Bringing Your Puppy Home: 10 Helpful Tips
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Emily Caldwell
Bringing Your Puppy Home: 10 Helpful Tips
Getting a new puppy comes with lots of excitement and anticipation. To prepare, you’ve probably bought supplies, food, and much more to make your home ready for your new puppy. On the day of bringing your puppy home, you’re full of excitement for this new adventure.
Tips for Bringing your Puppy Home
Once your puppy is home, you’ll be busy tending to his or her needs. As such, preparing in advance can help make the transition go smoother. Below, we’ll explore some excellent ways to prepare in advance for your puppy. To help make your day easier, consider these ten helpful tips for bringing your puppy home.
Prepare for Potty Training
-
Potty training is one of the most difficult tasks that new puppy owners face. To prepare, be ready to take them outside to their potty place as soon as they get home. After a car ride, your puppy will likely need to pee. Determine a long-term place in your yard as their “potty place”. By starting right away when bringing your puppy home, your puppy will quickly learn that this is where it should go potty.
-
Be prepared for how frequently your puppy will need to go out. Puppies have small bladders, which means they have to pee quite often. Rewarding your puppy during potty training can help with positive reinforcement. Reward your puppy with lots of playtime or some natural treats to say “good job!”
Puppy Proofing
-
Puppies are notorious for ruining your favorite items and furniture. To help limit damage, dog-proofing your home in advance can help. This includes securing any strings, ribbons, bands, or anything loose that could be of interest to your new puppy. If there are items with high value, be sure to keep them out of reach from your puppy.
-
When puppy proofing, it’s important to give your puppy “safe” toys that they can go to. This will help prevent your puppy from chewing the things that they shouldn’t be. Your vet should be able to assist in selecting the best type of toys for your puppy. Certain rawhide toys may require supervision to ensure your puppies' safety. For example, these Pork Jerky Stuffed Beef Hooves are a great supervision-only treat to meet your dog’s need to chew.
-
It is also important to look around your home for safety hazards. Getting on the floor can help you see things that your puppy will see at eye level. There can be various things throughout your home that can be dangerous for a puppy. Think about cords, electrical outlets, and other potential hazards to prepare for bringing your puppy home.
Treats & Training
-
To prepare for bringing your puppy home, remember to stock up on puppy-safe treats. The best types of treats for puppies are those that can be broken into smaller pieces. Of course, it is always best to talk to your vet about your puppy's specific dietary needs and when it is safe to give them treats. These Cheeze & Sweet Potato Tiny Bites are perfect for puppies!
-
As part of your puppy’s training, he or she will be introduced to new family members. Aim to introduce the puppy to one person at a time to give your puppy a chance to learn. Each person the puppy meets can be a part of their positive reinforcement by giving treats as they learn new skills.
Crates
-
Crate training should be started right away after bringing your puppy home. Prepare in advance by setting up a crate for your puppy. Right away after you get home, begin training that this is your puppy’s safe place or “home base” within the home. Your puppy will begin to slowly learn that this is its designated spot.
Food
-
Puppies can become possessive of their food. To prepare, begin hand-feeding your puppy at each meal. This will help them learn to share the space around their food. While it may be easy to want to overfeed your puppy, keep to the appropriate amount of food per serving. Think about the best feeding schedule in advance of bringing your puppy home.
-
New puppy owners might benefit from incorporating training and learning new behavior into feeding times. When your puppy is hungry it may be a great time to help them cooperate learning new skills. Before bringing your new puppy home, consider ways you can combine feeding and training! This makes your life easier too.
Written by:
