Skip to main content
FamilyEducation
FamilyEducation
Family Education

FE-Menu

  • Pregnancy
    • <blank>
      • Pregnancy Tracker
      • Trying to Conceive
      • Signs & Symptoms
      • Pregnancy Health
    • <blank>
      • Baby Names
      • High Risk Pregnancies
      • Preparing for Baby
    • <blank>
      • Concerns & Complications
      • Labor & Delivery
      • Postpartum
  • Baby Names
    • <blank>
      • Browse All Baby Names (A-Z)
      • Top Names for Boys
      • Top Names for Girls
      • Baby Name Generator
    • <blank>
      • Baby Name Lists & Ideas
      • First Names By Origin
      • Browse All Last Names (A-Z)
      • Last Names by Origin
  • Babies
    • <blank>
      • Caring For Your Baby
      • Baby's Health
      • Feeding Your Baby
    • <blank>
      • Your Baby and Sleep
      • Baby's Growth & Development
      • Baby Hygiene
    • <blank>
      • Baby Safety
      • Baby Products
    • <blank>
  • Toddlers
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Growth and Development
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Behavior and Discipline
    • <blank>
      • Your Toddler and Sleep
  • Kids
    • <blank>
      • Health
      • Childhood Development
      • Fitness & Nutrition
      • Childhood Safety
    • <blank>
      • Communicating with Your Kids
      • Childhood Behavior and Discipline
      • Fostering Responsibility
      • Instilling Values & Manners
    • <blank>
      • Childcare
      • Neurodiversity in Kids
      • Adopting Children
  • Teens
    • <blank>
      • Teen Health
      • Teen Puberty & Sex
    • <blank>
      • Behavior & Discipline
      • Teen Social Development
    • <blank>
      • Values & Responsibilities
  • Activities
    • <blank>
      • Printables
      • Indoor Activities
      • Learning Activities
      • Arts and Crafts
      • Performing Arts
      • Food Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
    • <blank>
      • Books
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Online
      • Quizzes
      • Games
      • Celebrities
    • <blank>
      • Parties
      • Travel
      • Toys
      • Holidays
      • Gifts
  • Learning
    • <blank>
      • By Grade
      • By Subject
      • College
      • Preschool
    • <blank>
      • Back to School
      • Study Skills
      • Learning Styles
    • <blank>
      • Homeschooling
      • Parental Involvement
      • Your Child's School
  • Family Life
    • <blank>
      • Mom Life
      • Dad Life
      • Family Relationships
      • Having a Healthy Marriage
      • Divorce
    • <blank>
      • Health & Fitness
      • COVID Resources
      • Managing Your Home
      • Moving Your Family
      • Pets
    • <blank>
      • Family Finances
      • Work
      • Families and Food
  • NewslettersNewsletters
    Newsletters

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Family Life
  3. Family Pets
  4. Dogs as Pets
  5. Bringing Doggy Home

Bringing Doggy Home

Learn how to make the first few weeks with your new dog more comfortable for both your new family member and you.
  • facebook share icon
  • pin
  • twitter share icon
  • email share icon
  • Print page icon

In this article, you will find:

  • New place, new people
  • New playmates

New place, new people

Bringing Doggy Home

Finally! Your new friend is coming home! Let's see what we can do to get him settled quickly and smoothly.

The Forty-Ninth-Day Myth

Some people believe that a puppy must come home at exactly seven weeks of age or he will never bond to his new family. Not true. That idea is based on research that showed that puppies need to have contact with people beginning no later than the seventh week or they will never be able to bond well with human beings. As long as the pup is handled and played with and socialized by his breeder and her family and friends, it doesn't matter if he is older than seven weeks when he comes home to his new family. He will have no problem bonding to you when he's a bit older.

Doggerel

Puppies go through several fear imprint periods, usually at about 8 weeks, 5 to 6 months, and 18 months. It's important to keep their experiences positive during those periods.

Seven weeks is definitely the youngest a puppy should leave its littermates and mama. It's not necessarily the best time. From 8 to 10 weeks of age, puppies go through their first fear imprint period.

It's important to avoid exposing puppies to potentially frightening or painful experiences during this period, because the effects can be long-lasting. It's usually best not to move a puppy to a new home during this time, and some breeders keep their pups until they're at least 12 weeks old.

