We’re getting a puppy! Okay, well, you’re getting a puppy, and we love that idea. Bringing home a new puppy can benefit you in unexpected ways, such as improving mental and physical health. Make sure you prepare for that first night with the new puppy by following these tips.
Home Prepping for Your Puppy’s Breed
As you’ve probably figured out during your pup-hunt, there are many different dog breeds out there. Knowing their breed can be very helpful when prepping your home for a puppy. If you’re rescuing a puppy (which we HIGHLY recommend), and you’re not sure of their breed, try doing a puppy DNA test. When you find out your results, watch your pup to see if they show their different breed characteristics.
For example, if your new puppy has a heavy coat (like a Husky or Akita),a good slipcover is about to be your new best friend. If you’re adopting a big dog (like a Great Dane) and live in an apartment, you’re going to want to soundproof. That way, their deep barking won’t disturb your neighbors. Then, you have the ultra-active dogs (like Labs or Border Collies). They’re going to need a lot of space to run and play. Creating that space for them is crucial to their health and happiness and necessary when prepping your home for a new puppy.
Your First Few Nights With a New Puppy
Adopting a new puppy is like bringing home a new baby; your daily routine changes drastically. That’s especially true during the first month with your new pup. While they get used to their new forever home, you’ll be getting used to them and their behavior. Below are a few tips that can help you both during your first month with your new puppy.
Crate Train Your Puppy When Bringing Them Home
Crate training uses a sturdy, safe, closable metal crate for your puppy to sleep in at night. It should be big enough for your pup to move around easily now and after they get bigger. There are numerous benefits to crate training. They include higher safety for your puppy as they can’t get into anything or wander off while you’re sleeping. Lower risk of nighttime ‘accidents’ is another plus, especially if you hate waking up to a mess on the floor. When discussing how to prep your home for a puppy, crate training is one of the best.
Use a Regular Bedtime After You Bring Puppy Home
It helps to keep the same schedule every night for your new puppy. That means picking a specific time and, when it arrives, making them go to their crate or doggy bed. It’s the best way to ensure they sleep through the night, which allows you to get your sleep, too. If you’re worried about leaving your puppy alone, bring the crate into your room the first few nights so they can feel close to you.
Get a Toy That Smells Like Mom for Your New Puppy
Dogs have an incredibly advanced sense of smell, and it serves them well throughout their life. For a puppy, the scent of their mother can be very soothing. Try to obtain a cloth or toy she was around and place it in your pup’s crate. (Or anything else their mother might have slept on.) How to prep your home for a puppy? Make it feel as if their momma is there with them.
Use Alarms for Pottytime When You Bring Puppy Home
Puppies will need to ‘go’ at night, so set your alarm to make sure you let them out! The rule of thumb is that your dog can last go one hour between potty breaks for every month of age. So a four-month-old puppy should be able to go four hours between breaks. However, you should never leave even a full-sized dog alone for more than 12 hours without somewhere to go potty.
Use a Puppy Cam When You’re Not at Home
A good puppy cam will feed a live video stream to your smartphone. That gives you a perfect way to make sure your puppy’s OK while you’re away. You can talk to them to soothe them, and make sure your pup isn’t too sad without you. Some puppy cams even have a remote-controlled treat dispenser!
Play With Your New Puppy During the Day
The best way to make sure your pup sleeps through the night? Give them plenty of activities to do during the day! Toys, games, and playtime with you are the best thing for your puppy. When you bring your new puppy home, it probably won’t need a crazy amount of exercise just yet. Activity needs vary among breeds, but 3-month-old puppies only need an average of 15 minutes of exercise each day. Whereas, full-grown dogs should get on average about an hour of off-leash playtime per day.
Store Your Puppy Gear With SecurCare!
After your puppy is grown, you can store all your dog gates, gear, crates, and more with SecurCare Self Storage. Our clean, safe storage units are perfect for this type of stuff! You can fit an awful lot into a SecurCare storage unit, too, even in the smallest we offer. (That would be a 5×5 storage unit.)
Many dog breeders use a storage unit to store their gear, tools, and supplies. We even have dog groomers and other canine care specialists who store their supplies with us. Some keep their mobile dog grooming trucks here at SecurCare also. With extra-long hours and an onsite manager, it’s better than parking them out on the street. It’s also an easy way to keep everything organized and clean, as well as safe from curious canines.
Read more dog mom tips on our blog!
This post was originally published on 5/5/2015. We updated it on 12/14/2021.