Bringing A New Puppy Home – Part 1: Get Ready

We get asked a lot about the dos and don’ts when bringing a new puppy home, so here are our top tips to welcome your new best friend. Today is the first part of the series and we will be talking about preparation for the big day – further advice will be given in later posts. Before you make the decision of bringing home a new addition to the family, read our post about things to consider before getting a dog.

Before bringing puppy home

What you will need before you bring your new puppy home:

• Puppy food as recommended by your vet
• Treats (natural liver treats work well)
• Toys (chew toys of varying textures, throw toys, cuddle toys, treat toys)
• Brush
• Food bowl
• Water Bowl x 2 (in case puppy accidentally knocks one over while you are out)
• Collar
• Lead
• ID tag with your contact information
• Car harness or seat belt for puppy
• Possibly a dog crate or play pen
• Dog Bed
• Snuggle Puppy (this is a plush, stuffed puppy that has a battery operated heartbeat that replicates a littermate, it can sometimes help your puppy settle into the new environment away from its littermates)

Setting up the House

Before you bring your puppy home, consider where your puppy will:

• Sleep – find an area that is a secure, cozy, low-traffic area in your house for puppy to sleep. Refer to puppy’s first nights in the new home for tips on how to settle puppy for the night
• Eat – find a low-traffic area, for example, where they sleep. This also has the advantage that puppy will be less likely to toilet in this area.
• Toilet – consider an area away from where puppy will eat and sleep, but not too far away, preferably in the back yard rather than having a toilet area inside to avoid having to double toilet train your dog in a few months time when toileting inside is no longer appropriate.
• Live – are your fences/yard puppy proof? Can puppy fit through the pool fence? If the environment is safe to do so, allow your puppy the freedom and stimulation of being able to explore the back yard during the day. This will also help the puppy to settle at night time as they have had a full and busy day experiencing the world around them.

Next time we will give you general advice on how to start educating your puppy the right way. For more personalised advice or details on our puppy services, please contact us.