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Dog bowls
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Dog treats
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Food- the same as what your pup is currently eating
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Dog bed
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Crate
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Bedding for crate
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Toileting tray
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Lots of chews and toys
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Lead Collar
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Harness
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Adaptil - (calming dog pheromone)
Picking up your puppy
With a new puppy, you will generally pick them up from the breeder when they are between 8-12 weeks old. They will usually have been microchipped and have had their first vaccination already. You must remember to change the microchip details to your own address. You should receive a vaccine book and documentation from the breeder, which will contain details to help with this process.
Things to do in Advance
You’ll want to get yourself set up before your puppy’s arrival. Some of the important things you might like to get in advance include training pads, a dog bowl, bed, crate, and lots of toys and chews as your puppy will really love playing with these. You’ll find lots of suitable puppy toys in local pet supply shops or even on the Internet.
Diet
Speak to the breeder to see what your puppy’s diet has been. Depending on the diet, it is usually advisable to maintain the same diet for a couple of weeks. If you want to change their diet, make sure you do this gradually over one or two weeks to avoid upset stomachs. Often a breeder will provide a sample of the food they have been feeding your pup.
Keeping Your Pup Calm
You might want to consider purchasing some Adaptil before collecting your puppy. Adaptil is a calming pheromone derived from mothers’ pheromones. It comes as a spray, collar or diffuser. It is extremely useful for when dogs may be a little nervous- particularly in this case when your puppy is being moved to a new home. We’d suggest setting up a crate in the back of the car, putting your dog bed inside and spraying this with Adaptil and letting it settle for around 30-minutes before picking up your pup. It’s also a great idea to get something with the mum’s smell on it- like a blanket. This way, your puppy can be soothed with the scent of their mum. Make sure you have some water too, so that your puppy can have the smoothest possible transition on the way to their new home.
Puppy Proofing Your Home
Ensure your house is ‘puppy-proofed’ before their arrival. Puppies chew a lot! They might take a fancy to your new shoes or even cables and furniture. It’s best to puppy proof your home and make sure that all cables are out of the way, as well as shoes and any children’s toys because if swallowed, these could be very dangerous. Instead, keep lots of dog toys that are safe to chew near their bed so that they know what they are allowed to play with and what they aren’t. You could consider purchasing a baby stair gate if you would like to keep your puppy in a particular area and more importantly, keep them away from anything that could be dangerous.
Here are some tips for ‘puppy proofing’:
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Check cables cannot be chewed
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Restrict access to certain parts of the house
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Consider installing a stair gate
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Take extra care regarding house plants
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Clear away shoes
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Take precautions regarding chewing inappropriate items
Top Tip: Restrict access to a few areas of your home when your puppy first arrives, so that it is not overwhelming for them and they can gradually gain confidence. A stair gate can be really useful for this.