Here are some things we have found to be helpful when bringing a new puppy into your home.

• Provide your new puppy with LOTS of toys! We have found puppies especially enjoy Nylabones, small water buffalo horns, and squeaky toys. When you catch your puppy chewing on something he shouldn’t be (such as a shoe), quickly replace it with one of his toys so that he knows “This is what I’m supposed to chew on.”

• To help transition your puppy to going potty outside, put a puppy pad close to the door you want him to go out of so that he has somewhere acceptable to go if he waited too long to ask to go out, or if you didn’t catch his potty signal quick enough to take him out. After a while, he will start to ask you soon enough and be able to hold it while you are coming to let him out!

• Your puppy may be lonely at night for a little while, while he is getting adjusted to life at his new home. It seems to really help if you are able to put his crate on the floor by your bed so he can see and smell you any time he wakes up during the night. Also, if he makes any whines or wimpers during the night, you can put your hand by his crate and gently tell him that it’s okay, and he needs to be quiet.

• When leaving to go somewhere during the day (for a longer period of time), we like to set up a small crate with an inside puppy fence around it. We attach food and water bowls to either the outside of the crate or the inside of the fence (whichever works best) to keep food and water from being spilled. We put down a cloth puppy pad in the fenced area so the puppy has an acceptable place to go potty, and put several toys there to keep him occupied. Having the crate with bedding there gives him a comfortable place to sleep away from his play, potty, and feeding areas. This setup seems to help young puppies have a contained area to play so they aren’t so full of built-up energy when you get home, while also giving them an area to sleep and potty.