Before you bring your new home you need to make lots of preparations. As a dog lover, I consider the acquisition of a new puppy almost as serious as the birth of a baby. The point is that a lot of planning and preparation is required if the process is going to be as smooth as seamless as possible.
Preparing your home means insuring that things that could harm your new puppy are moved out of his access. Electrical cords are very dangerous for puppies so you may want to unplug items that are not in use and keep the cords up out of his reach. Make it a habit to keep shoes, belts, and other ‘items of interest’ put away. Puppies love to chew on things and you will have to work with your new baby to teach him what is and what isn’t okay to chew on.
You need to gather all the puppy supplies you will be using. Of course, there may be a few things that you will decide to add later, but to begin you will probably want to provide a dog crate or cage of some kind. This will be the safe place your puppy will come to love as his home within your home. This provides a place to keep him out of trouble and to give you a little relief from your new parenting duties.
When you choose a cage or crate, be sure that the size is appropriate for your puppy. He needs enough room to move around comfortably. And speaking of comfort be sure to include a soft bedding for him, a toy or two and a treat. The idea is to make this space a place he will love. The more he likes his space the less work you will have in training him properly.
Other basic supplies include food and water bowls of the appropriate size and shape. Dogs with long snouts can of course, eat comfortably from a deeper dish than dogs with a short snout. Shih Tzu and pugs for example, should have shallow bowls because of their squished little faces. When choosing the bowls you should also keep in mind that puppies like to chew on everything.
This means a plastic bowl may not last. Another consideration is the fact that some bowls tend to scoot or slide across the floor as the dogs eat. You can avoid that by using a rubber placemat to keep the dishes on, or purchasing bowls with rubber skids on the bottom. In fact, you can even add your own pieces of rubber to the bottom of the bowls.
Your new puppy will need age and size appropriate toys. Don’t go overboard with these purchases until you have a better idea of what your puppy prefers. If you are like me you will soon find that your puppy has baskets full of toys. If this is the case you can do what I do, only leave a few toys out at a time and rotate them around. This helps the toys last longer, keeps your home tidier, and helps to keep the toys ‘new’ to the dog, which means he will likely enjoy each one more when he sees them again.
A collar or harness and a leash is also important when it comes time to take your puppy in public. Be sure that the fit is correct. The item should be comfortable for the puppy to wear.
When it comes to food and treats it is best to start out with what your puppy has been used to eating. You can slowly mix in whatever you want to switch him to. Do this change gradually so as not to upset your puppy’s digestive system.
Advice from professionals is always important. That’s why you should take your new puppy to the veterinarian within 48 – 72 hours of bringing him or her home. This is to insure that your puppy is well and to get his vaccinations started. Anytime you have questions regarding your puppy’s health you should seek professional help for him.
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