Although there are known health benefits in having a dog, bringing a new puppy home can be a stressful time for a lot of people. Dogs are a lot of responsibility and if you’ve never had one before you may be surprised at how much there is to do, and how much time it will take up. For the first couple of weeks of getting a new puppy it’s a good idea not to make too many social plans and to focus mostly on your new pet to settle it into your home. Here are some tips on how to make the transition run smoothly…
Introduce Your Dog To Your House
When your dog enters your house for the first time, make sure you introduce him or her to your home. Give him or her some food in the area where its food and water bowls will be kept so it knows where it will be eating in future, and show it where its bed will be. If possible, bring a blanket with you that has the scent of your pup’s mother on it to make the move from its first home to your home less traumatic for it.
Start Toilet Training Your Puppy
Unlike cats, who “do their business” in a litter box (we love the self-cleaning ones from selfpetcare.com), you need to start potty training your puppy right away so you don’t have too many accidents to clean up inside your home. Make sure you put down puppy pads and newspaper just in case, particularly in the room where your pup will sleep. After it’s done eating, take it outside and reward it with a treat whenever it goes to the bathroom outside. This is called positive reinforcement. If it has an accident inside, don’t be angry or react loudly, as this may frighten it and set its toilet training back a few steps. Remember it’s still little and still learning. Here’s a link to another resource on how to potty train your puppy.
Make Your Home Safe For Your Puppy
Make sure that your house is puppy proofed when you bring your new pet home. It’s a good idea to put away any rugs so that if your puppy has an accident it will be easy to clean up off wooden floors. Make sure that you put child locks on your cabinets so your puppy can’t get into them and put away all toxic substances like cleaning products and any foods that your dog is allergic to, like chocolate. Put away all your small objects that your puppy might swallow and anything that you don’t want to be chewed. Make sure you have some medications on hand. For instance, you can order trifexis online – this is a treatment for heartworm.
Prepare Yourself For A Sleepless First Night
Like a new baby, your puppy might initially cry a lot during the night. It won’t be used to being away from its mother and brothers and sisters and may find the move to your house difficult. Put a hot water bottle wrapped in a blanket in its bed or crate, and only visit when it isn’t whimpering. This will be rewarding it for being quiet, so it knows what the correct behavior is.
We hope you find this guide, created by Carpet Cleaning Group, helpful:
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