So you've decided to get a puppy. Hurray! Well, you are in for a treat and also a nightmare. Having a new puppy is extremely hard work but it will be worth it, I promise. What is the first thing you need to know before you bring that bundle of joy home?
1. Have all of the items needed before you even bring the puppy home Create a checklist so that once you have all the things you need you can feel confident that you are physically prepared. Get a food bowl, water bowl, collar, leash, a few appropriate toys, training treats, a bed, a crate, and food. These are the basics that you must have just before you bring them home.
2. Once you have all these things. Take the time to watch a few basic training videos on dealing with a new puppy and what to expect. They will be chewing on everything, especially your fingers, so you will want to focus on curbing that before anything else.
3. Have an area for them to go to the bathroom, whether that's on potty pads or outside.
4. Once you have the puppy home make sure you get them associated with their crate right away. Lot's of treats need to be used, people! Watch training videos on this before you bring your puppy home so that you already know how to do it.
4. Already know and understand that you will not be getting sleep for the first few nights. Some people get lucky and only have 1 or 2 rough nights with a crying/screaming pup. But, it is not unusual to have a puppy that screams for weeks. How do you fix that? After 1 full week of no sleep I ended up hitting the top of the crate to create a loud noise and then sternly said, "no!." I wish I had done that a few nights before then to be honest because I went a whole week with not even 10 hours of sleep due to my puppies screaming inside the crate. And, for people wondering, it did not cause my puppy to be afraid of his crate. He is 5 months old now and goes in on his own to take naps and sleeps through the night. No trauma was caused.
5. Potty training is really hard. Know that now and just be patient. Some dogs are harder to potty train than others but if you are consistent you will be able to potty train them. Though, some dogs can take a full year or longer to be completely potty trained.
These are the few things that you need to know before you bring home your puppy. It is going to be more difficult than you think, I can promise you that. But, you will have a companion that loves you unconditionally out of it. Enjoy!
