The best way to cheer up and excite everyone in the family – well, at least the youngest members – is to announce the arrival of a new puppy in the house. One of the best ways to start off on the right foot for you and your pup is to schedule a visit to your vet within the first few days of arrival. This way, you can get a professional, unbiased opinion on your new puppy’s health before anyone in the family gets too attached. Your vet can also provide you with any necessary vaccinations, a recommended future schedule for regular checkups, as well as advice on spaying or neutering, feeding, training, and flea and tick prevention.

Hopefully, before your new friend arrives, you’ve taken the time to research your chosen breed of dog and are familiar with its future size, traits, and characteristics. You should take into account the expected amount of exercise your new puppy will require, the amount of time you can expect to spend grooming, the amount of food the breed tends to eat, and any special needs that may be associated with your new dog. Also, you should have made arrangements for the pup during times when family members may be away at work or school for the first few months until house breaks or you can be left outside alone.

After properly introducing your new pup to his new home, one of the first and continuing challenges you will immediately face is breaking the house with this little pee and poo machine. Of course, puppies have small bladders and require frequent trips outdoors to relieve themselves. If you intend your dog to be primarily an inside dog, unless you are going to set up 24-hour puppy surveillance, I would recommend that you consider crate training. Crate training not only helps teach your dog to break the house, but also that he won’t have freedom to move around the place, as well as allowing you some time to relax and not have to constantly check on Rover.

If you choose crate training, keep in mind that the maximum amount of time your puppy should spend in the crate without being let out to relieve himself is about one hour for every month of his life. When you take the puppy out of the crate, take him outside immediately and let him relieve himself. Once he relieves himself, reward him with a treat and/or playtime and cuddles. This way, the pup will learn that he should take care of business before you play. Taking your little one outside 15 to 20 minutes after eating is also a good idea. Even if you do these things religiously, the little one will have an occasional accident. When this happens, give the area a good clean, apply a pet odor neutralizer, and remember you’re still learning. If you follow these simple methods and watch the thing like a hawk between trips to relieve itself, you’ll soon have a new pup who knows how to hold it until you take it outside.

Before the puppy arrives, take the time to clean up anything around the house that you don’t want to use as a chew toy. Puppies are like human babies when it comes to immediately placing anything they come into contact with in their mouths. Try to raise all power cords off the floor and hide them from the dog’s view. Give him a toast when he has plenty of toys that he can call his own and chew to the bottom of his heart. If your pup manages to pick up something he shouldn’t, and I assure you he will, tell him “No” and carefully remove it. After a while and watching the thing like a hawk every minute it’s out of the cage will eventually result in a dog that mostly knows what he can and can’t play with.

The first few months with a new puppy are always challenging. The constant going in and out to go to the bathroom, remove things, deal with dog hair and puppy paws leaving dirty footprints around the house and the next thing you know you have a beloved family member who can no longer. remember what it was like without him around. With proper attention to housebreaking, working on social skills, other training, exercise, discipline, and lots of love and affection, you will find that you have a dog that has become a very loyal and caring companion to you and everyone else. members of his now extended family.