Should the whole family follow the same puppy routine?

Puppies build associations through repetition, so if one person allows something, like jumping up for greeting, while another consistently discourages it, the puppy receives mixed signals that slow down learning any behavior reliably.

A short household conversation about meal times, sleeping arrangements, allowed furniture and basic training words before collection day prevents a lot of confusion and disagreement once the puppy is actually there.

Write the agreed rules down somewhere visible, a note on the fridge or a shared phone note, rather than trusting everyone to remember a single conversation from before the puppy arrived. This matters especially for occasional visitors like grandparents who were not part of the original discussion.

Agree specifically on the exact words used for common cues, sit, down, off, so a puppy is not hearing get down from one person and off from another for the same request, since even small wording differences can slow down how quickly a cue is learned.

Revisit the household rules every month or so as the puppy grows, since a rule that made sense for an 8 week old puppy, such as always carrying it up the stairs, may need a deliberate, agreed update once the puppy is older and the original reasoning no longer applies. A brief monthly check in, even five minutes over coffee, keeps everyone genuinely aligned rather than assuming the original plan still holds, especially as new situations and questions inevitably come up along the way.