The Puppy Guide

A safer, calmer
starting point
for your puppy.

Bringing home a puppy is a lot. The advice is loud. The pet aisle is worse. And somehow every product claims to be essential. This guide is here to make the first weeks feel simpler.

Not a perfect puppy routine. Not a miracle fix. Just a calmer place to start.

Before you begin · First 7 days · Slow Feeder · Lick Mat · Coffee Wood Chew · Rubber Ring · Routines · Safety

Before you begin

Puppies do not need
everything at once.

Your puppy is learning the world through their mouth, nose, body and nervous system. New textures, new smells, new sounds, new people, new routines. It is a lot.

The goal is not to keep them busy every second. The goal is to help them feel safe, give them appropriate outlets, and build calm associations with everyday life.

Research on early training and socialisation suggests that puppy training before 6 months is linked with reduced adult aggression, compulsive behaviour, destructive behaviour and excessive barking. Early socialisation can also reduce fear and anxiety outcomes, especially when exposure is broad, gentle and appropriate.

Feed slowly.

Give safe things to chew.

Use enrichment to support calm, not chaos.

Start with one item at a time. Go slowly. Watch your puppy. Adjust as you learn.

How to start

The first 7 days.
Keep it boring.

For the first week, your puppy does not need a complicated enrichment schedule. They need predictability.

Day 1 to 2Slow feeder for one meal
Day 2 to 3Lick mat with a familiar food
Day 3 to 4Coffee wood chew for a short supervised session
Day 4 to 5Natural rubber ring for gentle play
Day 5 onwardRotate based on what your puppy enjoys

Keep first sessions short. Five minutes is enough. Stopping while it is still going well is better than pushing until your puppy becomes frantic, frustrated or overtired.

Food-grade silicone

The Slow Feeder

For fast meals and tiny chaos.

Puppies often eat like they have somewhere urgent to be. The slow feeder helps make meals last longer by encouraging your puppy to work around the raised grooves instead of inhaling food from a flat bowl.

Slow feeding studies show that slow feeding methods can extend meal duration, reduce food-seeking behaviour, increase activity, and in fast-eating dogs may reduce sympathetic activation after meals.

When to use it

Gulps meals
Finishes quickly and immediately searches for more
Seems frantic around food
Needs a simple daily enrichment moment
Would benefit from a more structured mealtime

How to introduce it

Start with their normal food. Do not make it too difficult on day one. The aim is slower eating, not a puppy rage puzzle.

Add a small amount of food first
Press wet food lightly into the grooves
Scatter dry food loosely if they are new to it
Place on a flat surface
Use the suction base if needed
Stay nearby and observe
Wash after each use

What to watch for

A little persistence is normal. Frustration is not the goal. If your puppy paws at it, barks, gives up or becomes frantic, make it easier. Use softer food, fewer grooves, or a smaller amount to start. You can build difficulty later.

Food-grade silicone

The Lick Mat

For licking, settling and little moments of pause.

Licking can be a useful calming activity for puppies. It gives their mouth something repetitive to do and can help create a slower, more focused moment.

The lick mat is not for a full meal. That is the slow feeder's job. This is for soft food, short sessions and gentle settling.

When to use it

During witching hour
After a walk or training session
While you take a work call
Before guests arrive
During grooming practice
As part of crate or pen conditioning
When your puppy needs help shifting down a gear

How to introduce it

Use something familiar first. Start with a thin layer. Freeze later once your puppy understands what to do.

Wet puppy food
Plain yoghurt if tolerated
Mashed pumpkin
Xylitol-free peanut butter
Soaked kibble mashed into a paste
Cottage cheese if tolerated

Need more ideas? See our lick mat ideas guide →

What to watch for

You want steady licking. Not biting. Not frantic scraping. If your puppy tries to carry it, place it on top of the slow feeder and use the suction base to help keep it stable. Always wash after use.

Upcycled coffee wood

The Coffee Wood Chew

For the puppy who needs to chew because of course they do.

Puppies chew when they are teething. They chew when they are tired. They chew when they are overstimulated. They chew when your shoes are apparently irresistible. The goal is not to stop chewing. The goal is to give them better things to chew.

Made from retired coffee trees. Dense, additive-free and designed to wear down gradually into softer, brush-like fibres rather than sharp splinters.

When to use it

During supervised quiet time
After a short play or training session
When your puppy is seeking something to gnaw
During evening wind-down
As an alternative to chewing furniture, shoes or hands

How to introduce it

Keep the first session short. Offer when your puppy is calm, not already wild.

Hold one end at first if they need help learning
Let them sniff, lick and explore it
Supervise closely
Put it away after a few minutes
Bring it back another time

For puppies, the chew should always be large enough that it cannot be swallowed. Size up if your puppy is a strong chewer.

What is normal

Light fraying and small soft fibres are normal. That is how coffee wood wears. If your puppy is breaking off large chunks, remove and discontinue use. Replace once small enough to swallow.

FSC-certified natural rubber

The Natural Rubber Ring

For play, carrying, chewing and redirecting tiny teeth.

Made from FSC-certified natural rubber and lightly vanilla scented. Suitable for gentle tug, fetch, carrying and supervised chewing.

Your research points to concerns with some plastic dog toys, including detectable BPA and phthalates in leachates from plastic toys. Natural rubber is a useful material choice because it is solid and better suited to daily use than many plastics.

When to use it

For gentle tug
For short fetch games
When your puppy wants to carry something
To redirect from hands, sleeves or furniture
As part of a toy rotation

How to introduce it

Make it social first. Puppies often value what you make interesting.

Drag it gently along the floor
Offer a short tug game
Swap it for a treat
Put it away after play
Bring it out again later

Do not leave every toy available all day. Dogs often engage more when items are rotated and reintroduced with interest.

What to watch for

Check the ring regularly. Natural rubber can show wear, especially with determined chewers. Remove it if you see splits, loose pieces, or chunks coming away. Supervision matters. Even better materials still need common sense.

Before you recycle it

The Box.
Use it once more first.

Your puppy does not know this is packaging. To them, it is a sniffing, rustling, treat-finding opportunity.

Remove stickers or anything sticky
Scrunch the tissue paper
Hide a few pieces of kibble or treats inside
Fold the box flaps inward
Place it on the floor
Let your puppy investigate

Sniffing is great. Pawing is fine. Ripping is also pretty normal. Eating cardboard is where we stop. Supervise and remove pieces if your puppy starts swallowing them. When done, recycle the box and tissue paper.

Simple puppy routines