Preparing for Your New Puppy
One of the most exciting moments of being a new puppy parent is your puppy’s first night in your home. Watching her explore, getting snuggles, and introducing her to the core family is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. While you enjoy seeing her frolick through her new home you also want to make sure she is feeling safe. Taking the time to prepare your home before she arrives will reduce any additional unwanted stress.
Puppy Proof Your Home - With your puppy’s small size you’d be surprised what he might find and get into. Close doors or put up baby gates to prevent access to any rooms or stairs you do not want him to explore. Secure and put away anything dangerous he might get into such as cords, toxic plants, and cabinets.
Create a Puppy Safe Zone - A puppy safe zone is small space such as a crate, exercise pen or gated off room, like a bathroom or laundry room, for your puppy and her things to be when you cannot directly supervise her. It should be located out of the way, but not completely segregated from the family to prevent her from feeling alone. In her space you should add a blanket, food and water dishes, toys and a designated potty area.
Collar, ID tag, & Leash - Collars, ID tags, and leashes are items that every puppy parent needs. Having them ahead of time will calm your nerves and save you from a last minute trip to the pet store. For safety purposes, your puppy should wear a collar and ID tags at all times. You never know if a family member or visitor will open the front door and your puppy might bolt out. Grabbing a collar is the easiest way for someone to get ahold of him and ID tags are easy to see allowing whoever finds him to reach out to you. Also, at some point you will need to take your puppy outside to go potty. Using a leash is one of safest ways to do this.
Cleaning Products - All new puppy parents should understand that puppies do not come potty trained. It is likely that your new puppy will have an accident while she is learning the proper place to potty. For that reason, it is wise it purchase a biological enzyme cleaning product such as Nature’s Miracle, before she arrives as it is possible an accident might happen her first night home.
Toys - Toys are a great way to enrich your puppy’s life. From stuffed toys to long lasting chews to food dispensing and puzzle toys, having a variety of options and textures is crucial to stimulate her mind and teach her appropriate chewing habits right from the start, as chewing preferences can change minute to minute.
Still have questions about how to make your home safe and puppy friendly? Contact us to learn more about our puppy programs and how we can help you today.
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