. The little guy is great about sleeping on each of our laps, but not when he is alone. This is a key thing to work on – getting him used to being in the pen. That will be our focus next week – teaching him to calm down while in the pen with us in the room, and then being able to leave the room for short periods of time.

Snuggling up on a warm lap

Check back tomorrow as we discuss the challenges we have faced with a sleep schedule, and the ups and downs of potty training!

View the entire series at HERE!