Collecting a new puppy can be a hugely stressful experience, for you and the puppy, if it is done without thought.
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1 You’re collecting a new puppy. Congratulations!
Having a dog is a fantastic addition to your household. Before long your dog will carve out a special place in your heart and you’ll wonder how you ever got along without him.
Not only that, but studies have also shown that dog ownership is actually good for you.
The health benefits associated with having a canine companion, especially when combined with the bonus of getting more exercise, include reduced blood pressure, reduced cholesterol level, and weight loss.
Dog ownership has also been shown to reduce stress.
Just the very presence of a dog can help to lower anxiety and blood pressure. It also results in increased levels of two neurochemicals (serotonin and dopamine) which help us to relax. So profound is the effect that dogs play a valuable role at hospitals and care homes, schools and prisons.
You can read more about the health benefits of dog ownership in the post “Can Dogs Cure Humans?” on my Retiring Richie blog.
Furthermore, dog ownership also provides the opportunity to improve your social life. Not only will you suddenly begin to notice other dog owners when you are out with your own dog but you will find many people approach you just because of your furry friend.
I regularly have people approach me and my dog Harvey with an enthusiastic “Hi! How are you?” … it used to take a couple of seconds before it dawned on me that the greeting was directed to Harvey and not to me! I’m used to it now.
So, by bringing home a new puppy, not only are you getting a four-legged friend who will love you unconditionally and make you smile every day, but he is also positively good for you.
If, having looked at the photo of cute puppies, you are curious as to why there are both black and yellow puppies in the same litter then take a look at the post dedicated to Canine Coat Colour.
2 Be prepared!
So, what do you need to consider before you bring home your little bundle of joy?
2.1 Give your puppy a blanket
You will, no doubt, pay a couple of visits to your chosen breeder to view your puppy before bringing him home. On one of these visits, you should take along an old blanket, towel or comfy item of old clothing and ask the breeder to keep it in the pen with your puppy, his mother, and his siblings.
Don’t worry, the breeder won’t think you are crazy!
The purpose of doing this is to imprint the scent of your puppy’s family onto the item. You can then bring it home with you when you collect your puppy and place it with him at bed-time – having the familiar scent with him will help him to relax and encourage sleep.
2.2 Prepare your puppy’s sleeping area
Where will your puppy sleep once you take it home?
Dogs need a place to call their own when it comes to sleeping – somewhere that they can rest, undisturbed, and feel safe. For the first week with
This helps for two reasons; firstly, your puppy will be able to hear you and take comfort from this, and secondly, you are more likely to hear your puppy if it needs to be let out to pee (see below).
After this first week, you’ll want to look at getting a crate (a sort of indoor kennel) as a more permanent sleeping place – in its permanent location, not in your bedroom.
The crate should be big enough for your dog to comfortably stand up and move around. You’ll need to buy one, or more, bigger, replacement crates as your dog
We have found the wire-frame crates to be excellent. Easy to put up (and down), robust, and Harv loves being in his crate!
Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can just buy a big crate from the off and not have to upgrade later – dogs don’t like to mess in their sleeping area but if the crate is too big then you may encourage an attitude of “I’ll pee at this end of the crate and sleep at the other end!”.
Young puppies have very small bladders and often need to pee a number of times through the night. You can pre-empt this by setting an alarm for the first week and taking your puppy outside for a pee break every couple of hours.
When your puppy pees praise him and then return to bed (you to yours and him to his!). Do not make the mistake of starting play or giving too much fuss and attention – if you do there is a risk that your puppy will wish to do this in preference to sleeping!
You may also find that your puppy cries during the night.
Don’t be annoyed with him – have some empathy and remember that your puppy is only a few weeks old and has just been taken away from his mother, his siblings, his usual sleeping quarters, and the humans that he is used to seeing.
Cut him some slack!
That said, don’t make a rod for your own back by having him in your bed with you “Just for tonight” – it will be a hard habit to break.
2.3 Make your house and garden safe
You will also want to ‘puppy proof’ your home.
