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This series is your roadmap for raising a happy, well-adjusted pup. It complements our book, Help! I Got a Puppy, and offers step-by-step guidance by stage of puppy parenthood.
If you’ve just brought your puppy home, start with our complete guide to the first 48 hours with a new puppy, where we walk you through the first night, early routines, and common mistakes to avoid.
The first week with your puppy sets patterns that can last for years. Small decisions made now — about sleep, potty routines, freedom, and structure — often determine whether you spend the next year correcting problems or reinforcing good habits.
I know, you're already exhausted. The first week with a new puppy feels like bringing home a tiny tornado with a heartbeat. You’re Googling at 2:13 a.m. while a small creature cries in a crate beside your bed.
This is normal.
The first 7 days with a puppy are not about perfection. They’re about structure. Clarity. Preventing confusion. And building patterns that make the next 6–12 months easier instead of harder.
Most new owners don’t need more tips. They need a plan.
This is your roadmap for bringing puppy home first week — what to do, what to avoid, what matters, and what absolutely does not.
We’ll walk through:
Take a breath. You don’t need to get everything right.
You just need to get the fundamentals consistent.
Day 1 is not for socializing.
It’s not for neighborhood tours.
It’s not for “showing them everything.”
It’s for decompression.
When you bring your puppy home:
The goal is calm predictability.
Puppies leaving their litter are stressed — even if they don’t show it. Your job is to reduce stimulation, not increase it.
If you want a deeper dive into the transition window, read our guide on the first 48 hours with a new puppy.
Decide where your puppy will sleep long-term.
Not “just for tonight.”
If the crate will live in your bedroom, set it up there from night one. If it will live downstairs, commit to that.
Moving it later confuses the pattern.
On Day 1, we are not “crate training.”
We are introducing the crate:
This is about familiarity, not duration.
Start immediately:
Potty training first week is not about teaching — it’s about preventing mistakes.
And prevention starts on Day 1.
This is where most owners drift.
They relax too early.
The puppy seems “good.” Accidents are minimal. Things feel manageable.
That’s when inconsistency creeps in.
Feed at consistent times — typically 3 meals per day for young puppies.
Example puppy schedule first week:
Predictability lowers anxiety. For both of you.
During the first week with a new puppy, assume they need to go more often than you think.
Remember this:
Dogs do not want to soil their living space.
But they will absolutely go if given too much freedom.
Which leads to the next rule.
Your puppy earns freedom.
They don’t start with it.
If they’re not in the crate, they’re:
Too much freedom too soon is the fastest way to derail potty training first week.
If your long-term goal is outdoor potty training, begin transitioning away from pads early.
Pads create surface confusion.
The longer they stay, the harder the switch.
Keep it simple:
2–3 minutes. Several times per day.
You’re not building obedience yet.
You’re building communication.
If you need a full overview of early fundamentals, review Puppy 101 for a structured foundation.
By now, your puppy is starting to understand the household rhythm.
This is where we carefully expand their world.
Carefully.
Socialization does not mean:
It means exposure without overwhelm.
Invite one calm friend over.
Walk them near (not through) light street activity.
Introduce mild household sounds.
For a full framework, see our puppy socialization guide.
Vacuum across the room.
Turn on the TV.
Run the dishwasher.
Pair new experiences with treats.
Confidence builds in layers, not leaps.
Let your puppy drag a lightweight leash indoors while supervised.
Then practice short indoor “follow me” sessions.
Outside leash walking skills come later. For now, we’re normalizing the equipment.
This is when crate training in the first week begins to stretch slightly:
No drama. No forcing. Just pattern.
If you haven’t reviewed vaccination timing yet, now is also a good moment to read our overview on puppy vaccination schedules to ensure safe social exposure.
This is when something interesting happens. You start recognizing patterns.
So does your puppy.
If you’ve been consistent, accidents should already be decreasing.
If they aren’t, look at:
It’s usually management — not stubbornness.
Begin very short alone-time exercises:
This prevents separation anxiety from forming.
The first week with a new puppy should not be chaotic.
Excited play is fine.
Constant stimulation is not.
Overtired puppies bite more, cry more, and have more accidents.
Most puppies wake once or twice per night during the first week.
That’s normal.
When does a puppy settle down?
Not in 7 days.
But structure now makes weeks 3–4 dramatically easier.
And if you’re wondering how long does it take a puppy to adjust — most begin showing visible comfort by the end of week two.
Full household confidence can take several weeks.
Let’s prevent some regret.
A friend once told me their puppy was “fully potty trained” after four days.
By week three, the dog was sneaking off to a guest room.
Why?
Freedom was given before habits were solid.
Management first. Freedom later.
Pads inside + outdoor praise + occasional accidents = confusion.
Clear message. One plan.
If your goal is outside elimination, transition early.
Dragging it out makes retraining harder.
Waiting two weeks to introduce a crate creates resistance.
Early, positive exposure is easier.
Flooding a puppy with stimulation in the first 7 days with a puppy often backfires.
Confidence grows through controlled exposure.
Not chaos.
Many first-week behavioral frustrations — accidents, nighttime crying, destructive chewing — trace back to inconsistent crate use.
Crate training during the first week is not optional if you want clarity.
Here’s why:
A crate teaches:
That clarity accelerates potty training first week.
Because dogs avoid soiling their sleeping area, a properly sized crate:
Many puppies sleep better in enclosed spaces.
It mimics a den.
Unsupervised freedom leads to:
Habits formed in week one stick.
We break this down fully in our guide to crate training for new puppies.
Most puppies begin settling within 1–2 weeks. Full comfort can take several weeks. Adjustment depends on age, temperament, and consistency of routine.
Every 60–90 minutes while awake. Always after eating, drinking, playing, and waking up.
Yes. Puppy crying first week is extremely common, especially at night. They’ve just left littermates. Keep responses calm and predictable — not reactive.
Yes. Crate training first week builds structure, supports potty training, and prevents destructive habits from forming.
A simple pattern of:
Wake → Potty → Eat → Potty → Play → Crate Nap → Repeat.
Consistency matters more than exact clock times.
Many puppies begin sleeping 6–7 hours by 10–12 weeks of age, depending on bladder development and schedule consistency.
Look at management first. More supervision. Smaller space. More frequent potty trips. Accidents in week one are normal — repeated accidents signal too much freedom.
The first week with a new puppy feels intense because everything is new.
But here’s what actually matters:
Not perfection.
If you want the full roadmap — from week one through adolescence — grab the book. It lays out exactly how to raise a stable, confident dog without guesswork.
You don’t need to panic.
You need a plan.
Now you have one.
