Did you know that 38% of U.S. households own a dog, yet many first-time puppy parents feel overwhelmed preparing their homes?

I completely understand that mix of excitement and anxiety! Bringing home a new puppy is one of life's greatest joys, but it requires thoughtful preparation to ensure both you and your four-legged friend start off on the right paw. Your home needs to transform from a human-centered space into a puppy-safe haven where your new companion can thrive, explore safely, and feel genuinely loved from day one.

Supplies

Food and water bowls
Puppy food (We will talk about how to pick food for your dog in a different post)
Comfortable bed
Dog crate (if you plan to crate train- this can also be good for travel purposes and having on hand in case they get injured and need small recovery space, if you prefer)
Either dog poop bags or poop scoop
Clean up supplies (there will definitely be accidents)
Sturdy leash or leash and harness (do you research to see what would be best for you and your kiddo)
Grooming tools if you would rather not go to a groomer (puppy-safe or sensitive skin dog shampoo and conditioner, brushes, nail trimmers, *de-matting tools for long hair and curly hair)
Interactive toys
Chew toys
Collar with ID tags

Creating a Safe Environment In Your Home

You cannot 100% prevent your young fur kiddo from getting sick or hurt, but you can take extra precautions to rule out certain possibilities. Secure toxic substances and plants. Note, just like toddlers, puppies like to taste everything. It is best to secure all medicine and chemicals into cabinets or boxes. Plants can either be removed or secluded to a specific room.

Secure breakable items. Puppies will either accidentally break stuff while excited or chew on breakables which can be potentially dangerous.

Install baby gates. This step is optional and dependent on your preferences and lifestyle. Baby gates can be good for keeping puppies out of certain areas like the kitchen, a baby’s room, kid’s room, etc. They are good to have on hand in case you cannot watch your kiddo due to having to leave.

Check outdoor fencing or gates. It is good to check if outdoor fencing/ gates are secure and secure for the dog breed you are bringing home. For example, if you have fencing, is your super fit Malinois or German Shepherd mix going to eventually figure out how to jump over?

I would personally check for loose spots and holes, first and see how it goes. That is just my own opinion. Some others like to be fully prepared.

Secure trash cans. It is best to be on top of this early on to save yourself later. Note, that some dogs are smart and reluctant. My late childhood dog, Mako, loved getting into the trash especially while we were out. Every trashcan tip, trick and method my parents tried before and ended up having to get motion sensing trashcan. Mako was never able to figure that one out.

Secure electrical cords. This is also very important to not just save your electronics, but for the safety of your new puppy. Most will try to chew on cords at some point, so it is best to keep them hidden.

Setting Up the Perfect Transition Room

Many puppies look excited to go home with their new owners. Puppies tend to be a little more acceptable to change, but this does not make them any less nervous, especially once the spaceship car starts moving. Coming from a shelter can make any young kiddo stressed, especially when they do not fully know nor trust you, yet. It is good to set up a consistent routine and safe space to help your young furry kiddo adjust to their new home. A transition room or just a crate helps provide a smaller safe space for your new kiddo until they feel comfortable to explore more of your home. You may have to adjust these tips to fit you and your new kiddo’s lifestyle and personalities.
A transition room can be a crate or an actual room. For both, choose a designated quiet retreat area where there is not much foot traffic. This can be a bedroom or office room. If you decide to use the crate method, just keep the door open for them to access. Bring their toys, food and water bowls.
Set up a cozy sleeping area. Depending on the personality of your kiddo, your kiddo may either want their own space or be close to you at all times while they adjust. Some puppies want to sleep in the same room as you. If this is the case, bring their bed and toys in your room, if you so choose. If your new kiddo needs some space, set up the sleeping area either next to their crate or designated room with toys and water bowl. It is not common for puppies to want space unless they were a stray or from a shelter. If they are coming from a breeder, they will more likely want to be near you at all times while adjusting.
Be sure to provide easy access to water for during the day and evening. In the shelter or with a breeder, they more likely slept near a water bowl, so this is best to start until they get used to your routine or you are more than welcome to continue to provide water throughout your home.
Now, this may follow the first tip I mentioned above. Consider crate training space. Not everyone believes in crate training so please adjust this tip to your lifestyle and plans for your kiddo.
Establish bathroom access points. Create and provide a clear path and potty routine to either a potty pad or outdoor relief area. It will be good to guide them to the relief areas throughout the day for 7-14 days at the least and bring treats so you can reward them when they go potty where you need them to.
Have patience for the first couple months as you will more likely have to potty train your puppy. If they are from a shelter, many places do take them out to potty, but many shelters are busy so they may have gotten used to eliminating on a potty pad or on the floor. If they came from a breeder, they more likely started potty training, but you should check with the breeder to confirm.

