6 Tips for Bringing a Puppy Home
Bringing a puppy home is a big deal. In my lifetime, my family have brought four new dogs into their home, so we have quite a lot of experience making sure they become accustomed to their new space. But it got me thinking that I have never actually written much content on here about animals, or the animals we've kept, even in my blog's 13-year history. So I thought I'd kick it off with a simple article detailing some tips for bringing a new puppy home. Let's dive right in.
1. Be prepared
You have to prepare your home for your new puppy at least a few days before actually picking your new furry friend up. You need to make sure their space is ready and waiting for them. Not only does this take the stress and pressure off of you, but it also means that your puppy has a relaxing, slow and steady start to their new life with their new pawrents.
2. Make sure there's an area in the house that is just for them
Much like children, puppies and dogs alike need their own space. They need somewhere safe and comforting to go when things get a bit much or if they want to sleep or just recharge their batteries after a long walk.
Don't take it personally if they choose to separate themselves from the rest of the family. It's just their way of getting some downtime. They'll come back to you when they're ready. This is a great reason for giving your new puppy a space that is just theirs.
3. Put food & water somewhere that's easily accessible
Their food and water should be easy to access at all times throughout the day, more so with their water bowl. Their food, on the other hand, needs to be trained into them with regards to what time they eat. For example, my parents feed their dog twice a day: in the morning and in the evening.
The dog will eat what she wants and then they'll pick the bowl up when she's done. This shows the dog that if she doesn't eat her dinner in the timescale given, it will be taken away and she'll have to wait to the next feeding time.
Essentially, it means that she will almost always eat all of her dinner and she won't be fussy about it either. It's all in the training and that training needs to be started on day one, ideally, to make your life as easy as possible in the long run.
4. Set some ground rules
I've just touched on dog training being implemented from day dot, and that's so true. You need to set some ground rules from the get-go if you don't want your dog to give you the run around forever. This includes things like not letting it upstairs or on the furniture.
Every dog owner will be different when it comes to rules in the house. My parents, for example, don't want to dog going into the dining room, where they eat, they don't want her to go upstairs, she's not allowed on the furniture and she's definitely not allowed on the bed.
Do what you think is best for you, your dog and your family. But making sure you set the rules from day one is the important part of this. If you don't then your new puppy could prove to be quite the handful, making dog-ownership less enjoyable than it should be.
5. Puppy-proof everything
Make sure that anything that could harm your new puppy is well out of the way. This includes something as simple as plastic bags or even wooden sticks or furniture. You need to take this puppy proofing outside as well, removing any poisonous plants, for example.
6. Give your puppy a home tour
Whether your dog, in the long run, is allowed upstairs or not, you should give your puppy a little home tour. Bring them around your house and into the garden. This helps to give them an idea of your smells, your things, the size of their new living space and more. It might sound silly, but it can make a big difference when it comes to making sure that they feel safe and accepted into the pack.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post and found it useful? Do you have any tips for bringing a puppy home? If so, leave them in the comments below and I'll see you all again very soon with some brand new content!
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