How shall I Puppy proof/prep?

J

JulesJKM

Forums Novice
My family is so excited to welcome our very first puppy in 2 weeks! He will be 8 weeks old.

What shall I do to prep the house? (remove shoes from the floor rack?)

We have 2 children, 6 and 3, would their things need to be stored differently?

What are some important items to have on hand before bringing puppy home?

Can puppy just sit in my lap on the 2 hour ride home?

Thank you in advance!
 
Congratulations on your new family member! Such a great experience to give children! Being responsible for that little life makes them more responsible and compassionate.

You are very wise to be asking these questions!

I just got a new 10 week old puppy after not having one for over 13 years!

Please, please, please, purchase a iris play pen to keep your puppy. It is enough room for them to move around and keeps them safe!

https://www.chewy.com/iris-4-panel-exercise-plastic-playpen/dp/143658


Also, get a crate and crate train your puppy. It should be small enough so they can stand, turn and lay down. Not much bigger than that or they can use it to potty in it.

With children around you need to be extra vigilant!
Pick up everything! Shoes, clothing, children’s toys. My pup even got into corners to get dust bunnies to swallow!

Puppies chew everything! Make sure to purchase chew toys. I got a Kong toy. You can dampen his kibble and then place it in the Kong and freeze. This helps in two ways... making him chew on an appropriate toy while allowing him to be focused on not chewing other things in your home. The coolness helps his teething discomfort!

This video series is great on puppy chew toy training! He has other videos too that are quite helpful!


I would also consider pet insurance! There are so many great posts on this topic! You can search and find more info! Good luck! Keep us posted and upload pictures of your family with the new pup when you can! Enjoy!!!

Finally, enroll your puppy in puppy and obedience classes! Great fun for the family! It will pay huge rewards for a well mannered pup!
 
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I suggest that you purchase the crate and let your puppy ride home in the crate. Puppies can get car sick, and you do not want a mess in your lap or car. Bring towelettes in case a clean up is needed. We drove 5 hours home with Zulu. He did great in the crate, even snoozed for a while. We stopped half way for a potty break, and a sip of water. Have fun!!
 
Congratulations on your new puppy! You've already gotten some great advice here.

I would suggest you get the book "Before and After Getting Your Puppy" by Dr. Ian Dunbar. There's a ton of good information in there. I think there's a Kindle edition of it as well.
 
RikyR said:
I suggest that you purchase the crate and let your puppy ride home in the crate. Puppies can get car sick, and you do not want a mess in your lap or car. Bring towelettes in case a clean up is needed. We drove 5 hours home with Zulu. He did great in the crate, even snoozed for a while. We stopped half way for a potty break, and a sip of water. Have fun!!
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Also, if you get in accident, the puppy can go flying out of the car. I would absolutely get a crate and use it every single time your dog gets in the car. Even for a 2 minute ride down the block. You just never know what can happen and your puppy will be safer being restrained in a crate.
 
RikyR said:
I suggest that you purchase the crate and let your puppy ride home in the crate. Puppies can get car sick, and you do not want a mess in your lap or car. Bring towelettes in case a clean up is needed. We drove 5 hours home with Zulu. He did great in the crate, even snoozed for a while. We stopped half way for a potty break, and a sip of water. Have fun!!
Click to expand...

Do they eventually get less car sick?
 
I got a crate for Fillion and about 2 miles into the trip home, he threw an impressive fit and ended up in my lap for the rest of the 2 hour drive...(I was not driving and my girlfriend couldn't stand the noise LOL)
The crate was place next to the bed and he slept in it for a few nights, until one night I went to bed last only to find my husband had him up on the bed. He slept between our pillows every night after that till he got too big.
He never got car sick till he got his rabies shot, and he threw up on the way home from the vet and on every ride after that until he was over a year old.
A baby gate was my savior. I was able to block him into an area with tile floors, no electrical outlets/wires he could get at, and room for his bed and toys when I had to go out. Thanks to the experienced folks on this board I learned restricting the amount of the house he was allowed to run free in was helpful in house breaking as well as safe for the pup.
 
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