What to know before bringing home a puppy

Rare is the person who doesn’t melt into a cooing, squealing mess when he or she encounters an adorable puppy. They’re just so fun and hard to resist. Who wouldn’t want to take one home? And it’s tempting to think that having a puppy will be easy.

But puppies are a lot of hard work and there’s much to consider before diving into such a major commitment. Before you bring a new puppy home, you should:

• Be informed. Before you explore breeders online or head to the closest pet store, consider checking out your local shelter or rescue. Puppies sold in pet stores or online are commonly from puppy mills, meaning they’re bred in cruel conditions and often have heath and behavior problems. Why take the risk when you can give a deserving puppy from a rescue or shelter the second chance they deserve?

• Be prepared to stay at home with them … a lot. Will your schedule accommodate all that time at home? Puppies can’t be left on their own all day while you head to work and hope for the best. They need regularly scheduled trips outside for potty breaks when they’re being housetrained, as frequently as every two hours. They also get bored quickly without companionship and entertainment, so it won’t take long for them to get into mischief to entertain themselves. Which is why you need to …

• Be puppy-proof. Your house is full of things your puppy will want to eat, play with, sleep on and even pee on. Secure your trash cans, cover and contain all electrical cords, ensure poisonous items (food, medications or household supplies) are far out of paw’s reach, close off access to all windows and balconies, and don’t leave anything on the floor that you wouldn’t want to see covered in teeth marks. And when you forget to pick up your slippers and find them eaten minutes later, remember to …

• Be patient. Slippers will be eaten, there will be potty training accidents and other mishaps will occur. It’s all part of puppyhood as they learn to navigate their surroundings. Provide enrichment toys, which function like a puzzle and ultimately dispense a treat, to keep their brains busy and their mouths out of trouble. Use x-pens and crates to manage the space they’re allowed to explore and to reinforce housetraining. Offer lots of positive reinforcement when you see behavior that you want to encourage. Over time, they’ll start to learn the ropes.

• Be committed. Your puppy will need training and socialization. It will need to leave the house and experience new things — people, loud sounds, other dogs and more — in order to grow into a relaxed, happy, friendly dog. Puppy classes are a great way to work on basic manners while also exposing them to new sights, sounds and smells — not to mention other puppies. And once they grow into a well-rounded dog, keep that commitment. Adult and senior dogs deserve just as much love and attention as they did when they were in their charming puppy phase.