by Have you ever wondered what steps you should take to prepare your family for a new puppy? There are few things you can do to make bringing home your new puppy stress free for both the dog and your family. Here is some tips on how to prepare your family for a new puppy.
It is important to set realistic expectations for your new family member. You will want to discuss with all the family members who will be responsible for different aspects of care including where the puppy will sleep, will the puppy be allowed free roam of the house, will the puppy be allowed on the furniture and what area the puppy will use to potty. You may also want to discuss what the dogs daily schedule will look like.
Who and when will feed the dog as well as who will bring the dog out should be covered. Its best to talk about these things before bringing your new dog home. This will make it less stressful on both the puppy and your family members. If you talk about these things ahead of bringing the puppy home you will make their transition to you household much smoother.
Owning a dog is a lot of responsibility. It takes a lot of work and time to set rules and boundaries for both your family and the new puppy. Keeping your family and the dog safe, happy and healthy are a top priority.
You will want to decide sleeping arrangements before you bring the puppy home. Some people find crate training works best while others want to have the puppy sleep with them. Make sure your kids understand that its very important to establish a consistent routine for the dog.
If the kids want the dog to sleep with them, then make sure they understand it has to be consistently with them at least for the first few weeks of bringing the dog home. You want to also discuss if you should let the new puppy on your furniture. If you decide you don’t make sure each family member understands this and corrects the dog if it try’s to get on the furniture.
The dog will feel confused and stressed if one family member lets them sit on furniture and another family member tells them to get down. It will be so much easier on both the new puppy and all the members of the family if you talk about these issues ahead of time and set realistic expectations.You will also want to decide who is responsible for feeding the new puppy.
Kids as old as five can help with this important task but make sure they know that the puppy needs to eat on a certain consistent schedule, and they should not feed him/her at any other times. Its important to assign one family member to feeding and they can ask others to help during the set feeding times. This way you wouldn’t forget to feed the puppy or wonder if the puppy has already been fed.
Making a feeding chart make help with the first few days. The chart can list times to feed the dog and the amount of food the dog should get at each feeding. You can mark off when you have fed the dog so you know its been done and other family members will know when the next scheduled feeding will be.
