8 Simple Steps in Getting Your House Ready for a New Puppy

It’s almost time to welcome a little new friend into your life! But before you go out and buy that adorable crate, there are some things you should do. Whether bringing home a new puppy, these eight simple steps will help prepare your home for the furry addition. You don’t want to spend all day scrubbing kennels and counters – take this advice from someone who knows!

1. Have a place to store bags and shoes other than the floor

When bringing a new puppy into your home, you should have a designated area for those bags you took to the grocery store, those shoes you kicked off by the door, and everything else. If your pup can get its mouth on any of these items, it will try to chew it up and likely succeed.

2. Look Around Your House from a Puppy’s Point of View

Before bringing your puppy home, you need to look at your house from a puppy’s point of view. This means making sure potted plants accessible to the puppy are safe, picking up blind cords, and getting rid of extension cords that could trip your puppy up.

3. Make Sure Trashcans are Closed

Puppies love to explore, and trash cans are no exception. Whether it’s a lid on the trashcan or placing the trashcan in a cabinet, it’s vital that puppies not have access to the trash because they could injure themselves with items inside of it.

4. Get Your Puppy Microchipped

Puppies tend to wander and get lost. If your puppy is an outside dog who has never been properly registered, it might be hard to find him if anything should ever happen. If you don’t microchip him, you risk losing your puppy forever.

5. Set Up a Separate Space for Your Puppy

Puppies love to chew on everything. It is okay, but not where you don’t want them to be chewing. By creating a space just for your puppy, you can organize the playpen, crate, and everything else your puppy needs.

6. Put Up Breakables

If you have some heirlooms or other breakables that you don’t want your puppy to destroy, put them away. It is true for anything and everything your puppy might be able to chew.

7. Make Sure Vaccinations are Up-do-Date

Scheduling regular veterinarian appointments are important for any dog but especially for puppies. You need to ensure that your puppy is in good health before introducing him to other animals in your house, and regular vaccinations will help protect your puppy from getting sick.

8. Be Prepared to Wake Up in the Middle of the Night

Puppies need to go out to potty frequently, especially after they first come home. You should plan on spending several weeks close to home so you can frequently let your puppy out for bathroom breaks. For young puppies, you should plan on getting up during the night to offer a bathroom break, and as the puppy grows, you will be able to spread bathroom breaks out with more time in between them.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to relax rather than stress about how your puppy will behave in your home.

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