A new puppy is quite a large responsibility. Puppies are simultaneously fragile and fearless, and you’ll need to take some steps to prepare for a new canine arrival. Here are some things to consider before you welcome your new pup.
Find A Good Vet
You’ll want to find a good vet before you welcome your new puppy into your home. If you live in the United States, head over to Easyvet.com to locate a veterinary surgery near you. You’ll want to take your puppy to get vaccinated before you let it outside to interact with other dogs. Diseases like canine parvovirus, rabies and hepatitis can all be almost entirely prevented with vaccinations.
Vets can also microchip your new dog and conduct a thorough check to see if it has any health problems that need looking to.
Puppy-Proof Your Home
Puppies naturally live quite chaotically as they learn about the world. They play and explore almost constantly (when they are not sleeping or eating). As such, it is important to puppy-proof your home so that they don’t get hurt as they take their first steps out into the world.
Areas to concentrate on are:
- Electrical cords. Puppies love to chew on just about everything. Don’t keep electrical cords within the reach of their exploratory maws.
- Sharp objects. The same logic applies to knives and tools. Keep them out of reach.
- Trash bags. Hungry and inquisitive constantly, puppies will happily rip apart a rubbish bag. As well as causing a huge mess, this can expose a young pup to poisonous waste.
- Doors and windows. Keep your doors and windows closed when you are not within eyesight. Until your dog is trained, it may be prone to wondering off and getting lost or injured.
Bowls, Bags And Other Accoutrements
You are going to want to buy all of the little items your puppy needs before it arrives. Keeping a dog happy and comfortable doesn’t involve making too many purchases, but you are going to have to buy the following things if you don’t already have a dog:
- A lead and collar. In some places this is a legal requirement.
- Food and water bowls. Any bowl will do, but you might not want to use the fine china for this.
- Poo bags. For poo. It’s simple really.
- Nail clippers. Special canine nail clippers make the unenviable task of cutting your dons nails slightly less unpleasant.
Hide The Socks
Perhaps the gravest and most significant item on this list concerns the most precious resource at your disposal: your socks. Puppies are inquisitive, playful and potentially possessive. Socks are small, prey like and they taste great to young dogs – partially due to them smelling like you. As a result, puppies will often steal, chew and hide your socks.
Now – on the eve of welcoming in a new canine family member – is a perfect time to organize your socks into a puppy-proof draw. Puppy-proof, in this case, means high up.
