Your Weimaraner puppy's first 72 hours
Keep the first three days quiet and predictable: a calm trip home, lots of sleep, frequent toilet trips, gentle introductions and an early vet check.
The first three days are about one thing: helping your puppy feel safe. Everything else, from house rules to training, builds on that. Plan a quiet few days at home, keep the routine simple and repetitive, and let your puppy sleep far more than you expect. This guide is part of our complete guide to caring for a Weimaraner puppy, and the puppies hub has the rest of the series.
Key takeaways
- Keep it quiet: one or two rooms, few visitors, and plenty of undisturbed sleep.
- Take your puppy to the same toilet spot after every sleep, meal and play, and reward them straight away.
- Book a vet check soon after arrival; your vet sets the vaccination and parasite plan.
The journey home
Bring a helper, so one person can drive while the other keeps the puppy calm and safe. A secure travel crate with a familiar-smelling blanket inside is the safest option for most cars; check the restraint rules where you live, because they vary. Pack towels, kitchen roll and a spare blanket in case of accidents or travel sickness, plus a lead and harness for any toilet stop.
Ask the breeder or rescue for:
Collect before you leave
- A blanket or toy that smells of the litter (the RSPCA suggests bringing one home)1
- The name of the food your puppy eats, and when they were last fed
- Microchip number and registration paperwork
- Any vaccination, worming and vet records
- The breeder's or rescue's contact details for questions later
If your journey is long, stop somewhere quiet for toilet breaks. Choose spots unlikely to be used by lots of unknown dogs, such as a clean patch of verge rather than a busy dog area, and ask your vet or breeder about what is sensible before your puppy's vaccinations are complete.
The first hour
Carry your puppy straight to their toilet spot before you go inside. Wait quietly. If they go, praise softly and give a small treat the moment they finish: RSPCA Australia advises rewarding within a second or two, not once you are back indoors.2
Then let your puppy explore one room at their own pace. Sit on the floor, stay calm and let them come to you. Show them their water, their bed and a couple of toys. Resist the urge to invite everyone over: one or two calm people is plenty. Offer a small meal of their usual food if it is a mealtime, and expect them to eat less than usual on the first day.
Then help them nap. A puppy who has just left their litter is tired, even if they look wide awake. A partly covered crate, a pen or a bed in a quiet corner, close enough that they can see or hear you, makes it easier. AVSAB says crates should serve as comfort or play areas.3 Never use one as a punishment. Our crate comfort guide explains how to make one a good place.
Sleep and night one
Most puppies cry on the first night or two. They have never slept without their littermates, so this is normal, not a problem to fix with firmness. The kindest and usually quickest approach is to have your puppy sleep close to you at first: a crate or bed beside your bed, or you sleeping near the puppy in the room you have chosen. You can move them gradually to their long-term sleeping spot over the following weeks, if you want to.
- Wind down. A quiet play, a last toilet trip and lights low.
- Settle them close by. The litter blanket in their bed, and you within reach.
- Respond calmly. If your puppy wakes and cries, they may need the toilet. Carry them out, keep it boring, praise when they go, and go straight back to bed.
- Comfort without a party. A quiet voice or a hand near the crate is fine. Play and lights on at 3am teach that night-time is fun.
- Expect early mornings. A young puppy cannot hold on all night yet. That improves with age.
During the day, protect naps. The RSPCA advises giving your puppy a calm place where they can rest undisturbed, because growing and learning is tiring.1 A puppy who is biting, zooming or barking at everything is very often over-tired. Pop them in their quiet spot with a chew, and they will usually fall asleep within moments.
Toileting rhythm
RSPCA Australia recommends taking your puppy to their toileting area first thing in the morning, after a nap and after a meal, and watching for signs such as sniffing the ground or circling.2 Add after play and whenever your puppy wakes up, and you have the rhythm that works for most young puppies.
- Go to the same spot each time, on lead if your garden is not secure.
- Stay quiet and let them sniff. Once they go, praise and reward straight away.2
- You can add a cue, such as "go toilet", while they are going, so later it helps prompt them.2
- If nothing happens, go back inside, supervise closely, and try again shortly.
- Never punish an accident, and never rub a puppy's nose in it: RSPCA Australia is clear on this.2 Clean up with a non-ammonia cleaner.
Supervision is the secret. When you cannot watch your puppy, use a pen, crate or puppy-safe room, so accidents and chewing do not happen while you are not looking.
Meeting the household
Children. Ask children to sit on the floor and let the puppy come to them. Show them how to stroke gently along the side and back, and to stop when the puppy moves away. Puppies need breaks from children, and children need breaks from sharp puppy teeth. Never leave young children and a puppy together unsupervised. Give the puppy a place children do not go, such as a pen or crate, and make it a house rule.
Other dogs. Introduce a resident dog calmly, ideally in the garden first, with both on loose leads or with a fence or gate between them. Keep early meetings short. Older dogs often find puppies exhausting, so give your older dog puppy-free spaces and time, and step in kindly if the puppy keeps pestering. Feed them apart.
Cats. Let your cat set the pace. Keep the puppy on a lead or behind a gate, give the cat high escape routes and a puppy-free room, and reward your puppy for looking at the cat calmly, then looking away. A gundog puppy's interest in a running cat is strong, so take it slowly.
Visitors. It is tempting to show your puppy to everyone in the first weekend. Hold off. Over the coming weeks, calm, kind visitors are an important part of socialisation, as AVSAB explains.3 In the first three days, keep it to a few.
The first vet appointment
Book a check-up soon after your puppy comes home. Your vet sets the plan for vaccinations, worming, flea and tick prevention and food, because it depends on where you live and on your puppy's history. Take every bit of paperwork from the breeder or rescue, and a few small treats so the visit is pleasant.
Questions to ask at the first vet visit
- Which vaccinations has my puppy had, and what is the plan from here?
- What parasite prevention do you recommend where we live?
- Is my puppy's current food suitable, and how should I change food if needed?
- Which places are safe to visit while vaccinations are in progress?
- When is my puppy eligible for a puppy class?
- When should we talk about desexing, and what do you recommend for my dog?
- Is the microchip registered, and how do I update the details?
- Who do I call after hours in an emergency?
RSPCA Australia also advises that your puppy is microchipped, wears a collar with an ID tag, and is registered with your local council where that applies.4 The puppy roadmap can turn your vet's plan into dated reminders.
What not to do yet
What you can do, from day one, is gentle socialisation at home and from your arms: new sounds, surfaces and calm people. AVSAB says socialisation should start before vaccinations are complete.3 Our socialisation checklist shows how to start.
Common questions
Should I let my puppy cry it out on the first night?
We suggest keeping your puppy close at first and responding calmly, especially when they may need the toilet. Settling alone is something you teach gradually over the coming weeks.
My puppy is not eating much. Is that normal?
Many puppies eat less for the first day or two after a big change. If you are worried, or your puppy seems unwell, call your vet.
What comes after the first three days?
Read the first 30 days with a Weimaraner puppy for routine, alone time, handling and puppy class.
Footnotes
Sources
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