So you've done it, you have chosen your new pet and picked him/her up but now what?

This section is long and may seem daunting and over whelming but please do take time to read through and regularly refer back to here for tips on raising a well rounded, balanced and happy dog. 

By 14 weeks your puppy will have establish fear and escape reflexes so it important your dog is exposed to plenty beforehand in order to stop these causing anxiety. In my opinion it is now you want to set all your new boundaries in places right away, change is always stressful for animals and often we make the mistake of thinking we need to comfort this stress and introduce new rules slowly. In reality this method just prolongs the stress and can make your new pet feel very unstable and unsure which can later lead to nervousness, separation anxiety and even aggression.

If your dog is not going to be allowed on furniture then do not at any point pick them up now whilst you sit on the sofa or bed for a cuddle, your dog will not understand when next time he or she jumps on for a snuggle they are removed. If your dog is going to be a large dog or medium sized dog around children then you need to set in place now the rule of no jumping up, if he or she does jump simply turn away and ignore this behaviour and once your dog sits offer affection. 

Your dog should right away be put into a sleeping routine, this undoubtedly will lead to crying through the night but it will be short term. If your dog is going to be sleeping in a separate room do this right away and avoid temptation to join them, its hard but in the long run it will make your life easier and save the confusion for your pet. 

I do not believe in such methods as leaving items of clothing with your dog to 'comfort them' your home is already covered in your scent and having a more intense smell will cause stress and confusion as to why it smells like you, are close by but can't be found? If your pup has only just left litter mates you can get heartbeat teddies that offer comfort by familiar sound without the scent, hot water bottles can also be used but with caution only use warm water and keep in a resilient cover and under bedding, if your dog is a rescue these measures may also help.

It is going to be very important that your dog has a place that is theirs, even if you are not using a crate you will need to provide a bed with deep sides where your dog can retreat to as and when he or she likes. You must never join your dog in this space it is to be their own area and especially important children respect or cannot access this space.

As soon as possible start taking your dogs out on walks, this is a great bond building activity between you. Rescue dogs dependant on their history may at first find this very stressful in these cases take it slowly, build up your time outside and always end the walk with a reward. Puppies will more than likely be chomping at the bit to get out and explore! Make sure during walks you are combining lead work training and fun time, I would recommend letting young dogs off the lead somewhere safe right away, young puppies will be hesitant to stray too far from you and you should take advantage of this fact to build on off lead work and recall. For rescue dogs once they are confident being out and about I would begin to let them off too, though in this case I would use a long lead as a back up in case they venture too far and don't recall well (this is possible even if recall at home is good). To use a long lead have it already attached so once you reach your destination you can unclip walking lead as normal with long lead attached and your dog won't realise, the aim of that is to one day remove the long lead but nothing in your dog routine changes so there is not temptation for him or her to push boundaries.

Rather than always leaving a large plethora  of toys around your house for your new dog keep toys on a rotation basis. By doing this your dog won't grew board of toys as easily which can lead to destruction in the house. Interactive toys are also vital for boredom busting, these can be things such as stuffed frozen kongs, snuffle matts, treat puzzles, treat balls, motorised self rolling balls etc.

Physical exercise is not all you need also ensure you have at least 30 mins a day set out to do some training and mental stimulation. This can be via basic command training 'watch me' 'sit' 'down' 'stay' 'leave it' being some ideal ones to start with. Always end command training on a positive and before either you or the dog become frustrated, games such as fetch, cup game (like the magic trick have few upside down cups treats under one mix around let the dog choose) or hide and seek (use treats to hide then get your dog to search for them. Then further along you can hide yourself and call your dog, though you will need a strong stay command or person to hold dog whilst you hide.

Next to think about is bond building, doing all of the above will certainly set you on a great path to building a bond with your dog but to take this further ensure you are having some time sitting together and showing affection, whilst you are showing infection try to build a soft eye contact with your dog and also do this during training you always want to have eye contact whilst you praise or treat your dog, this will build incredibly  deep focus on you and make day to day life easier. Be aware if your dog is a nervous or agressive rescue you need to ensure the dog is comfortable with your presence before you build eye contact otherwise it may cause your dog stress and an unpredictable reaction.

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Your puppy will need to start socialisation with people and dogs as soon as possible, do not wait for vaccinations before beginning this, instead find a dog of family or friend who's dogs are socialised and use them. In a puppy it is important you also start building up desensitisation, do this by whilst playing with puppy having noises such as fireworks, gunshots and animals playing in the background. Start the sounds quieter and build up progressively  louder this will mean encoring these later in life is less stressful for you both. You will also want to build up car journeys, train rides, crowded places etc with a positive association. Ensure your puppy is regularly encountering all kinds of people, ages, races, gender, wheelchairs, walking sticks, cyclists and so on, again this is all building a stress free life in the future. If you have a rescue dog you can also carry out this work but please do so slowly and positively, do not overload your dog this will be very damaging. Punishment plays no role in the process for either puppies or rescue dogs if the dog reacts badly to certainly stimulus then remove it, take a step back and start again more slowly using a more interesting reward (a more fun game or a tastier treat!)

Ensure you are regularly handling the dog (males particularly the back end as adult males who are not used to the may like this in future), regularly check teeth, eyes, ears and claws for health check but also to normalise this type of handling in preparation for future vet trips. I also recommend  booking a groomer early and regularly just so your dog and groomer can build a bond early and your dog can adjust to the process (provided your dog will require professional grooming)

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Socialisation with a variety of dogs and humans should be continued throughout your dogs life, do not fall into the trap of thinking solely socialisation with family or friends dogs is enough, your dog may still not tolerate strange dogs without regular contact.

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Its never too early to start on our interactive games, the sooner you begin these the better your dogs obedience and bond with you will be