As your puppy settles in, you will soon learn what works best for you both, but in the meantime here are a few tips to help you.

Bringing home a German Shepherd puppy is an exciting time, but that can change very quickly if your puppy gets into everything and causes chaos in the home. In order to prevent problems, take the opportunity to make your house and garden as puppy safe as possible before you collect him.

German Shepherd puppies are like young inquisitive toddlers, they will keep you on your toes getting into everything.
Anything on the floor is fair game to them, so try to imagine life through their eyes and keep as much as possible off the floor including dangerous items such as electrical wires, plants and poisonous items.

Crates are fantastic for managing the safety and well-being of your puppy, and when used properly they are invaluable for keeping him safe, establishing good habits, house training and preventing problem behaviours.

Give some thought to any areas of your home you may want to be off limits, child safety gates are ideal to separate rooms and stairs.

Your garden fence should be secure with no gaps where your puppy could escape, and with a height of 6ft minimum.

The next couple of days & nights are going to be quite traumatic for your puppy. He has spent the last 7 - 8 weeks in familiar surroundings with the company of his mum and litter mates, as well as his human family. So he is going to feel insecure for a while until he adjusts, especially if there are no other dogs in his new home.

For the journey home your puppy will be safest in a crate in the back of the car. Line the crate with some newspaper and a blanket. He will cry to start with but should soon settle and hopefully sleep for most of the journey.

Take things slowly in the first couple of days, do not overwhelm your puppy with too many new experiences. Your puppy is still a baby and will need lots of sleep, do not let children disturb him while sleeping, if he doesn't get an adequate amount of sleep he will become grumpy and irritable. It can help to keep the blanket with his mum's scent on, in his crate/bed for a couple of days, and a covered hot water bottle or small heat pad (obtainable from large pet stores) will also help him settle.

Do not rush to introduce the puppy to your other pets and do not allow him to continually pester other dogs/cats in the household. Your other pets will require time away from an excitable puppy and time alone with you to ensure they are not feeling left out.

Don't worry if your puppy doesn't eat when you first get him home, simply pick the food up and try again later. As he gets used to his new surroundings his appetite will return. Continue to feed the food I have given you, do not change his food as you could
cause stomache upset.

If you have a crate, feed your puppy in there. This will help him associate the crate with good things and will help avoid any possible food aggression if there are other dogs in the household.

Do not leave your puppy loose and unattended with other dogs, an older dog can tell a puppy off or simply play too rough and
severely injure a young puppy.

The first night home with your new puppy can be a trying experience for both of you. It’s the first time your puppy has spent the night away from his litter mates. Because dogs are pack animals, your puppy knows instinctively that being separated from the pack is dangerous. Whining and crying at night is your puppy’s way of calling for his pack to find him.

Personally I do not believe in leaving a puppy in the kitchen screaming for hours, it only distresses them, you and possibly your neighbours. The following method is what has worked for me and my dogs. I find the puppy settles in much quicker and its much less stressful for you and him.

Shortly before you go to bed, spend some time playing with your puppy and take him outside to toilet. You want him to be tired enough to sleep, do not let him sleep within an hour of bedtime or he will be ready to play when you’re ready to sleep.

Letting your puppy sleep in a crate in your bedroom will reduce the chances of whining or crying during the night, and your presence will help him settle. If you cannot take, or do not want your puppy in your bedroom, you could try sleeping on the sofa with the puppy in his crate next to you. Put his blanket and a heat pad or covered hot water bottle in to help comfort him.

When your puppy starts crying, you need to decide if he has to go to the toilet or if he’s looking for attention. If he’s been quiet for a few hours and suddenly starts to whine, he may need to go out.
When you take your puppy out to toilet, carry him. Don’t let him walk there or he may go toilet before he gets outside.
Puppies have small bladders, and its likely you will have to take him out a couple of times during the night. Do not play with him, simply take him outside and once he has done his business praise him gently and return him to the crate.

If your puppy is crying and you’re sure he doesn't need the toilet, reach down into the crate and soothe him with a a little 'shush'.
Don’t be too doting or cuddle your puppy, as this will only reinforce the behaviour and he’ll cry even more. If he continues to whine, a
gruff “Quiet” should settle him. The more persistent you are in your approach, (and if you continue crate training throughout the day) the quicker he will settle.

As with any new baby, you may not get much sleep the first night with puppy. If you’re patient, consistent and understanding, your puppy will learn what you expect of him when it’s time to sleep ,and after a few nights together you both should wake up rested and ready for the day. On waking get up right away and take your puppy outside to his toilet area. Carry him. Don’t let him walk there or he may be tempted to go before he gets outside. Don't forget to praise him when he’s finished.

