Bringing Home a New Puppy
It is always best to be prepared ahead of time when bringing home a new puppy. Since you want the transition from his familiar surroundings to his new home to go smoothly for everyone involved, having certain items in place will help with this.
Puppies believe that anything within their reach is a new toy and open for their exploration. They chew on things to learn about life. Unfortunately, this includes electrical wires, phone cords, household plants, knick-knacks, and the list goes on and on. Life will go much easier if you puppy proof your house ahead of time, especially the room that you will be raising your Golden Retriever puppy in. Have a crate, various toys, and dog bowls already waiting for him. This way, you will not need to stop on the way home to purchase those items, and you can bring him straight home. Though most breeders will send you home with the puppy food that your new Golden Retriever has been eating, find out ahead of time, which type and brand it is. 
You will want to have some of the exact same on hand, even if you plan to switch him over to a new type. Abruptly changing dog foods can cause an upset stomach and your pup already has enough to deal with! When bringing your new puppy home, it is best to not stop anywhere on the way. Even if you have a 2 or 3 hour drive, it is doubtful that the pup will have an accident in your car. If for any reason he does, it is better to clean up your car than risk exposing him to any potential deadly diseases. Until your pup has had all of his vaccines, there is the possibility of him contracting Parvo amongst other viruses, and the risk of exposure by stopping is just not worth it. Once he does arrive at his new home, allow him time to settle in and look around. Let him investigate his area without you constantly bugging him and do not baby him. If he sees something that startles or frightens him, just ignore him and allow him to adjust to it on his own. Comforting a startled or frightened puppy only teaches the puppy to be fearful which can cause him to grow into a timid and fearful adult dog. When bringing home a new puppy, some hiding and shyness on his part, is normal. He may want to go hide and sleep under something, such as chair legs. Allow this behavior and do not wear out the pup by continuously playing with him.
Let him adjust gradually to his new surroundings, and be sure to give him some alone time. Also let the pup come to you on his own, rather than forcing him to play constantly. After he has been in your house for a couple of hours, go ahead and put him in his crate for awhile. He will probably scream loudly, but if you wait until bedtime, it is a guarantee that his screaming will have you up the whole night. Though puppy care does involve bathing, wait at least a day before giving him a bath, as he is stressed out enough already! A puppy’s first bowel movement at a new home can sometimes be very loose, almost a diarrhea consistency. This is from nerves and should be back to normal by his next bowel movement. Bringing home a new puppy is a very exciting event for us. By allowing him to gradually adjust on his own, it will then be a very exciting event for him also!
Bringing Home a New Golden Retriever Pup?
Have a funny story about when you were bringing home your new Golden Retriever puppy?
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