Bringing Your New Dog or Puppy Home

Bringing your new pet home is such an exciting time. With all this excitement, it is also important to begin working on your leadership skills. Building a bond of trust and friendship between you and your dog right from the beginning will ensure a successful long term relationship. You can start with establishing your house rules and then gently, but firmly, enforcing them. Put your new dog on a routine and a schedule. Dogs excel in homes that have regular set routines! They want and need direction from you, as the parent, to guide them and let them know what your expectations are from the day one. Your dog is a rescue but treat it as if it were a new puppy with a clean slate. Try not to dwell on the fact that it may have had a rough life prior to the life it will have with you. It’s a new beginning!

Prepare your house for your new dog

Prior to bringing your dog home, select and make comfy a small area in a high traffic zone where your new dog will spend a lot of time. This will aid in housebreaking and keep your new pet in a safe controlled area that you can supervise while you teach your rules and the new schedule.
Prior to bringing your pet home, do some puppy proofing. Puppies are not born knowing the risk of living in a human environment. They do not know how dangerous a moving car or a live electrical cord is to them. Here are a few safety precautions that you can take: Put up baby gates to keep your puppy close to you. Remove all items from low shelves or tables. Cover all electric wires so that they cannot be chewed. Put away any chemicals or poisons.
Keep blind cords out of reach. Have a crate set up in the main dwelling area of your home. Crates provide safety when you are away. They are also helpful in housebreaking your new pet!