Ask the breeder how she handles the pups during the critical 7- to 12-week period. Ideally, she will spend time with each puppy every day, and each puppy will spend time away from his littermates. Potty training should begin during this time, if not sooner. Seven-week-old puppies can learn simple commands, such as Sit, Down, Stand, and Come, and they can begin to learn to walk politely on a leash. Socialization during this time is critical to your dog's social and emotional development. If you want a well-adjusted pup, do not get one that hasn't been handled during the seventh and eighth weeks, and don't take one home at this age if you can't spend lots of time with him.

Getting Settled

Your puppy is likely to cry during the first few nights in his new home. Remember, dogs are social animals. When they live in packs, they sleep close to one another. Your new baby probably slept with his siblings. Then suddenly here he is, alone in a strange place and a strange pack. He cries for attention and reassurance. If possible, make it a little easier on your puppy and your family by setting your puppy's crate up in your bedroom at night. Your puppy will be much more secure knowing you're close by. You'll be able to take him outside to potty when you hear him stirring in the middle of the night, and that will speed up the housebreaking process.

To get your puppy ready for bed, give him a good playtime and then a potty trip shortly before putting him to bed. If you let him sleep for three hours before bedtime, he'll be all rested and ready to play when you're ready to sleep. If your puppy whines or barks in his crate, and you're sure he doesn't need to potty (remember—puppies have small bladders and need to go often), try ignoring him. If he gets no response, he'll learn that noisy behavior gets him nowhere, and he'll quiet down. You want your pup to know he's safe and you're close by, but now it's time to sleep. If he wakes up in a few hours and cries, he probably needs to go. Carry him from his crate to his potty area—don't expect him to hold it and walk. Then put him back to bed. If he cries, ignore him again. Remember, he's a baby. Have you ever heard of a baby that didn't keep his parents up for a few nights?

BowWOW

How long can your puppy wait between potty breaks? A formula that works fairly well is to add one to your puppy's age in months. If he's three months old, he can probably wait four hours. But eight hours is about the limit. (Can you go all day without a potty break?)

If for some reason your puppy can't sleep in your bedroom, put an old sweatshirt that you haven't laundered since you last wore it in his crate. Your scent on the shirt will reassure him that you're nearby. A ticking clock near the crate or a radio on low may help soothe him as well. Expect some crying the first few nights, and if you aren't able to hear him when he wakes up, expect a few accidents in the crate as well.

Making Introductions

Doggerel

A dominance hierarchy is a social system in which an alpha is socially dominant, and each animal in the group occupies a specific rank. Among dogs, dominance, not age, sex, or even size, determines who is alpha. A territorial animal marks a certain area as his own. Among dogs, a pack will mark its territory by urinating around the perimeter, and members of the pack will defend their territory from intruders. When your dog barks at the mail carrier, he's protecting the territory you and he own.

When dogs live in groups, they organize themselves into a dominance hierarchy in which an alpha dog or bitch is in charge, and every other dog in the group occupies a specific rank. This hierarchy helps reduce conflict within the pack. Dogs are also territorial. If you already have a dog, your home is his territory, and he may want to defend it against an intruder—your new puppy or dog. You can do several things, though, to reduce friction.

Find a neutral location away from your house and yard for the first encounter so that territory won't be an issue. If you have more than one dog, introduce them to the new dog one at a time so the newcomer won't be intimidated. Don't choose a place that you often take your dog—he may view that as his territory, too. Both dogs should be on a leash. Have one person handle your resident dog and another handle the newcomer. Let the dogs sniff each other a bit, and talk to them quietly. Take the dogs for a walk and let them sniff and investigate each other at intervals. Continue with the “happy talk.”

Next: New playmates

What's hot

  • Eye color genetic chart Family LifeWhat Color Will My Baby'…
  • 10 Signs of Divorce Family Life10 Signs Your Marriage is Over
  • woman standing on scale Family LifeWhat's a Normal BMI for…
  • Young girl eating a oatmeal with berries after a workout Family LifeCalorie Intake for Weight…
NewslettersNewsletters
Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.
Family Education
FamilyEducation does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Information on our advertising guidelines can be found here.

FE Footer

  • Newsletter Center
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Editorial Team
  • Expert Panel
  • Cookie Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info (for CA Residents)
sandbox learning logo
Family Education is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational reference sites for parents, teachers, and students. 

factmonster logoinfoplease logoTeacherVision logo

sandbbox logo
©2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company.