Taking Your Puppy Home

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By now, you have already picked out your favorite from the litter, you have chosen the best name any puppy could have, and everyone in the family can't wait to meet the new addition! This is one of the more exciting moments when purchasing a new puppy. There are a few things to consider before this special moment.

We will go over:

1. What will you need to be ready

2. What should you do before hand

3. Making the trip to get your puppy

4. Arriving home with your new puppy

What you will need to be ready - essentials

There are a few basic items we suggest getting:

• Water and food bowls

• A lead

• A small crate

• Puppy food

This is the basics of caring for your puppy. You will want to bring the crate with you so that you can safely transport your pet. If you will be on a longer trip, we also suggest bringing along some clean water and maybe even a pop-up travel dish. If you are taking a pit stop and letting your puppy out to go to the bathroom or take a drink, we also suggest having your dog on the lead. This helps make sure they don't dart off or into traffic.

While not essential, if you are planning to keep your food and water dishes in a common area, we suggest a mat, or bowls that don't move easily. While not necessary, the Yeti dog bowls are well made and never disappoint.

YETI Boomer 4 Stainless Steel, Non-Slip Dog Bowl

We start all our puppies on Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy food. While there are many great dog food brands, Eukanuba has been a consistent staple for our kennel. We find it to provide a great balance of nutrition that is easy on the dog’s stomach. If you want to stay consistent with that food transition, we suggest getting a bag in advance. That way you are ready for dinner time when you get home! If you prefer a different brand, we suggest incorporating a bit of what they are use to to wean them off their current diet. It helps ensure they continue their interest in eating and don’t experience any big transitions that might result in accidents in the house or crate.

What you should do before hand

This may be the most important step. One of the most critical things to do beforehand is find yourself a dependable veterinarian. We treat our dogs like family, so we rely on them to keep our dogs healthy and safe. We would be more than happy to try and connect you with someone we know, just send us an email before hand, or be sure to ask when picking out your puppy. Because we have clients from all over the US, and in some cases internationally, we suggest you also check out resources like the USDA Veterinary Accreditation Program and the American Animal Hospital Association. These programs have more rigor in the evaluation of veterinary practitioners. Reach out and do your own evaluation of potential veterinarians. Just like your own doctor, you have to trust them. Ask if there is a preferred first visit once your puppy is home.

You will also need to prepare your home. Your puppy is curious, and that is a good thing! You want to encourage that curiosity and leverage as much positivity in your training as possible. Behavioral correction with positive reinforcement is much better than negative reinforcement. We will be writing more about our training philosophies in a future post. By picking up things you might not want the puppy to chew and get into, it gives them more opportunity to be curious!

Making the trip to get your puppy

Now you are ready to get your puppy! Make sure you have your directions and any questions you have for the breeder ahead of time. If you are coming to pick up your new Whisky River Gun Dogs springer spaniel puppy (more info on our litters), click on the image below to launch directions right to our kennel! You can of course reach out to us on facebook or email us with any questions to help make your trip easier.

Directions to our kennel

Arriving home with your new puppy

You are finally home! All your excitement and preparation has lead up to this point. Your puppy is going to be curious and likely a little timid at first. Let them explore a bit to get use to their new environment. They will let you know they are excited to be home with a good wag of the tail. Give them lots of praise and love at first. Snuggles are strongly suggested. The first week home will be important in establishing good fundamentals for obedience training and helping them adjust to their new surroundings. We will be posting more on that as well.

To recap:

• Get the essentials for caring for your puppy, including dishes, a lead, food, and a crate

• Find yourself a reliable and trustworthy vet

• Have your directions and questions for the breeder ready

• Encourage your puppy and give them time to explore their new home

We plan to post additional information on establishing good fundamentals for training, future training, and hunting tips. Subscribe to stay up to date on the latest information and connect with us on facebook. You can also find more content on our blog.