Collaborative post. I’ve been researching dogs. The kids and I really want one and like with the hamsters the husband would grow to love having one too. Yes, we love our hamsters who are amazing little guys but dogs are a whole new level of “pet”. We’re not ready just yet as I’m still doing my research, plus we need to move, but I can safely say I want one of everything!!! Ha, crazy I know, but I’m an animal person. It’s not just me thinking of getting a dog though, many of us love these fabulous 4 legged creatures and will often look to buy one from a puppy. But, there are preparations that you need to be aware of before you buy. In this post, we consider How to Prepare for a New Puppy.
How to Prepare for a New Puppy
Choosing Your Dog
You need to decide what type of dog you want initially. To do this you need to consider the amount of space you have in your home and garden as that will influence the size of dog you might select. Also, consider the amount of exercise they will need. This varies considerably with breed and age. Another thing to consider is medical issues that can occur within specific breeds. So let’s say you would like a labrador retriever for example you’d look up a site like https://chocolatelabradorretriever.ca/lab-retrievers-hamilton/. These sites have information specifically on the breed of dog you are considering and can help you decide if this is the dog breed for you. I have 2 friends that would love a chocolate lab and I’m also tempted.
Find A Local Vet
Once you do get your puppy/dog you’ll need to take them to the vet. Even if you buy the puppy from a reputable dog breeder you should make sure that you get your puppy checked. Make sure vaccinations are up to date and find out if you need to bring them in for any additional vaccinations as they get older. Making sure that your puppy is healthy from the start is a good way to ensure that you have peace of mind and that your pet will grow healthy and strong.
Training
You will need to train your new puppy. There are different types of training options to consider. Also, think about whether or not you will do the training yourself or will you take dog training classes with your dog, somewhere like https://www.bestbehaviourdogtraining.co.uk/. Classes can be the better option if you’ve never trained a dog before and are highly recommended for first-time dog owners.
Puppy Proof Your Home
One of the things you would need to do is to puppy-proof your home. Puppy proofing your home means that you take the time to ensure that your puppy will be safe in their new environment. Remove objects that are within their reach that may cause them harm.
You may need to remove rugs and furniture to make sure that your puppy does not injure themselves. Cover electrical outlets and place electrical cords safely out of harm’s way. Put a gate on your staircase just as you would if you had a young child. Puppies can fall downstairs and injure themselves very easily. Make sure that you keep human food and any medication out of the reach of your pet as some of them can be poisonous to them.
Make Potty Training a Priority
In most, instances puppies will not have been potty trained. Unless properly trained they will relive themselves anywhere and everywhere. As a result potty training is one of the first things you will look to do. Make sure that you stock up on cleaning supplies as you may well need them.
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Garden Safety
When you are bringing a new puppy home a lot of focus is often placed on how you should make your home ready for your puppy. However, you also need to ensure that you are making your backyard safe for your puppy as well. Check for any plants that may be poisonous to dogs. Make sure those are removed properly. If you have a pond or swimming pool in your yard these will need a fence or some other kind of barrier to prevent your puppy from falling in.
Bringing Your Puppy Home
If your family is anything like mine they will be very excited for the new arrival to finally make it home. Try not to overwhelm your puppy on the first few days that they are home. Give them some space while they settle in and learn everyone’s scent and the layout of their new environment.
In conclusion
There are so many more things that need to be considered before buying a dog. These are things you need to consider carefully to make sure that getting a dog is right for you. Far too many pets are bought on a whim or the idea of having a pet and are later resold or put up for adoption. Please do make sure you also buy pets from licensed breeders as otherwise, you’ll be finding why it’s best to do this the hard way.
On the whole, having a pet whether it’s a dog, cat, hamster, or husband is very rewarding. It’s something that can not only give you companionship but also a friendly, non-judgmental ear to talk to and is also wonderful for your mental health.
Do you have any pets? If you could have a pet what would you choose?
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Puppies are a lot of work so we chose to adopt older dogs. They are so much easier to train and have mostly grown out of the chewing phase.
You have a great list here. I know it takes a lot of work to have a puppy. I wouldn’t have the patience!
Puppy proofing is absolutely vital. Puppies are like toddlers except they’re even more adept at getting into things that they shouldn’t!
Puppies are like babies. Preparing for them is always a good thing.
These are great tips for puppy prep! There’s more to it than most probably expect. I’d love to get a puppy one day.
