Bulldog puppies – cute, cuddly, wrinkles – our first impressions. BUT, once home you will quickly remember that a new puppy is much like having a new baby in the house. At least for the first week or two. Are you ready? Here are 7 tips to make the transition home easier on you and on the bulldog puppy.
Essentials:
- Food – make sure you have food on hand at home already. Save the trip to a pet store for another day once your bulldog puppy has bonded with you. It will help with ensuring a fun trip over a scary time for your new bulldog puppy. Your bulldog breeder should send you home with a few days of their kibble so that you can transition to your food over a week’s time or keep your bulldog puppy on the same food that your bulldog breeder uses. We recommend Purina Pro Plan Puppy food.
- Other food tips – soak the kibble through week 12 to help your bulldog puppy eat slower. Just soaking for ten minutes with a little water helps young puppies.
- A puzzle bowl – bulldog puppies are notorious for eating too fast. This can be a problem for any dog, but especially bulldogs with their smaller tracheas (windpipes) and squished faces. A puzzle bowl forces your puppy to slow down at each meal. Sometimes they eat so fast it is as though they forget to breath!
- Feed three times a day until past week 12, then transition to a morning and an evening feeding.
- Bedtime – ask your bulldog breeder if the puppies are sleeping through the night and if they have any tips for you. Plan to take the puppy out once to twice a night to the bathroom. Either a potty pad or outside. Use the same words each time. Let’s go potty. When they do, praise them so that they start to associate the words. Don’t get discouraged. This takes time.
- A snuggle puppy or a water bottle wrapped in a blanket along with a clock that ticks wrapped in a blanket. The snuggle puppy has a heartbeat sound and this will help your puppy that is used to sleeping with their litter mates make it through the night.
- A heating pad. Your bulldog puppy is used to the warmth of their litter mates at night. Having a small heating pad will help them. Make sure it only takes up a portion of their bed / kennel so that if they are too warm, they can move away from it.
- Cover their kennel at night or turn the lights down or off. This will be a signal that it is time to rest. Over time, this won’t be necessary, but in the beginning, we found this helps immensely.
- Toys – have a few toys for them to play with as your bulldog puppy not only had toys, but litter mates. They need interaction and plenty of playtime interspersed throughout the day. We recommend plush toys, small rope toys, and harder rubber toys made for puppies not adult dogs (needed for teething). A rubber ball made for puppies is great, too. They will love rolling it around.
- Do you have other dogs? If you have other pets, especially a dog at home already, consider getting a small towel or blanket from your bulldog breeder and bring this home a week or more in advance of bringing home your new bulldog puppy. This will allow your current pets to get used to the new scent. When you do get home with your new puppy, introduce your dogs outside – that is considered a neutral arear versus inside your home where your current dog might consider it their territory.
- Vet – make sure you have a veterinarian. One, most health contracts require your puppy be seen by your veterinarian within three days of brining them home and two, if you have an emergency – you want to already have a number to call.
- Let your new bulldog puppy wonder with you close behind to sniff and get to know their new environment. Brining them home earlier in the day will help get them acquainted and will give them a chance to eat and play with you before their first night without their litter mates.
- Consider a crate or a place for your bulldog puppy to sleep. We’ve done both. A crate and a dog bed next to our bed for comfort. Whichever you choose, do what works best for you. There are pros and cons to both options.
Enjoy! Take lots of photos and videos. They will be 35 – 55 pounds before you know it!
