What You Need To Know About Bringing Home a New Puppy

You’re bringing home your newest family member, and your furry little friend will bring loads of joy and love. This article will give you a quick overview of some things you’ll want to consider.  Because while new puppies can be disarmingly cute, they also come with a few behaviors that can make you question your new relationship.

Before you bring home a new four-legged friend

Getting a dog — especially a new puppy — shouldn’t be an impulsive thing. Make sure you’re prepared for the time, work, and expense — before you bring your little one into your home. Take a moment to think about the reality of your day-to-day life: 

Time

Puppies need a lot of time and attention, especially in the early days. Do you have enough time for morning walks, extra potty attempts, or cleaning up little messes — like shredded newspaper or trash from the garbage bin? What about time together after a long workday? Dogs are pack animals, and your puppy needs to spend time with you to minimize behavior problems. That might mean trading happy hours or impromptu dinners with friends to be with your new puppy.

Work

Training your puppy is an exercise in patience and repetition. You’ll find yourself trying to teach commands over and over again, so you’ll have to be disciplined both for yourself and your dog. Do research ahead of time to learn how to reinforce good behaviors, and deescalate negative ones. 

Expense

The cost of dog ownership can add up quickly. According to the ASPAC and moneyunder30, the average one-time fee of getting a dog can run between $380-$1,170. The annual cost can run even a bit higher. There can be costs that are harder to budget for too, like the cost of replacing unforeseen damaged goods — something quite common with pups who are cutting teeth. 

Puppy-proofing your home

Forgetting to puppy-proof your home is one oversight you’ll never make a second time because your home can be demolished in a matter of days if you haven’t planned ahead. Before you bring home your new pup, take a minute to look around your house from your puppy’s perspective. Chewy chords lying around? House plants (and dirt!) within reach? Soft leather (and expensive!) shoes by the front door? To your new pup, those are all fair game, and fun activities when you’ve left the house. By taking quick stock of your easy-to-reach items, you’ll minimize destruction, costs, and clean-up.

Preparing your pup for potty training

If she is not already potty trained, you’ll quickly be working toward it. That can involve a lot of time at home, trips outside every 20-30 minutes in the early days (even in the middle of the night), and plenty of clean-up duty. 

Pro tip: Keep clean up rags, and several bottles of urine cleaner stashed around your house, like this one. Having a few bottles on hand will make it easier to get to, so you’re more prone to treating the right spot and getting the mess cleaned before it causes permanent damage.

Setting the stage

Believe it or not, your attitude and behavior when you first bring your puppy home can set the tone for a long time to come. Give you and your new little companion plenty of time for your first moments together. Take her on a long, leashed walk around your neighborhood before stepping into your house. This will help her become familiar with the neighborhood, give her a chance to go potty (minimizing accidents once inside), and the exercise will help calm her nerves.

You’ll also want to approach and enter your home in a calm but authoritative manner. Wait for her to settle down before entering. This shows her you expect that she isn’t to be overly excited or jumping around when entering and leaving the house. Keep her leashed for a while once inside so you can redirect her if needed. Let her know from the get-go that you are in charge of the space, which will also let her know her place in your house, so she doesn’t try to assume the dominant role.

Helping your dog understand that she is “home”

It may take a while for your new dog to understand your abode is now her home. You can ease the transition with a little extra effort on your part. In addition to the things you’d probably expect to do — showing her where she sleeps, where her food is, where she can go potty — remember to give her lots of extra love. Play on the floor with her and leave an old t-shirt next to her bed, so your smell is stronger where she’ll spend time. Try to wait as long as possible before leaving her alone for stretches at a time, and when you do, give her something like a Kong with treats to keep her mind occupied while you’re away. It’s tempting to want to give a new dog a stuffy to cuddle. Take care to ensure it’s not one she can destroy before leaving her alone with it because the stuffing can become a choking hazard. And finally, remember to speak out loud often to your new dog. Even if just nonsensical chitchat; your voice and the interaction will reassure her.

Creating a routine and sticking to it

An important part of the adjustment for the whole household — especially your puppy — is through a routine. Make sure to carve out time for walks, playing, meals, and cuddles so that both your puppy — and you — know what to expect from each day. The repetition of activities will help avoid things like forgetting to walk your dog or him not knowing when to expect your arrival at the end of the day.

Additional preparations

You’ll also want to make sure you’ve found a vet and trainer before you need one — and that usually means finding them ahead of time because your new puppy will need your attention once you’re home. 

A few other things you’ll want to plan for:

• That your dog is vaccinated, and records are handy
• Getting your puppy spayed or neutered, unless you plan on breeding your dog. This is also the time when you’ll want to consider stem cell banking. Regenerative medicine is continuously advancing and can now help provide you and your puppy with more healthy years together.

Getting into a happy groove

Your dog will feel more at home within a few weeks, and within three months, your consistency and dedication will have paid off.  You and your puppy will have bonded, he will know what’s expected of him, and you’ll both settle smoothly into daily life.