There is lots of excitement and joy when it comes to bringing home your new fur baby. These five helpful tips will help your new puppy adjust to their new life in their new home. Also they will give you a sense of peace. Before you bring home a new puppy or new dog, you probably have at least food, treats, bowls for food and wat, a dog bed, leash and probably some toys. If you do have some of these things then you are off to the right start and this article will help tie in the loose ends. If your the last minute person like me, then this article will help you get started.
1. Choosing the right size crate
The biggest mistake puppy owners make when choosing a crate is getting one that’s way too big. Your puppies crate should be just big enough for them to stand up, turn around and lie down in. Never buy a crate that is too roomy, they will go to the bathroom on one side and sleep on the other side. This makes housebreaking very hard, and near impossible. Some crates have dividers that you can use for them and the crate can actually grow with your puppy. Or you could buy crates as they grow. I would only recommend buying a metal crate with a plastic or metal tray. Any other crate would be not good as the puppy or dog could chew threw it. The crate will act as a den for your puppy as they grow. It will be comforting to go to the crate and lay down inside it, as long as the door is open. Always associate the crate as a positive experience, so they will not develop separation anxiety when you crate them up when leaving the house. Use the command “crate up” whenever putting puppy in the crate. This will help them down the road. When you say “crate up’ they will go into their crates by themselves. Its possible, all my dogs do it.
2. Puppy food
Choosing the best puppy food can be so confusing. There are so many puppy foods on the market, its ridiculous. There is grain free, large breed, small breed, salmon, chicken, lamb and even the popular raw diet. What really counts is the ingredients. Puppies require more protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus, then adult dogs.
Don’t feed them to much because they can grow too fast and not fill out their body structure causing serious damage. Different breed dogs require different nutrients. Before you pick your puppy up speak to a veterinary about that specific breeds nutritional requirements.
3. Toys
One of the best things about being a pet parent of a puppy or dog is picking out those cute puppy toys and watching your puppy play. For a puppy I would recommend soft toys for their teething baby teeth. Plush, squeakers, or rope toys work wonderful with puppies and they love them. So keep it simple. When they become adult dogs I would then switch to tennis balls, Kongs, Nyla bones, and heavy duty rope toys. I would stay away for plush and squeaky toys all together when the become adults. Those toys can cause choking and obstructions.
4. Collars
The first step in finding the right size dog collar is to consider your puppies breed. Collars are adjustable so you can adjust it as your puppy grows and then once they reach adulthood switch to wider collar. Measure your puppy or dogs neck with a fabric measuring tape to help with choosing the right size collar. You want to make sure that the collar fits the puppy or dog comfortably and is not too loose or too tight. A general rule is that if it is a small breed you should be able to fit one finger under it; if it is a medium breed you should be able to fit two; and if it is a large breed you should be able to fit three.
5. Treats
Puppies have very sensitive stomachs so be very careful when buying puppy treats. Buy puppy treats that are small enough for training, like bite size. Giving a puppy a treat should only be done with training. When they do something good then they get a treat. The puppy should not get treats just for the fun of it. Make sure you buy treats that are healthy and not full of additives. The puppy food you buy sometimes carry a lines of treats. I would recommend buying those or treats that are similar to your puppies food ingredients. Same thing goes for dog treats as well.
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