One of the decisions you will have to make is what kind of food your new puppy will eat. Puppies just like people need a balanced diet.  Don’t buy puppy food because the advertisements say that pets deserve gourmet food.  Your new puppy won’t be sitting at the table with a bib around his neck, at least I hope not A simple bag of puppy formula food will do.

Dry food is recommended for puppies and when we get to house breaking your puppy you will understand why. The brand that you choose is based on nutritious ingredients.  Buying the generic doggie kibble is not always the best choice.  If you need help, ask your vet for suggestions. Most vets will suggest something they sell in their offices, buyer beware rules apply here.

Bowls for water and food are needed for feedings.  One set will do and they don’t have to be fancy, just durable.  Place them in the area where puppy will regularly chow down on his meals. This is good basic puppy training technique.
You little guy will also need somewhere to sleep.  It may be cute the first few weeks to have puppy in the bed with you, but that will get real old real quick.  Puppy can toss and turn as he likes in his own bed.  Puppy may go through several beds before it’s all said and done so spending a lot on the first one is not advised.

A crate is where puppy will stay when traveling and when he needs to stay in one area of the house.  The crate should allow for growth but not be so large that puppy is scared of it.  Later, we will show puppy how to make nice with his second home. Crate training your puppy will be worth the effort

When you puppy needs to go outdoors, he will need to wear a leash.  Leashes come in all colors, shapes, and sizes.  Puppy’s leash should allow room for growth.  It just needs to keep him from getting away, not necessarily make a fashion statement.  Besides most puppies will probably chew on his leash the first few times you put it on him anyway, so spending a fortune on one, is not always a good choice.
To satisfy his chewing habits, give your puppy some chew toys.  Ones made for dogs are safer than giving him a real bone to gnaw on.  Pieces of the bone could chip off and cause a choking hazard for puppy.  Chew toys like bouncing balls could pose a choking hazard as well if they are smaller than puppy’s jaws.  So, be conscious about puppies play toys to make them fun, but more importantly, safe for puppy. Remember this, all puppies chew on anything they can get their teeth on, so provide him with lots of options and make sure he understands early on the house rules of chewing. For instance giving him a rawhide shoe to chew on, just told him its ok to chew shoes, even your expensive Gucci High Heels , Use discretion on items he is allowed to chew on

Puppies need a lot of attention, love and care.  He incurs expenses even before his arrival.  To make sure that your puppy’s first day with you is an enjoyable one for everyone involved, stock up on everything that he needs before bringing him home.

Dogs like human are creatures of habit.  Giving them a routine makes them comfortable.  It also makes housetraining and housebreaking much easier to learn when things are done in the same way and at the same time everyday.

Puppies need to go to the bathroom more often when they are young.  Frankly it seems like that’s all they do when they are young They still need time to grow into their bodies.  So, how do you know how often to take puppy to the potty?  There is a very simple principle , that of followed will housebreak your puppy on no time. When you puppy eats or drinks, he is going to have to go very soon. My 5-year-old Golden Retriever was house broken in 2 days. Here is how its done

Set feeding times when you can be home to take puppy to the bathroom.  The hard part will be to maintain the same schedule on the weekends.  You may be tempted to sleep in, but for the sake of puppy and the various corners of your home, keep to the schedule. It is safe to assume he will have to go as soon as you get out of bed if he hasn’t already. Taking him out one last time before you retire works well until morning. Once he goes for the last time , do not offer food or water until the next morning. Don’t worry he will be fine.

When it is time to go outside, lead your puppy to the area that you have designated as his bathroom.  Be patient while he does his business.  Think up a command to use each time he goes to the bathroom.  These are called trigger words and they work like magic. Afterwards, praise him for doing well. I carried his my dogs favorite biscuits in my pocket each time he did well.

Do this as many times a day as you need to in order for puppy to remember the spot.  This includes using the same route to reach the back yard.  Keeping everything the same will help speed up the process and make it easier for your puppy to learn.  Be patient with your puppy as he learns his routine.

Understand this, your puppy will make mistakes. He cant help it he is a puppy after all.  If he is nervous or afraid, this can lead to his using the bathroom in the house where he is not supposed to go.  Yelling at him will only make the situation worse.  Rubbing his nose in his mess, is no way to discipline your puppy.

Wait until puppy is somewhere else in the room and then clean up his mistake.  Continue with your housetraining routine as before.  Cleaning up all of the mess keeps puppy from coming back to that spot later .He is little, but he will learn

Housetraining or housebreaking a puppy can be trying at times and patience is mandatory  .As you continue with the routine, your hard work will pay off with a well trained puppy. Remember not all kids get potty trained in the same time frame and not puppies will learn at the same pace. For aditional resources on housetraining your puppy check out this book

There is a reason you see pet shops in malls and strip shopping centers. These outlets are structured to take advantage of you emotions and try to prompt a impulse buy. While that may be good for the store owner and I might add the cute puppy at hand, it may not serve you best in the long run.
Pet shops are usually supplied by puppy mills. Puppy mills are interested solely in making money and have no regard for the puppies they supply or the well being of the animal. As long as it has four paws and a heart beat then they can make money. In some cases, they are ignorant of any knowledge about the dogs they breed.  The frequency in which they breed their dogs can sometimes make for very unhealthy puppies. This could spell doom for your puppy if he is predisposed to any life-threatening diseases.

One place to consider purchasing your puppy from is a dog breeder.  Reputable breeders make a point of giving their dogs the utmost care. Most not only care for their puppies, they give them love and attention they need Confirm with the breeder that vaccinations and other preventive care measures have been taken and that puppy has papers.  Papers certify his breed as what the breeder claims him to be, although a puppy neeed not be a pure bred to make a great pet. I will go so far as to say , some of the best dogs I have ever known were not pure bred. You can find breeders through referrals from friends and family.  If they are happy with the puppy they have, many will happily recommend their breeder to you.  The breeder may not carry the breed of puppy you are looking for, but they, in turn, can recommend the appropriate puppy breeder or a purebred rescue group looking for owners,

Local Humane Societies offer another option. Many puppies end up at humane societies because their previous owner didn’t take their decision to have a pet seriously.  Many times it’s something as simple as the previous owner got sick and could no longer care for the animal properly, but otherwise the animal is healthy and was well cared for and loved prior being taken to the humane society. The humane society shelters puppies that are waiting for you to give them a good home.  You may even find a purebred amongst the group.  Still choose carefully. Ask lots of questions and beware almost any puppy locked up in a small cage will look like the puupy of your dreams. Been there , done that.

Knowing where to buy a puppy is as important as what breed of puppy to buy.  Take advice from trusted friends about reputable breeders.  If in doubt, visit the humane society or dog rescue groups.  They will be glad to help in your search for the perfect puppy companion