Home for the Holidays: 5 Things to Do Before You Bring Home a Puppy
You did it! You made the decision to purchase a puppy from a reputable breeder or adopt a puppy! This is such exciting and fun news. Puppies are so stinking cute and fun and everyone loves them. However they are A LOT of work. There is a lot that we can do even before the puppy arrives home with you. In fact, when clients contact me before bringing home baby dog I have them do quite a bit prior to their arrival. These are the 5 things you need to do before bringing your puppy home.
1.) Make a schedule for Puppy.
This new pup is going to require a lot of attention and she will have a lot of needs for the first few weeks. Setting up a routine BEFORE she comes home is going to take a lot of pressure off of the humans involved and help make it easier for her to adjust to her new life with you. She will need to relieve herself every few hours during the day, and she will need to be heavily supervised in our home to keep her and our belongings safe. Who is going to be taking her out and when? Who will feed her and when? Will a family member be in charge of her breaks and meals, if so, who? If not, will a friend or relative help out or should you hire someone to help. She will need scheduled time to play and scheduled time to rest. We often forget how much puppies sleep. Most pups sleep around 16 hours a day. Especially when we first bring them home, it may be difficult for them to relax and rest on their own. Adding in special puppy rest time is crucial and will help prevent some issues with play biting, etc. Get your family together and plan out Puppy’s daily activities for the next few weeks. You will be so happy you took this step!
2.) Purchase the “must haves” for Puppy’s first few weeks.
Go ahead and purchase some basic puppy supplies to tide you over until her first vet appointment. I recommend purchasing a small bag of food; preferably of the same kind Puppy has been eating at the rescue or at the breeder. This will help prevent tummy upset until the food can be approved by your veterinarian at her first vet visit. A few appropriately sized chew toys are also a must have. I am a big fan of the Kong brand traditional hollow rubber toys. These can be stuffed with food, making them perfect for helping distract Puppy and helping her adjust to her new situation. They can also be frozen after they are stuffed to alleviate the pain of teething and occupy Puppy for longer periods. (Trust me, you will need this.) I also like the Nylabone chews that are specifically designed for puppies. I do not recommend rawhides or anything edible at this point. (These are just my opinions as a dog trainer. I highly recommend discussing chew toys with your vet at Puppy’s first appointment. They can help you choose some other options that will be safe and fun for your little one!)
3.) Schedule Puppy’s first vet and grooming appointment.
You heard me. Make that vet appointment and grooming appointment BEFORE Puppy graces your doorstep. No matter where you obtained Puppy, she needs to see a veterinarian within the first week you bring her home. She will need a complete physical to make sure she is healthy and thriving, and she will need to be kept up to date on her vaccination and deworming schedule. Vets are very overworked and underappreciated, especially after the pandemic. Making an appointment ahead of time will ensure that your puppy won’t have to wait to be seen.
What about grooming? Yup, you make that first appointment before Puppy shows up. This isn’t always intuitive for people and that is okay. For starters, all dogs need to receive some grooming services. Short haired dogs will still need their nails trimmed, ears cleaned, etc. regularly in order to remain healthy. Regular nails trims are needed to prevent nails from growing into the pads and causing injury. Long haired dogs need to be brushed frequently to prevent matting. (Matting can cause a whole heap of health problems, from skin conditions to open wounds.) Even if you plan on grooming your dog yourself it’s entire life, you still need to make that grooming appointment. At this puppy visit your groomer can show you the tools you need in order to keep Puppy’s coat healthy. (Please call your groomer and ask if they have time to show you the products you should purchase. Do not assume that they will have time. And please, tip them really well if they are able to take time to do this for you.)
4.) Create a safe area for Puppy to spend time when you can’t watch her.
Freedom is a privilege that Puppy will need to earn over time. For her safety, we need to choose an area for her to be in when we are unable to watch her. We can choose to create a Puppy Safe Room for her to stay in, or use a crate or a puppy play pen. A Puppy Safe Room can be any room that we can puppy proof easily. These are typically bathrooms or kitchens that we can use a baby gate to keep Puppy in there when needed. Puppy plan pens and crates are also other great options to keep Puppy safe when she is alone. In my professional opinion, all dogs should be crate trained (or it should be attempted). The reason that I say this is that there may be situations where Puppy might have to be crated without another option and if we do not introduce her to it now, it could cause stress for her (and us) later. If your dog were to ever be injured, become sick, or have surgery, having her be used to being crated would be ideal. If you were to ever need to evacuate your home, for any reason, traveling in a crate may be the only way Puppy can stay safe. Fires, hurricanes, tornados, floods, and other natural disasters could strike us at any time. Sometimes without warning. In an already stressful scenario, having a dog that is used to being crated could be a life saver.
5.) Purchase puppy training.
Go ahead and contact that reputable positive reinforcement dog trainer that your friends recommended. (Link to my blog post on how to choose a dog trainer here.) Trainers’ schedules fill up quickly so you want to get on their radar and reserve your spot ASAP. Most trainers will fill their schedules several weeks in advance. This is especially true after the holidays because it is such a popular time to add a furry family member. Once Puppy arrives and you are having issues with her, is not when we want to first reach out to a professional. Starting training early will enable better communication between your puppy and your family and help set everyone up for success. If everyone did some sort of positive training with their pups or dogs when they first brought them home, a lot of severe behavioral problems could be prevented and my job would be much easier!