NEW DOG
PARENT GUIDE

Thank you for choosing to adopt instead of shop.

All of us at A1 Pet Emporium would like to thank you for choosing to adopt your new family member. A1 strives to support our local rescues. We would love to hear your adoption stories. Please feel free to share your stories on our Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram. If you ever have any questions, concerns or need anything, know that our staff is here to assist you.

Congratulations on your new family member!

Thank you again for adopting!

1. PREPARING YOUR HOME

• Gather supplies: Prepare the things your dog will need in advance. You’ll need a collar and leash, food and water bowls, food, and, of course, some toys. And don’t forget to order an identification tag right away.

• Establish house rules: Work out your dog-care regimen in advance among the human members of your household. Who will walk the dog first thing in the morning? Who will feed them at night? Will they be allowed on the couch, or not? Where will they rest at night? Are there any rooms in the house that are off-limits?

• Plan the arrival: Try to arrange the arrival of your new dog for a weekend or when you can be home for a few days. Get to know each other and spend some quality time together. Don’t forget the jealousy factor – make sure you don’t neglect other pets and people in your household!

• Prepare for house training: Assume your new dog is not housetrained and work from there. Be consistent and maintain a routine. A little extra effort on your part to come straight home from work each day will pay off in the form of easier, faster house training. (For more Housetraining Tips, please see HOUSE TRAINING YOUR DOG OR PUPPY).

• Ensure all pets are healthy: Animal shelters take in animals with widely varying backgrounds, some of whom have not been previously vaccinated. Inevitably, despite the best efforts of shelter workers, viruses can be spread and may occasionally go home with adopted animals. If you already have dogs or cats at home, make sure they are up-to-date on their shots and in good general health before introducing your new pet. Take your new dog to the veterinarian within a week after adoption. There, they will receive a health check and any needed vaccinations. If your dog has not been spayed or neutered, make that appoint­ment! There are already far too many homeless puppies and dogs; don’t let your new pet add to the problem. Most likely, the shelter or rescue will require that you have your pet spayed or neutered anyway.

2. THE FIRST WEEKS

• Give them a crate: A crate may look to you like the canine equivalent of a jail cell. But to your dog, who instinctively likes to den, it’s a room of their own. It makes housetraining and obedience training easier and saves your dog from the headache of being yelled at unnecessarily for problem behavior. Of course, you won’t want to crate your dog all day or all night, or they will consider it a jail cell. Just a few hours a day should be sufficient.

  If a crate isn’t an option, consider some sort of confinement to a dog-proofed part of your home. A portion of the kitchen or family room can serve the purpose very well when sectioned off with a dog or baby gate.

• Use training and discipline to create a happy home: Dogs need order. Let your pet know from the start, who is the boss. When you catch them doing something they shouldn’t, don’t lose your cool. Stay calm, and let them know immediately, in a loud and disapproving voice, that they have misbehaved. Reward them with praise when they do well, too! Sign up for a local dog obedience class, and you’ll learn what a joy it is to have a well-trained dog.

3. LONG TERM

• Let the games begin: Dogs need an active life. That means you should plan plenty of exercise and game time for your pet. Enjoy jogging or Frisbee? You can bet your dog will, too. If running around the park is too energetic for your taste, try throwing a ball or a stick, or just going for a long walk together. When you take a drive in the country or visit family and friends, bring your dog and a leash along.

• Patience Is Key: Finally, remember to temper your expectations. Life with you is a different experience for your new companion, so give them time to adjust. You’ll soon find out that you’ve made a friend for life. No one will ever greet you with as much enthusiasm or provide you with as much unqualified love and loyalty as your dog. Be patient, and you will be amply rewarded.

1. ESTABLISH A ROUTINE

Like babies, puppies do best on a regular schedule. The schedule teaches them that there are times to eat, times to play and times to do their business. Generally speaking, a puppy can control their bladder one hour for every month of age. So if your puppy is two months old, they can hold it for about two hours. Don’t go longer than this between bathroom breaks or they’re guaranteed to have an accident.

• Take your puppy outside frequently: At least every two hours and immediately after they wake up, during and after playing, and after eating or drinking.

• Pick a bathroom spot outside: Always take your puppy (on a leash) to that spot. While your puppy is relieving themselves, use a specific word or phrase that you can eventually use before they go to remind them what to do. Take them out for a longer walk or some playtime only after they have eliminated.

• Reward your puppy every time they eliminate outdoors: Praise or give treats, but remember to do so immediately after they’ve finished, not after they come back inside. This step is vital because rewarding your dog for going outdoors is the only way to teach what’s expected of them. Before rewarding, be sure they’re finished. Puppies are easily distracted, and if you praise too soon, they may forget to finish until they’re back in the house.

• Put your puppy on a regular feeding schedule: What goes into a puppy on a schedule comes out of a puppy on a schedule. Depending on their age, puppies usually need to be fed three or four times a day. Feeding your puppy at the same times each day will make eliminating at consistent times more likely as well, making housetraining easier for both of you.

• Pick up your puppy’s water dish: About two and a half hours before bedtime to reduce the likelihood that they’ll need to relieve them­selves during the night. Most puppies can sleep for approximately seven hours without needing a bathroom break. If your puppy does wake you up in the night, don’t make a big deal of it; otherwise, they will think it is time to play and won’t want to go back to sleep. Turn on as few lights as possible, don’t talk to or play with your puppy, take them out, and then return them to bed.

2. SUPERVISE YOUR PUPPY

Don’t allow your puppy to soil in the house; keep an eye on them whenever they’re indoors.

• Tether your puppy: Your puppy should be tethered to you or a nearby piece of furniture with a six-foot leash if you are not actively training or playing. Watch for signs that your puppy needs to go out. Some signs are obvious, such as barking or scratch­ing at the door, squatting, restlessness, sniffing around or circling. When you see these signs, imme­diately grab the leash and take them outside to their bathroom spot. If they eliminate, praise them and reward with a treat.

• Keep your puppy on leash in the yard: During the housetraining process, your yard should be treated like any other room in your house. Give your puppy some freedom in the house and yard only after they become reliably housetrained.

3. WHEN YOU CAN’T SUPERVISE, CONTAIN

When you’re unable to watch your puppy at all times, restrict them to an area small enough that they won’t want to eliminate there. The space should be just big enough to stand, lie down and turn around comfortably. You can use a portion of a bathroom or laundry room blocked off with baby gates.

Or you may want to crate train your puppy. (Be sure to learn how to use a crate humanely as a method of confinement.) If your puppy has spent several hours in confinement, you’ll need to take them directly to their bathroom spot as soon as you return.

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