Episode #235 Top Things You Can Do to Help Your New Dog Settle In and Feel Safe

Bringing home a new puppy or dog is exciting—but it can also feel overwhelming. In this episode, we’re diving into the essential steps you can take to help your new furry family member settle into their new environment and feel truly safe.

From creating a calm first impression to building a routine, setting up a cozy space, and using low-pressure bonding techniques, you’ll learn practical, kind, and effective ways to build trust from day one. Whether you’re welcoming a tiny puppy or giving a rescue dog a fresh start, this episode will help you lay the foundation for a happy, confident, and connected life together.

Perfect for first-time dog parents or anyone looking to build a better bond with their pup.

🎧 Tune in and embark on your new journey with patience, understanding, and a heart full of kindness.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Summer Safety Tips
• 2:01 First Day Home Strategies
• 3:32 Building Routine and Trust
• 4:44 Creating a Managed Environment
• 8:26 Patience During Adjustment Period
• 9:10 Episode Closing and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

When we first bring a new dog into our home, it can be a nerve-wracking experience for them New places, new people, new smells. What are a few things that we can do to help our dogs feel safe and comfortable in their new space with us faster? Stay tuned. Today we're talking all about it. Welcome to the Puppy Training Podcast. I'm Amy Jensen, founder of Baxter Bella, the online puppy school. Here we are all about helping you create the best possible experience raising a puppy, from training tips to practical tricks, all aimed at fostering a happy, well-behaved dog who truly feels like part of the family. So if you are ready to enjoy the journey and strengthen the bond with your dog, let's get started. Hey you guys, I hope you are having a great week.

Speaker 1: 0:52

It is July and in the US that means there are lots of fireworks. So just a reminder that not all dogs love loud sounds and it's okay to leave your puppy home in a quiet space with some music playing or give them their favorite chews and let them be comfortable in their own space. They don't need to go to all of our holiday celebrations with us, and some don't mind it, it's true, but it's good to be aware that some really don't like the loud booms and it can be scary for them. In fact, it can disorient them and if our dogs are out loose running around which hopefully they're not they could take off and disappear, and we don't want that. So hopefully you and your pups are happy and safe this holiday season and are enjoying your summer. Oh, I love warm weather. It feels so good. I live in Utah, so we get extremes. We get really hot in the summers and we get really cold in the winters, and I am just enjoying the fact that I can wear flip-flops. So I hope you're having a good summer.

Speaker 1: 1:48

Today I want to just talk about a few things that we can do to create a nice safe feeling for our puppies or dogs when we bring them home for the first time, because it is a transitional time and it can be stressful for them. So are there just some concrete things that we could all do to make that transition a little easier. So let's start with the very first day. I know it's super exciting, maybe even somewhat emotional, but we want to try to keep things calm and low pressure for our new dog. Think about it from their perspective. They've just been taken from everything. They know Everything smells, sounds and looks differently than what they're used to. That can be a little scary guys. So instead of inviting friends over or letting the kids run wild, try to create a quiet, cozy welcome.

Speaker 1: 2:33

We want to let our dogs sniff around on their own time. Avoid overwhelming them with too much attention right away, especially if they seem unsure. We want to have a nice safe space ready for them, like a comfy bed or a quiet place in part of the house where they have a crate set up. I like to put the crate inside of an exercise pen and I have some toys and a water bowl and my puppy's food, and that's what we call their zen den. This is where they'll spend most of their time, for the first few weeks is in this area. It's their bedroom. They get familiar with this space first. Is it okay to let them sniff the rest of your house? Absolutely, I would let them explore the more that they can kind of just sniff around. That will relax them and they get to experience your space. But as for their space and what they're going to be comfortable in, we're going to shrink our house down to a smaller size. They'll get more comfortable more quickly. We want to show them from the start that this is a safe, predictable environment.

Speaker 1: 3:32

Next, we want to make sure that dogs, especially puppies, have a routine. So they thrive on routine. They love knowing what to expect. So from day one, we gently introduce them to the rhythm of our house. That means feeding them at the same times each day and taking them out for potty breaks regularly, keeping walks or playtime consistent. Now we don't have to spend every second with them. They're going to sleep a lot of the day, especially if they're a new puppy. If they're an older dog, then they might be awake for more of the day. But in general, expect a lot of naps, and it doesn't have to be a military schedule, but predictable routines help reduce anxiety and they build trust. Your dog will start to learn. This is when I go outside, this is when I eat, this is when we nap. And remember puppies need a lot of naps. If your puppy is getting extremely bitey or irrational, they won't listen or redirect or focus. They're tired and that's your signal that they need a break. So remember your puppy's a little growing machine. Give them plenty of quiet time and try not to overstimulate them with too much training or play all at once. We want to break that out throughout the day into little short segments.

