Preparing Your Home for Puppy
Before your puppy comes home, there are a few important steps to help everyone feel ready—especially your puppy. This page covers how to get your space safe and comfortable, and how to set some simple house rules as a family.
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Puppy Proof Your Space
Puppies explore with their mouths. Take some time to look around your home from their level and remove anything that could be dangerous or tempting.
Shoes, electrical cords, chargers, small objects they could swallow, hair ties, toys socks, unsafe houseplants, open trash cans, areas whre puppy could get stuck or injured.
Helpful Tools: Baby gates, covered trash cans, cabinet latches, baskets with lids.
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Set up a Puppy Area
Your puppy will do best in a small, quiet area to start—like a laundry room, kitchen corner, or a playpen setup.
Include A crate that’s just the right size, Food and water bowls, Toys and chews, Pee pads or washable rugs, A soft blanket or bed (for supervised use)
This gives your puppy a safe, consistent place to rest and learn the routine.
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Have a Family Meeting
Puppies thrive on consistency. Before your new dog arrives, gather everyone in the house for a quick meeting to set some basic expectations. Decide who is in charge of feeding, who will take them outside during the day, and what words you’ll use for simple training commands. Talk about what parts of the house the puppy will be allowed in, whether or not they’re allowed on furniture, and what the plan is for nighttime or early morning potty breaks.
This kind of conversation helps your puppy get clear, consistent signals and keeps everyone on the same page.
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Prep The First Week
The first few days at home are a big transition. Try to keep your calendar light, and make sure you’ve picked up any remaining supplies before go-home day. Schedule your first vet appointment within 72 hours of pick-up, and talk with your family about what those first couple of nights will look like. Planning ahead helps you stay calm and flexible once your puppy is actually in your arms.
What Are the Rules?
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Consistency is Key
Before your puppy arrives, sit down as a family and talk through the expectations. Puppies learn best through repetition. If the rules shift from person to person or change from day to day your puppy will struggle to understand what’s right and what’s not. Consistency helps your puppy feel secure, builds confidence, and makes training much smoother.
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Decisions to Make Together
Talk through the basics so everyone understands the plan:
Where will the puppy sleep at night?
Who is responsible for feeding, and what time will meals be given?
Where is the designated potty spot, and what cue words will everyone use?
Where will the puppy stay during the day—crate, playpen, or gated room?
What areas of the house are off-limits?
Will the puppy be allowed on furniture?
Who is handling formal training or enrolling in a class?
How will you correct jumping, biting, whining, or accidents?
Write it all down if needed, and keep the plan visible for easy reference in the first few weeks.
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Prepare Children Ahead of Time
If you have kids, start helping them understand what it means to live with a puppy. Talk about gentle handling, calm voices, and personal space. Remind them that the crate is the puppy’s quiet zone—not a play area. Encourage respectful interaction and teach them how to tell when the puppy needs a break.
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Set The Stage for GoodHabits
Begin creating a puppy-friendly home now. Pick up anything on the floor that could become a chew toy—shoes, clothes, toys, and anything you’d rather not lose. Keeping the environment tidy removes temptation and supports early training. A clean, consistent space helps your puppy succeed from the start.
Puppy Area.
Setting up a contained play area for the first few weeks/months is one of the best things you can do. Think of it like a safe, puppy-sized room where they can eat, play, nap, and potty without getting into trouble.
An exercise pen or play yard works well for this. You can place your puppy’s crate on one side, food and water bowls nearby, and a potty pad in a corner farthest from the crate. Puppies naturally want to keep their sleeping space clean, so giving them an option for where to potty (when you can’t be there) helps avoid accidents around your home.
This setup is great for:
Work-from-home days when you’re in meetings
Quick errands
Busy homes with kids or other pets
Anytime you can’t constantly supervise their puppy
It also helps reinforce boundaries. Your puppy learns that this is their space, and they can safely rest and play without full freedom just yet. Once they’ve developed more bladder control and have adjusted to your routine, you’ll gradually give them more freedom in the house.
You don’t need anything fancy just a sturdy pen and a flat, easy-to-clean surface. We share our favorite product recommendations in your Puppy Shopping List, but feel free to keep it simple. What matters most is that your puppy has a safe space where they can’t sneak off and potty in the wrong place when your eyes are elsewhere.
Helpful Tools
Gates.
It is helpful to have several places inside your home where you can place your puppy to contain him when you cannot watch him. Play yards and gates are utilized quite bit around here. This does’t have to be forever, and you can begin giving more freedom after a year. But even our adult dogs don't always have free access to the house.
When we have a puppy in the house, I set up a crate in our bedroom for naps and nighttime sleep. I use a gate in the kitchen so the puppy can stay close while I’m working in there, and I keep another gate in the laundry room. I also use a movable playpen that can be brought into different rooms as needed. All bedroom and bathroom doors stay closed to help limit the puppy’s access while they’re out playing with us. The goal is to keep their world small and easy to manage in these early weeks
Crate.
A crate is one of the most helpful tools you can use when raising a puppy. It’s not a punishment, it’s a cozy, safe space that gives your puppy structure, boundaries, and a place to rest. Used the right way, your puppy will come to love their crate and seek it out when they need downtime.
We recommend keeping the crate in your bedroom at night during the first few weeks. This helps your puppy feel secure and makes it easier for you to hear when they need a nighttime potty break. For naps during the day, the crate can stay in a quiet corner nearby, or you can use a second one in a common area if you prefer.
Crate training also supports:
House training (puppies naturally avoid pottying where they sleep)
Establishing a routine
Preventing accidents and destructive behavior when you can’t supervise
Giving your puppy a space to decompress
Crates should be just big enough for your puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. If it’s too large, use a divider to make the space smaller while they’re still little.
Expect a little protest at first. That’s normal. Stay calm and consistent. Keep crate sessions short and positive, especially at the beginning. Add a chew toy or a Snuggle Puppy for comfort, and try using the crate for short naps during the day so it’s not only associated with bedtime.
You’re not being unkind by using a crate—you’re giving your puppy a sense of rhythm and safety. Like toddlers, puppies do best with structure and clear expectations, and the crate is a key part of helping them feel at home.
Tethering.
Tethering is a helpful training method where your puppy stays attached to you using a lightweight leash clipped to your belt loop, waistband, or a nearby piece of furniture. It’s especially useful during the first few weeks when your puppy is learning the rules of your home and building trust with you.
Tethering keeps your puppy close, safe, and supervised without giving them too much freedom too soon. It helps prevent accidents, discourages chewing on furniture or cords, and makes it easier for you to notice when they’re showing signs they need to go outside.
This method is especially helpful for:
House training (you can interrupt and redirect accidents right away)
Teaching boundaries
Bonding with your puppy through close contact
Preventing sneaky behaviors like chewing or wandering off
Use tethering during calm, structured times of the day when you’re home and able to keep an eye on your puppy—like when you’re cooking, folding laundry, or working on your laptop. Give them a chew or toy while they’re tethered so they can settle nearby and learn how to be part of your everyday life without constant redirection.
Tethering is not meant to be used all day or during naps. It’s simply a short-term training tool to help you guide your puppy during the adjustment period. As they grow and learn, you’ll naturally give them more freedom.
Done right, tethering helps build independence, reinforces house rules, and keeps your puppy close enough to succeed.