Look at things in your house as your puppy might and remember that dogs tend to explore the world around them by smell and then follow-up by using their mouths.
If you have ornaments, especially valuable ones, at puppy height then find a new location for them. Shoes and slippers left lying around? Put them away. Electricity cables where an inquisitive puppy might chew them? Tidy them away.
In your garden you have two concerns; your puppy’s wellbeing and the wellbeing of your plants.
It would be prudent to take stock of the plants in your garden and, keeping in mind the aforementioned habit of dogs experiencing the world with their mouths, determine which might be toxic to dogs and either remove them or take steps to prevent your puppy having access to them.
There are obvious ones such as foxgloves, hemlock, and nightshade but there are many others too. The Dogs Trust has a pretty comprehensive list of things to avoid.
2.4 The tools of the trade – what equipment you need
Before bringing home a new puppy there are a number of items of equipment that you need to think about acquiring.
These are all items that we bought and used with Harvey when he was a puppy and we were very happy with them. The teething rings, in particular, were fantastic in helping us cope with every puppy owners greatest fear – the Puppy Biting Nightmare!
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The essential ones are food and water bowls, collar and lead (*), identity tag for the collar, and poo bags.
However, you should also think about acquiring the following: toys, pee cleaner, vet-bed (see description below), stair-gate(s), and a brush of some description for grooming (pick one suitable for your puppy’s coat).
* In addition, it is well worth considering a harness. Dogs that have a tendency to pull a lot can do a great deal of damage to themselves with a simple collar and lead arrangement. If you use a harness instead then the force is taken away from the sensitive neck area.
Pick whatever toys you fancy but, if I were you, I would ensure that I got a few chew toys. When your puppy starts to chew things that you don’t want him to (and he will!) it is far easier to replace his chosen item with a chew toy than it is to try to reason with him.
Later on, you can teach a “Drop it” cue but for now, just go with replacing with a chew toy.
We went with some Nylabone Puppy Teething Rings to start with and Harv really loved these. Later you can move on to the proper Nylabones.
In terms of other toys, Harvey found these to his liking: Kongs (a fun way to provide food), Chuckit Balls (although be careful not to over-do ball chasing, especially with young puppy joints), and stuffed toys (if your puppy is a chewer, as Harvey was, look out for plastic squeakers inside the toys).
If you are new to dog ownership then you may not be familiar with vet-bed. It is, as you might imagine from the name, bedding that is used by veterinary practices.
It is comfy for the dog and is hard-wearing and washable. It is also a little more bite-resistant than a blanket or towel but not bite-proof – a determined chewer will still put holes in it (I speak from experience!).
Finally, consider a radio. Nothing fancy – your puppy isn’t a music connoisseur! It is helpful sometimes to have a radio on a chat station, especially if you have to leave the puppy alone for a period, playing in the background as it helps to calm the puppy.
2.5 Be consistent with your puppy’s food
There is, of course, an obvious omission here– we haven’t mentioned what we will be putting in the food bowl!
I would strongly advise that you consult with the breeder before collection day and continue to use the food that they have been using, at least for a few weeks until your puppy has settled in.
Look to do something like 90%:10% in
OK, so how much and how often, you may be thinking.
Again, it is preferable to mimic what the breeder has been doing for a while. Your puppy has enough change to contend with initially without you changing his feeding routine.
If your breeder doesn’t give any guidance then look to do 3 to 4 small meals spread evenly throughout the day – most food manufacturers will give guidance on the appropriate quantities (although most tend to over-estimate, can’t think why that might be!).
2.6 Find a good vet. Now
Begin thinking about which veterinary practice you would like to use. Ask around and do some online research to find somewhere that is local (you don’t want to be travelling too far in an emergency) and reputable.
Your vet will help you with vaccinations and also, depending upon the law in your country, putting a microchip in your dog for registration purposes. Further details of microchipping in the UK can be found at The Kennel Club and also by database provider Petlog.
They will also be on hand for other treatments should the need arise. I know that there is a cost involved but if you are in any doubt about your dog’s wellbeing I would always advocate a visit (or at least a ‘phone call) to your vet – better safe than sorry.
