01/05/2026
Only a few days to go until the new puppy arrives, and I am busy preparing everything! 🐾
I’ve had three puppies before, but the last one was eight years ago, so I definitely need to brush up on my memory to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything! 😂
Here is what I’ve prepared so far:
🚪 A puppy pen – In my opinion, this is the absolute best way to house-train a puppy, prevent them from chewing on furniture (and the kids!), and teach them to settle quickly on their own. It prevents over-tiredness and teaches the dog to be calm in a specific spot. Most puppies accept the pen easily from eight weeks old.
👅 Calming activities – There will be moments when the puppy struggles to settle, like when I’m busy with other things or when they need to be left alone for a short while. Calming activities are perfect for this! Our puppy will get 2–3 frozen Kongs or lick mats every day, so I’ve well and truly stocked up.
🐕🦺 Harness and lead – Even though we won’t be going on "proper" walks in the beginning, we will start socialisation and loose-lead training from day one.
📦 Optimism training kit – We’re building confidence right away! I’ve prepped noise boxes in different sizes, crinkly bags, bottles, tins, tunnels, and puppy gates. Every week, we’ll swap these for new, exciting objects.
🍖 Quality food and treats – We’ll be using a lot of rewards in the beginning, and 99% of it will be the puppy’s own food. A high-quality diet (in our case, raw food and freeze-dried) is essential.
There might be more that I have forgotten, having all of these and a training schedule makes me feel prepared and ready to bring her home. ❤️
