Your Dog's First Day Home

[Slick]

How did you spend the very first day home with your dog, when you just brought him home?

Thought it would be a fun thing to discuss, since I haven't seen a thread like this. And also, obviously, I am going to blatantly steal ideas hopefully

I am picking up Leo right after work tomorrow, and will probably arrive home at about 7pm. That doesn't leave much of the day, but I want to leave a good impression.
I am planning on taking him for a walk, giving him some time to chill out and observe his new surroundings in his crate, and then plan on having him out mostly on leash to keep him out of trouble. He has been started on clicker training, so I was also thinking of doing some "Look at me" click and treats to start a positive association with me and yummy food

Your turn! How did you spend the first day home with your new dog when you got him/her/them?

 

[Oko]

Well, it was a six hour drive back to MA from her breeder's in PA, and we left late so got back at 6 PM. Sooo the majority of our first day together was spent trying to get her to stay in her box on my lap while riding in the car, lol. When we got home, she pretty much just went out, familiarized herself and met everyone in my family, and went to bed. Next day we kind of just snuggled and played and lalala. No training for the first couple days, just lots of playing and settling in.

 

[AmandaNola]

Her breeder was 6 hours round trip from me, so I got her in the evening and didn't sleep at all that night. That first day was just bonding; lots of praise and toys, hand feeding, having her sleep in my hoodies when she wasn't spazzing out.
Towards the end of the day I started her on some very basic training (touch, sit, following me) since the breeder had introduced her to the clicker and she picked it up lightening fast. By the time I'd had her a week, she knew sit, touch, potty, "follow me", and paw.

 

[ruffiangirl]

I just brought them home, nothing special about it, lol. But Gage and Diesel were about a year old when they came home, so they mostly were just allowed to roam around and smell stuff.

Bristol was a puppy, but i had worked all night so we came home and went to bed lol.

 

[joce]

With blitz we drove to VA and back in a day so he got a lot of car time and then bed! Next day was introductions with the other dogs and lots of playing.

 

[k9krazee]

First day was 6 hours in the car and a night in a hotel room! He was perfect and awesome and slept in his own bed.

Next day we drove 4-5 hours then just hung out in the house and yard.

Third day I went to work and K just lounged around the house, played ball and went for short walks.

Nothing terribly impressionable or exciting!!

 

[k9krazee]

Double post!

 

[AmberH]

Gosh, that was quite a bit ago for some of them. I just don't remember.

When we picked up Pirate, there was an 18 hour drive home and we ended up staying at a hotel. I had him and his sister as I was delivering her to a family near me. There was a lot of driving, sitting in the back seat cuddling puppies, watching puppies sleep in their crate, rest stops for potty breaks (they were so good and pottied each time we stopped!), cuddling in a hotel bed, taking hundreds of pictures. I had so much fun with them and I didn't want to give the girl up when it was time.

When picked up Penny, we drove home and on the way home stopped by a couple stores for last minute puppy supplies. We cuddled and took her to visit a couple people. Of course, several pictures and later a much needed bath. She was covered in fleas and dirty.

 

[Southpaw]

Nothing too exciting. Exploring the house, lots of praise and petting, playing with toys... that's probably about it! The first day(s) is always very overwhelming for me lol, I need that time to figure out routine and to get adjusted to the new responsibility, so all the training and whatnot needs to wait.

 

[JacksonsMom]

I hardly even remember the specifics. He was very quiet in the car on the way home, and threw up once from car sickness. He was so quiet and sweet tho. Then we got home, I went to let him out of his crate and saw this sweet face;

Then I introduced him to Lilly, my dads JRT mix, and all the sudden a little personality came out.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-pLyoOuy2A


I think we honestly just spent most of the day playing, constantly going in/out, because he just kept peeing wherever he wanted, LOL... and yeah, it's sometimes hard to remember what it was like when he was THAT little.

 

[PWCorgi]

SaraB and I were in Michigan picking her up overnight, so the day she actually got home to our apartment was mostly spent in the car (I think it was like a 10ish hour drive?) with a stop at Lind's house to say hello. We hit a bad bad snowstorm so by the time we actually got to the apartment she said hello to my friends who were waiting there to meet her, and we went to bed.

So yeah, it was pretty boring, lol.

 

[Laurelin]

Summer was really stressed when I brought her home (she was 4 years old). Primarily because she'd been through a lot- lost her litter and then changed homes.... and Beau wanted to hump her constantly. So I really just made sure Summer had space away from Beau and she naturally gravitated towards me of all the people. She got more comfortable and then I took her to college the next week and she settled right in. She was easy.

