Bringing a new puppy home for the first time is something you need to be fully prepared for. Here is our new puppy guide for new puppy owners to help create a positive relationship from the beginning.

Make sure your house is safe.

• Move all breakable items, detergents and chemicals to a safe place out of reach of the puppy.
• Cover or hide all electrical cords and remove dangerous plants.
• Restrict access to the areas that you don’t want puppy to enter.

Make your puppy comfortable.

• A bed with a removable, waterproof cover is essential. Puppies will have accidents!
• A crate is important too as it helps develop housebreaking rules and is their safe or chill out zone.
• Invest in some good quality rubber chew toys to make playtime as much fun as possible and remember to keep the house calm and stress free.

Food and water.

• Lots of fresh water is important.
• A small bowl that puppy can easily reach into is best but make sure it is topped up regularly.
• Consider what food is right for your little pup. There is a lot of choice so take advice from your breeder or vet.

Get started early with socialisation.

• Take your puppy out and about every day from the day you bring him home. Let him experience the world.
• The earlier he sees smells and hears the world he will be living in the easier he will find life in general.
• Make sure you carry him if his vaccinations are not complete to protect him from disease.
• Also encourage people to visit your home to meet and greet with the puppy.

Find a good vet.

• Go and visit your vet early to meet and greet and make sure your puppy has a positive experience.
• Book in your puppy vaccinations and arrange treatment for fleas and worms.
• Also ask about neutering at the correct age.

You are what you eat.

• Source a good quality puppy food with a quality source of protein and avoid colourings flavourings and preservatives where you can.
• A poor diet can be reflected in your puppies’ behaviour, coat condition and digestive function.

Ease teething.

• Your puppy needs to chew and he will find his own chew toys if you do not!
• Provide plenty of appropriate things for puppy to chew on. Include soft toys, raw hide bone and tough rubber toys too.
• Keep some in a cupboard and rotate the toys so that every few days they change maintaining their appeal.

Aid boredom.

• Put a whole meal inside a kong and feed it, this uses up a portion of the day, with a fun activity and also gives those chewing teeth an outlet and slows down those greedy gulpers aiding digestion.

Start training early.

• Training your puppy can start as soon as possible. Using modern kind methods of training means you can get off to a great start with obedience.
• Enrol on a good puppy training course to learn new things and see other puppies too.

Proof against theft and loss.

• Get your puppy micro-chipped. It is illegal not to and is by far the best way to locate your puppy if he becomes lost.

Get yourself a puppy crate.

• Crate training is a great way to get quick and reliable results with toilet training. Contrary to many beliefs it’s not cruel to the puppy at all as long as it is used correctly.
• In fact it provides a safe ‘den’ for your pup to sleep in when he is tired and somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of a busy house.
• Keep puppy in his crate with something to do when he cannot be supervised and take him out to the toilet immediately after waking, playing or eating and every hour in between.
• Having a smaller area to rest in encourages bladder control and gives you the chance to catch toileting happening in the right place and reward it!

Prevent separation anxiety.

• Make sure your puppy gets used to being left for short periods of time every day. Dogs that are not used to being left alone can suffer terribly with anxiety. Even if you are at home all day get your puppy used to his own company as you never know what the future holds and life may change.

Reward all the good stuff.

• Always use positive training methods and reward everything that you like to see your puppy doing.
• Prevent the naughty things from occurring by supervising your puppy at all time when he is out of his crate. If you can stop it, it never happens!

Socialising and Training.

• We put a lot of pressure on our dogs to be companions.
• The best way we can accomplish this is by a comprehensive socialisation and training plan.
• Ensure you have read the right guidance for your puppy and consider one of our puppy training classes.

First Aid

• Consider taking a first aid course to gain the knowledge and experience you will need in the event your puppy requires immediate medical attention.
• Very Important Pets First Aid seminars are an ideal way to gain the confidence you need to tackle a range of the most common injuries to dogs and other animals

If you would like more information on puppy training or anything on our new puppy guide please contact us.