Setting Up Training and Exercise Areas

Puppies are very active and bigger than cats, therefore, more prone to cause destruction. Coming up with goals to keep your kiddo active will help them stay mentally and physically stimulated; it can keep you active and if you plan a routine, it can help your kiddo adjust to their new life.

Identify indoor and outdoor training spaces. Having a set training space(s) can help your puppy focus more on what the task is; once they are aware of what the specific space is used for.

Plan walking/ play routes and schedules. This can be important because just like a toddler, puppies will have a lot of energy they will need to let out and they can get destructive with their environment if they have nowhere else to put that energy.

Planning and setting goals for walking and being active especially if you work full-time will bring your young kiddo much joy. I would also recommend purchasing interactive toys whether it be you being interactive with them or the toy is battery operated. This will provide not just physical stimulation, but mental stimulation as well. I also saw a neat tip on social media of a dog owner who wraps her dog’s treats in a towel and gently ties them, so her dog has to work to get the treats. This is brilliant because if you need to get work done around your home or want to provide a distraction while you are running an errand, they should be tired by the end of it.

Plan socialization opportunities. It is best to wait on this until your kiddo is fully established and comfortable, as well as, updated on their vaccines. This is a crucial step in your kiddo’s adjustment to your home. Lack of socialization can cause anxiety and fear of other people and pets.

Your new kiddo could potentially learn to not like other animals and people which can risk them to become aggressive. Socialization can help bring down that fear and anxiety and help their overall being.

Introductions to Other Pets and People In Home

These steps are dependable on your situation, so please feel free to adjust, as needed. Some of these steps are mostly if your puppy is nervous or your current pet(s) are unhappy with your new puppy’s presence. Dogs usually have an easier time with adjustments and change, but there are some situations where that is not the case. So, it is best to be prepared mentally and physically for a first meet with family members and especially pets. For your family members you are more than welcome to start with supervised meetings to make sure your puppy gets along with your other family members and especially smaller children.

Start with separate spaces. Some people do start with supervised meetings. Most of the time it does go well. Sometimes one or both pets are nervous or upset and need time to adjust to the change. If this is the case, this is the best first step.

Try the scent swopping technique. You can allow each pet to sniff each other’s toys, blanket, bed, etc. and see how they react. You can do the same with your other family members (I highly recommend this first if one or both pets are upset or still very nervous). Then you can lock your other pets away to allow your puppy to explore once they seem more curious to visit more of the home. This will allow them to smell your other pets and allow their scent to fill the room so your other pets can smell them once they are back out. Do not allow your other pets into your new puppy’s environment just yet.

Feeding on opposite sides of the door or gate. This creates a positive experience during meal times.

Once you feel both of your pets feeling more comfortable with the other’s scent and they both seem more curious of each other through the door or at least can tolerate each other, you can start visual introduction through the door, baby gate or crate. You can crack the door or uncover the gate you covered with a blanket to allow them to see each other and see how they react. If they seem to want to play you can move on to the next step. If one or both pets seem spicy still, you can try again later.

Supervised meetings can be an exciting and nervous time because it can either start out great and go bad, start out bad and turn out great, or just be a great experience overall. This allows both pets and your family to explore the room together and get used to each other’s presence. I do not recommend this in your puppy’s room, so they still have a safe space to fall back to if they need more time to adjust.

Allow your young kiddo to sniff your family members. It is best to have their hands held at a small distance below their head as dogs can get nervous; they can find the overhead approach more threatening. Your family member can have their palm up or down, just have their hand relaxed. Your new dog will either approach and sniff or walk away because they are not ready.

If they are not ready, continue earlier steps and continue having supervised meetings so your new kiddo can get used to you and your family.

Health and Veterinary Considerations

Gather medical records from the shelter. You can read the medical records if you would like, I personally did not understand those records until I worked in the field, now I know what to look for. This will help a veterinarian know what vaccines they have had, if your kiddo has any pre-existing conditions and if they were spayed or neutered. It is good to ask the shelter or breeder what vaccines were done and when they are next due. This is important to stay on top of. I do highly recommend your puppy finish their vaccine series to build immunity to specific contagious diseases.

Be sure to research and contact local veterinarians and schedule an initial wellness exam within the first two to three weeks of brining your puppy home. This is especially important if your kiddo has pre-existing conditions, on medication, or a vaccine is due. You will be able to get a second opinion on their medication and issues. Getting a second opinion also sees if the shelter or previous owners missed any existing conditions.