Speaker 1: 4:42

Now let's talk about bonding. One of the best ways to help your new dog settle is to build a connection based on trust, not just affection. Sit with them while they chew on a toy or take them for calm walks where they can sniff and explore. If you have a young puppy that's not fully vaccinated, this can be done inside of your house or in your private backyard. We can offer food rewards when they come to you. You can use a soft voice instead of a loud voice. We want to let them set the pace. Now, if your dog happens to be a little more on the shy or nervous side, we don't want to force contact, so let them come to you.

Speaker 1: 5:16

One of the things I tell families is when you first bring that puppy home, everybody sit on the floor, keep your arms in your lap, your hands in your lap, and let that puppy go to each person and sniff and smell without people reaching or grabbing or picking up. This can help your puppy build trust and respect for you and your family members, especially children. If you want to be the favorite child, listen to this one, right? Don't pick your puppy up. So trust is what creates that deep bond that we're all looking for. And we can start to build that right away by keeping ourselves calm and helping our puppy stay relaxed.

Speaker 1: 5:49

So short, gentle training sessions can also build confidence. Uh, both yours and theirs. Start simple like rewarding them for responding to their name. If you say their name and they look at you, pay them a little food reward. Or sitting calmly near you Anytime your puppy sits yes, and feed them a food reward. They come to you, they sit, yes, food reward. Uh, they just start to pick up on these little patterns and they learn oh, when I sit, I get food reward. Or she says yes, and then a price comes out. Right, and remember it's okay If progress is slow. You're laying the foundation this week. That's all you're doing. You're just laying a foundation for a lifelong relationship. Training will come. It'll all start to come in time. We don't need to rush into it.

Speaker 1: 6:32

One of the kindest things you can do is to manage your puppy's environment. This will help them feel safe. That might mean using baby gates to keep them in the main living area instead of letting them roam the whole house right away. Your whole house can be very overwhelming to a new puppy. That's a lot of space. Even if you live in a one bedroom studio apartment, that's a lot of space to them. So limit access to places that might be overwhelming or full of tempting things to chew on. If you're limiting the trouble they can get into, you're not correcting them and, again, that's helpful because we want to have this positive relationship with them. If you're constantly having to redirect them or tell them no, that's not a great start to get off to. So instead, manage. Set up baby gates, set up exercise pens, keep them on a leash with you. We want to manage their behavior so that we're not constantly telling them no and we want to say a lot of yeses and then they learn oh, it's great to be with this person. I love to be with this person. She's so fun and rewarding. So, again, limiting access to places that might be overwhelming or full of tempting things to chew can be helpful.

Speaker 1: 7:34

Keep kids and other pets supervised around the new dog you might need to separate. If you have other animals in the house, you might need to create spaces and rotate your household, meaning the cat can be out in this room right now and the puppy's taking a nap in the crate and then they can switch right. Or if you have multiple dogs, we can feed them in separate spaces so that there's not any of that tension built up around who gets the food fastest right. Or first, and don't forget the power of scent Sending home a blanket or toy from the breeder or shelter or foster home wherever you picked up your dog from can provide some comfort, something familiar. If you can bring something familiar to your puppy into your space, that can help with the transition. You're not being over the transition, you're not being overprotective. You are creating the conditions where your dog can relax and learn, and that's important. It makes a big difference.

Speaker 1: 8:22

Finally, I think the biggest gift you can give your new dog is patience. Every dog is different. They're all unique. Some will settle in within a day or two. Others might need weeks or even a month to feel totally safe. There will be mistakes. Accidents are going to happen. Right, they might pee on your carpet, or maybe they bark at a shadow, maybe even a little furniture chewing, which we're going to interrupt and redirect as soon as we catch that right. Or we're watching them and if they look at the sofa, we could redirect them before the chewing, that would be even better. But take a deep breath. These aren't signs of failure. They're part of the learning process. Your calm presence, your consistency and being a gentle leader will help your dog feel at home in ways that words never could. So be kind to them and don't forget to be kind to yourself.

Speaker 1: 9:05

That's it for today. Thanks for listening, you guys, and have a wonderful rest of your week. Happy training. Thanks for tuning in to the puppy training podcast. I hope today's tips help you feel more confident and excited about raising your dog. Remember, with a little patience and consistency, you can create a loving bond and a well-behaved pup who's a joy to have in your family. If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share it with fellow puppy parents. For more resources, visit Baxter and Bella online. Until next time, happy training.