Before collecting your new puppy have a chat with your chosen vet about their recommendations for worming treatment, flea and tick prevention, and for a vaccination schedule (the latter will determine how long it will be before you can actually walk your dog without any risk of infection).
2.7 Make plans for how to pay vet bills
When it comes to your dog’s health you want to rely on somebody that has had the appropriate training and, ideally, plenty of experience to supplement that training. Understandably this training and experience will come at a cost.
And the more complex and time-consuming the case the more expensive it will be.
You may, therefore, wish to consider getting insurance for your puppy in respect of vet’s bills. Costs of insurance are relatively modest when your dog is young but be prepared for, sometimes substantial, increases as they get older.
Look very carefully at the terms of any insurance policy. Ideally, you will want lifetime cover (insurers typically won’t provide cover for pre-existing conditions so it’s important to have cover that will continue for ongoing conditions).
Some people decide to self-insure, setting up a savings account to put money aside for emergencies and having a dedicated credit card, not used for any other purposes, should payment be required in excess of any savings.
Ultimately you have to do what is best for you, financially, and what is best for your dog.
Note that this approach applies only to vet bills – you should consider separate cover for public liability claims. In the UK you can get up to £1 million of this type of cover if you become a member of the Dog’s Trust:
2.8 Make time for your new puppy
It would be very beneficial to take some time off work when you plan on collecting your new puppy. Or at the very least do it on a long weekend. It will take time for your puppy to adapt to its new surroundings and this will be greatly assisted by spending time with this new family – you!
3 Collecting your new puppy from the breeder – the big day has arrived!
3.1 At the breeder’s house
OK, there are a few things to think about in relation to while you are actually at the breeder’s home.
Keep in mind that, with all the excitement of collecting your new puppy, especially if you have young children with you who have been looking forward to this day, you may forget points that you wanted to raise so … take a crib sheet with you!
You have, of course, already asked the breeder what type of food he is using, haven’t you? Haven’t you?
If you haven’t, ask for a few days’
Collect any necessary paperwork from the breeder. This will vary according to your location and the type of dog. You are looking for things like registration papers and any insurance policy that might already be in place.
For example, in the UK the breeder of a pedigree litter will have registered it with The Kennel Club. You will want to receive the necessary details. Such registration comes with a free (brief) period of insurance too so that you have time to put your own cover in place if you wish to.
3.2 The journey home
The weeks have dragged by but you’ve done your Boy Scout bit and now the big day is finally here and you are going to be bringing home a new puppy. Yay!
It’s worth pointing out at this stage that some dogs can become quite fearful of cars and travelling in them.
You will, most likely, be making use of car travel with your dog for trips out, visits to the vet, holidays and so on. It will be a lot easier, therefore, for all concerned if your dog is happy with car travel.
So, take some time (10 minutes or so) to get your puppy happy with being in your car. Let him have a good sniff around. Talk to him. Offer him a few treats (not too many – you are about to start a car journey remember).
Don’t be in a rush. Be calm, be relaxed, be happy!
If you are stressed your puppy will sense it and also become stressed. Which will increase your
So, what do you need to think about for the journey?
Well, ideally, you should take somebody with you – trying to focus on driving and watching your new puppy at the same time is not a good combination!
The safest approach for the journey home is probably to have your puppy in a cardboard box, with sufficiently high sides, with some newspaper in the bottom and an old towel on top, in the footwell of the car with your partner in crime keeping an eye on him.
Or you could try a cat’s travel crate.
If it is a long journey factor in some scheduled pee breaks (for humans as well as canines!).
Looking back at my notes I see that we had a hellish journey when we collected Harvey – stuck on the M42 for 2 hours because of an accident! On the plus side, Harvey slept for the majority of the journey and there were no pee or poo incidents.
You should also take some drinking water for longer trips too.
Bring your collar (with an identity tag attached) and lead just in case. If you stop for a pee break and, by some misfortune, lose your puppy, or if you are involved in an accident and your puppy escapes, then you will be glad that he has your contact details on his tag.
