How to Prepare Your Home for a New Puppy

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If you're thinking about bringing a new dog into your family you have to think about how you're going to let them fit into the present structure of your family. Bringing a dog into the home can be a lot like bringing a new child into the home.

There are a lot of things you need to do to ensure that your home is ready and that the new pup settles in quickly. If you're a bit confused about exactly how you should go about ensuring that your new puppy is comfortable in your home, here are some tips that will help you.

Puppy Proof Your Home

One of the first things you need to do is to ensure that you are puppy-proofing your home. Remember that bringing a new puppy into your home is a lot like being a new child. 

You want to make sure that anything dangerous that may be lying around is completely removed from your home. You may want to use a special covering for your plugs and also get cords out of the way. 

You should also put things out of the way that you think the puppy might want to chew on. You may have to move your favorite rug for a while until your new puppy is trained.

You also want to make sure that you get cleaning supplies and other things to higher ground. This means that you should put them high in cabinets.

If you have low cabinets make sure that you have childproof latches to ensure that your puppy will not be able to get to these items. Puppies are very curious and if they see something unusual they will quickly gravitate towards it.

Avoid Table Feeding

Feeding your puppy from the table should never be an option. When you start feeding your puppy from the table it will get used to being served scraps. 

Your puppy should not eat foods that are meant for humans. It may not be nutritious for them and in some cases, it may be harmful. 

Make sure you do not give your puppy any kind of chocolate, gum, or raisins. These foods can be poisonous to puppies. Start training your puppy right by making sure they are given the best type of food. 

Make sure that you put them on a feeding schedule so that they know when to expect their food. Look at how your puppy eats to determine how much serving is right for them. 

You can also ask your vet to tell you how much your puppy should eat based on its weight. Many puppy foods also have a chart that can make it easier for you to determine how much a puppy should eat based on its weight.

Get Fencing

Undoubtedly, you will want to make sure that you fence your yard if you can. Fencing is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your dog does not escape from your yard. 

Your fence needs to be high enough so that your puppy cannot jump over it and it also needs to be low enough so that there are not any holes for the puppy to crawl through.

If you have a pool in your yard this presents a problem for your puppy. You should have a fence around the pool or a pool cover when no one is using it. 

A fence will prevent your puppy from falling into the pool accidentally. If you have a pool you will need to invest in the pool training for your puppy. 

You can try to do this yourself or you can hire a professional trainer to do it for you. Even if your puppy is trained to stay away from your pool, dog fences are the most effective way to ensure that your puppy keeps safe.

Take Care of Your Yard

It is not only your home you need to ensure that is safe you also need to make sure that your entire yard is safe for your puppy. Make sure that you trim any tall grasses so that your puppy does not trip over them and fall. 

If your lawn has fertilizer or pesticide treatments you may want to keep your puppy inside until these chemicals wear off. If you don't want to keep your puppy inside you may have to use pesticides that are non-toxic so that your puppy does not get poisoned.

Hide Medications Away

Again, just as you would ensure that your medications are not easy for your children to reach, you should also ensure that your puppy cannot easily access any medications that you may currently be taking. 

Make sure you store all your medications away safely. You can have them in a first aid kit box or in a cupboard that is high on your wall and far away from your pet. 

This will ensure that your pets cannot accidentally get to your medications and ingest them. You also want to make sure that all your medications are in childproof packaging. The childproof packaging normally works just as well for puppies as well as children.

Pay Attention to Your Puppy

Another thing you need to ensure is that you pay attention to your puppy. You can take all the precautions in the world but nothing will surpass ensuring that you properly supervise your puppy when they are outside alone. 

When a puppy is young it should not be left alone. This is because they have not been trained and they are apt to get themselves into difficulty. Puppies are also more inclined to be the target of predators.

Bathroom Protection

Make sure that you puppy-proof your bathroom as well. This is one room that is often overlooked when the safety of a puppy is being thought about.

Make sure that you keep your toilet lid closed when your puppy is young. Puppies like to climb and may climb onto the toilet and fall inside. 

This may cause them to drown. Until your puppy is a lot older and well-trained you should ensure that you tell all members of the family to keep the lids on the toilets covered in the home.

Create a Bathroom Area In Your Yard

Creating a bathroom area in your yard is extremely important. From the start, you should let your puppy get used to using a specific spot outside.

The more you allow them to use the special spot the more they will understand what to do when they want to use the bathroom. It is one of those things that you must begin early when your puppy is very young so that you will not have any problems in the future.

Enjoy Your New Pup

Once you have started to get your new puppy accustomed to thei  environment they will become more relaxed. You will find that they will know exactly what they should and should not do, so you want to begin training them promptly. 

The key is to ensuring that you keep them safe during the training period is to ensure that your home is not only comfortable but safe for them. This will make your puppy happy and help them fit into your household very quickly.

Make sure that you take your new puppy to the vet as soon as possible. You want to ensure that they get all the necessary vaccinations. You also want to ensure that they are growing healthily.