Preparing for a New Puppy
We are a KUSA-affiliated breeder – see KUSA for registration information.
Preparing for a new puppy? This South African checklist covers everything to get ready before your Rottweiler, Boerboel or German Shepherd comes home. When you are ready, see our available puppies.
Collection day comes around faster than you think. A little preparation in the two weeks before your puppy arrives makes the difference between a chaotic first night and a calm, confident start. Here is the checklist we send every Guard Dog Puppies family.
Prepare the Space
Decide now where your puppy will sleep, eat and toilet – and keep those decisions for the first month. A crate or secure sleeping den is not a cage; used correctly it becomes your puppy’s safe place. Check your garden fencing at puppy height: if a head fits through, the puppy follows.
Buy Before, Not After
Food and water bowls, a well-fitted collar and lead, a crate or bed, safe chew toys, and the food your puppy is already eating – we send a starter supply home with every puppy, and you should continue the same diet for at least two weeks before any gradual change.
Book the Vet
Register with a veterinarian before collection day and book a general check-up within the first few days. Bring the vaccination card that comes with your puppy – your vet will schedule the remaining puppy vaccinations and deworming from it.
The First Night, Honestly
Your puppy has just left its mother and littermates – some crying on the first nights is normal, not naughtiness. Keep the puppy’s sleeping place close enough that it can hear you, take it out for a last toilet break, and be patient. Most puppies settle within three or four nights.
Start as You Mean to Continue
Everything a 60 kg adult may not do must already be off-limits for the adorable 8 kg puppy. Decide the house rules as a family before the puppy arrives, and remember: you always have a lifeline. Our lifetime breeder support means one call or WhatsApp and we will talk you through any wobble.