You’re on your way to pick up your new puppy. Before you go get the puppy, however, you’ll need to prepare your house, yard, and family for the new addition to the pack.
Are you scared? Don’t worry! With our tips on how to prepare for bringing a puppy home, you’ll be a great puppy parent in no time and enjoying lots of puppy love!
Supplies and Equipment
You’ll want to stock up on the essential supplies before you bring the puppy home.
- Puppy food – what he is eating now and what you plan to transition to
- Food and water bowls
- A collar and leash
- ID tag and harness
- Tether and long line
- A home and travel crate
- Bed soft, snuggly, washable
- Treats
- Toys: hard rubber, rope, synthetic bones for unsupervised play. Soft fluffy toys only when supervised
- Brushes and combs
- Nail clippers
- Dog shampoo and conditioner
- Dog toothbrush and paste
- High-quality chew toys to ease teething
- Flea, tick and parasite controls
- Stain remover, paper towels, carpet cleaner
- Seat Belt
- Clicker
House Rules and Routines
The puppy needs to know the house rules. Be consistent across everyone in the family. You’ll all want to work together to make sure everyone’s on the same page when the puppy comes home.
Things to consider:
- Where will the puppy sleep?
- Is she allowed on the furniture?
- Where will he be during the day?
- What games allowed to play? Appropriate for size and age.
- Who will train? For what?
- Who will feed, when and what?
- How will you discipline her? Who will discipline the pup?
Assign Responsibilities
This is a very important point! Responsibility for the puppy needs to be shared among everyone.
- Who’s going to be responsible for the puppy?
- For feeding it?
- For taking it outside for potty breaks?
- Who’s going to walk the dog?
House Training Tips
- How to potty train a puppy
- Use a crate, pen or baby gates to keep the puppy confined
Training Consistency
- Socializing
- Obedience training
Other considerations
- Pet License
- Veterinarian
- Check-up
- Set an appointment in the first week or two
- Service Providers
- Dog walkers
- Boarding kennel
- Groomer
- Sibling Rivalry
- Sometimes other family dogs will suffer from jealousy
- Make sure to introduce the new puppy gently
- A schedule needs to be set and followed for the puppy
- Feeding
- Napping
- Toileting
- Exercise
- Play
- Solitary time
Getting a New Puppy?
There’s a lot to think about before you bring your new puppy home. But don’t be scared. With our tips on how to prepare for bringing a puppy home, you’ll be a great puppy parent in no time and enjoying lots of puppy love!