Should I take time off work when I bring a puppy home?

Close supervision during the first several days catches accidents before they happen, helps a puppy settle into a routine faster, and gives you the chance to observe eating, sleeping and toileting patterns you will rely on going forward.

Rather than going straight from constant supervision to a full working day, practicing short periods alone in the days before you return to work helps a puppy adjust to the change more smoothly.

Use the days off deliberately rather than spending them constantly entertaining the puppy, since the goal includes teaching it to cope with normal quiet stretches and short absences, not just providing maximum attention for a week before suddenly disappearing for eight hours.

Establish the toilet routine, crate comfort and basic house rules as the priority during this window, since these are the pieces that are hardest to fix later if they start off inconsistent, compared to more advanced training that can reasonably wait until things settle.

If taking a full week off is not possible, even two or three days combined with a gradual, planned build up of alone time beforehand covers much of the same ground, so do not skip the preparation entirely just because the ideal amount of time is not available. Even a modest amount of dedicated early time pays off noticeably in how quickly a puppy settles into its new routine, and most employers are understanding about a short adjustment period for a new pet.