Two Weeks With Malcolm: What Puppyhood Has Reminded Me So Far

It’s now two weeks and three days since we brought our boxer puppy, Malcolm, home.

Even as an experienced dog owner and trainer, it’s always easy to forget just how intense puppyhood can be. Malcolm, like all puppies really, was a sweet little thing who was quiet and affectionate in his first few days here, and over the last two weeks has grown (also physically!) into a playful puppy full of personality, with a little wild side.

I have been following my Puppy Plan day by day with Malcolm, which you can follow along with and watch as I socialise and train him in real time on my TikTok channel .

It’s tempting to jump straight into training sit, stay, lie down etc. with your new puppy, and while there’s no harm in that, these first few weeks have much bigger priorities. The focus right now is really all about making Malcolm feel safe and allowing our bond to form.

We are passively planting the seeds of more formal training that we’ll do down the line, e.g. rewarding Malcolm for following me around the house is sowing the seeds of loose leash walking. Teaching Malcolm his name and rewarding him for coming when called is sowing the seeds of recall. But all of that more formal everyday manners training can wait.

While we have been working through our plan and forming a connection, a few key things have stood out to me which I’d like to share with you.

1. Don’t underestimate the degree to which puppies need to chew

Before you bring your puppy home, invest in approximately one million chew toys of varying types, and then get 20 more.

Don’t keep them all in one toy basket either. Have them scattered throughout the house so that you can quickly redirect your puppy onto an appropriate chewing outlet when they start biting your feet, your hands, your clothes, or whatever else happens to be closest.

And remember, chewing and biting is not something that you stop. It’s something that you manage. If you’re concerned that your puppy is biting too much, don’t be. It will pass, but it needs management in the meantime.

Getting caught with those sharp puppy teeth can really hurt sometimes, but try not to get upset with your puppy. They are literally just a baby and they don’t know any better. All they know is that their gums are sore and they need to chew. Work with them to help them through it, rather than against them.

I bought Malcolm a tube of teething gel from the pet shop, which does seem to help with his discomfort somewhat, although I can confirm it is not a miracle worker.

2. Overtiredness is hard to avoid

Puppies need about 16 to 20 hours of sleep per day, but they don’t know that!

You may notice your puppy having a burst of intense energy in the evening, sometimes called the puppy “witching hour”, where they become more frantic, do zoomies, bite harder and generally become harder to manage. Very often, this is cumulative tiredness finally catching up with them and what they actually need is sleep.

The important thing to remember is that a tired puppy often looks like the exact opposite of tired. Settle them for multiple naps throughout the day to try to avoid overtiredness building up.

Despite your best efforts, you may still see this behaviour in the evenings while they learn how to wind themselves down, which is really testament to just how much rest they actually need.

3. Puppy proofing doesn’t replace supervision

I cannot stress enough how absolutely constant supervision is needed from the moment you bring your puppy home.

Even if you are fully confident that every wire is tucked away, every shoe is out of reach and every potentially dangerous item has been stored away, if your puppy is unsupervised for a moment, they will find something they shouldn’t or get into somewhere they shouldn’t. Usually something you would never in a million years have imagined them finding.

If your puppy can’t be immediately under your nose, they need to be placed somewhere safe, such as a playpen. I wouldn’t use a crate for this purpose, particularly in the early stages, as crate comfort needs to be built up very gradually (the full step-by-step process for this is included in my Puppy Plan).

For example, when showering, I set Malcolm up with a mat in the bathroom with the door closed and a Kong smeared with a little peanut butter to keep him busy until I was finished. When cooking, I had him set up on the couch in front of me with a chew toy.

If your puppy is out of sight, and particularly if you suddenly can’t hear them, there is a very good chance they are getting into something they shouldn’t. Aside from allowing bad habits to develop, this can obviously also be very dangerous.

4. Toilet training is simpler than you might think

I find that one of the biggest concerns new puppy owners have is getting their puppy toilet trained ASAP.

There will be accidents in the first few weeks, but ultimately, the recipe is actually very simple: bring your puppy out to toilet immediately after absolutely everything. Immediately after waking up, after eating, after drinking, after playing, after getting excited, after basically anything happens.

It adds up to far more trips to the garden than you might expect!

If your puppy has an accident in the house, which again, will happen despite your best efforts, it’s probably because you simply didn’t get them outside quickly enough. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Clean it up, move on, and make a mental note to get them outside a little sooner next time.

5. They’re only babies once

It’s very easy to get wrapped up in how fast can I get them toilet trained, how fast can I get them crate trained, how fast can I get them to stop biting, how fast can I get them sleeping through the night.

Sometimes you have to remind yourself to stop and smell the roses.

Puppyhood is intense and tiring and pee-stained and bitey. It is also wonderful and funny and ridiculous and only happens once.

Very soon, the tiny puppy who follows you into the bathroom, falls asleep in strange positions and thinks your feet are chew toys will be a grown dog. You will miss more of it than you think.

So the number one priority in these first few weeks is to have fun with your puppy, savour it as much as you can, and be the best human possible for them. They deserve it.

I’m continuing to share Malcolm’s Puppy Plan in real time on TikTok including the exercises, socialisation and training we’re working through each day. And if cute puppy photos are more your thing, you can also follow us on Instagram .

If you have a puppy coming home soon, or you’ve recently brought one home and want a little more structure around those first few weeks, you can also find out more about my personalised Puppy Plan consultations .

The Puppy Plan takes you through those early weeks step by step, so you know what to focus on now, what can wait, and how to build the foundations for the dog you want to live with later.

And in the meantime, I’ll keep sharing how Malcolm and I are getting on, wild side and all!