New Dog Checklist

Are you ready to bring home your new dog?

Here are some very important things to consider before you bring the new puppy or adopted older dog into your home.  If you can answer yes to these questions, then you have put a “best odds” plan in place!

For soon to be puppy owners:

Have you set up a room with baby gates that is puppy proofed and where your puppy will be able to see and hear the typical noises of the household, and interact with family members?

Have you made a safe enclosure in your yard to contain your puppy when he or she is going outside?  This is important to keep your puppy from running away, but also to keep wild or stray animals from coming on to your property and harming your puppy.

Have you set aside time in the first month of having your puppy to take him/her outside very frequently (in the beginning it will be every 1-2 hours) to give him/her a good start at housetraining?

If you are a new dog owner, have you spoken to professionals in the field about choosing a dog that is a good match for your home and lifestyle?

Have you learned about crate training?

Have you considered where your puppy will sleep at night?  (your bedroom is best!)

Have your become familiar with training methods and do you understand that the most current understanding of human and dog bonding involves positive reinforcement?

Have you researched who will be on your puppy team?

• Veterinarian
• Breeder
• Trainer or puppy classes
• Dogwalker or pet sitter
• Groomer

Family members or neighbors that will be helping out?

Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in having any pre-puppy counseling for you and any members of your household!

For soon to be adopters of a rescue or older dog:

Have you gathered as much information as you can about your new family member’s medical and behavior history?

Have you spoken directly to the individuals who have spent time with this lucky dog?

Have you met this dog in person, and have all family members been introduced before agreeing to adopt?

Have you been able to introduce your other pets to your new friend?

Will you be able to keep in mind that rescued and/or older pets tend to need lots of time to settle in to their new environment.   

Are you familiar with the most current understandings of training which advocates building trust between humans and dogs with positive reinforcements?

Have you prepared your home with safe outdoor enclosures and safe zones in the home, and/or is your new dog already crate trained?

Have you asked the advice of trained professionals and informed the members of your team of your plan to adopt a new dog?

Choosing a dog:

There are many factors involved in choosing a good match for your household.

Some of the most important things to consider are what your lifestyle is like and how to find a personality and/or breed that will be a “best odds” match.

For example, if you have a very busy high traffic household with people of different ages coming and going all the time, you should consider a happy go lucky friendly type of dog, and stay away from one who has been bred to be a guard dog.

If you interested in any breeds of dogs that have been bred to hunt (pointers, hounds, many spaniels), are you prepared to offer them daily rigorous exercise and enrichment?

If you are interested in a very small breed dog, are you prepared for the fact that they can be challenging to house train and caution needs to be taken in very cold weather.