“Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way."

- Caroline Knapp

Congratulations, you're about to welcome a new puppy into your home!

You've been scrolling the internet looking for clues about what you need to make your first days with your puppy as blissful as the reels from your favorite influencer and suddenly you're a little overwhelmed. Do you have the right things? Will your pup be safe? What else do you need to learn?

There's a lot of information out there. Let's narrow it down to a few things you can concentrate on to set you and your puppy up for success.

Moose learned that going to his mat while folks are in the kitchen earns him great treats!

11 Things to Smooth Out the First Few Days With Your Puppy

1. Food - Ask the rescue or breeder what your pup has been eating. Buy enough to last the first month of your pup’s life. Changing food too fast can lead to upset stomachs.

2. Treats - Puppies are always learning. You want to have something to reward them with whenever you see them do something you like. Seek out teeny tiny treats with simple ingredients and keep a few in your pocket at all times.

3. Crate - For house training and for sleep, crates are great! Pup should be able to sit, stand, lie down, and turn around comfortably in their crate. You don't want them to have enough room in the crate that they can pee or poop on one side and sleep on the other.

4. Collar/Harness - Choose a simple flat collar for ID and a harness to attach to the leash. Harnesses that go over the head are easier to manage then ones where you need to put your pup's legs into first.

5. Leash - To set you and your pup up for polite leash walking, pick out a plain 6 foot leash with a clip on one end and a loop on the other. 

6. Toys - Start with a Kong or Toppl. Add a Wobbler or Bob-a-lot, and a lickimat for extra relief from nipping, barking, chewing, and other developmentally appropriate but annoying behaviors. You can get more interactive toys as your pup grows.

7. Pen/Gate - You gotta shower some time! You can’t supervise your puppy every minute of every day. Design a puppy-proof area using gates or pens where pup can play safely so you can take a break.

8. Pee Pads - Save your floors and jump start your house training by using pee pads. Pee and poop are going to happen while your pup is learning. Even if you plan to train your pup to eliminate outdoors, it takes some time to learn and having pee pads available makes the process easier for both you and your pup. Using pee pads will not automatically make outdoor training more difficult.

9. Enzyme cleaner - Remember all that pee and poop? Even if we can’t smell it, our dogs can, and enzymes take care of it! To clean it up completely, you’ll need an enzymatic cleaner like Zero Odor or Nature’s Miracle.

10. Doggie Language - This book by Lili Chin is the best primer on dog body language that I know of. When you understand what your pup is saying to you, life gets so much easier. 

11. A Quiet Friend - Getting a stuffie that’s about the same size as your puppy can take wear & tear off your furniture, your clothing, and your ankles! With a giant stuffie you can play tug without your fingers getting nipped and your pup can shake, roll, hump, and even nap with a dog who won’t object. This is a safe way for your pup to work through a lot of developmentally appropriate behaviors that will fade with time.

Bonus: Find yourself a dog trainer who can be kind to you while teaching you to safely, calmly, and kindly teach your pup to live safely in our world. You can start as early as when you're looking for the right puppy for your family and as recently as right now. The best time to find that trainer is as soon as you think of it!

Ready to train with your puppy? Head over to the contact form on the website.

Wondering about classes? Check them out here.

FREE Ask the Trainer Zoom on Saturdays at 11a (some holidays excepted).