I’ve never had a dog, but it sounds like it’s very similar to when we got our cat. Of course, we didn’t have to worry about training the cat! But you’ll know when you see the right pet for your family. Another thing to consider is also any house plants you have. I’m not sure about dogs, but there are a LOT of house plants that are dangerous to cats.
A new puppy is a lot of work! It’s nice to prep and be ready.
“A dog is not a puppet”, my mom always tells me and she is right. Therefore, preparing for the arrival of a puppy is essential and understanding how one’s life will change from that moment on.
I completely agree. You need to do plenty of research and make sure that you are able to take on a pet, especially a puppy. They are a lot of work but then they are worth it too x
I so agree that the house has to be puppy-proof first. There are some rooms that are off-limits so we try to add fences and such.
Yes training is everything! We went through this last summer and I basically took the whole summer off to potty train and also train her behaviours. It was well worth it she is such a good girl but it is a lot of hard work and takes a lot of your time and effort.
These are great tips for a new puppy! I love this and my pooches are getting older and I miss when they were babies 😉 So cute!
Articles like these are good to have around for people tentatively considering their very own dog for the first time. I can’t tell you how many stories I read when I torture myself by perusing the pet ads in the local CL and how many people are already looking to rehome their young pups or dogs because they “didn’t realize how much work it would be” or that they’d be so big, or so energetic, or so… etc. Breaks my heart! So it’s good for people to have articles come up when they’re hopefully doing any research to help them prepare for the realities of making these kinds of commitments!
This is a really great post specially to those who are planning to get a new puppy!
Wow! Thanks for sharing this very informative post! I’m gonna let my daughter see this because she is planning to get a new puppy.
omg I want a new puppy so so bad…I never had one like never!!! We’re considering it seriously…Can’t wait.
How exciting!!!! I know what you mean, we really want a new pet to add to our growing fur baby family.
These are great tips and will definitely keep in mind! We aren’t there yet in terms of getting a puppy for my son but it will happen and it’s nice to have something back to refer to.
Maureen
I would love to get another puppy! It’s such a fun and exciting stage and I just love dogs so much ^_^ Great post for those bringing home a new fur baby 🙂
It took us two month to do a good potty training. Now we are very pleased of our result.
I’ve had dogs my entire life. These are great tips to prepare for adding a puppy to your life. When choosing a puppy, it is important to get either adopt one from a shelter or get one from an ethical breeder! Otherwise, you may be supporting a puppy mill.
No, I don’t have a pet, at the moment. If I had the resources, I would choose a dog, without a doubt!
I had two dogs before, but now I’m having cats. Thank you for sharing this for the new furparents.
Having a new puppy is so time consuming and something you really need to prepare for. So this is very helpful!
It sure is. A lot of people don’t do the necessary research before getting one unfortunately.
My daughter just got a puppy. You DEFINITELY need to puppy proof your home. 🙂 Dogs are the best.
Ha, yes you do. They are pretty amazing to have!!!
Puppies have so much energy! Puppy proofing cannot be overlooked, they’ll get into anything.
They sure do. You need to be prepared x
We have been thinking about getting a pet over the summer holidays and a dog has come up on the list, so these tips would be so helpful for new owners such as us
Arer you getting a puppy now, I will need puppy pics all the time. As you know I have two dogs and not allowed another one, although I will say 2 is easier than one as they entertain each other
Fantastic advice! I’ll definitely have to pass this on to my sister who is looking for a new pup.
That’s great Nyxie. I hope she finds just the right one for her.
We don’t have a pet but if we would choose to have one it’s going to be a pomchi. It’s just super cute!
There are so many cute dogs to choose from.
It’s so important to set a new pet up for success. And these are such great tips for doing so!
Thanks so much Jennifer. I’m glad you liked the post.
My brother and sister in law have a new puppy and it is adorable. They did a lot of planning and working out things before they picked him up so sorting out the garden for him etc and he seems to have settled in really well x
I love animals and want to adopt a dog but honestly the research has been exhausting and also my lifestyle doesn’t allow for a dog at home.
My husband and I are looking to get a puppy so this post was very helpful! I look forward to getting our apartment puppy proof. Thanks for sharing 🙂
They are so lovely to have. Have fun puppy proofing and with your new pet.
A new puppy is so much prep and work, we are thinking about getting ones ourselves, so these types of articles are really helpful in our decisions! Thank you for sharing.
These are such good tips as preparing for a puppy or even a rescue dog, there is a lot to think about beforehand and prepare to make the transition as smooth as possible
Laura x
This is very important to me. I’m getting a new puppy soon and I need to learn about everything important to learn.