New puppy - any hints for first night at home etc

[broken biscuit]

We picked up our new pup today - a staffie/lab cross. She's paper trained and vet-checked etc. She was one of a litter of eight, and crated while at home. Having got her home, we have set up a crate for her as her place of safety etc, just wondering if anyone has any pointers or tips to help her get through tonight on her own. We are with her most of the day, just don't want her to start getting bad habits etc.

[scirocco265]

Try putting in a shirt/jumper that smells of it's mother (if you have this), a ticking alarm clock (mimics the mother's heartbeat) and/or a hot water bottle fot 'the warmth of the pack'.

[Puggit]

Good luck - if your staffy/lab cross is anything like ours' you are in for a roller-coaster.

We brought Smartie home from Wales in a crate, with a bed - he settled amazingly well on his first night. Second night he cried half way through - we let him out for a wee and straight back to bed. This lasted about 2 weeks.

Intelligent and very willing to please - keep training and bribing and it seems to work well!

[eskidavies]

its gonna cry a lot dont keep getting up ,it sounds upsetting dont sucumb to it, just let it be it ll soon settle,i gave my staff a pair of my bottoms and slippers,then again everything we said we wouldnt do eg.not on sofa no tit bits etc 15 months down line has gone out the window her bed at night is now the sofa,but she is great she does no damage when left in living room for few hours.

[broken biscuit]

Well she's doing well so far. Crated overnight, and run of the hll/kitchen when we are out. She was paper trained when we got her on sunday, and there have been a few accidents, but she's doing really well with toilet training, and will generally 'go' every time we take her into the garden ( i know you are supposed to keep them housebound until all jabs done, but she was in the garden with her litter so likes the outdoors and its secure anyway). She sits on command 80% of the time, doesnt bite, and has developed a fondness for the sofa, which the wife and i disagree on, but all is good. It's a learning curve on simple things - leaving slippers around means she chews them, buying stainless water bowl rather than ceramic meant she picked it up and threw it everywhere, just simple things, but it's great, even the cats are warming to her albeit slowly.

[Granville]

They don't need to be house bound until all jabs are done. Going out in your garden will be fine but your vet will advise against leaving the confines of your home - walks etc where the pup has as chance of picking up nasties it wont yet be innoculated against.

[eskidavies]

if you find she starts biting things theres a good spray at pet shops which i found worked well with my staff, we can leave her now and nothing get chewed apart from the odd slipper or shoe, but there we are i can live with that