Mia... uh... you sure you want to know?

The first 7 hours with Mia were spent in a car where she proceeded to shriek at least 6 of the 7 hours as well as puke on herself at least half a dozen times. My sister was with me and was begging to take her back about 15 minutes into the drive. Honestly... it was pretty awful. I'd never heard anything like it and boy was she upset. Finally got home and she reeked but I didn't bathe her till day 2. I had her meet the other dogs and Nard was kind of mean to her. Then it was dark soon and we played some and fed her then put her in the crate for the night. She screamed for about 4-5 hours before I shoved her upstairs and shut the door and you could STILL hear her. I know she also had at least one accident that first day. Really we just played in the yard and house for the first 2 weeks. Then I moved to Texas (yeah I always have a tendency to move right after getting a dog). After 2+ weeks of her shrieking all night is when I said screw it and moved her to sleep on the bed. (Well it was actually a cot as I had no furniture our first night in the apartment) Spoiled ever since... She took right to me and to Summer that very first day. Day 1and 2 were spent thinking 'What on earth have I done!?' Day 3 was when I realized she was going to be the best dog I'd ever had.

I tend to take things nice and easy on any new dog for the first couple weeks. We do some leash work but mostly around the house/yard and start enforcing the rules and mostly just play. To me it's always a weird foreign feeling when you get a new dog... like 'That dog is MINE? Really? It's MINE?' I don't know if that makes sense... you get used to your old dogs and they just fit so well and you know so much about them then suddenly there's this little... thing and they're all their own and totally different. I always have a minor panic attack right after a new dog comes home. No matter how much I plan and want the dog, it takes me a bit to get in that groove.

 

[Equinox]

We left fairly early to pick Trent up, because we actually had to be in the area for a meet anyway. It wasn't much of a drive, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours away, and there we got him, a collar, and a bag of food. I held him on the way back and he didn't do much except slowly and deliberately try to chew through the kibble bag.

Before we went home we stopped by Petsmart to get a few more supplies. Because Trent hadn't had his shots at the time I held him the entire time with his head resting on my shoulder. He didn't budge, didn't complain, just quietly let me carry him through the store. A lot of people stopped to pet him, ask me where I got him, and tell me that I "got a good one" (disclaimer: this was before he showed his true colors ).

Once home we played around a bit in the front yard, started on his potty training (there really wasn't much to teach him, he rarely had any accidents), and he learned that sitting on cue got him all the treats. It was just a really great day, and at the end we put him in his crate and he didn't complain once. Slept through the night well and without an accident. And although my dad will deny it, my mom told me he got up early to take Trent out and onto the bed for play/snuggles.

First day home -

 

[AllieMackie]

The ride home was seven hours, some crying the whole way back but nothing major. He took turns being in my lap and in his crate.

When we got home, just exploration, playtime and sleep time. I was so enthralled to finally have him home and was sort of starry-eyed the whole time haha.

His birthday is on Friday so it's making me choked up looking at the old photos of gotcha day!

 

[Toller_08]

I don't tend to do much with my dogs the first few days after getting them. We just kind of hang out and play and get to know eachother, rush to the back yard a lot for house breaking and cuddle haha. Usually I give them a bath the first night too, but Journey didn't need one cause her breeder already did that before we got on the airplane. But yeah, other than that, I keep things pretty low key. Journey got to come to work like two days after bringing her home too, which I was worried about because she was brand new to me, but it worked out perfectly fine.

 

[Laurelin]

Mia's first day home since we're playing that game. It was spent on the run (of course)

Nard ran her over.

So. Cute.

MESS.

I want puppy now.

 

[Red Chrome]

Rastas first day home was spent playing and tugging. I picked him up at training. He went to work with me the following Monday. All the puppies go to work with me until they're completely potty trained.

 

[Michiyo-Fir]

I didn't pick Nia up until the afternoon and got home around 6pm. She was a bit scared of the new place and cuddled herself into her dog bed and went to sleep pretty much immediately. I did take her out to pee and poop before bed but we basically didn't do anything that day...

 

[Oko]

Oh, we shall play the first day home photo game too:

She was so teensy <3

 

[ihartgonzo]

Omg Jacksonsmom, we have the same picture!!!

I had to drive 5 hours round trip to get Fozzie. He was perfect in the car. The rest of the day was spent introducing him to Gonzo (who wasn't a fan at first) & my friends came over to meet him. He was full of himself from day one! I miss my baby munchkin!!!

Wow, picture quality really has improved in the past decade. 0_0