Back to school, back to basics! Helping puppy get their mojo back after any type of change.
A puppy delivery here at Habibi Bear headquarters from our guardian homes is always exciting. A new bunch of babies to cuddle, snuggle and love. Over the years, I have developed this breeding program to support our puppies and their social, physical and mental development, to prepare them for being service and therapy dogs. Their lovely temperaments and confidence are attributed to the way we raise our pups, and the very professional and loving hands who nurture each one along the way. Each transition will inevitably result in puppy regression, and this is to be expected. Part of the magic of our incredibly resilient puppies is how we manage transitions and set the up for success with lots of new experiences, appropriate for their stage of development. But along with all the love, comes the reality of a bushel of wiggle butts who due to their age and developmental capabilities, will create the poopiest puppy messes ever seen for the next few days. We just have to laugh at the chaos that a bunch of fresh little doggy souls who have only been on the earth's planes for a few short weeks and admire their drive and desire to learn how to “go” where we ask them to-the transformation is incredible! After doing this for decades, we know from experience that any, absolutely, any type of change to puppy’s schedule or environment, will set off a regression in behavior and/or ability for a few days.
Let me share a little insight for our families as their little Habibi transitions to YOUR home!
The first day that puppies arrive at their new home is a travel day, meaning long hours either in car or plane, or perhaps both. Moving from one physical location, where they had experienced security in food and shelter, to the unknown (in their perception), is upsetting even to the most stoic and hardiest of pups. Bowel behaviors can go either way, either none at all, or extremely loose, according to the puppy’s personality or temperament. Previous skill levels attained can, for the most part, disappear at least temporarily.
Quite often we receive panicky emails from new owners who notice that puppy has mistaken either the bed, blanket or crate as a potty box, oops!
When experiencing the stinky side of puppy’s confusion and anxiety over the change around it, our advice is always, always, always Don’t Panic! It won’t be forever as long as you remove the bedding, give it a good and thorough wash, use a pet enzyme to neutralize any scent traces, and wash any other affected surface areas, and check the accompanying Gotcha day notes or Go Home Packets for reestablishing puppy back to their normal schedule as soon as possible. Routine and consistency are the best tools to get puppy to the desired behavior necessary. Routine and consistency reduce the stress of the unfamiliar and reassure your new little gal or guy that everything is ok and they are safe.
Here’s some other things that can trigger unwanted bathroom behaviors:
-Moving or expanding the size of puppy pen.
-Changing location of puppy pen.
-Changing location of litter box, or moving litter box too many times.
-Changing puppy food.
-Too many treats.
Let’s set puppy up for success by sticking to their recommended schedule, even if it feels like it is not working immediately, or fast enough.
Give your new puppy time to soothe, recalibrate, and then, strut their stuff! With your patience, puppy will recover what they've learned and be ready to shine. Remember, perhaps more than any other animal (we are looking at you kitty cats lol), dogs want to please you. They strive to earn your love and approval. Routine and consistency, patience and time go a long way in reassuring puppy that they are safe, and their new home is too.
Have any cute stories of your puppy’s first days with you at your home? Share your memories here-