The First 30 Days With a Puppy

Week one: predictability beats perfection

Puppies settle fastest with a repeating rhythm: wake, toilet, short play, food, toilet, nap. Most behaviour problems in the first month come from too little sleep, not too little training.

Toilet training

Take the puppy out after every sleep, meal and play session. Reward outside within two seconds of finishing. Interrupt accidents calmly and clean thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner.

Chewing

Chewing is normal development, not defiance. Rotate a few appropriate chews and manage access to everything else.

Socialisation

Quality beats quantity: calm exposure to surfaces, sounds and unfamiliar people at a distance the puppy can handle. Overwhelming a puppy is worse than doing less.

If anything about your puppy's health, appetite or vaccinations concerns you, speak to your veterinarian.