What You Need For Your New Puppy

Aloha

Congratulations! you have just selected and brought home a new puppy! They are so cute, aren’t they? All the little dog wants to do is wiggle in your arms and lick your face! So, you have just committed to dog ownership, which is like having a child that you need to train and teach. It is said there are no bad dogs, just bad owners.

Before you bring home your puppy, you need to have the supplies and an area in your home where your puppy will live while he is learning what you expect of him. That is just a tiny little dog you have, and training starts immediately in the way you do things with your puppy. This little dog wants to please you more than anything! You just need to show him how.

You will need supplies for your new puppy prior to bringing him/her home. You will need:
food bowl
water bowl
collar
leash
ID tag
bed
crate/portable dog kennel (large enough for the full grown dog)
toys
grooming supplies

Dogs are social animals. Usually, puppies are available when they are only six weeks old and have been weaned from the mother, which means they are eating food and not nursing on Mom anymore. You will be taking your puppy away from his littermates, usually anywhere from 2 and sometimes as many as 12 puppies!
You just removed his social network, so now you will provide that for him. I can remember putting an alarm clock with a new puppy when I was a kid, warm blankets and newspaper covering the whole floor, where the puppy would be put down to bed at night, and then being kept awake every time the little guy woke up by his crying and yelping! This is totally normal as they are waking up alone, no littermates and no Mom.

A dog’s natural instinct is to build a den for himself. This is where the crate comes in.  Puppies need a lot of sleep and will sleep several times each day. The crate is a tremendous help with housebreaking. Dogs do not want to soil their dens. When your puppy is ready to sleep put him in his crate, gently saying “crate.” The crate itself should be  snug, comfortable and soft inside. The bedding should be easy to change. Nothing dangerous for your puppy to chew should be in the crate. Every time you put your puppy in his crate, put a favorite toy or special treat in front of him, saying “crate” as you put him in.
That is it for today….I will further go into “puppy proofing” a special room for your new best friend on my next blog.