Bringing home your new dog
Bringing home a new dog is exciting, thinking about the life you’ll have with your new best friend and all the things you’ll get to teach it. It’s always better to be prepared than having to get everything along the way.
I wanted to share some essentials that I like my clients to have for training that may help you!
Dog Crate.
This is important for puppies or adopted dogs that may be older.
Puppies do NOT understand that they can’t chew on whatever they want, they don’t know what is and isn’t safe for them, they also aren’t potty trained yet. The crate will allow them a safe space so they do not get into any danger or harm themselves when they are unsupervised. The crate will also help you potty train your new puppy quicker as long as the crate is appropriate size.
Newly adopted dog, if you’ve rescued a dog or taken in an older dog you often times have no clue about their past and how they were raised. Crate training will allow you new dog a safe space to decompress and get use to their new environment. It’s best to move slower with these dogs to give them that time to adjust. If we are bringing this new dog in a home with other animals it’s always best to keep them separate when unsupervised and crate is a safe way to do this.
Sizing for your dog’s crate
You will want the crate large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around in but not large enough where they can run back and forth. This is especially important when working through anxiety and potty training.
Different types of crates
Wire crates are the most affordable option, easy to find in pet stores and amazon. Be sure you are properly introducing your dog to any crate. If they are trying to escape we need to go back to introducing the crate, please reach out to a reputable trainer to help.
Other more durable options are ruffland kennels, and impact crates.
Dog Tag and Collar
Having a way to identify your dog if they get away from you is important to safely and quickly finding them after. Be sure to have a phone number to call and your address on their collar incase! Also helpful would be an airtag to help locate them quicker. Remember a new puppy or adult dog who does not know you yet can easily get lost or frightened by something and run away
Leash
The most under used tool in my opinion