Early days - the first two weeks in a new home

Hey guys!

My partner, Tom, and I just brought home our little 8 week old pup - Zola - two days ago. Being new puppy parents we've read up on heaps of good information online about toilet training, contact training, instilling good sleep habits etc. But of course there is no such thing as perfect preperation for another living being and certain questions became apparent only once she came home with us, for instance: many sites talk about training, but also about not starting before 10-16 weeks of age, so, what do most people do during those first weeks?

We have a balcony, and a designated pee spot out there, but it's getting cold outside (Norway in Nov) and can be noisy and given her young age and new environment she understandably does not like it much out there yet. We also have a pee-pad inside where she usually goes, and she's already become quite good at using that spot. But when she does, we are now a little unsure of whether its best to give praise for using the pad, or persist in bringing her outside regardless, like we do if she goes anywhere else or if we see her getting ready to poo. Bringing outside when she uses the pad feels a littlebit like punishment as she gets so tense and frightened.

Any tips on this very special time for first-time parents who want to instill good patterns from early, but also don't want to foster any negative associations - and mostly want her to feel at home as soon as possible?

Thanks so much!

Hi there & welcome.

Training starts from day one - obviously reward based & just a little at a time; sit, down, paw, stay, come etc. Just 5 minutes, two or three times a day will be fine!

With the toilet training, does she go on the balcony at any other time? Are there bars she can see through?

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Hello, welcome and congratulations on your new family member

Everything in Zola’s new environment with you is training. New noises, new routine, etc. As gilly says, basics first to have a solid foundation to build on. Reacting when you call her name, her coming to you when you call, this is all early training.

As to pee pads and toilet training, realistically your puppy will not be able to hold 4-5 hours until about 6 months old.
My personal thought and experience is that I encouraged my girls to use the pad when I was absent (at work, for example) and then extra encouragement and praise when she went outside when we were home.
I found that my girls would use the pad less and less so I was able to remove it at around 6 months, from memory.
I would rather have a pup always pee on the pad than anywhere they can - hygiene if nothing else.

Toilet training in winter is no fun, Opium arrived at the beginning of December and we had snow at the end of January.
Again, as gilly suggests, try to put screen in front of bars on the balcony so that doesn’t frighten her. For the noise, she’ll get used to it.
Make sure you’re ready with heavy praise and treat every time she goes to toilet outside. And you need to add your “command” which will be very useful for her whole life !

I would continue to take her out on the balcony every half an hour. You’ll get to know her and her habits to anticipate times she’s more likely to go like after waking up, just after eating, etc. If you see her going towards her pad, scoop her up and take to balcony but if she’s already in progress, praise anyway. You’ll need to anticipate better the next time.

Thanks guys - it may be all the extra oxytocin coarsing through me at the moment, but this forum is such a warm place.

We'll just go forward with the routines then, and start adding "commands" as well - hadn't thought to do that yet.

Gilly, she actually does not. She really doesn't like it out there so we only brought her out at first to poo or after a pee. Now we're bringing her out a little more consistently and it's starting to work! Half the balcony wall is well covered, the other half is bars which we covered at the bottom with planks, but are you suggesting it may be the hight that frightens her? Is it an idea to cover more so she doesn't see that she's high up?

Luckily she's taken to our little "walks" and enjoys the outside a lot more when we go across the street and "explore", despite the cold!

Do you have any tips on clever little hacks for intentional name training and coming when you call? Or is this just something she'll learn organically through repetition and love? She's already become a little responsive to her name.

Name training involves constant use of name with a treat when she responds,even if it's just a quick look!

I would cover all the bars - it isn't exactly a fear of height so much as a fear of the unknown. Once settled you can gradually take away the covers.

Hi from me & Katy Zola looks like a real cutie
Great advice already given, keep any training sessions short & be consistent with how you do it. Staffies are very intelligent & love to learn but will push the boundaries when they can