The first few days after bringing your puppy home can be full of excitement and love, but it’s important to remember that your puppy may be nervous. What’s more, they will be learning what to do, and what not to do, regardless of whether or not you’re formally teaching them or not.

Be warm and welcoming, but be aware that your puppy may crave security and routine, as well as love. 

During your puppy’s first 8 weeks, whilst they are still with their mother, you should begin to prepare a suitable environment for your new puppy, by creating space for them, purchasing a crate, a sleeping area, food, and toys and maybe even acquiring a blanket from their first home. Remember to remove anything poisonous or hazardous.

Learn more about common household poisons and toxins in our recent blog

Early on, we recommend you get a Crate for your puppy. A crate is a place of security, comfort, and quiet time that should never be used for time-outs. It is important that the crate remains a positive space, where they can rest and relax. Also, when used correctly, your puppy may come to associate it with rewards, making it a great tool for behavioural training. 

What’s more, experts recommend crate training as an essential part of house training, as dogs don’t like to soil their sleeping space. Crate training encourages puppies to learn to hold their bladder until a more appropriate time. 

As your puppy begins to explore your home and garden, it’s important that you supervise them at all times to avoid any potential dangers. However, it is equally important to not smother them – let them come to you for comfort and assistance, rather than the other way around, as some puppies can quickly become overwhelmed. 

One of the most important things to do when you bring your new puppy home is to establish a routine early on. The best way to do this is to create a schedule and actually stick to it. This is also a good way to encourage good behaviour. 

When creating a schedule, you should consider:

• A feeding schedule – most puppies need to eat three to four times a day. This can be made easier by planning it around your own mealtimes.
• Toilet training – create a regular routine of taking your puppy outside every few hours, and after every change of activity. This is especially important during house training, and should help to keep accidents to a minimum.
• Playtime and exercise – long, strenuous exercise is not good for puppies, but playing and running around in the garden is a great alternative. Different breeds have different energy levels, but it is important to schedule play and exercise into their day, regardless. Consult with your vet for more specific information.
• Naps and bedtime – young puppies sleep as much as 16-18 hours per day, not because they’re lazy, but because they need to rest and recharge. It’s important to remind family members, especially children, not to disrupt them whilst they’re sleeping. 

From 12 weeks onwards, you may find it beneficial to take your puppy to puppy training classes. Good training classes are a great way to boost your puppy’s confidence, and to learn basic training that will see them into adulthood. 

Knutsford Veterinary Surgery offers puppy training in their practice in Knutsford, in association with The Kennel Club. Take a look online, or get in touch with us today for more information about this service. 

[Puppy Training Classes]

Kittens may stay with their mothers for a few weeks after birth, but during this time, you can begin preparing for their arrival in your home. Consider purchasing:

• Kitten food
• Food and water bowls
• A litter box and cat litter
• A bed and/or soft blanket for sleeping
• A scratching post
• Kitten toys
• A safe hiding spot, such as a cat tower, or a cat carrier (you could also create a space in your home for this purpose)

Young kittens need ongoing veterinary care, usually every 3 to 4 weeks, until they are at least 16 weeks old. This accounts for core vaccinations, boosters, microchipping, parasite prevention, and ensuring general good health whilst they are still so vulnerable.

If you have other cats, or other pets, in the home, it is best to separate them from your new kitten initially for safety and comfort purposes. After a few days, you can let them sniff each other out on either side of closed doors, then let them interact directly after a few more days, ensuring supervision at all times, to begin with. 

You should also begin socialising your kitten to new experiences fairly early on in order to help them grow into a well-adjusted cat. It would be beneficial to socialise them to:

• People outside of your household
• Loud noises
• New textures
• Common situations such as short car rides, doorbell sounds, and deliveries

Once your kitten is comfortable in their new environment, try to pet them, cuddle them, and pick them up fairly often. Such human interaction should help to make them more comfortable with being handled, and will make things such as vet visits and grooming easier.

Many dogs are born with worms, and worming is a normal part of healthcare. They should be wormed at 2 weeks, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks to begin with, and as recommended by your vet thereafter.

