The First Few Days With Jasper
Last Monday I made the trip to Vermont to pick up Jasper, my new Belgian Tervuren puppy. Jasper is related to my older Tervuren, Storm, and I have very high hopes for this little guy.
The ride home was about four hours, and honestly he handled it incredibly well for such a young puppy. Once we got home, I introduced him carefully to my dogs through the gazebo fencing first so everyone could safely observe each other without pressure. He had his first meal, a few new toys, and plenty of one-on-one attention to help him settle in.
One thing that immediately stood out to me was how intelligent and confident he is already. He already knows his name and when I call “Jasper, come!” he comes running over excitedly.
Over the next day, I introduced him to each of my dogs individually before allowing more group interaction. I’m very careful with puppy introductions because early experiences matter. So far, Jasper has handled the transition beautifully.
For the first two nights, Jasper slept in a crate right on my bed so I could quickly comfort him and help him settle back down anytime he woke up. Now, just a few days later, he’s already sleeping quietly through the night in a crate next to one of my other dogs.
Four days in, he’s confidently running around with my pack under close supervision, trying his best to chase the big dogs around the yard. He’s bold, social, and very environmentally confident already.
Of course, he’s still a puppy! He’s chewing everything in sight, including my shoes and pant legs, so there’s a lot of redirecting with appropriate toys and chews throughout the day.
Housebreaking has actually been going very smoothly overall. He’s already going outside regularly to potty, although we’ve had a couple accidents in the house, which is completely normal for a puppy this young.
So far, Jasper has been an incredibly fun addition to the household, and I’m excited to continue documenting his development as he grows.