New owners
Bringing your Maltipoo home at 9 weeks
By Nelson and Kim, AVS licensed pet shop owners · Updated 13 July 2026
What should the first week with a Maltipoo look like?
Quiet, boring and structured, on purpose: a nine-week-old needs the pen zone, the toilet schedule, meals at fixed times and lots of sleep more than it needs visitors and adventures. We deliver with the pen assembled and the routine walked through; your job for week one is consistency and calm.
Day one: less is more
Homecoming day is a whirlwind for a puppy that woke up with littermates: new smells, new humans, no siblings. Bring it straight to the prepared pen zone, offer the toilet spot, and let it explore one room at its own pace. Save the neighbours, relatives and enthusiastic children for week two.
Feed the same food at the same times it ate at the shop (the kit ships with it), keep handling gentle and brief, and let sleep happen wherever it lands; a nine-week-old runs on eighteen-plus hours a day.
The first nights, survived
Night one is the loneliest of a puppy's life so far, and the r/Maltipoo archives overflow with 3am guilt. The protocol: pen or crate in your bedroom, warm bedding, a heartbeat toy, final toilet trip at lights-out. Answer genuine toilet whines with a silent trip and straight back to bed; wait out pure protest and reward the first silence.
Three to five consistent nights settle most puppies. The mistake that costs weeks is inconsistency: into the bed on night two out of guilt, back to the crate on night three out of regret.
Week one systems, installed early
Start as you mean to continue from day one: the toilet schedule from the potty guide, two-minute alone-time absences from the training guide even while you are home all week, and gentle handling of paws and ears daily so grooming never becomes a battle.
Book the vet meet-and-greet for the week-12 vaccination now, note the 5-day bring-back window (any sickness in the first five days comes back to us, in writing), and message the WhatsApp thread with every stupid question; they are all questions we have answered before, happily.
Week-one checklist
- Day one: one room, pen zone, quiet
- Nights: crate in bedroom, 3-5 consistent nights
- Same food, same times, from the kit
- Start toilet + alone-time drills on day one
- 5-day bring-back window: in writing
Frequently asked questions
Should I take leave for the first week?
A few days helps; a full fortnight of round-the-clock company backfires unless you practise absences during it. Condition the alone-time from day one.
When can the puppy meet visitors and other dogs?
Household visitors from week two, calmly; other dogs after the vaccination course completes. Socialisation matters, and so does the immune schedule.
How much crying is normal?
A few noisy nights is standard; escalating all-night distress beyond a week is worth a call to us and a look at the separation-anxiety guide.
What does the delivery setup include?
Pen assembled where you want it, kit unpacked and explained, feeding schedule and toilet plan walked through in your actual flat, and the first training lesson booked.
Meet your Maltipoo
Come say hello at Balestier
2 Balestier Road #01-701, Singapore 320002 · Weekdays 12pm–6pm · Weekends 10am–6pm. Or message us first: tell us about your home and routine, and we'll tell you honestly if a Maltipoo fits.
Delivered and set up free
Every puppy arrives with the pen assembled and week one explained in person.
See what's included