Bringing Your Cavapoo Puppy Home: Your First Week Checklist

Updated April 2026 · ~7 min read

The day your Cavapoo puppy comes home is equal parts excitement and nervous energy — for you and your pup. The good news: a little preparation goes a long way. After raising Cavapoos for families across Arkansas, we’ve watched dozens of families navigate that first week, and the ones who feel most confident have one thing in common: they know what to expect before the puppy walks through the door.

This is the checklist we wish every new Cavapoo family had in their hands the night before pickup.

1. What to buy before pickup

Walk into your pickup day with everything ready at home. Trying to run to the store with an 8-week-old puppy in tow is stressful for everyone. Here’s what actually matters:

Essentials

• Crate — a small wire crate with a divider, or a plastic travel crate sized for a 14-lb adult. You want it snug for a puppy, not cavernous.
• Puppy food — the same brand your breeder is feeding, at least for the first two weeks. Sudden food changes upset puppy stomachs.
• Shallow food and water bowls — stainless steel or ceramic. Plastic harbors bacteria.
• Collar and lightweight leash — even if you won’t walk outside for a few weeks, practicing inside matters.
• Puppy pads or a dedicated potty spot — more on this below.
• Enzyme cleaner (like Nature’s Miracle) — for accidents. Regular household cleaners don’t fully break down urine enzymes, and dogs go back to the same spot.
• A few safe chew toys — KONG puppy toys, Nylabone puppies, soft rope toys. Avoid rawhide and anything that breaks into hard shards.

Nice to have

• A baby gate or exercise pen to block off rooms and create a safe zone.
• A snuggle-style plush toy (some even have a heartbeat) — eases the first few nights away from littermates.
• Grooming basics: a slicker brush, nail clippers, puppy-safe shampoo. Cavapoo coats need early, gentle brushing introduction.

2. Day one: the ride home and first hours

Pickup day is huge — resist the urge to make it bigger than it needs to be. The quieter you can keep day one, the better your puppy settles in.

The ride home

Bring a towel or blanket that you can wash later. Cavapoo puppies often experience their first real car ride during pickup, and a little drooling or car sickness is common. If the drive is over an hour, plan a short potty stop at a rest area or parking lot — not a crowded pet store. Your pup isn’t fully vaccinated yet, so high-traffic dog spots are off-limits.

The first hour at home

Take your puppy straight to the designated potty spot. Let them sniff, walk around, and relieve themselves. Praise quietly when they do. Then bring them inside, show them their crate and water, and give them space to explore one room — not the whole house.

Families who go slow on day one almost always report smoother first weeks. Puppies who are passed hand-to-hand, photographed constantly, or introduced to every neighbor on night one tend to be over-tired, overstimulated, and more likely to have accidents or refuse dinner.

3. Potty training: the first 48 hours

At 8–10 weeks old, a Cavapoo puppy can generally hold their bladder for one hour per month of age, give or take. That’s roughly every 2 hours during the day at first. The three non-negotiable potty times:

• Immediately after waking up (even from a 20-minute nap).
• Immediately after eating or drinking (within 10–15 minutes).
• After any play session (excitement = full bladder).

Pick one word for the act (“go potty,” “hurry up,” whatever) and use it every time. Within a week, that word becomes a cue. Praise the moment they finish — quiet, warm praise works better than wild celebration, which can distract them mid-stream.

Accidents will happen

Don’t punish them. Don’t rub their nose in it (this is an outdated, harmful technique). Just clean with enzyme cleaner and take them to the potty spot next time before they have a chance to go inside.

4. Crate training and sleep

The first few nights are often the hardest part of puppyhood. Your Cavapoo has spent eight weeks sleeping in a warm pile of siblings. Alone in a crate, they will likely cry. Stay consistent anyway — and here’s how:

Crate setup

• Place the crate in your bedroom, next to the bed. Isolation in a spare room almost guarantees a sleepless first week.
• A soft blanket, a safe chew toy, and optionally the heartbeat snuggle plush.
• No water inside the crate at night — they’ll need to potty otherwise.

The first night routine

About 30 minutes before bed: no food, no water, light play. Take puppy to the potty spot one final time. Put them in the crate with minimal fanfare. Expect whining. It typically peaks around 15–30 minutes, then subsides. If the whining sounds urgent and rhythmic after the settling period, take them out to potty (no play, no talking) and back to the crate.

5. Feeding schedule and food transition

At 8–10 weeks, feed three times a day: breakfast, lunch, and early dinner (by 5–6 PM so their last drink/potty can happen well before bed). Follow the portion guidance on the puppy food bag for their projected adult weight.

If you plan to switch brands, do it gradually over 7–10 days: 75% old / 25% new, then 50/50, then 25/75. An abrupt switch is a guaranteed upset stomach.

6. Socialization in week one

Socialization is the single biggest long-term gift you can give your puppy — but it doesn’t mean “meet every dog at the park.” Until vaccinations are complete (usually around 16 weeks), focus on:

• Sounds: vacuum, doorbell, hair dryer, dishwasher, thunderstorms on YouTube — at low volume first.
• Surfaces: tile, hardwood, grass, carpet, gravel, a puppy-safe welcome mat.
• People: various ages and appearances — hats, glasses, beards. Calm adults, not a chaotic crowd.
• Car rides: short, positive. Don’t only drive them to the vet.
• Handling: paw touches, gentle ear checks, tooth checks. Two minutes a day prevents a grooming nightmare at 6 months.

7. Common first-week worries

“She’s not eating much.”

Some puppies skip a meal or two from stress. Offer a meal, wait 15 minutes, pick it up if uneaten. Don’t leave food out to graze — free-feeding makes potty training harder. If a puppy won’t eat for more than 24 hours, call your vet; small puppies can drop blood sugar quickly.

“He’s sleeping so much.”

Good. Cavapoo puppies need 18–20 hours of sleep a day. If they’re napping often and waking up energized, that’s normal.

“She’s biting my hands constantly.”

Completely normal puppy behavior. Redirect to a chew toy every single time. Never use hands as toys — it’s cute at 8 weeks and painful at 6 months. If biting escalates during play, calmly end the play session for 30 seconds. They learn fast.

“Loose stools on day two.”

Often stress-related from the transition. If it lasts more than 48 hours, contains blood, or is accompanied by vomiting or lethargy, call your vet.

Questions we didn’t cover? Our Cavapoo Guide has more on F1 vs. F1B differences, grooming, and temperament. Or reach out directly — we love hearing from families during their first week and beyond.