12 Things You Need To Get Your Home Ready For A New Puppy
Welcome to our list of all the must-have things you need to get your home ready for a new puppy!
Planning for a new dog is a lot like planning for a baby. The difference is, of course, that your new puppy will be up and running right away. That means that they not only need food and toys, they also need a safe and comfortable environment to be their rambunctious selves.
Just like so many people right now, we also decided to get another puppy! This grows our family to include 4 fur babies.
With our youngest dog currently being 11 years old, we had to spend quite awhile thinking and planning for all the things we needed to make sure our new puppy was comfortable and protected in our home.
Having both had many past pets of all different sizes, we thought back to the things we appreciated and needed the most with each of our dogs as puppies.
In our time working on a plan to create the best situation for the puppy to transition into our family, we created the following list of items that we know we would need for our home and wanted to share it with any of you going through the same exciting adventure.
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Our List Of Things You Need For A New Puppy:
1. You Need A Crate For A New Puppy
A crate is definitely the first thing on the list! A safe place for your puppy to sleep, relax, and retreat. This is an important place for your puppy to be in order to keep them out of trouble when you’re not home before they are trained. It is also a place of comfort for them - we all like to have our own space sometimes!
Wire crates are a nice option as they offer good air flow and also allows the puppy to see clearly when inside.
The crate you choose should be easy to clean, especially because a puppy is likely to have accidents and you want to be able to get the mess out quickly. Crates with a removable bottom tray like the options below are a great option!
To make sure your puppy stays comfortable, you also want to include a washable cushion for the bottom of their crate. In a perfect world, select a cushion that can be put into a washing machine and dryer.
2. You Need Indoor And Outdoor Gates For A New Puppy
Your puppy will want to run and play, but also needs to have some boundaries to keep it safe from getting into too much trouble. This is true both inside and outside the house.
Inside you’ll want to have a play space set up for your puppy, especially if you have to be gone from a longer period of time. Having a gate set up to provide a small play space means you could leave them food and water, as well as a potty pad in case they can’t hold it until you get home.
This can mean setting up a gate to close them into a single room of the house, with a hardware or suspension mounted gate, below are some examples. There are also freestanding gate options that can work if you don’t have a very mischievous or large puppy, but they can be more easily moved by a motivated dog.
It can also mean creating an enclosure in a larger room using a gate with multiple panels. With a set up like this, the gate can be as large or as small as you need for the amount of space you have and the size of the puppy.
If you have a deck or porch outside, it often makes sense to set up a gate to protect the puppy from getting too far in case they slip past you and get outdoors. There are a few different types of dog gates for your deck, each with their own benefits depending on the size of your dog, their energy level, and the amount of permanence you prefer.
3. You Need A Place For A New Puppy To Go Potty
If you work outside the home or just know you won’t be able to let your puppy out as much as you wish you could, it is important to be prepared with a place your they can go potty.
This helps to make the cleanup easier and can allow you to separate where they will go potty from other places you don’t want them to go.
There are lots of options for portable potty trainers that are made from artificial grass, to help your puppy learn where to go, even if you can’t bring them out.
There are also really neat options for automatic self-cleaning potty pad stations for your puppy that will help reduce the mess and stink in your home!
4. You Need Things To Help You Clean Up After A New Puppy Inside
Speaking of potty, new puppies make lots of it! Even with your best plans and their best intentions, your new puppy is sure to make a mess here and there.
To keep your stress down and your home clean, it is important to have the cleaning products you need to handle those messes - both big and small!
If you have carpet, it is wise to be prepared with a carpet spot cleaner than can you can turn on and count on to clean up those accidents as they happen. A hands-free component is something you will be forever thankful for, as you will have your hands full enough with your new bundle of joy.
When it comes to cleaning accidents off of rugs, tile/grout and hardwood floors, you’ll want to make sure you have the right products to do the job. Use cleaners that will break down the organic material so the puppy doesn’t smell their mess there and use the same spot again!
5. You Also Need Things To Help You Clean Up After A New Puppy Outside
Cleaning up after your new puppy extends beyond the indoor accidents. When your puppy does manage to get outdoors to do their business, there will still be some work left for you.
You don’t want to be the person who leaves surprises for their neighbors, or forgets to pick up and steps in a mess when mowing the lawn!
A good poop scoop will pay off in spades! Depending on your situation, there are a wide variety of sizes available. All of them allow you to avoid having to touch anything directly, while helping you get it done quickly and painlessly.
It is worth noting that sometimes dog urine can cause spots or burn marks on grass. If that is an issue for you, some people use supplements for their dog that they claim works well. If you would rather treat the grass for the spots, you may want to be prepared with products to treat the spots. This is especially important if you live in a condo or townhouse with shared space that would cause you to be fined for damage to the grass.
6. You Need To Protect A New Puppy From Chewing On Cords
Puppies are just like babies - they explore the world and learn by putting things in their mouths.
Especially when a puppy starts teething, they will want to chew chew chew!
When it comes to chewing on things, it might be annoying to have them chew your shoes or other expensive items but the safety concerns related to chewing on cords are a serious problem. It is important to be prepared by puppy-proofing your electrical cords or they may be seriously injured if they accidentally chew the wrong thing!
