Puppy Prep! -The Week Before.

-How to prepare to bring home your new puppy the week before.

Puppy excitement is in the the air! You’ve eagerly watched the weekly litter updates, now your suspense is coming to an end, pick-up day approaches -it’s 1 week away! You’ll soon be driving to bring your puppy home for keeps! But how to prepare? How to ensure you have a wonderful experience with your new puppy that exciting first week? Here’s some helpful advice for prepping the week before pick-up day for a smooth transition, allowing everyone to enjoy all the fun a little beagle or golden brings to life. It’s time to puppy prep!

This may be your very first dog or you may have had one in the past so know a little of what life with a new puppy will look like, still! Its good to think thru your puppy prep to make sure his homecoming fun! Securing peace of mind for you and also benefiting your puppy as they make this exciting change into a new family. 

There are 3 important steps to prepare for your puppy’s homecoming:

1) Puppy Talk!

Call the family together to talk through all the aspects of life with a new little puppy in the house.
First of all, decide who’s in charge.
It’s wonderful to have a family dog and your puppy will grow up loving everyone. But there needs to be one person in the family who’s taking charge of training and making sure puppy gets fed and watered daily. This is a wonderful little responsibility in a child’s life, but it is an important role and needs to be discussed before little beagle comes home.  

Secondly, go over puppy manners.
Especially if this is your first puppy and have young folks in the family. Talk about how to treat the new pup, be gentle, use soft voices, don’t let puppy jump or nip. Little things that helps everyone to be on the same page and lets Puppy easily adjust to life in a new family.

Then start calling names! For real! When we chose the name “Dante” we practiced calling the name soft and loud making sure his name wouldn’t get confused with any basic commands or sound like the other beagle’s names.
You may want to wait to meet your puppy first, but if you choose beforehand, feel free to let us know and we’ll start using it for your little guy!

It’s best if everyone in the family feels prepared for the puppy and knows what to expect, this helps to make your puppy feel like part of the family even before he’s home!  

2) Puppy shop

Collect all the goodies for your pup!
This is a fun job for sure! But In reality there isn’t a whole lot that you will need to buy for your new pup, just a few essentials like the proper dog crate, check out this blog for helpful info on crate training, you’ll need a bag of dog chow, a name tag, and some helpful cleaning supplies for the drive home and potty training like disposable chucks, gentle bleach wipes and poo bags for emergencies…
We’ll send you home with a puppy goodie bag to help you start out which includes a leash and collar, dog brush, bowl, ball, toys, treats, momma scented blanket and also a bag of our food so you can mix it into whatever you plan to feed your pup.

But of course it is fun to explore all those exciting pet stores and pick out a special leash and collar for your pup- Have fun, make it a family adventure!

3) Puppy Proof!

Mentally walk through where you see your pup living, running, and possibly chewing. Set up his spot in the house, make a cozy little den for him in a corner so he knows where he’ll belong.
Puppy proof the yard, remove any choke hazards, plastic, cords ect. and be sure it’s puppy tight, wouldn’t want little beagle visiting the neighbors dogs, for the first few weeks at least!

Prep your house, remove or secure anything you wouldn’t want tasted by a hungry puppy, shoes, books, electrical cords, you’ll want to keep everything nice and tidy for when Beagle comes to stay, not that he will instantly destroy everything, hopefully boundaries will be something you’ll start teaching soon. A little forethought however, helps avoid unnecessary sorrow caused by a curious puppy’s appetite. In general just think thru what life with your puppy look like and plan accordingly.

Once you have everything set up how you like it, relax! Have fun and enjoy this exciting adventure with your family.
Puppyhood is a fleeting season, filled with excitement, joy, and unconditional love. 
Routine will follow in the coming weeks and good boundaries with proper manners will hopefully be taught as your puppy matures. He will be ready to join in all adventures and go everywhere a inseparable part of the family. So do set aside time to prepare for puppy ownership. This will benefit you in the long run when you enjoy life with a mature, family hound or Golden by your side.

We’ll be here at the Homestead ready to greet you next week! And your puppy is eagerly awaiting its new home filled with your love.

~Jenni
& The Family at Rosehaven Homestead

Proverbs 16:3
“Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.“