Travel hints and first steps after arriving home. 

On your way home, try to maintain as much physical contact as possible with your new puppy. Do not feed the pup anything, including tidbits, until after you have arrived home. On a long trip, make a stop every 2 hours so puppy can relieve itself (on leash). If the trip lasts more than 5 hours, offer the pup a bit of water every 2 hours. After arriving home, give the pup a chance to relieve itself in a quiet area, either by carrying it there, if the area is fenced-in, or put it on leash before getting out of the car. Next, move the pup's crate temporarily to a non-carpeted area (kitchen, bathroom, etc.), and feed it inside the crate with the food provided as soon as possible. Offer it as much water as it wants outside the crate. When finished eating and drinking, immediately take it out to relieve itself again. If the relieving went well, relax and let the puppy explore the new home at it's own pace, but under your very close supervision. If it did not relieve itself, take it out again every 20 minutes until relieved. If the trip takes more than a day, and a night at a hotel/motel is necessary, feed the pup in the crate (possibly in the car) first thing after arrival, and offer it water outside the crate. Let the pup sleep inside the crate near you in the hotel room, so it can hear you breathe all night. Letting it sleep in the car overnight will cause it to cry all night and may have long lasting negative effects.

You are a strange person with a very different scent, definitely not a pack member, and therefore may well have evil intentions. While selecting the puppy, you did intimidate it by looking at it repeatedly with piercing eyes, the way a cat looks at a mouse just before killing it. And then you tried to physically harm the pup by throwing objects like balls and sticks and cans around. And those smaller people (children) are the worst, they are so unpredictable, and noisy, they really scared the pup when they tried to chase and catch it. And now it is being taken and isolated from it's familiar surroundings and playmates, in a noisy thing (car) which shakes like an earthquake. Being taken away from everything that is known and dear and precious can only lead to disaster. According to the puppies inborn pack instinct, being separated from it's pack means certain death. Not a good beginning for a new relationship.

To prove to the puppy that it's first impressions of you are incorrect and that you really mean no harm. Forget any cuddling and sweet talk, or any other "instant" remedy. The only way to get through to the puppy is by being living proof, by being a leader worthy of the pup's respect. You have to live the part to prove it. That takes time and there are no short cuts. You have to actually earn the puppy's trust, minute by minute, hour by hour, by being consistent all the time. No mood changes or outbursts of any kind, no anger or a sudden outpouring of affection for no reason, as either one will only confuse the puppy and make it suspicious of you. The best way to help the new puppy overcome it's apprehension is to let it experience it's new surroundings and it's new pack (family) at it's own pace. Unlike dogs, we people explore anything new with our eyes and remember most things in the form of pictures. Dogs are different, they explore anything new with their nose, ears and mouth, and form memories of smells and sounds and whether it's edible or not. Give it lots of opportunity to explore, sniff and play under your supervision whenever it feels like it, and let it rest and sleep without being disturbed by family members. Maintain your distance, do not force yourself onto the puppy, so puppy learns to come to you. After a few days it will become accustomed to all the new smells and sounds of your home and realize it not only survived the ordeal, but had a lot of fun making new friends. A puppy's first impressions are the deepest and longest lasting; make sure they all are as positive as possible. That's why one of the most important first things for you to do, is to feed the pup some of the dog food that came with the pup as soon as you get home. Raintree pups are crate trained and prefer being fed inside a crate. Also offer it some of the water you received (outside the crate) right after arrival, and keep it available to the pup until 2 hours before bed time. Remember to give the pup a chance to relieve itself within 15 minutes after feeding and immediately after prolonged periods of sleep. After waking up in the morning, the pup must be taken outside in a straight line, so you have to be ready and dressed before opening the crate door.

Hope this helps.

*Reprinted from Real German Shepherd Dogs web site.