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A new puppy will make a big change to your household until the puppy gets settled in and there may be many times you will wonder if having a puppy was such a good idea in the first place. The first few weeks will be the hardest until the new puppy gets used to his surroundings and his new family, so a little patience and perseverance will be what are needed from you at this stage. You can makes things run a little smoother by some planning before your puppy arrives in your home.

What you will need

* A plastic dog crate.

* Hard to destroy and easily washable bedding.

* A puppy collar and lead.

* An ID tag with your name and telephone number clearly printed on it.

* A few soft and safe chew toys.

* A quality brand of puppy food.

* A soft brush for grooming your puppy.

Make sure your home is puppy proof

Your new puppy will get into everything and everything it shouldn’t; it will want to nibble on everything it can fit into its mouth. There is a spray you can buy which you can spray onto furniture legs e.t.c to stop your puppy from nibbling on your furniture. Another thing to look out for are dangling or exposed electrical cords, these will be a temptation for your puppy and your puppy wont know there is electricity running through them as he’s tugging at them.

Get cable tidies for all exposed cables and wires around the home, this could prevent a nasty accident from occurring and they are simple and easy to fit. Also check your garden and fencing to make sure there is nowhere the puppy can escape from, remember a puppy can squeeze just about anywhere so check for the smallest of holes in fences.

Make sure your puppy knows his place

Your new puppy will most probably be missing his mother and siblings at first and remember he is in a strange place surrounded by people he doesn’t know, it can be a great comfort if he has a place of his own and knows where this place is. This could be a crate with a soft sheepskin blanket in where he can go and cuddle up or just a puppy bed with his chew toys in it, just like you have your bedroom where you can go to be alone or when you want a nap, then so should your puppy.

If you have young children they will of course be excited with the new puppy and probably constantly petting him, your puppy should be able to go to his bed without constant harassment from the children, so make it clear to them that when the puppy goes to bed they leave him alone for a while.