What to bring home before you bring your puppy home!

There are a few supplies that will help make the transition easier on both you and your puppy:
Food - Ideally, find out what the puppy is currently eating. If it's a complete and balanced diet specifically designed for puppies, buying the same kind of food will help you prevent your puppy from having tummy upsets. If you want to change diets, do it gradually-mixing progressively smaller quantities of your puppy's current food with progressively larger quantities of the new food. If your puppy experiences nausea or diarrhea for more than 24 hours, contact your veterinarian.

Bowls - Your puppy will need two bowls, one for food and one for water. Ideally, they should be made of an easy-to-clean material, such as stainless steel.

Collar and Lead - It's never too early for your puppy to get accustomed to wearing a collar. Once it's comfortable with the collar, you can try attaching the lead. Most puppies tend to scratch at a new collar. It is a new feeling,but they will become familiar with it in a very short time.

Identification - Your puppy should have an identification tag, and wear it at all times. The tag should include the puppy's name, your address and phone number. Identification - Your puppy should have an identification tag, and wear it at all times. The tag should include the puppy's name, your address and phone number.

Dog Crate or Carrier - If you buy a crate that's large enough to accommodate your dog when it's full grown, it should last a lifetime. A crate is not only a safe place to keep your puppy when you're away from home, but it can also be a refuge for your dog. Place blankets, towels or other soft and easy-to-launder materials on the bottom of the crate, then toss in a few toys as well. Leave the door open so your puppy can explore inside. Your puppy will begin to view the crate as a place of comfort and security, where it can retreat from household commotion or curious children. The crate is also a good tool for housebreaking. If you let your puppy outside directly before being placed in the cage for the night, then first thing in the morning, you are more likely to avoid soiling accidents at night. The crate will also make your dog more comfortable if it has to stay overnight at the veterinarian's office or in a boarding kennel.

Brush and Comb - Even if your puppy doesn't need a lot of grooming now, getting it accustomed to being brushed now will make it considerably easier when it's older.

Toys - Unless you want your puppy chewing on your Italian leather shoes, it's a good idea to buy some more appropriate objects for it to chew. Pet stores are full of plush toys, hard rubber and nylon bones and other toys. Just make sure that the toys are the appropriate size for your dog, and that there's nothing like buttons or snaps that can become detatched and swallowed. Avoid pig or cow hooves, since they can cause soft puppy teeth to break. Rawhide bones provide good abrasive action to help clean your puppy's teeth, but since large pieces can be swallowed, your puppy should never be allowed to chew them unsupervised. Never give your puppy chicken, steak or pork bones because they can splinter and lead to choking.

Nail Trimmer and Stiptic Powder - Ask your veterinarian to show you how to trim your dog's nails. Again, the earlier you start with this grooming task, the more comfortable your dog will be with it later on. Stiptic powder can be used to stem bleeding it you trim a little too close to the blood supply in the nail.

Toothbrush and Canine Toothpaste - Even though your puppy has milky-white teeth now, they won't always be that way. If you can make your puppy feel comfortable with tooth brushing now, you'll be in a better position to prevent dental problems in the years ahead.

Prevent accidents before they happen.
Before you bring your puppy home, remove or secure any objects that could be dangerous to your pet, or are too valuable to be broken. These include electrical cords, pins and needles, small objects (such as buttons) that can be swallowed, toxic plants and breakable items that can be easily knocked off tabletops.
If you have a fenced-in yard, close even small gaps in the fence, because puppies can be tremendous escape artists. Make sure to remove possible toxins from the yard and garage, including antifreeze and snail bait.

Your New Family Member!
When you introduce a new member to your family, it takes time for everyone to get adjusted. Introducing a puppy is no different.
Before you bring your puppy home, decide where it will sleep, and where it will be kept when no one is home. What's more, you should decide who will be responsible for feeding, exercising and cleaning up after your new pet. Discuss training with every member of your family, so that you will all deal with the puppy in a consistent way, and not send it mixed or confusing messages.

Introducing your puppy to the Children.
In the first few months, all interactions between small children and puppies should be supervised - both for the safety of the children and the puppy. Teach children to be gentle and quiet when playing with the puppy. Children should understand that the puppy is not a toy, and they should not tease it, or grab at toys or food, because this could lead to a puppy with aggressive behavior, or worse, injury to your children.
Children should also be taught the proper way to hold a puppy, with one hand under the chest and the other supporting the rear end. Picking up puppies by their legs, tail or neck can cause serious bone or nerve damage to a puppy's tender body.
Your puppy should have a crate, or somewhere it can retreat from children and noise if necessary.
Finally, it's helpful if older children understand the training commands, or actively participate in training the puppy. Your new pet will learn to behave faster if it receives consistent treatment from everyone in your family.

Introducing your puppy to your dog or cat.
Although a new puppy is exciting to everyone in the family, make sure to give plenty of attention to your existing pet. Dogs and cats can feel threatened by the new arrival if they feel you are overprotective or overindulgent with the puppy.
A good place to make the first introduction is on neutral ground, away from your home. If your current pet meets the new puppy in a park, for example, it's less likely to feel protective of its territory. Place the puppy in a crate on the grass, and let your dog or cat sniff and explore the new arrival. Praise your dog or cat for staying calm, or being friendly towards the puppy.
Once your dog appears to be comfortable with the new puppy, place a leash on your dog and let the puppy out of the cage. That way, you can control your dog and prevent it from playing too roughly with the puppy. Again, praise positive behaviors.
Before making direct introductions with your cat, exercise your puppy so it's less rambunctious. Let it out of the cage in the same room with the cat. If your cat bats at the puppy a time or two, don't interfere-it's just your cat's way of letting your puppy know who's boss.
All meetings between your pets should be supervised until you're comfortable that the pets are amiable toward each other.
For the first few months, you should probably feed your puppy in a separate room from your dog or cat. This eliminates any fights over food, and it assures that your puppy gets the nutrition it needs.

Taking your puppy on the road.
If you plan on taking your puppy to the in-law's house, or camping by the river, it's important to accustom it to riding in your car early on. Start by taking it on short trips around the block, and slowly progress to longer trips. There are a few things to keep in mind when your puppy is in the car:
- Never leave your puppy unrestrained in the car. For your safety and your puppy's safety, it's best to keep it in a portable kennel.
- If your puppy salivates excessively or vomits, keep the window open so it can have plenty of fresh air. Eventually, it should outgrow its carsickness. If it doesn't, talk to your veterinarian about safe motion-sickness medications.
- Make sure your puppy has an opportunity to relieve itself before you hit the road
- Stop every two hours to let your puppy exercise and relieve itself. Bring a container of fresh water and a bowl
- Never leave your puppy in a parked car for long periods of time. Make sure you're parked in the shade, and the windows are slightly ajar.
-Even though dogs love to hang their heads out the car window, it's simply not safe.
If you're planning to take your puppy on an airplane, contact the airline well in advance. They will inform you of specific travel regulations, including the type of carrier that's appropriate, and health certificates that are required. If your puppy is the nervous type, consult your veterinarian about sedation. You should also look into the pet requirements at your destination. For example, many foreign countries require proof of vaccination and/or quarantine periods.