Puppy Basics - Keys to Bringing a Puppy Into Your Home

The key to bringing a puppy into your home is to think things through well before the big day.

Most people spend months preparing for the arrival of a new baby. They're just as likely, however, to bring a baby dog home on a whim, without any preparation at all. Small wonder they find themselves playing catch-up for weeks, months, years, or even 'getting rid of' the dog as they struggle to recover from the mistakes made in the pup's formative months. The wise puppy-owner-to-be puts much thought into pre-puppy preparation.

There's lots of puppy stuff you'll need to make your puppy comfortable, happy, and successful as he learns to adapt to your alien environment. Here's a short list to get you started:

Crate - facilitates housetraining and prevents puppy misbehavior.

Puppy pen/exercise pen - expands the “den” concept of a crate to a slightly larger area.

Tether - intended to temporarily restrain a dog for relatively short periods of time in your presence.

Collar, ID tag, leash, and harness

Seat belt - Use a restraint that fastens to your car's seat belts and your dog's harness (never a collar).

Clicker - use as a reward marker.

Treats - A clicker, of course, is nothing without an accompanying reward.

Long line - the long line is an ideal tool to help your dog learn to come reliably. 

Kong toys - a chew-resistant (not chew-proof), rubber toy with a hollow center.

Balls, interactive toys, fetch toys.

Grooming tools - Choose combs and brushes appropriate for your dog's type of coat.

House cleaning tools

For more details and advice on pre-puppy preparation, purchase Whole Dog Journal's ebook, Puppy Basics.

 - This article courtesy of the Whole Dog Journal, August 2010