Puppy First Day Home – Do’s, Don’ts, & Preparation

Bringing the apple of your eye home and wondering how to introduce your new puppy to his forever home?

Well, you are in the right place because you’ll find out what should you do and what shouldn’t so your puppy doesn’t feel nervous or unfamiliar when it arrives.

For a couple of days or maybe more, you’ll have to give complete attention to your puppy until he gets familiar with you, your family, his forever home, and the environment.

So, without further ado, let’s explore what to do and what not.

What to do before bringing the puppy?

Puppy-proof your home

Look, your puppy would be biting and licking everything it can get on because of its exploring nature. To take care of this problem, you need to keep everything out of the reach of your puppy whether it is a pair of shoes, your glasses, all sorts of medicine, electric cords, or whatever you think is important for you or harmful to your puppy. Read more about puppy-proofing your home.

Along with that, leave some chew toys around where they are supposed to spend most of their time.

Check the best chew toys on Amazon.

Get essential puppy supplies

Make sure you have enough supplies for your puppy. An ideal puppy starter kit would have chew toys, a water and food bowl, a bed, a harness, a leash and collar, essential grooming tools, a crate, and the right food suggested by your vet or the breeder.

Most importantly, you should get enough puppy food and the breeder you are getting the puppy from can help you in choosing the right food. To make your puppy’s arrival more special, you may also consider getting a custom bowl, such as a bowl with a logo or your dog’s name. We suggest getting them a customized dog bowl that shows up your love for them and also makes them more personalized when they are with other dogs. 

First Aid Kit

Disasters and accidents happen unexpectedly but you can make them less vulnerable with the help of a first aid kit for pets. So, if you have spent money on bringing a puppy home and its supplies, it is also recommended to spend some bucks on the first aid kit.

Learn Basic Training Tips

The training of your puppy starts right after it arrives at your home because you have to house-train and potty-train it. So, try to learn basic training tips so you can train your puppy to be a good dog in the future. Remember, training and socialization will help your dog to be a well-mannered and obedient dog.

Get a crate

Crates let them feel secure. Also, they consider the crate their secure spot which helps them to adjust easily.

So, these were the essential things that you should do before bringing the puppy home. Let’s now learn how to introduce the puppy to your home when it arrives home.

How to Introduce the Puppy to Your Home?

Go home straight

When you pick up the puppy from a breeder, a shelter, or a pet store, make sure you bring it home directly instead of roaming in the neighborhood. The longer car rides may be uncomfortable for the puppy because most probably it will be its first-ever car ride.

It is better to keep a towel in the car that will be helpful if the puppy gets sick. Also, it is highly recommended to have just two people in the car; one to drive the car and the other to take care of the puppy.

Don’t rush

Don’t rush and make a crowd or your puppy may be scared or feel overwhelmed. Introduce it to all the family members one by one, and the best practice is to let the puppy approach each member by itself and sniff the to initiate the interaction.

Start early training

Let your puppy sniff the area around your house and don’t forget to leash it. Also, if you have dedicated a potty spot for your new puppy, take it there and reward it with a treat so it realizes the importance of this place. Also, walk your puppy around the edge of your yard so he understands his limits.

Show him his personal space

It’s better to have a crate or playpen with a clean bed and some puppy toys. Put this crate/playpen in the room where the puppy is supposed to rest full-time. On the very first day, when you have introduced the puppy to everyone and it has spent some time exploring the home, introduce it to his safe place.

Give the puppy time

Well, it may take some time for your puppy to adjust to the environment. All you need to do is to be patient and consistent with your training. Although puppies are smart and keen to learn and explore, they may still take some time to learn certain things.

Set rules

Which room your puppy is allowed in? Is it permitted on the furniture or not? What time of the day it will be fed? What’s potty-peeing time? Be consistent and try to set rules and routines as it will be less confusing for your pup. Puppies also like and follow a daily routine so it will be a good idea.

Wrapping it up:

Your puppy will be able to adjust easily if you follow these steps. But remember, if you already have an adult dog at home, it may not be thrilled or happy to have a puppy who may be the center of attention. The existing dog may get aggressive so it is recommended to keep them separate for some time.

Reward both of them when they are around and behave appropriately with one another.

Recommended read – Why Should You Adopt a Dog from Shelter?