Got a New Puppy? How Home Visits Can Help During Those Early Months

Brecon at 10 weeks old

Bringing a puppy home is wonderful. It can also turn your normal daily routine completely upside down.

We remember it well with Brecon. Suddenly, your day seems to revolve around feeding, trips outside for the toilet, playing, sleeping, more trips outside for the toilet, and keeping an eye on what they have managed to get hold of now!

For the first few days or weeks, you may be able to arrange time off work or have someone at home. But sooner or later, normal life has to start again.

And that is often when new puppy owners begin to wonder: what do I do with my puppy when I need to go out?

Young puppies aren't ready to be left for a whole day

A young puppy needs regular opportunities to go to the toilet, meals at the appropriate times, plenty of sleep and, of course, some company.

They are also learning what happens when you leave the house.

Puppies need to learn to be comfortable on their own gradually. Going from having someone around most of the time to suddenly being left for a full working day is a very big change.

That is where a Home Visit can help.

Rather than taking your puppy somewhere else, we come to them. They stay in their own home, surrounded by the things they already know, and we fit our visit around the routine you have established.

What happens during a Puppy Home Visit?

Every puppy is different, so there isn't a set formula for what we do.

We might take your puppy into the garden for a toilet break, give them their food and fresh water, have a little play, or spend some time with them before helping them settle again.

And if there has been an accident since you left? We will deal with that too. Puppies are puppies!

Most importantly, we will follow your routine.

If you are working on toilet training, using particular words or cues, feeding at certain times, or teaching your puppy to settle in a particular way, we will keep things as consistent as we can.

We are there to help with what you are already doing, not to arrive with a completely different routine of our own.

How many visits will my puppy need?

This is one of those questions where there isn't a single answer.

An eight or nine-week-old puppy is going to need much more support during the day than a puppy of five or six months.

Their needs also depend on the individual puppy, their routine and how long you are going to be away.

For a very young puppy, one visit in the middle of a long working day is unlikely to be enough. They may need several visits. As they get older, develop better bladder control and become more comfortable spending time alone, the number of visits can gradually reduce.

That is something we can talk through with you rather than trying to fit every puppy into the same timetable.

What about vaccinations?

One of the advantages of a Home Visit is that we can care for a young puppy before they are ready to head out on normal walks.

Until your vet has advised that your puppy is sufficiently protected by their vaccinations to go out and about, their visit can take place at home and in their own secure garden.

That doesn't mean those early weeks have to be boring. A bit of play, gentle interaction, enrichment and time outside in the garden can make for a very contented puppy, usually followed by another nap!

Always follow your own vet's advice about when your puppy can start going for walks, as vaccination protocols and individual circumstances can vary.

And then, eventually, come the walks

Puppies don't stay puppies for very long.

As they get older, complete their vaccinations and become ready for appropriate exercise, their needs start to change.

A Home Visit may gradually become a walk, or you might still want a mixture of the two, depending on your puppy and your working day.

We can adapt as they grow rather than treating puppy visits as something completely separate.

A little help can make puppy life easier

Having a puppy doesn't mean somebody has to be at home every minute of the day. In fact, learning to be happy alone for gradually increasing periods is an important part of growing up.

But there is quite a difference between learning to spend some time alone and being expected to manage a whole day before they're ready.

A Puppy Home Visit can bridge that gap.

It means you can get on with work, appointments or whatever else the day has in store, knowing someone will be popping in to give your puppy the toilet break, care and company they need.

We offer Puppy Home Visits in Poulton-le-Fylde, Carleton, Thornton-Cleveleys, Blackpool, Staining and Lytham.

If you have recently brought a puppy home, or you are getting one soon, give us a call.

We'll have a chat about your puppy, your routine and how we might be able to help.

Fiona & Daryl

Waggy Tail Dog Walks