Remember not to let your puppy wander around during the pee break – he hasn’t yet completed his course of vaccinations!
If you absolutely must have in-car entertainment playing on the journey home (and I know that some people seem unable to live without it!) – keep the volume down to conversation level.
4 Consider Adoption
We were lucky with Harvey. When my wife mentioned to a work colleague that we were thinking of getting a puppy she said that she knew somebody whose dog had just had a litter.
We got in touch with the ‘friend of a friend’, arranged a meeting to see the litter (and the parents), and shortly afterwards we brought home our 8 week old, fluffy bundle of energy.
Consequently, this post has been largely based around our experience of collecting a new puppy from a breeder.
However, do keep in mind that there are dog rescue centres in most countries that look after dogs who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves without a home.
Here in the UK there are two main organisations (but if you search you’ll find many others):
You might also consider re-homing a dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind.
I’m not familiar with the rescue centres in the USA. However, a centre specifically for Labradors has been recommended to me – Labrador Rescuers.
You’ll find a variety of dogs at these centres – different breeds and different ages. And every one of them would love to become a member of your family.
So, do please give serious consideration to adopting a dog if you are able to.
5 Arriving home
OK, the journey is over and hopefully you’ve made it home none the worse for wear.
Let your puppy know that this is his new forever home. Whether he has been a little angel or a little devil on the journey home you must now make a good first impression. Calmly bring your puppy in and, before you do anything else, take him outside to toilet!
And when he goes to the toilet outside – praise him and let him know how happy you are that he has gone there and not in the house. This is the start of your house-training.
Then let him explore. He will likely sniff, and possibly lick, absolutely everywhere. This is why you did all of that house and garden preparation beforehand.
Now would also be a good time to let him have a stuffed toy that you may have acquired. It’s something to play with (always a good thing!), it will be comforting in the brand new environment, and it will reduce the chances of chewing other (more valuable!) things.
6 Things to do first
So, now that you have your furry little bundle of joy, what should you concentrate on first?
Well, there are two areas that you will want to address quite quickly if they are applicable to you – introductions to children and other pets.
6.1 Introduction to children
First things first. Your kids will doubtless be hugely excited about the new arrival, and that is completely understandable.
However, you need to impress upon them the need to respect the dog’s space.
Dogs are, on the whole, incredibly tolerant creatures. But you don’t want to test that tolerance by allowing your kids to become too excited and pushing the puppy beyond its current limits.
So, no tail pulling. No running around screaming and waving hands in the air. You have to play the role of referee and ensure that both sides play nicely.
Encourage your children to be calm when first meeting the puppy.
Ideally, have a tasty treat (like a piece of warm chicken) that they can give to him. This forms a positive association in the puppy’s mind. “I like this little person. They bring me yummy food.”
To make sure there is no chance of unwanted nibbling here, make sure that the treat is either presented in the flat of the hand or even gently thrown in the direction of the puppy.
Don’t allow your children to chase the puppy. Rather, get them to sit down and entice the puppy to them.
Ensure that all petting is gentle and pleasing for the puppy. Calm, relaxing stroking of the fur is best. Nothing rough or too rapid.
Finally, watch out for when either party looks like they have had enough. Keep interactions short and positive initially.
6.2 Introduction to other pets
Dogs
If you already have a dog it might be advisable for the first meeting to take place on neutral ground, like a local park.
Keep both dogs on their leads and watch them carefully. You will, of course, be familiar with your other dog’s temperament but not, perhaps, when meeting a puppy.
Give the encounter your full attention to make sure it is a positive one. Leave your mobile ‘phone in your pocket for the duration of the meeting – I promise you, the world won’t end!
It’s probably best to make sure that your other dog has been exercised and fed beforehand. A tired, relaxed dog that isn’t hungry is generally far more agreeable.
Let them sniff each other for a while and see how things develop. Don’t force it – let them move at their own pace. Separate them after a while to give them time to process the information obtained (dogs pick up a lot of information by scent).
If all goes well you can repeat the process at home.
