The first week with a new puppy sets the tone for everything that follows. Get these foundations right and the rest of puppyhood becomes dramatically easier for everyone.
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Harold's approach: "Start as you mean to go on. Every interaction in week one is teaching your puppy something."
The best time to decide the house rules is before the puppy comes home — not after. Where will they sleep? What furniture are they allowed on? How will everyone respond to biting and jumping? Get the whole household on the same page before day one, because changing rules once a puppy has learned them is significantly harder than setting them correctly from the start.
Puppy-proof the areas they'll have access to. Remove anything chewable at their level, secure cables, and set up a safe, comfortable sleeping area. A crate or pen for the first weeks gives your puppy a den — and gives you peace of mind.
The first 48 hours at home are crucial for setting expectations on both sides.
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Keep the first couple of days calm and quiet. Resist the urge to show your new puppy to everyone immediately — let them settle into their new environment first. Limit overwhelming noise, visitors, and excitement. Your puppy has just left their mother and littermates and is processing an enormous amount of change.
Start the routine immediately. Same feeding times, same toilet routine, same bedtime. The sooner the rhythm establishes itself, the sooner your puppy relaxes into it. Chaos in the first week creates anxiety that takes weeks to undo.
Calm first days create calm dogs. Keep it quiet and routine-focused.
Be consistent from the very first day. If you let them on the sofa this week, they'll expect it forever. If one person plays rough while everyone else is being calm, the puppy learns that rules depend on who's in the room. Kind and consistent from day one — that's the entire formula.