Rules on your new Puppy

Bringing your puppy home!
Before reading this page I want tell everyone that raising a puppy just takes common sense, if it doesn’t make sense to you then don’t do it.  Everyone has opinions so read as much as possible and then decide what will work best for you and your family.
Puppy proof
Food & Water
Bed & toys
Teething
Chewing
Your schedule and what is fair to your new family member.

Puppy Proofing
Try to imagine what your puppy will experience when investigating its new home.  Your puppies nose will be no more than 6” off the floor so don’t worry about things that are 12” or higher for now.  Anything in these 12 inches will be subject to your puppy’s mouth and teeth.  Remember a puppy experiences almost everything with its mouth and this is what your challenge will be.  Remove objects that are potentially unsafe or things that you don’t want your puppy to taste test.  Wires, game cords, shoes, purses, lamp cords, flower pots, plants, magazines, newspapers, trash cans, etc. 

Food & Water
Find a good place for the food and water bowls.  This should be an area that is fairly low traffic, so your puppy won’t feel anxious when eating but it should also be an area won’t be affected if water is spilt.  The kitchen is the most popular location for the food and water dish.  Once you pick the spot you should leave it in place for at least several few weeks.  Your puppy will adapt better if it knows where to find food and water.

Bed & Toys
We always recommend crate training but that doesn’t mean your puppy should only have one bed.  They like to nap when not in the crate and they expect a certain level of comfort.  For some reason dogs like circular beds, probably because they curl up and it makes them feel secure.  This isn’t an immediate need but your puppy will love you more if you splurge on the second bed.  Toys are important because these are the only thing that you want your puppy to put in its mouth.  Not your shoes, purse or library book…this will happen if you don’t keep them picked up but less often if your puppy has several favorite toys to play with.  Nylabones, balls and squeaky toys…you will find yourself buying toys all the time and your puppy be checking the shopping bags every time you come home.  Just have a basket handy to keep the toys in so you don’t trip over them.

Teething
Your puppy will lose most of its teeth by the time it is six months old and you may never know, they will fall out or they may swallow them.  Don’t panic if you do find a tooth, this is normal.  Just make sure your new puppy has something to chew on during this time.  If you become concerned ask your veterinarian for advice.

Chewing
Teething and chewing goes hand in hand.  You puppy is in discomfort and chewing helps relieve some of that discomfort.  Your job is to make sure your puppy knows what is acceptable to chew on.  Consistent positive reinforcement and then repeat over and over again.  It isn’t really that bad but your puppy will only learn if you teach them and positive reinforcement works better than throwing temper tantrums.  Training classes are recommended as early as possible, not so much for the puppy but to train you on how to train your puppy.

Your schedule and what is fair for your new puppy.
Puppies can adapt very well to most environments and family situations.  However…eight hours a day in a crate is a bit much.  You won’t end up with a well adjusted dog if they spend the majority of their life in a crate.  One of the best things you can do is limit the crate time during the day to four hour segments or less.  We feel strongly enough about this that we began offering pet sitting for families in our area.  Most families will only require this type of service for the first year.  Dogs can be left alone after they have been house trained and have adjusted to their new family.  However, this should be determined by your own good common sense and we will accept zero responsibility if your little angel has a melt down and destroys your McMansion.