These cord protectors are pretty easy to put in place and will give you peace of mind that your fur baby will be more safe.
7. You Need A Dog Bed For A New Puppy
You puppy is a member of the family, so you want to make sure they feel like it!
Dogs are pack animals which means your new puppy will want to spend time with you. A dog bed provides a place that they can lay to be part of the action or relaxation in the rooms where you spend your time.
A dog bed for a puppy can be as fancy or simple as you like, but it will soon become a favorite spot for your puppy to relax when not in their kennel or being held by you.
8. You Need Food And Water Bowls For A New Puppy
You puppy will do a lot of eating a drinking right away, which is why you will want to be prepared with their food and water bowls right away!
Ceramic and stainless materials are what we prefer most, as they are easy to clean and unlikely to contain chemicals that would leech into the food or water.
Depending on the size of your pet, you will want to choose bowls that are the right size and height to best serve their needs as they grow.
If you’re worried about a messy eater and want to keep things contained, consider a food and water holder that can help to keep your home neat and tidy even if your puppy is an enthusiastic eater!
Just like we need to stay hydrated to be healthy, it is important that your pet always have access to fresh water. If you’re often gone for long periods of time, it might be worth considering an automatic water dispenser for your puppy as well. Many provide the ability to filter the water to ensure it stays fresh when your pet needs it.
9. You Need Organizers For Your New Puppy’s Stuff
Your new puppy will need things, and a good amount of them! That means you will want to be prepared with some easy ways to keep things organized from the very beginning.
Leash Hook -
I recommend hanging a hook by the door right away that is dedicated to your new puppy. This will hold their leash and make it easy to grab and easy to replace as you go in an out often with them. It will make your life a lot easier to get in the habit of using it and not having to search for where you set it down last time you came in!
Treat Container -
Next, it is really helpful to put your treats on an easy to access countertop in a container that opens without much effort. As you train your new puppy you’re going to want to be able to quickly grab a treat to keep their attention. Having treats easily on hand will be a lifesaver.
Dog Food Storage -
Food is another item that comes in big bags and can be a huge headache when they get in the way. To make your life easier, cleaner, and more organized, get a large pet food container than makes feeding your new puppy a simple task.
10. You Need Ways To Protect The Furniture From A New Puppy
To make sure no accidents happen on your favorite furniture, it is a good idea to invest in ways to protect your furniture. This is especially an issue if you plan on allowing your pet on your sofa or bed with you.
This is really as easy as buying a waterproof blanket or bed for the puppy that you can lay across your furniture. That way it is easy to remove and wash without worrying the furniture will pay the price.
11. You Need Ways To Clean Up The Hair From A New Puppy
Cuddling up with your new puppy is one of the best things in the world. Unfortunately all that soft hair also ends up around your home - on furniture, the floor and in the air.
Be prepared for this by getting a few useful tools that will help keep the dog hair accumulation around your home at bay.
Wands, rollers, and cordless handheld vacuums are all great choices to remove pet hair from you furniture or bed.
Keeping your floors clean from dog hair can take consistent efforts. That is why a lot of people with pets choose to use robot vacuums that will be able to clean regularly and keep up with hair that might get in the nooks and crannies around the floor. Other people prefer to get powerful wet vacuums that can mop and vacuum all at once, and are easy to navigate in their space when they need to do a quick once-over during the week or before company arrives.
To keep the pet hair from blowing around your home, especially if anyone in the household may have allergies, it is good to look at ways to catch it in the air. Adding air purifiers can help to filter the pet hair out of the air. In addition, using furnace filters to catch the pet hair can prevent it from circulating throughout the home.
12. You Need A Way To Wash Your New Puppy
Puppies love to play and with all the going in and out and other messes that will happen, it is good to have a way to easily wash them up.
Getting a good setup with a sprayer is a great way to be able to easily clean up messy paws.
For smaller dogs that can easily be washed in a sink or laundry tub, a sprayer attachment is a simple way to be able to clean your new puppy without worrying about them squirming away or having to be in a certain position.
All you have to do is hook it up to a faucet and turn it on! Washing in a sink is a more comfortable position for many people too, as it won’t require you to hunch down over the pet which can put a strain on you back over time.
For larger dogs, the same attachment mentioned above could also be used while washing them in a tub, assuming there is a sink nearby that would allow the hose to reach.
Otherwise, a nice option for big dogs that puts them at a more comfortable angle for washing would be to buy an elevated pet wash. This can be easily set up where you need it and make it easier on both of you to get a bath done as painlessly as possible!
Conclusion
Adding a puppy to your family is one of the best decisions someone can make. While it might seem like an overwhelming task to get prepared for your new addition, it really doesn’t have to be! Getting all the things you need to prepare your home for a new puppy will make it easier on both of you. With a little extra planning, you will be able to spend more time enjoying your new four-legged friend!
Now we want to hear from you - Are you planning to get a new puppy or have you gotten a new puppy recently? How do you plan to prepare your home for them? Let us know in the comments below!
