When taking your puppy home you should inquire of the breeder when the dog usually takes a nap. If you take the puppy home when they are usually napping they will be more relaxed. In other words they will be a little drowsy and they may even sleep all the way home. This of course is not guaranteed as the car ride could just waken them up; however it is better to try for during their nap for better results.
There are several things you should do to prepare to bring your puppy home, for instance in our last article we spoke about puppy proofing the home. In this article we will concentrate on the things you should do for your puppy's ride home in the car. Puppies and dogs are sensitive creatures, often times they shy away from new things when it involves something they have never seen before like a car. Older dogs or those who have been in a shelter are probably more used to riding in cars than a puppy you are adopting from a breeder; however some of the same rules should apply to bring home your new puppy.
Cars can be daunting for a new puppy for a lot of reasons. First they have never ridden in a car and the movement can be surprising and a little upsetting to their tummies. So you need to make the car ride home for you puppy easier to handle. This is actually the first step in care you will need to have for owning a dog. You need to realize that when you bring a puppy home especially from a breeder, they are going to be leaving their mom and food source. There will be new smells around them to explore, but they will no longer have a mom or brothers and sisters. This can be a lonely time for your puppy and make that car ride a little scarier.
There are other things to look out for on the car ride home. Nervousness can lead to issues with the bowels. Without meaning to the puppy may have a little accident in the car. It is better to have some old towels that you don't mind getting soiled in the back seat of the car. You will also want to have a kennel in the car. If they are inside the kennel they will have less chance to explore and ruin the upholstery if there is an accident. Sometimes the puppy will howl, be sick, or have diarrhoea due to the car ride.
Other supplies you need on the drive home include water, plastic bags, a puppy toy that they will enjoy and be comforted by, and the collar. When you pick up the puppy you need to immediately make sure he or she has all of your contact information so don't leave the collar at home. You will also want to try a few other things especially if you feel the dog is going to have a hard time on the drive home. You can bring an old blanket along with you to help wrap the puppy up in the blanket and hold him. This is soothing and if you have another person driving it is one of the best ways to travel. The puppy will feel warm, and safe in your arms and be able to see out. This can calm the dog's howls and make him or her bond with you a little better. While a crate or kennel is safe for travel just in case of an accident, it is okay as long as you are not the one driving, while trying to hold the puppy.
There is always a great deal of excitement for both you and your new puppy when you bring them home. The puppy is all new for you and your home is all new for the puppy. There will be certain mischievous happenings from now on but keep in mind that your puppy is all about learning and exploring at this stage and it really won't know on automatic what it can and cannot do.
Your job as a new Mommy or Daddy to your puppy is to make the transition to your home as comfortable as possible. With that in mind, here are a few home hints to help keep puppy out of trouble and you as the new owner less stressed about having a puppy in the house.
One quirk that new puppies develop is the curiosity that takes them into every trash can in the house. It does not matter if it's the kitchen trash with food or the bathroom trash with no food because to your puppy it is just a bin full of stuff waiting to be explored. Try either keeping the bathroom door shut or get a smaller bin to put under the counter to keep the puppy out of the bathroom trash. A bonus to keeping the bathroom door shut is that your puppy will be less likely to be enthralled by the toilet paper roll and try to eat all of it. With the kitchen trash, again try keeping that under the counter but if that is not possible then you'll want to invest in a bin that has a snap on secured lid and not just a flip lid; the snap on lid has a better chance of keeping the curious puppy out while the flip lid has no chance at all. In regards to bedroom trash you can also use one with a secure lid or keep it above ground on a shelf high enough that puppy cannot get to.
Another and potentially deadly quirk for puppies is their almost homing like qualities when it comes to power cords. For a puppy it generally looks like a snake or a worm that doesn't do much but if it's moved at all or tripped over that cord suddenly becomes attack worthy. Try taping or stapling down your cords along the baseboards or better yet try using the same method up the corners of the room to keep the cords even further out of reach from the puppy. You could also try dabbing some of the bitters sprays for pets on the cords and any other area where you don't want the puppy to be chewing.
Another potential hazard is your house plants. Puppies love to chew on fresh grass but they will also be attracted to try any other greenery around your home. Some standard house plants are not harmful to the puppy but there are some common plants that kill if ingested. Plants that are bad for your puppy are: Lily of the Valley, Rhododendron, Japanese Yew, Chinese Evergreen, Philodendron, Devil's Ivy, Aloe Vera, English Ivy, Branching Ivy, Sago Palm, Azalea and Bird of Paradise to new a few.
For a more complete listing of plants which are harmful or poisonous talk with your vet, or research online.
Both Gerry Ronson & Russell Hancock are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gerry Ronson has sinced written about articles on various topics from German Shepherd Dogs, Hoodia and Programming. Gerry Ronson is a writer for the websites and . Gerry Ronson's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Russell Hancock has sinced written about articles on various topics from How to Podcast, Wellness and Puppies Dogs. To find everything your new puppy needs or for housebreaking information please visit and. Russell Hancock's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.