And after that, you can move on to an ‘off lead’ encounter. Just be wary of any play becoming too rough.
Remember that the puppy is physically little and still developing and mentally not yet fully robust. You do not want to allow any negative encounters if at all possible.
Cats
First of all, make sure that your cat always has somewhere that it can go where the dog isn’t able to go (for example, having a stairgate at the bottom of the stairs so the cat can get through but the dog can’t).
This helps to prevent the cat from becoming stressed about how to escape any unwanted attention.
Make sure that the puppy is on his lead for the first meeting. That way it is easier to control any overly exuberant behaviour.
Again, we are aiming for a calm and relaxed meeting.
Having tasty treats on hand for the puppy may help with this. Pick carefully and monitor the situation – you don’t want the cat and puppy competing for the treats!
An approach many people take is to keep the two apart initially but to place bedding from one in the sleeping area of the other.
That is the cat’s blanket into the puppy’s sleeping area and the puppy’s blanket into the cat’s sleeping area. This allows them to become familiar with each other’s scent.
6.3 House training and socialisation
New owners often obsess over house training and pay little attention to socialisation.
Truth be told, the focus should probably be the other way around.
We’ll cover each of these topics in separate blog posts.
7 Infographic
It’s always useful to have a quick summary of what has been discussed – it helps us to remember the key points. With that in mind, here is a summary infographic.
8 Frequently Asked Questions
As you have seen, there are lots of things to consider when collecting a new puppy.
Here are some FAQs on the subject:
What age should a puppy be when you collect it?
The recommended age for collecting a puppy is when it is 7-8 weeks old.
You should not accept a puppy that is younger than 7 weeks old as it still needs to be with its mother and siblings at this age, learning things like bite inhibition.
You can (and should), of course, visit your chosen puppy before this time – just don’t bring it home.
Should I sleep with my new puppy?
In a word, no.
If you do, you will set an undesirable precedent which will be very hard to break. Even if your puppy cries all night and you are desperate for sleep – do not relent. Your puppy needs to get used to sleeping in his bed, not yours.
That said, you can have his crate/box in your bedroom with you for the first few days until he is settled.
What should you do if your puppy cries at night?
First of all, have some sympathy. Your puppy has just been separated from his mother and siblings. If he cries, it is his survival instinct kicking in – he feels vulnerable and wants the attention of his parent (which is now you!).
You need to make him feel comfortable and safe, but without being overly protective – it’s a balancing act.
Before collecting your puppy you should have given the breeder a blanket, towel, or old item of clothing to put in with the mother and her litter. Now is the time to put that item in with your puppy – he will be comforted by the smell of his mother and littermates.
Also, be mindful that small puppies have small bladders. They may not be able to make it through the night – if this is the case you need to schedule regular toilet trips. Do not engage in feeding or play, get the job done and get back to sleeping.
When should you start training your new puppy?
Your puppy is plenty clever enough to start learning things even at this young age.
There are two caveats to this:
1. Keep the training sessions short (no more than 5 minutes at a time) as your puppy will tire easily.
2. Don’t miss out on this enjoyable stage of ownership by focusing solely on training. Play with your puppy and have some fun!
9 Acknowledgements
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Post assistance acknowledgements:
10 The End
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this post.
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A great post, I loved reading this, I can’t wait till I can own my own puppy one day! Thank you for sharing this!
Amber
Thanks, Amber. I wish you luck for when your ‘one day’ arrives.
This was super informative! Great tips! We’ll be picking up our puppy in September and I’ll be sure to refer back to this!
Thank you, Angie. What sort of puppy are you going to be getting?
I’d love to get a puppy, but there is so much that goes into it! Thank you for sharing this post. I am looking to move out in the next few years and a puppy is something i’d love to have. It’s a lot of hard work, but your tips have really helped me to get a better understanding of the care and things they need. Thank you for sharing!
Em
Thanks for your comment, Em. Here’s hoping that you are able to get a puppy in the near future – I’m sure that you wouldn’t regret it.
