Puppies For Sale -- Preparing Your Home For a New Arrival

Puppies for sale! Seeing those words in the paper or outside your local pet store can bring a warm feeling to the heart of even the crustiest curmudgeon. But while many people buy young dogs every year, only a small fraction of those people are really ready for the responsibility. As such, these dogs sometimes wind up being placed in environments where they are bound to be unhappy. Conflicts arise, and these pups often wind up abandoned at the local shelter. This is not a good situation, and it can be easily avoided. If you're thinking about bringing a dog into your home, here are some tips that can prepare you for your new arrival.

Buy What You Need

Don't wait until after you've answered that puppies for sale ad to buy the requisite supplies. Buying a dog isn't something you should do on a whim, anyway. Decide that you want a dog, prepare your home, and then go looking for the right one. Some of the things you'll need will include proper food bowls (you might want to buy the non-tip kind to avoid spills), a good crate for the dog to sleep in, some toys appropriate for a young pup, food, and a collar/leash combo. If there are certain areas of your home that you don't want the puppy in, you might consider buying a baby gate to block off the rooms.

Safety

Those little rambunctious beauties in the puppies for sale ad are going to be highly curious when they get to your home. Anything they can sniff and bite, they will want to do so. This is simply the way of a puppy and it isn't a sign of a bad dog. You can spend your time training the dog to mind its own business and stay away from the things you don't want chewed, but in the beginning it is better to be proactive to protect both your belongings and the animal. This means getting cords out of the dog's reach, doing the same with plants, and getting everything else you don't want chewed out of the dog's reach.

Time

Do not respond to a "puppies for sale" ad unless you have the appropriate amount of time to dedicate to its training. Most experts will agree that a new dog will need to be taken outside every three hours or so. They will also need copious amounts of attention and play. If you're going to be at work for most of the day, how do you plan to give the new arrival everything it needs? People think that buying a young puppy is akin to buying a goldfish, but it is more closely related to having a baby. They require a lot of time, patience, and attention. If you're ready to give these things to your dog, then you are ready for ownership.