Whether you buy a puppy from a breeder, pick up your puppy at the pound or get a puppy from a friend, you need to make sure you’re making the right decision. You also need to make sure that before you even bring her home that you prepare your house for a new puppy and get ready for that all important puppy’s first night.

After you’ve brought your puppy home and begin some basic puppy training, you will also want to think about your young dog’s health including basic concerns like fleas and ticks and of course the all important puppy immunization. You can find additional good advice for a new puppy here.

Once you’ve decided to bring a new puppy into your family, you have to change a lot of the things you’ve been doing, including your schedule, but most importantly your own home. From your puppy’s first night onward you need to make sure you home is safe and comfortable for your puppy, before you even begin thinking about how to potty train a puppy.

Of course you want to remove anything that could hurt your young dog, but you also want to keep things out of her reach that she could ruin.  A new puppy will likely chew on things left laying around the house.  I once had my new leather wallet chewed apart including some of the card inside. Get down on the floor, at the level your puppy will be seeing the world, to get a good perspective on what she’ll see.

Puppies will also chew on things like books, electrical cords, purses and other items left laying around. It’s a good idea to take a thorough sweep of your house and remove any small item that might get chewed on and ruined or even possibly swallowed.

• Make sure your garbage is not accessible to prying little noses.
• Be sure that all toxic cleaning materials are safely locked away.
• Find out if any of your house plants are toxic to dogs, and if so, keep them out of reach or even give them to a friend.
• Tie up the cords to your curtains and drapes.
• Block off any rooms that you don’t want your puppy to have access to.
• Keep electrical cords out of reach, safely tucked behind furniture. Unplug anything that doesn’t have to be plugged in.

For the first couple days certainly, but perhaps even longer, your new puppy will need to be heavily supervised. Don’t leave your puppy alone in the house for any extended length of time. If you need to step away for a short bit, you can get an exercise pen, a crate or simply choose a small room where she can be safe. Don’t rely on this for any great period of time. Your puppy has a small bladder at this point and will likely not be able to hold it for long.

Everything is new and exciting and the happy puppy is a bundle of cute joy.  She will bound around the house, sniffing here and there–looking for new scents and discoveries.  The kids will want to play with your puppy and your puppy will play right back.  Everything is good!

Then, your puppy’s first night at home comes.  Your puppy is pooped out and seems tired and ready for bed.  You may have set aside a little place, perhaps a little dog crate, for your puppy to spend the night.  Everything seems great…until your puppy realizes she’s all alone that is.  Remember, she’s been curling up to a bunch of other, snuggly litter mates for the past few weeks and mom is always nearby with a steady heartbeat and some warm milk.  Now your puppy is alone.  Sure, she has her new family, but you’re all in your own beds…trying to sleep.  So, the puppy begins to cry…and whimper…and whimper more and cry and so on.  It will be a pitiful little noise and your heart will break.

There are many different ways to handle your puppy’s first few nights.  You can try to ignore her.  You can stay up all night trying to make her calm and sleepy.  You can get up occasionally, trying to remind her that she’s not alone.  Perhaps there’s really no right answer, but most experts agree that you should establish your routine right away.  You need to establish the boundaries and rules that you expect your puppy AND you to live by.

Generally speaking, it is probably best not to let your puppy sleep in your bed the first week…unless it is something you plan on continuing forever.  You should also probably not ignore your puppy the entire first night.  Tough love has its place, but your puppy’s bladder is very small and she may need to use the potty occasionally.  Keeping her in a crate or tethered with a short leash near your bed will generally keep her from voiding during the night as dogs do not like to go where they sleep; but, she will not be able to hold it all night.  You have to help her out.

If the crying and whining persists you can give your puppy some gentle reassurance that everything is okay, but don’t overdo it.  Eventually, she will learn that crying is not leading to anything and she will probably stop.  It might take an hour or so…or it might take a few nights, but eventually she’ll get it.  Most of all, stay consistent and patient.  Do not yell one moment and rub her belly the next.  If you find yourself getting upset, take some deep breaths and count to ten or something.  Remember, this is your puppy’s new home and you’ve brought her here.  You need to provide the best environment you can and show her how comfortable and loving her new home will be.