The First 24

Typically you’re bringing home an 8 week old puppy, which means that the first 24 hours will set the stage for success in raising your puppy. I’m not going to tell you how to raise your puppy, but I will guide you through the most commonly asked questions and what worked for me and my puppy.

In the first 24 hours, your puppy will likely whine and sleep quite a bit. This is the perfect opportunity to start kennel training, but be careful not to let your puppy out of the kennel while it’s whining. If you do let them out while whining, it’s basically a reward. Whining now equals freedom. You’re looking for a calm puppy to let out of the kennel, but not a puppy who is still sleeping. Never wake a sleeping puppy, just enjoy the quiet.

Housebreaking should also be at the top of your list. If you’re kennel training, then housebreaking will be a breeze. General rule of thumb is that the puppies age in months plus one is how many hours they can hold their bladder.

2 months = 3 hours, 3 months = 4 hours, 4 months = 5 hours.

When we were kennel and housebreaking Roo, we would clip a cheap leash on her as soon as she came out of her kennel. By doing this, it made it easier for us to get her outside quickly. We also kept that leash attached to her when she had time outside of her kennel but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Puppies need 18+ hours of sleep per day, which gives you about 4-5 hours throughout a day to start building a relationship with your pup. When puppies are this young, they are just like little sponges waiting to soak up all the information they can. When it comes to basic obedience and commands, you can’t expect perfection. Puppies have the attention span of, well, a puppy. That doesn’t mean you can’t start building your foundation! In fact, the earlier you start, the easier it will be later on.

Within the first 24 hours, you should have a general idea of what your pups daily routine will look like. While every day doesn’t have to be the same, it’s a good idea to try your best at keeping consistent during housebreaking.

Enjoy the first 24 hours, because soon enough you’ll be an overtired dog parent who is questioning why they got a puppy! I’m just joking, a puppy is totally worth it.