Preparing Your Puppy to Come Home with You
Bringing home a puppy is a very exciting time for a family. But let’s be honest, it can feel a little overwhelming. There are lots of questions.
- Will the puppy adjust well?
- Are we ready?
- Have we gotten everything the puppy needs to thrive?
- Has our new puppy had a good start in life?
Here at Walnut Valley Puppies, the decisions we make are focused on setting your puppy up for the best life possible. From choosing the parents to the daily handling of the puppies, we're intentional about giving them a strong, healthy, and confident start.
The following is a brief overview of some of the key areas that we focus on. FYI, you'll find lots more of this across the website, so be sure to dig deeper for more details!
It Starts Before The Puppies Are Even Born
A puppy's future health begins with their parents. We don't breed just any dog. Our parent dogs are carefully selected through a variety of comprehensive health tests, including DNA panels and hip and elbow evaluations.
Not only are our parents health tested, but their babies are covered by our genetic health guarantee - a three years guarantee, extendable to five when you follow our nutrition recommendations. See our health guarantee page for more details. This guarantee is not just a policy; it's a promise that shows how strongly we believe in the health of the puppies we raise.
Early Neurological Stimulation: Small Moments That Make a Big Difference
A puppy’s development starts at a very young age. Between days 3 and 16 of life, something incredible is happening in a puppy's brain. During this window, we practice Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS). ENS involves gentle handling exercises that research shows can improve stress tolerance, immune function, and adaptability.
It may sound small, but puppies that go through ENS exercises tend to be more confident, curious, and resilient as they grow older. Thanks to their ENS exercises, their brains have experience in responding to new sights, sounds, and feelings, and they are not as easily overwhelmed by all the sensations around them. This means that they handle new situations better, they bounce back faster, and they're often easier to train. Read all about this in our ENS blog.
Socialization Isn't an Accident—It's Daily Work
Puppy socialization is another large parge of setting your puppy up for success. At Walnut Valley Puppies, we don't just expect socialization to happen naturally. Instead, we build it into the rhythm of our daily life here.
Our puppies are handled by multiple people, and often have interaction with our own kids. By the time they come home to you, they've already experienced dozens of things that could otherwise be scary in a new home. That means fewer fears, less anxiety, and a smoother transition for everyone.
Having spent many hours with us before they go home with you, our puppies are well prepared to meet their new forever family. Our customer feedback shows how much of a difference this makes. It's so much fun to hear them talking about how well their puppies are socialized when they go to their new homes. 😍
Crate and Potty Training Foundations
We speak from experience. The first few weeks at home with your puppy can be tough when it comes to potty training. So, we’re giving you a head start with a few of the essential training aspects.
The environment our puppies are in is a great start for potty training. They have a regular indoor area where they eat and sleep access to an outside area through a doggie door. Amazingly, by the time they are five or six weeks old they consistently use outside area as their bathroom. Your puppy won't be fully trained when they arrive to your home, but they'll have a foundation that makes your job so much easier. Check out some of our helpful tips on potty-training your new puppy here!
Crate training is also highly recommended for puppies. While we're not saying it has to be done, we do strongly encourage it. There are so many reasons to do it! After years of encouraging our families to crate train their puppies, we decided it's time to “practice what we preach” and start the process for them! We now start crate training the puppies at a young age. By the time they go home, they have had a few weeks of crate training. Again, we are not saying that your puppy will not cry in their crate the first night or two at home, but they have a great start and will often be much quicker adapt to their new crate in their new home.
Full Veterinary Care and Records
Proper vaccination and deworming is another very important aspect in a puppy’s early life. We are proud of our vaccination program and can confidently say that your puppy will be up-to-date on dewormings as well as have the best vaccination program when they go home. Before your puppy comes home they receive a full vet health check, deworming on schedule, their first rounds of vaccinations, and their microchip.
You'll also get the health records when you pick up your puppy. This way, when you take your puppy to your vet the first time, you will be able to give them the health record and they will take the vaccination and deworming from there. No surprises, no guesswork—just a healthy puppy and a clear path forward!
A Puppy Starter Pack
When your puppy leaves, they come with more than just a leash. We also send them home with:
- The food they've been eating
- A scented blanket that smells like their littermates
- A collar, leash, and a few toys
- All their health and microchip paperwork
- And more
These small comforts help them settle in faster and feel safe in those first few days.
Safe, Stress-Free Delivery
Whether you're picking up locally or we're delivering your puppy across the country, we handle every detail with care. We do not use outside puppy nannies but rather personally deliver all our puppies. Read more about our delivery options on our policy page.
Your puppy's comfort and safety during the journey matter just as much as everything that came before it!
We're Here for the Long Haul
Our relationship with you doesn't end at pickup. We stay in touch for the following days and years. Whether you have questions about training, nutrition, behavior, or health concerns down the road—we're just a call or text away.
Lifetime support is how we operate. We genuinely care about how your puppy does in your home!
Why This All Matters
We've been doing this for years as a family. In that time, we've raised dozens of litters and placed hundreds of puppies in happy homes. And, over the years, we've learned some of what really makes a difference. Because we care about our customers and puppies, we spend countless hours and thousands of dollars in preparing our puppies for their new home.
What we've learned is this: preparation matters!! The care we put in during those first 8-10 weeks shapes so much that comes after—temperament, health, trainability, and how well a puppy adapts to their new life.
While we are keenly aware that mistakes are made and not all is perfect, we're trying to do right by every puppy and every family we work with. That's been our goal from the beginning, and it's what drives everything we do!
Ready to Bring Home a Puppy Who's Truly Prepared?
If you want a Bernedoodle who's healthy, confident, and ready to become part of your family—you're in the right place.
Check out our available puppies or reach out to join our reservation list. We'd love to talk with you about what you're looking for and how we can help.
Your puppy's story starts here. Let's make it a great one!
