The First 72 Hours Program™
The First 72 Hours Can Shape the Way a Puppy or Dog Feels About Home
A brain-first settling, bonding, safety, routine, and transition program for families bringing home a puppy, young dog, guardian dog, or newly placed dog.
This is a separate, standalone program
If your breeder enrolled your puppy in Platinum Puppy Village™, your membership is free and already includes lifetime text and phone support, four weeks of training from 8–12 weeks, and 50% off all training after that. Nothing on this page is required for those families.
The First 72 Hours Program™ below is an optional standalone purchase for families who did not come through a Platinum Puppy Village™ breeder.
My breeder included my membershipStandalone Program — One-Time
$372
The first three days after a puppy or dog comes home matter.
This is the time when the dog is learning what home feels like, who is safe, where to rest, how the household moves, what routines mean, and whether people are calm enough to trust.
Many families rush into commands, visitors, outings, pressure, and correction too soon. The First 72 Hours Program™ helps families slow down and begin with safety, rest, bonding, observation, food transition awareness, potty rhythm, crate comfort, and calm brain-first support.
This program is not about doing more. It is about doing the right things first.
Settle First. Then Build.
A puppy or dog who has just come home may not be ready for pressure. They may need sleep, safety, predictability, kindness, food transition support, calm handling, and time to understand their new world.
The goal of the first 72 hours is not perfection. The goal is trust.
What This Program Helps With
The first night and first morning
Safe settling and decompression
Rest, sleep, and quiet space
Potty rhythm without panic
Crate comfort and safe spaces
Food transition awareness
Stool, appetite, and digestion observation
Stress signs and overstimulation
Gentle bonding and trust building
Handling, touch, and observation
Family routines and household rhythm
What not to do in the first three days
When to slow down
When to ask for help
Who This Program Is For
The First 72 Hours Program™ may help:
- Families bringing home a new puppy
- Families bringing home an older puppy or adult dog
- Guardian homes receiving a program dog
- Breeder puppy families
- Families preparing for a service or therapy dog prospect
- Families bringing home a sensitive or overwhelmed dog
- Families who want a calmer, safer, more thoughtful beginning
- Breeders who want their puppy families to start with better education
What Makes This Brain First
A new home can be exciting, confusing, overstimulating, tiring, and stressful. The dog's brain and body are trying to process new people, new smells, new sounds, new routines, new food, new spaces, and new expectations.
A brain-first start asks better questions:
Food Transition & Build the Bowl™
Food transition is part of the first 72 hours, but it should be handled gently and thoughtfully.
This program helps families notice appetite, stool, stress, digestion, water intake, routine, and food-response patterns during the first days home.
For deeper nutrition education, families may later continue into Build the Bowl™ / The Loved Dog™ nutrition resources.
Nutrition education does not replace veterinary care. If a puppy or dog has vomiting, diarrhea, refusal to eat, weight loss, pain, weakness, dehydration, or urgent medical symptoms, families should contact a veterinarian.
What You Receive
The First 72 Hours Program™ may include written guidance, settling steps, family routines, safety reminders, food transition awareness, brain-first explanations, observation prompts, and practical next steps for the first days home.
Current delivery
After payment, please email Hello@DogsNU.org with your name, phone, billing address, payment note, dog's name, dog's age, date the dog came home or will come home, and "First 72 Hours Program" so access or instructions can be provided manually.
After the First 72 Hours
The First 72 Hours Program™ is the beginning, not the ending. After the first transition period, many families may move into one of two next pathways:
The Successful Seven™
A seven-minute-a-day, seven-week brain-first foundation program for families who need a simple, realistic rhythm.
Coming soon — dedicated page in development.
The Brain First Fifteen™
A deeper 15-minute-a-day development, bonding, nourishment, training, and observation rhythm for families ready for more support.
Coming soon — dedicated page in development.
Program Access & Payment
Standard Public Program Value: $372 — one-time
Purchased through your breeder
The First 72 Hours Program™ is enrolled through the breeder or rescue your puppy came from. Breeders may purchase the program for their own program and for every family they place; families arrange enrollment with the breeder or rescue that placed their puppy. If you are unsure who to ask, contact us and we will connect you.
One payment. No subscription, no auto-renewal, and no recurring charges. The First 72 Hours Program™ is enrolled per dog, so families bringing home more than one puppy may enroll each dog separately.
This program may also be available through breeder-provided access, member access, sponsored access, or scholarship-supported access when available. If cost is the only thing standing between your puppy and a calm start, please ask — we would rather hear from you than have you go without.
A donation is not the same as a program purchase unless clearly stated.
Payments are handled by a third-party payment provider. This website never sees or stores your card or bank details. Amounts are shown in U.S. dollars.
How Payment Works
Four simple steps from payment to program access.
1. Send your payment
Use the secure payment link below for the standard program value of $372. Payment is processed by our payment provider — no card details are ever stored on this website.
2. Include your payment note
Add the details listed further down so your payment can be matched to your family and your dog without delay.
3. Confirm by email
Email Hello@DogsNU.org with the same details and the subject line "First 72 Hours Program". This is what triggers your access.
4. Receive your access
Program materials and next-step instructions are sent to the email address you provide, typically within one business day.
Payment Note Instructions
Payments arrive with very little information attached, so this note is how your payment is matched to your family and your dog. When paying, please include:
- Your full name
- Phone number
- Billing address
- Payment amount
- Payment note: First 72 Hours Program
- Dog's name and age
- Date the dog came home or will come home
- Main concern or goal
- Best email for program access
If the payment screen does not allow a long note, send the same details by email to Hello@DogsNU.org right after paying. Program access is released once the payment and the details are matched — usually within one business day.
Please review the Refund Policy and Terms of Service before paying. Digital program access, animal deposits, and animal-related payments each carry their own terms.
Ask About Access
Questions about access, breeder codes, scholarships, or sponsored placement?
Hello@DogsNU.orgPayment clarity
Program access, digital education, appointments, animal-related payments, deposits, reservation payments, hold fees, placement payments, and animal sales may each have their own terms. Animal deposits, reservation payments, hold fees, placement payments, and animal sales are final and nonrefundable. If you believe there has been a mistake, duplicate payment, incorrect amount, technical issue, or other concern, contact Hello@DogsNU.org as soon as possible so the situation can be reviewed.
This program is educational and developmental support. It does not replace veterinary care, emergency intervention, legal advice, medical diagnosis, disability determination, service-dog determination, or hands-on professional evaluation when safety, aggression, severe fear, medical issues, dangerous behavior, or serious distress are involved.
Begin with safety. Build trust. Let the brain settle before you ask the dog to become more.