How to bring a new puppy home for the family?
Photo by Andrew Schultz on Unsplash
A puppy can keep you company, entertain, protect, comfort you, and help make life fulfilling. As a dog lover, bringing a new puppy home can be incredibly exciting, filled with the promise of having a new friend. However, the experience might not be the same for the puppy because the transition might be difficult. The transition to a new environment can be difficult because they thrive on consistency and definite boundaries. Make these important arrangements to make the transition into a new environment less stressful.
Set up a space for the puppy
Like humans, puppies like their own space to relax and sleep securely. In addition, puppies need to be comfortable to relax when guests come over or adjust to the new environment. Since puppies typically exhibit fear when confronted with unfamiliar situations, animals, and people, your new friend will need a place to relax as a protective mechanism. Before you pick up your new puppy, set up a safe space in your home. In addition to the kennel, invest in a comfortable bet, water dishes, toys, food, and enrichment items. After identifying a suitable puppy space within your home, section it using puppy pens or baby crates. If you are still looking for a furry friend for your home, you can find fluffy corgi puppies for sale online or near you. You can create a designated puppy spot within your yard.
Puppy-proof your home
Puppies are insatiably curious and energetic animals and will often injure themselves trying to satisfy their curiosity. Puppy-proofing is an essential step in bringing your new puppy home as it will help make the new environment safe. Even though puppy-proofing can be costly and time-consuming, it will help protect your friend from sustaining injuries or consuming poisonous chemicals and medicine within the house. Check your home for string, rubber bands, children’s toys, ribbons, chemicals, medications, and anything else your puppy could ingest. In addition, move electrical cords that your puppy can chew out of reach as well poisonous houseplants. When it comes to outdoor proofing, fence in-ground pools, and yard, remove toxic plants, designate a puppy area, and clean up.
Familiarize your puppy with the grooming process
Grooming is a way of maintaining your puppy’s level of cleanliness and keeping it good-looking. Dog breeds, particularly muddy breeds, such as Cocker Spaniels, Border Collies, Bearded Collies, and Saint Bernards, accumulate dirt and dust on their fur, which requires regular cleaning. Before bringing your puppy home, ensure that it is familiar with the grooming process to protect your household items from getting dirty. By familiarizing your puppy with grooming, you will not have to worry about bad smells that can compromise your indoor air quality or long nails that can damage your fabric.
Stock the supplies
When planning to own a puppy, budget for the essential supplies that will ease the transition process. You’re likely to feel anxious and unprepared because of the long list of basic items that you need to keep your puppy comfortable and safe. Most importantly, invest in an adjustable dog collar, a leash, a dog bet, stain remover, a roomy dog crate, and a fillable chew toy. Your new puppy checklist should also include pet food that meets the puppy’s nutritional needs. Consider dog breed when choosing the right foods as a new pet owner. If possible, discuss with your veterinary to develop a nutritionally-appropriate diet for your puppy. A collar, tag, harness, and leash will come in handy when taking your puppy on walks or during training. In addition, if you plan to travel with your puppy, invest in a car restraint for improved safety.
Start puppy training early
Training is important when adopting a dog as it helps build confidence, provide mental stimulation, and improve the human-animal bond. Puppy training should begin at seven weeks through positive reinforcement and gentle commands. Train your puppy before arriving home to help your family establish closer bonds and make management easy. In addition, if you own other animals at home, training will help make your puppy social and animal-friendly. Positive reinforcement, which involves rewarding or praising your puppy, will make your puppy friendly. To further make the transition into your home easy, learn about dog body language to know when your puppy is comfortable, hungry, or agitated.
Conclusion
Many people prefer puppies as pets because of the ease of bonding and socialization, but the transition process can be difficult. After finding the perfect breed of puppy, focus on making your home friendly to realize the benefits of owning a pet. By adopting these strategies, you will make introducing them to your home and family less stressful and improve the experience.