Getting A Puppy

A new puppy in the house can cause quite a whirlwind of excitement, chaos, and confusion. These little energetic fur balls want to explore, taste, experience, and test everything around them. To reduce some of the disarray of these moments, and to keep your new puppy safe, here are a few ways to prepare your house for a new puppy.

Preparing Your Home for a Puppy

Puppies are a lot like babies that are crawling and learning to walk; they get into everything. You will need to puppy-proof your home to keep your puppy safe from injury and harm and to keep your household items intact.
Check electrical cords. It is not uncommon to see puppies with oral cavity burns brought about by chewing on electrical cords. Either restrict access to rooms with loose cords, or make sure the puppy is closely supervised. Additionally, most pet product retailers offer cord guards that can help alleviate the problem.
Secure loose furniture. Delicate items, such as picture frames or lamps, can be knocked to the floor by an uncoordinated puppy. If glass breaks, shards can become embedded in paws or fall directly onto the puppy. Heavy items, like a hot iron on the edge of an ironing board, are very dangerous, and strings hanging from blinds can also be sources of potential injury.
Keep any medication out of reach. Ingestion of prescription or over-the-counter medication can be fatal for a puppy.
Restrict access to cupboards. Investing in a cabinet child lock can prevent puppy access to harmful garbage and cleaning products.
Check the yard for small items and chemicals. Toxic plants and flowers? Is the garage accessible, and if so are toxic items like antifreeze and oils up on shelves? Walk around the areas that the puppy will be visiting and look for things that are in their reach.
Invest in a baby gate. If you have certain areas of the home that you do not want the new puppy in, invest in a baby gate or two.
Before you bring the puppy home, purchase some items that your puppy will need. Plenty of toys, chewies, a sleeping bed or kennel, blankets, and food and water dishes should all be ready at the house. Having these items at the house before the puppy arrives will help the puppy to immediately learn where to sleep, eat, what to chew on, and what to play with.

If you have very young children in your household, talk with the children about the puppy's arrival. The children will need to know to watch for the puppy so they don't step on it, to keep the doors closed so the puppy does not escape, and how to interact with puppy.