Once your puppy reaches 7 weeks, they’re ready to come home as it is now old enough to survive without its mother. Training should begin as soon as possible.

Once you bring your puppy home, you should begin basic training, such as creating a routine, and teaching them their name. It is important that they understand early on that their needs mould into your needs, not the other way around. Key aspects of their routine should include eating, toilet training, playing, and sleeping.

Your puppy will be ready to begin their first round of vaccinations at 8 weeks (some brands of vaccine can be used as early as 6 weeks). Vaccinations are an important part of preventative healthcare, and at Knutsford Vets, we vaccinate against:

• Kennel Cough
• Canine distemper virus
• Leptospirosis
• Parainfluenza
• Parvovirus
• Canine adenovirus

Puppies will receive further vaccinations at 10 weeks of age (or 2-4 weeks after their first vaccinations).

Microchipping can be performed at any age, but it is more comfortable from 6-8 weeks old. Note that, by law, all dogs must be microchipped by 8 weeks of age.

From 8 weeks of age, you can begin protecting your puppy against fleas, ticks, mites and lungworm. This is especially important if you have other dogs at home, as fleas can spread easily.

Once you have their routine down, and they have learned their name, you can begin lead training and teaching them to sit.

Neutering can be performed at any time after 6 months of age as they have developed enough to perform a straightforward operation. We recommend waiting for large breed to become sexually mature (12-18 months) as there is some evidence to link earler castration with increased risk of cancer in certain large breeds.

Each puppy is different and will be ready for neutering at different ages, usually either 6-7 months, before their first season, or 3-3.5 months after their first season. At a minimum, it is best to wait until your dog is 6-7 months old before considering neutering. 

In season, female dogs will often receive unwanted attention from any male dog they come into contact with. As such, neutering before their first season will prevent any unwanted pregnancies, as well as preventing any problems related to seasons and false pregnancies. 

However, sometimes, we will advise that you delay the procedure until after their first season if they are very tucked up in the region of the vulva, as this can lead to urine coming into constant contact with the skin, which can cause infections and rashes. Similarly, we may recommend delaying the procedure if your dog is showing signs of being in heat, or mammary developments.

Knutsford Vets, we assess each dog on an individual basis, and our team is always on hand to discuss any benefits or risks associated with female neutering.

Worming should begin from around 2 weeks of age. If you have adopted an older kitten, ensure to ask when the kitten had their first treatment to ensure that they are fully protected.

Kittens should receive further worming treatments at 5 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and as recommended by your vet thereafter.

Special kitten flea treatment can begin from around 4 weeks of age. If you have adopted your kitten, be sure to ask about any previous flea treatments. Regular flea treatments can begin from 8 weeks old, and can be as regular as once per month thereafter.

We understand that it can be tempting to bring your kitten home as early as possible, but it is vital that your kitten stays with its mother and siblings until at least 8 weeks old to ensure that it gets enough nutrition from its mothers’ milk, before being weaned onto regular cat food. 

However, if you have other cats at home, some experts recommend waiting until the kitten is 12 weeks old due to flu risk.

Microchipping is a vital process for cats as it ensures that if your kitten somehow escapes it can be found and identified as your cat. This can be done from 8 weeks of age.

At 9 weeks, your kitten should have their first round of vaccinations. Core vaccines that we provide include: 

• Cat flu (FHV & FCV) 
• Feline infectious enteritis 
• Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) 

Your kitten will then have a second round of vaccinations 3-4 weeks later.

At 14 weeks of age, your kitten can go outside with supervision. If you want to minimise the risk of losing your kitten, or unwanted pregnancies, cat leads are widely available for purchase.

Whilst kittens can be neutered earlier, 4 months is the earliest that recommend This ensures that the kitten has matured enough to be operated on safely. Neutering at 4 months also reduces the risk of unwanted pregnancies, as females can get pregnant as early as 4 months old.

From 6 months of age, your kitten should be mentally and physically mature enough to roam free. By this point, they should have had all of their core vaccinations, be microchipped, and neutered, therefore risks are minimal.