You will be picking up your new puppy soon either by car or by air. Here are some tips for things you might want to have on hand or at least consider.

Before (or very soon after) you receive your new puppy, you should have received a “puppy kit” with a 2 pound package of the hard puppy food the puppy is used to, along with a can of the canned food that is given in the morning and evening as a treat – only a small amount – around 2 TBSP each time. You will also get a 2 oz sample bottle of Pet Superjuice which is a supplement I ask that you use the first few months you have your puppy.

If your puppy is shipped to you, he or she will come in a very good quality crate that you will keep when you get your new baby. Normally when picking your puppy up at the airport, the puppy will be very excited and ready to get out and get all the attention that he or she can get. Sometimes I have even had families tell me that when they got to the airport, an airport employee has already taken the puppy out and is playing with him or her. Once in a while a puppy will be a little nervous or hesitant about getting out of the crate. But normally, once you get home and you get down on the floor with the puppy, that usually ends and the puppy becomes very excited to be the center of attention.  You might want to have some paper towels, baby wipes, a towel, some bottled water, and a water bowl for the puppy when you pick him or her up at the airport or if you are driving a ways to pick the puppy up from me.

Once in a while the puppy will have “gone potty” or gotten motion sick in the crate. But usually that does not happen and you might want to make sure you have a leash and collar with you so you are able to take the puppy outside somewhere as soon as you are able to do it safely. 

Some things you might want to have before the puppy comes:

1) Your puppy’s food. I am using Trilogy’s “Life’s Abundance” dog food in the hard food with some of the canned food given in small amounts as a treat in the morning and the evening.  It is highly recommended that your puppy stay on this same schedule. Give the hard food at least 3 times a day. But give a little of the canned soft food in the morning and in the evening. Just sprinkle some (about ¼ of a can) over the hard food. To have what you need, I would suggest you start out by buying the “small breed puppy pack” and the case of the “dinner” canned food for dogs. You can find more information on this food on my “Life’s Abundance” page on the web site.

2) Bedding: Puppies LOVE soft bedding.

4) A baby gate. You do not want to let the new puppy have a large area when you are not around. You need to keep them in a smaller area, but I do not suggest keeping a puppy in a crate for more than a few hours in the day. If the puppy needs to be left for longer than a few hours during the day, the puppy needs some room to move around, play, sleep, and even eat (if left for more than 6 hours and the puppy is still young / small) You might want to consider litter box training your puppy with a puppy litter box or using a puppy pad or newspapers – while they are young they cannot go for long periods of time between going potty – especially if they are very small.

5) Special food: I mention this in my “Puppy instructions” but my largest concern with a small breed puppy – especially if the smaller of the small breed puppy is that the puppy start eating fairly soon once they get into their new home.  Often the puppy is excited and will take a little time to start eating in his or her new home. But the puppy should eat something within 4 hours from being at their new home. If you cannot get the puppy to eat some puppy food – soft or hard – then you can try canned or broiled chicken, cooked ground beef, small pieces of a hot dog, Gerber baby meet sticks, yogurt, or one of the puppy’s favorites, string cheese.  If you puppy will not even eat something from this list – PLEASE CALL ME.