7 things to do before you pick up your puppy

You’ve chosen your puppy and you’re fizzing with excitement for the day you get to bring your new best friend home. It feels like all you’ve got to do now is wait. But there’s so much you can do right now to make your first few weeks with your new puppy go as smoothly as possible.

1. Buy everything your new puppy needs

Puppies need SO MUCH stuff. They need food, bowls, toys and chews, bedding, a collar and lead, grooming kit and a lot more. It can be tempting to wait until you get your puppy to buy all this stuff but that’s not a great idea. A rushed trip to the pet shop will be pretty stressful for you and your puppy. And your puppy will settle in much better if they come home to a cosy bed to snuggle up in and some toys to entertain them. So get writing a list of everything you think your puppy might need and go shopping. And I’ve got 3 things you should add to that list: a coffee wood chew (great for stopping puppies chewing on table legs), lots of jars or little pots (you’ll want treats easily available in every room) and a baby monitor (to hear when your puppy starts to whimper if you don’t want them sleeping in your bedroom long term).

2. Puppy-proof your home

If it’s within your puppy’s reach they will chew it and/or pee on it. So you want to make sure anything that’s valuable or could injure your puppy is out of their reach. That might mean putting child locks on cupboards with cleaning materials in, moving things to higher shelves or putting stuff in boxes or in a room your puppy won’t be allowed in. You might also need to put up baby gates or puppy pens to stop your puppy accessing some areas or going up the stairs on their own and hurting themselves. It can feel like a lot of work to rearrange your home for your puppy, but it’s much less stressful than constantly taking stuff that your puppy shouldn’t have off them or worrying that your puppy will get injured.

3. Book time off work

I promise you, your puppy will not lie angelically like this while you work

Puppies need a lot of care in the first few weeks after they come home. Toilet training and socialising your puppy takes a lot of time and you’ll be exhausted from all those sleepless nights. While it is possible to go to work when you have a tiny puppy, it’s not ideal for you or your puppy and I recommend taking as much time off work as you can (2 weeks minimum if possible). If there’s more than one adult in your home then you can rotate weeks off so your puppy’s got someone with them for longer. Even if you work from home I’d recommend taking at least a week if not more off work. Yes, you’ll be with your puppy if you’re working from home, but they’ll still need a lot of attention and it’s really hard to work while looking after a young puppy.

4. Do a big food shop

You won’t be able to spend much time away from your puppy in the first few weeks so there’s not a lot of time for a supermarket trip (especially if you live alone). Buy as much as you can before your puppy comes home so don’t have to rush out in a panic. I wouldn’t plan to do much cooking in the first week or so, so make sure you’ve got food you can prepare and eat without a lot of time and effort. You’ll also want to buy plenty of comfort food and snacks to treat yourself if you’re struggling. And if you end up ordering a couple of takeaways or getting a food shop delivered then awesome, people coming to the house is great socialisation for your puppy.

5. Sort out your puppy’s insurance

So much happens in the first few weeks that it’s easy to forget to get your puppy’s insurance organised. And you might think they won’t need it until they’re older. But puppies can easily get into accidents and you’ll be kicking yourself if you end up with a massive vet bill and you’d not got round to it yet. Most insurance has a few weeks waiting period before you claim so it’s worth getting it earlier rather than later. Sometimes puppies come with a few weeks of free insurance from the breeder so that can cover you before your insurance starts.

6. Prepare your puppy’s sleeping area

When you bring your puppy home, you’ll want to have their space ready for them. This means they can settle down there straight away if they feel tired or overwhelmed after their trip home. Choosing the right place can be difficult. You’ll want to choose somewhere quiet enough that your puppy can relax and sleep but not so quiet that your puppy feels isolated. Give them a big, warm, fluffy bed with lots of blankets for them to snuggle in and stay warm. And put some toys and chews near their bed so your puppy can comfort or entertain themselves. If your puppy won’t be sleeping in your bedroom, make sure there’s space for you to sleep on a sofa or mattress near them so you can comfort your puppy at night.

7. Choose your dog trainer

So many people wait until they’ve had their puppy a few weeks before they start to look for a trainer and that’s a huge mistake. Trainers may have waiting lists for 1-2-1 sessions or classes so you may have to wait a while for help or miss out on working with your preferred trainer. But it also means you’re struggling unnecessarily. Having a puppy is HARD but it’s much easier if you’ve got the support of a good dog trainer before your puppy comes home. You’ll get to avoid a lot of stressful common puppy problems and you’ll have someone to ask for advice if you’re feeling confused or overwhelmed. And ultimately you’ll be able to relax and actually enjoy your puppy - which is the only thing that matters.

Written by Juniper Indigo, dog trainer in Tiverton and Exeter