After a few nights when your puppy is more settled you can move the crate to your desired sleeping place. If you have continued throughout the daytime with crate training, you should find he will settle quite quickly.

 * Never Ever Use Your Crate As A Tool For Punishment! *
 
You aim is for your puppy to love the crate and choose to use it himself rather than as a contraption he associates with isolation.
 The crate should contain bedding, water and chew toys or a big raw bone. Water bowls that clip onto the side of the crate will prevent your puppy tipping the bowl over.

Try some of the tips below to make the crate inviting to your puppy.
Put the crate in the room with you and your puppy and leave the crate door open wide so he can go in and out as he pleases.

   *  Feed your puppy all of his meals in the crate with the door shut.

* Each time you put your puppy into the crate give a command word such as 'bed' and reward him with a small treat.
By doing this your puppy will soon learn to go into his crate when you say the command word.

  *  Build up the amount of time he is in the crate first when you are in the room, then step outside the room for a short time. Your puppy's first really long stretch in the crate is overnight ideally with the crate next to you.
After a couple of nights or once your puppy is settled you can leave the puppy in the crate downstairs overnight or in your
desired sleeping area.

* Before leaving your puppy in his crate alone, (ie. when you go out or at bedtime) take your puppy out for toilet and playtime, if your puppy is tired he will happily sleep in his crate.

* Always remove your dogs collar when he is being left in the crate.
His collar could get caught on the mesh and have disastrous consequences.

*  Ensure that you aren't asking your puppy to hold off from going to the toilet for longer than he is physically capable.

* Don't release your puppy from the crate while he is whining (wait for him to go quiet).
If you give in to these demands you are actually rewarding and therefore reinforcing this undesirable behavior.

* Don't fall into the trap of only crating your puppy only when you are about to leave the house.
Otherwise the crate will begin to be associated with you leaving and your puppy will become reluctant to use it.

As with any training, be patient, consistent and praise good and desired behaviour.

No matter how attentive you are in the house training process there will be accidents. Don't worry about it just ensure that you clean mistakes up thoroughly, including the use of an odor neutralizer to take away any lingering smell.

From your dogs point of view there is no right or wrong place to go to the toilet, they feel the need to go and just do it. It is our job to clearly communicate and reinforce where it is, and where it is not acceptable to go.

Take your puppy out to the toilet area as often as possible, especially immediately on waking, after eating and during playtime.
Always praise and reward good behaviour.

Biting is normal behaviour for a puppy, litter mates bite each other and play quite rough together. As such your puppy is already in the habit of biting and its down to us to teach them that it's not acceptable to bite people.

There are a few methods you can try but the one I have found to be the most effective is to give a very loud squeal every time the puppy's teeth make contact with you. It must be done the instant the puppy's teeth touch you and should be loud enough to startle the puppy. This replicates what their mother and litter mates would do, and if done by everyone, everytime the puppy bites, it usually works quite quickly. This must be followed with gentle praise and a toy that they are allowed to bite and chew.
This video link shows you how its done here.

During the age of seven to twelve weeks, mental abilities are fully formed but puppies lack experience. This is the optimum time to teach new things and is the period of fastest learning. Training during this time will actually increase your dog’s capacity to learn. Many experts agree that this socialisation stage is also the “fear imprint” stage and thus it is important that your puppy be introduced to new experiences in a very positive way.

A trained dog is a happy dog and a pleasure to own. Enrol in some training classes early so that you can start as soon as your puppy is fully vaccinated. Not only will it help you teach your dog basic obedience but he will be able to socialise with other dogs and people. Ask you vet about puppy parties and local training clubs.

Until your puppy has been fully vaccinated he must not be put on the ground outside your home. But you can carry him to enable him to become accustomed to the outside world. Then by the time your puppy can go out for a walk he will already be used to the sights and sounds. In the first few months of having your puppy you should aim for him to experience as many positive experiences
as possible such as;

Meeting children, babies, toddlers, men, women, elderly, people in uniform, postmen, people in helmets & hats. etc.

A wide variety of locations ie; other people’s homes and gardens, fields, woods, schools, busy roads, markets/car boot sales, shops (dogs are allowed in most banks, post offices & pet shops).

  Various objects such as umbrella’s, prams, wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks, gates, lawn mowers.

Fast moving objects - (do not allow chasing) bicycles, skateboards, motorbikes, cars, buses, trains, lorries, wheelchairs, motorised scooters, people jogging/running, children running/playing.

And of course other animas, dogs, cats, horses - the list is endless, just ensure all experiences are positive!

Prior to collecting your puppy....

Taking your puppy home...

The first night...

Crate training...

Important Crate Rules...

Toilet Training...

Puppy Biting...

Socialising/Training...