Auwww……this is so sweet. Pets gives us loads of love and joy. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Fadima. Yep, pets bring a lot of joy to their owners.
What a great, comprehensive post! A puppy is such a joy, but also a huge responsibility and being prepared is essential! I think this’ll help out a lot of new owners (and their new best friends)!
Thank you, Lisa. Glad that you enjoyed it.
These are great tips. We haven’t brought a new dog home in about 7 years, but we got a new cat 2 years ago, and it’s a lot of work.
Hi Jen. Thank you, much appreciated. How do your dog and cat get along?
I love puppies and dogs!! They are my favorite animals. At one point when I was about 13 years old I had a total of 15 🥰. Great post and these tips are amazing.
Thank you, Rebekah, for your feedback. And … 15!?!?! Wow.
This is a very well written article. Your skill as a writer is evident in this article.
Hi Neecee. Thanks for your comment, much appreciated.
This is such an informative post! And the pictures are way too adorable 🙂 The tip you gave about giving a blanket or old piece of clothing to the breeder is so brilliant! I had not heard of that before, but it makes so much sense. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Alison, I’m glad that you enjoyed it. I’ll let Harvey know that you think he is adorable – although I think he tends to assume that everybody thinks he is! 🙂
I actually know so little about having puppies as I’ve always grown up around cats and having kittens! Thank you for sharing I’m sure this will help people out so much x
Thanks, Kayleigh. Yeah, we always used to have cats – Harv is our first dog. If the post helps just one person then it was worthwhile 🙂
Great advice!! Thanks for sharing, very helpful.
That’s very kind of you. Thanks, Jamie.
Harvey is adorable!
Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting time, however, it can be overwhelming. Especially for those who are new to having a dog in the house, or those who haven’t navigated the puppy phase before.
Thanks, Britt, for your kind comments. Harv is adorable – and he knows it! A real attention seeker 🙂
Very informative! I wish I knew a few of these tips when I got my first puppy a few years ago. That first night was rough! Lol. Great post🙂
Thank you SDot. Yeah, the first night can be a bit of a baptism of fire!
Hi there Richie,
I am so glad I found your blog! I love dogs. Unfortunately, we do not have one. But I do recognise that dogs give so much love to their owners. I must agree to the other people who also left a comment here: Harvey is adoooraaableee!!
Greetings,
Ray
Hi Ray. I’m glad that you found it too! Yeah, Harv is pretty special 🙂
First, thank you for mentioning adoption! So many animals need homes and adoption from shelters and rescues are a great way to help. Second, wonderful advice all around. We have cats for now but want to bring in a dog one day. The use of a baby gate is very clever.
Thank you for your comments, Hannah. Much appreciated. And, to give credit where it is due, the adoption element was suggested by Neecee B.
Extensive detailed list! Thanks so much for the excellent info! I’m a dog lover so this is right up my alley.
–Sue
Hi Sue. Thanks for your comment. I’m glad that you enjoyed the post.
Aww this is so cute, but also so very informative. I never thought picking up a puppy would be a stressful moment. It’s been years since I’ve held a puppy, maybe I forgot what it felt like… I’d definitely adopt next time around, as you correctly pointed out that those pups are the forgotten ones and who really need caring homes…
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Nadim, for your feedback. Yeah, there is a lot to be said for adoption.
Very informative. Thanks for sharing Richie. I love the blanket idea so much! It will help to put puppy at ease when he comes to his new home because of imprinting.
Thanks for your comment, Rebekah. Yeah, the blanket tip can be very comforting for the puppy.
So much good advice. I love puppies (who doesn’t), but boy are they work!
Thank you very much for your feedback, Sadie. Yep, they can be a lot of hard work – but you get back what you put in 🙂
This is such a helpful post. Bringing your new puppy home for the first time is the most amazing feeling. These tips will help the process go so much more smoothly.
Hi Kelly, thank you for your comment. It really is a special feeling, isn’t it?