Budget for immediate health needs. This includes parasite treatment, chronic conditions or viral/ bacterial infections. If you did not plan enough for the cost, you can ALWAYS ask your veterinarian for an itemized receipt with prices for treatment and consult with them on what is important now and what can wait.

This is not required, but it helps to prepare, especially if the shelter helps you be aware of your new kiddos pre-existing conditions before you take them home. Understand common puppy health concerns. This includes, but is not limited to kennel cough, parvovirus, dog distemper, giardia (and other parasites), fleas, etc.

You, usually, do not need these items immediately (I do not want to promise anything), but it is good to eventually prepare- stock on basic first aid supplies. This can be important if you live on land or plan to take your kiddo outdoors a lot (hiking, camping, etc.).

Plan for potential behavioral issues. Usually, shelter and breeders can be good at catching obvious behaviors, sometimes certain behaviors do not show until they are in a more settled state. Behavioral issues take time, consistent training, positive reinforcement and experiences and even can require professional help. Do your research and talk with your veterinarian for a second opinion.

Lastly, plan for a quarantine period, if needed. This usually happens if the kiddo was diagnosed with a contagious condition that the staff had to treat. This is usually an infection (parasitic, viral or bacterial). Whether you have pets or not, they will you ask to keep your kiddo indoors, possibly a single room for 1-2 weeks to make sure the infection is cleared and so you have a smaller area to disinfect. Then they will recommend you follow up with a veterinarian, either their own for no cost or your own local vet.

Shelters tend to spay and neuter puppies, so as long as their health is good and they are at the right weight to go under anesthesia. But it is good to consult your veterinarian about spaying and neutering if it has not been done already. The veterinarian will be able to go over the pros and cons of spaying and neutering (I will go over this in more detail in a different article).

Long Term Success Strategies to Please Your Puppy

This can be considered the most important one. Be sure to maintain consistent routines. This is not easy especially if you work non- consistent hours, but it is important to try especially for puppies getting used to a new environment. It is also important to have a frequent and consistent potty routine while your puppy grows and adjusts to their new home. Pets thrive in predictability and routine.
Establish boundaries gently. Not everyone may agree with me, but this is how you start to earn your pet’s trust and respect. You do not know the previous environment they came from or what they have been through before. Using positive reinforcement like treats or pets can be beneficial. Some people have even used clicker training with dogs and have been successful.
Provide mental stimulation. This includes bones, puzzle feeders, battery operated toys, tennis balls to throw and even you can interactively play with them. This gets their brain working since they are not out in the wild and can help them from getting bored. Puppies are energetic and love lots of mental and physical stimulation.
Monitor weight and nutrition. This is a good focus especially after your puppy gets neutered/ spayed as they are more prone to eating more and their metabolism starts to slow down.
Groom regularly for most dogs. START EARLY so they can get used to it. Some dogs need to be brushed weekly, some monthly and others seasonally. It can help to use dog sensitive wipes and give baths (how regularly baths happen depends on your dog’s coat). You may have to bathe your long haired and fluffy dog more regularly to help prevent or get rid of mats. Some owners like to shave their dogs down during summer, but I would take caution to this as fur may not grow back the same or may not grow back at all on certain breeds.
I would note though, dogs tend to strongly dislike the groomers and usually dislike being bathed.
If you like to trim nails regularly, it is good to start as early as possible and bring treats! Teaching puppies to get used to nail trimmings can go decent or horribly. Some may get unhappy but eventually tolerate you with some growls in between. Some dogs get very spicy when held down and sometimes need a “sedated nail trim” at the vet.
If you are recommended your dog needs a sedated nail trim it may be best to just let them have their nails to prevent stress on both ends for yourself and your dog at least for a couple months. It is good to keep dogs’ nails on the shorter side to help prevent nails curling especially into the paw pads as that can be painful and even cause infection.

Conclusion

Preparing your home to adopt a puppy requires thoughtful planning, but the joy and companionship you'll gain make every effort worthwhile! Remember, a well-prepared home creates the foundation for a happy, healthy relationship with your new best friend. The key is starting early, staying consistent, and approaching this journey with patience and love. Your puppy will thank you for creating a safe, welcoming environment where they can grow into a well-adjusted, beloved family member.

Ready to take the next step? Start with our step-by-step guidelines, and don't forget to schedule that all-important first veterinary appointment. Your future young kiddo is counting on you to create the perfect homecoming experience! You got this!

How to Prepare Home to Adopt a Puppy: Complete Guide 2025