How to Prepare Your Home for Adopting a New Puppy

Bringing home your new dog for the first time is an enormous milestone. Whether you’re adopting an older dog who needs shelter and loving home or adopting a small puppy to train and mould into your perfect family dog, bringing your tail-wagger home brings a true excitement.

My first pet love is my Maltese Maggie. She’s the kind of a loyal companion who walks you to the door before you go to work to say bye, greets you the minute she hears the sound of your car, loves treats, cuddles, baths, and playing with her toys. No one’s immune to her charm!

Source: furrybabiesinc.com

Before we decided to adopt her, we gave the entire process some thought, as we wanted to choose the kind of dog that would fit in with our lifestyle. And even though we had other options in mind, this fluff that won our hearts the minute we saw her. However, I’m not going to lie, we surely spent some time and thought in preparing the house to make sure she is as comfortable as possible.

Get the Essential Supplies

We didn’t know anything about taking care of dogs prior to getting her, so we had to do some research on the matter and browse the different pet supplies online stores offer. Even though there are tons of local pet stores in my town, I almost always prefer shopping online due to the vast array of brands and products sold at convenient prices. Plus, when shopping online I can get a better idea of the specifics of the products and compare them.

Source: www.petfoodindustry.com

The first things I ordered from my favourite pet supplies online store were food and water bowls, a couple of toys, both dry and wet treats, a bed for my pooch, and of course, a leash and a collar with an ID tag. As it turned out, our dear Maggie is a barker. And while we don’t really have a problem with that, we weren’t so sure our neighbours wouldn’t. So, just to be on the safe side, we got her an anti-barking device to make the training much easier.

Pet-Proof Your Home

Pets are like kids, they need constant supervision as they can easily get in trouble even at home or make a mess that would take you hours to clean up. That’s why pet-proofing your home is a must. If you don’t know where to start, my suggestion is to cover up all visible cables and wires because they are the ultimate targets for little chewers. The same goes for your lotions, cosmetics, cleaning supplies and medications. Keep them in a closed compartment that’s out of your dog’s reach.

Don’t forget to also hide any food that could be poisonous for them, including wrapped food since they can swallow the wrappers. Also, store away any clothing, accessories or toys that have buttons as they can easily end up in their intestines. Before you know it, your pup could end up in the ER. Last but not least, be more mindful with the plants you choose as certain kinds can be poisonous for dogs.

Train Your Puppy

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Getting a puppy meant that we had to do the training ourselves, so this step required a great deal of dedication, consistency and patience. It didn’t take long for her to master potty training, all thanks to the help of tons of pet supplies we got. As for the barking, the collar we got her seems to do the trick. However, it’s important to mention that every dog is different, so you have to experiment a bit to learn what’s best for your furry pal. Remember to give your dog some time when training because rushing things will only create stress that neither you nor your canine need. After all, they’ll need some time to adjust to their new home and lifestyle.

Stick to a Solid Home Routine

The more you stick to a certain daily routine, the more your dog will be able to get used to it. To make it easier for you to take care of the dog, it’s best to split the chores among all family members and let everyone participate. This way everyone can have an equal share of responsibilities and everyone will get to spend some quality time with the dog. This includes taking your ball of fur for daily walks, providing her with fresh water and food, bathing her, and cleaning after her. In our home, my husband is in charge of the walks, I do the cleaning and feeding and our kids play in the yard with Maggie almost every day. We truly are one small happy family thanks to our newest member!