Thank you so much. Before reading this I was in anxious panic mode as we are due to pick our new addition up on Feb 11. Its just the two of us and our cat and so nervous how it is going to go but after reading this has just calmed me. Thank you for the insight
Hi Emma. Thank you for your comment. I’m very happy that you found the post to be helpful. Good luck with your new puppy 🙂
I can only imagine the massive excitement around going to pick up a puppy. It’s great that you’re sharing this kind of content for people, like me, who’d have no clue!
Rosie
It certainly is an exciting time, I still remember it well! Thanks for your feedback.
Aw this is such a cute post, I love the photos! I think it can be stressful when introducing a new pet to the home but these are a few great tips x
Thanks for your comment, Eleanor. I’m glad you liked the photos – ‘Little’ Harvey is not quite so little these days, but still just as cute!
It’s been a long time since I brought a puppy home, but I don’t think I could get one from a breeder, it’s too easy to find yourself dealing with an unethical one. My preference has always been for shelter dogs and mixed breeds.
Pets can be great for our mental wellbeing, but not everyone is cut out to be a pet owner. Especially when different dog breeds will have different time and energy requirements from it’s owners, so make sure you’re willing and able to meet those needs before taking a new puppy home
Absolutely right, you have to do your due diligence beforehand. And adopting a shelter dog is always a great option.
Such a must-read post! I know a lot of people who get puppies but wasn’t really able to give them the care that they need. Adopting animals is a responsibility for me. It could be so stressful and overwhelming that’s why it’s important to know about these tips. Thanks for this, Richie!
Hi Jocelyn. Thank you very much for your feedback – it is much appreciated.
A very helpful and indepth post as always! But this is particularly of interest to me right now as we will be looking into getting a puppy next year. I’ve always wanted to get another dog after out last sadly had to be out to sleep but it wasn’t fair on the cat to bring a new puppy into the house. Definitely going to be using this as a point of reference, so many great tips. I think we will be going through a shelter for one like dogs trust, giving a dog a forver home feels like the best option.
Hi Jordanne. You’ll make a shelter dog very happy, I’m sure of that. Give me a shout if you have any questions nearer the time.
This is such a useful post! I don’t have a dog but when we brought our cat home it was so exciting, I could have used a post like this!
Corinne x
Yes, it’s a great feeling when you bring them home, isn’t it? Thank you for commenting.
Having a pet makes your home lively. My family and I once adopted an abandoned kitten. At first, we did not plan to adopt it. But we felt in love with it.
Hi Fadima. Yes, I think that every home needs a pet 🙂 Thanks for your comment.
Our son keeps asking for a puppy at the moment, I don’t think we’ll be ready for one for quite some time yet!
Hi Alice. I don’t think that we ever feel completely ready, regardless of how much preparation we put in – but there comes a point where you just need to go for it! 😉
Wow! I loved reading this. My family used to have a dog when I was younger and it gave birth to eight puppies all at once. To say the least, we weren’t ready for such a large amount of puppies lol. One puppy was hit by a car and we just ended up selling the remaining. I haven’t had a puppy ever since but I do want to have one in the future and I’ll definitely be using your tips. Thank you for sharing
Hi Ruth. I’m glad that you loved reading the post – it’s always nice to get positive feedback. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing Richie! 🙂 I am a dog person so everytime we have a new puppy is really challenging. But it is worth it, it makes the whole family happy and dogs are really a “stress reliever”.
Hi Lovely. Dogs are, indeed, fantastic as stress relievers – they seem to be constantly happy 🙂
I’m going to save this one for when I finally get a puppy one day! It’s such a great guide you have here Richie, full of all the info a new puppy owner will need!
Hi Simona. Thank you very much. And good luck with getting your own puppy, one day.
I have a friend who just bought a puppy so she will love this. I wish I was at home enough to look after one.
Hi Jamie. Thanks for forwarding the post to your friend. Perhaps your circumstances will change and you’ll be able to have a dog in the future 🙂
I will get a puppy in a week. I can’t wait for it. At first, I wanted to buy one then I realize homeless dogs need shelter. I decided to adopt one.
Hi there. Well done you for choosing to adopt a dog – I wish you every success.