Bringing Puppy Home

Once you've chosen a Springer Spaniel, bringing puppy home is so exciting, but there are a few things you need to do to ensure their safety and the safety of your precious items.

Prepare your Home

Make sure you have made the garden puppy proof, so that there is no way it can escape through holes in the fence or hedge, remembering to look for gaps behind the garden shed. If there is a gap, I guarantee your Springer Spaniel puppy will find it within the first week!

Make sure your kitchen white goods are firmly against the wall, it can be a nightmare trying to release a frightened puppy from behind a refrigerator.

Check the house for any loose or trailing wires, such as TV leads or phone cables that your puppy could chew on, and make sure they are out of the way of little mouths.

Finally I would strongly suggest putting away your prized possessions and shoes while your puppy is settling in. If you have a very expensive rug that will not survive puppy accidents put it a way for a few months, better that than it being destroyed by natural puppy behaviour.

Your Puppy's first day

Ok I won't lie to you, bringing puppy home is going to be messy. The chances are your puppy will be frightened being seperated from home and mom, not to mention travelling in the car to your home, so he may vomit or worse.

When I collected George, I decked the car out with newspaper, tissues, and towels in case he started to dribble, (usually a sign a dog is going to be sick). It's probably best to hold your puppy in your lap so you can comfort him. Even with all this, George was still terribly sick on the way home.

Bringing puppy home in the morning means you can spend the rest of the day settling him in to your new home. Let him sniff around at his own pace and keep reassuring him as he will be frightened. Finally, have a stack of treats to comfort him and reassure him that he is doing well in his new home. Oh and don't forget the tissues for those nervous presents he might leave!