So, You Got A Puppy or you’re getting a puppy?!
Ahhhhhhhh that’s so exciting because puppies are the cutest, fluffiest, most good-hearted little creatures when they first come home. Then they get settled, they get bored, and then they start turning into little demons sent from satin to destroy your life. But hey look on the bright side, you’ll never be bored again for the next ten-fifteen years.
Puppies are fantastic, but omg they can be a lot of work, so I’m going to help calm your mind and make the puppy arrival and quarantine process a little easier.
Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com
Crates are not the cage of doom!
Before the puppy arrives, or if your puppy is already at home, get a crate (no they are not evil cages of doom) crates are an excellent tool to have when you own a puppy or a dog. If you crate train your dog, there are SOOOOOOO many positives to it. 1. If there is ever a natural disaster and your dog needs to go in a crate, they won’t be overstressed about it (because they’re used to it). 2. It keeps your puppy in a safe place, so they don’t go around destroying your things, destruction will last well into there adult life unless you implement lots of exercise and training. We will get into that on another day. Once your puppy is used to the crate your puppy will believe it or no LIKE the crate. Dogs thousands of years ago had dens in the wild, so the crate is like a den to your puppy. It’s a safe place they can go to take a nap or just a place they can go and have a good bone. Either way, your puppy will learn to enjoy the crate and so will you. 4. Crates are the single most effective way to show your puppy it’s ok to be alone, it’s ok that mom and dad are gone, and in the long run it will help your puppy NOT develop separation anxiety. A bonus is you will come home to a clean house. Not countless dog messes a chewed up couch and part of your carpet missing.
Why you need an x-pen!
Ok now that I am over the crate rant…. Next, be sure you have a baby gate sectioning off an area in your house (I use the kitchen) or if your home is a vast open floor plan and a baby gate isn’t freezable, get an X-pen. It’s a good size pen that you can form a few different shapes that is pretty much a giant playpen for your puppy. I call it a safe space. It’s an area that you can not only attach the crate too. You can also put your puppy in there when you’re not watching them 24/7, and you know they are not getting into anything like the garbage or peeing on the carpet, or chew up something they’re not supposed to.
Photo by Caio Resende on Pexels.com
Plush Toys Are Not A Good Idea!
Puppy approved toys. Now I don’t recommend getting soft plush toys unless you are going to be supervising when your puppy is playing with them. Puppies can rip those toys open with there velociraptor type teeth in seconds and swallow parts of it and cause a blockage in their intestine. So, for now, stick to the hard toys like kongs, chew toys, balls, tug rope, and other puppy approved items so that they cannot rip parts of and swallow it while you’re not looking.
Quality Food!
Get good quality puppy food. Your puppy will come home with some food, but it won’t last long so go to the pet store and pick a good brand you are going to switch them over to. Don’t go for the cheapest food you can find at Safeway or pet smart. You want to give this puppy the healthiest chance at life so, go to an actual pet store and get some good quality puppy food. The reason behind it isn’t just about proper nutrition. The higher quality food, the more easily processed in your dog’s body thus resulting in less stool. An even bigger bonus you often don’t have to feed as much of it. And most puppies eat three times a day, so higher quality food means your bag will last longer.
Be Ready To Take Time Off Work!
Be prepared to stay home from work for at least a week when your new puppy arrives. Getting correctly acquainted with your puppy when he/she first comes home IS CRUCIAL. You don’t want to get a new puppy on a Monday and then leave your puppy home alone all day Tuesday. It’s just, not a good thing to do. The best time you should get the puppy is on a Friday take Mon-Wed off and you’re golden. Also, once back to work plan on either having a neighbor, family member, friend, or dog professional stop by to let the puppy out for potty breaks or you should plan to come home at lunch. Puppies should only be left alone for 4 hours MAX at a time from ages eight weeks-six months or until they have all their shots. The reason you want to take time off is not just to help your puppy adjust to you and your house you want to get your puppy on a potty training schedule right away. Also, you will be losing some sleep at night, your puppy will need to go potty every Two- Four Hours during the night, so yes you will have to set an alarm. Or your puppy may take months to get fully potty trained, your choice. Once they’re three months they can hold it about Four hours and once Six months to adult the average time is about six hours. When they’re in sleep mode, puppies can generally hold it a lot better, but that doesn’t mean they can hold it all night. The general rule of thumb is a puppy can hold it 1 hour for every month of age, when in a resting state (as in sleeping).
Potty Break, Potty Break, Potty Break!!
Your puppy will need to go potty after playing, sleeping, eating, and drinking. Or mainly after any activity. Take your puppy out more often than not…..trust me your carpet will thank you. For a list of all the puppy-proof stuff, I use including crates, X-pens, toys, chews, and food fill out the form below, and ill shoot my list right on over to ya!
Puppy Love!
But most of all enjoy your puppy. Play with the puppy, teach the puppy, and help the puppy. But remember puppies are little tiny balls of energy and will eat anything in their path so puppy-proof your home. And be sure not to take your puppy on walks or anywhere other dogs have been until they have ALL of their shots. You can carry them places but DO NOT put them on the ground. Puppies’ immune systems are weaker than adult dogs and can catch so many different types of viruses that can be life-threatening. I was a vet tech for five years and have also had a puppy who got parvo. No, I didn’t take him to Petco or PetSmart I was working at a vet, and a family brought him in to be surrendered because he was sick. We found out he had parvo and I couldn’t stand to let him get euthanized if we could save him. So, we saved him, and he is now a happy 9-year-old healthy corgi. I’ll write about how my boy Diesel overcame parvo and thrived, but that’s for another day. But here is one of his puppy photos!
Have fun with your new puppy, and I would love to see pictures in the comments if you can, or at least tag me in your cute dog pics. Find me on social media @barknbarrel
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