New Puppy Advice From A New Owner

Are you looking for new puppy advice from someone who just got one? These are the tips and tricks you can use to make those first few weeks a little easier on everyone.

Getting a new puppy is so exciting, but there are also so many ways you need to prepare for your new bundle of joy. As a baby and senior dog owner, I’m going to share all of my new puppy advice with you that I have learned so far.

You are going to learn how to prepare for a new puppy, what to buy, must-have puppy supplies and more. I’ll also share things that no one tells you about being a new dog owner!

After reading through my new puppy advice, you’re going to be so prepared to bring your baby home! I hope this will make things more simple and help you and your family get ready for the love and changes your new family member will bring.

This post is all about the best new puppy advice I can share from my own experience.

Best New Puppy Advice

Questions To Ask Dog Breeders

The only person who knows your puppy right now is the breeder/owner. If you prepare some questions before bringing your puppy home, it could help make the transition easier on both of you. All breeds have special traits that you can read about before meeting your new little best friend and you should definitely read up on them. But, the information your breeder can provide is about YOUR puppy and they also have important health information about your puppy’s parents.

Here are a few questions you can ask your breeder about your puppy:

Ask to meet the parents. You might not always get to meet daddy, but you should be able to meet your puppy’s mama. If you see a friendly sweet girl in good health, that’s a great sign. If they refuse to let you meet her, that could be a possible red flag.
Ask to see the puppy house. This will give you insight into how the puppies spent their time before you take your baby home. If the breeder has the puppies in the house near the living room or kitchen, that’s a great sign that your puppy was part of a family.
Ask about a health guarantee. Yes! It’s a thing! My first bulldog puppy had pneumonia and was hospitalized for weeks the day after we bought him. The state of New York required the breeder to pay! They have a puppy Lemon Law.
Ask if you can stay in touch with the breeder if you have future questions. Our breeders were so sweet that they asked if we could send pictures from time to time so they could see her grow!
Ask about food and any other care items the breeder recommends. Both of my bulldog breeders sent us home with a bag of food and gave us feeding instructions. My first breeder asked us to steer clear of chicken in any form. He said his bulldogs tended to have allergies to it. What helpful advice! If you ask questions you will be surprised how much you can learn!

Be prepared for a breeder to ask you questions!

Our first breeder interviewed our family before we were allowed to buy our puppy. Luckily we passed!

Be ready to answer questions like this:

Do you work outside of the home? (I was a stay at home mom and that made him happy.)
Who will be around when you can’t be to take care of this puppy?
English bulldogs have strong personalities and need a leader, are you prepared to lead a dog that will grow to be 70 pounds?
What do you know about English Bulldogs?

Puppy Healthy Insurance

This is a hot topic when you decide to get a new puppy. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me if I have health insurance for my dogs! I can give you my honest opinion because I had it for one dog and decided to cancel it after many years. When we got Odie, my 10 year old bully, we decided to buy health the insurance plan recommended by our breeder. It seemed reasonable at the time and English bulldogs are known to have issues. We kept it for years and each year the monthly payment went up. At one point we were paying close to $200 a month and hadn’t been able to use it for a single vet bill! We called the insurance company and reworked our plan to lower the cost, but that meant even less was covered.

When we got our new puppy, Dolly, she came with a free health insurance trial so we have that for now. But, if you ask me if I plan to buy a plan and keep it for her, my answer is no. This is highly personal and I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t insure your puppy. I will just not go down that route again because my plan didn’t cover any preventative care including vaccines or wellness visits. Luckily, our older guy has been super healthy and hasn’t needed many trips to the vet. Overall, his insurance was a waste.

I also want to note that English bulldogs are not the most active bunch. The risk of Odie getting a Cheeto stuck in his nose is higher than him getting hit by a car. Each dog breed is different and each dog is different. I’m trying to be as honest as I can with my decisions but you should not take this section as advice!

My best advice is to read about all the insurance plans and decide if it’s worth it. You can always start an account and add a set monthly amount to save for future vet bills. This is what I would have done if I had thought of it.

Vet Visits For Puppy

Before you bring your bundle of joy home, you might want to do some research on local vets. The best way to find a great vet is through word of mouth. Even though your puppy is brand new, you will visit the vet 3-4 times just in the first year for vaccines and wellness visits. Your first vet visit should be within days of bringing your puppy home. At this time the puppy will be examined for a health baseline, have a stool sample checked for parasites, be weighed and be given a vaccine. These visits are extremely important to catch any underlying health conditions, make sure your puppy is growing and to give your puppy the necessary vaccines.

A note on vaccines: Do your own research and decide which vaccines are right for you and your puppy. I am a minimalist when it comes to vaccines, so I research and choose only the required ones or the ones that feel important based on our lifestyle. Odie and Dolly will get the Lyme vaccine because we live in an area with very high levels of Lyme disease, but they won’t get the Bordetella vaccine (for kennel cough) because they are never boarded and they don’t play at dog parks. I would never just give any type of vaccine without reading about it.

Keep in mind that your puppy might not feel well the day after a vaccine. Dolly actually had an accident in her bed the night after her shots and also ran a slight fever. If you notice anything concerning, call your vet right away. Dogs can have allergic reactions to vaccines just like people do!

My Vet Bills: To be completely transparent, Dolly has had two vet visits since I brought her home. Both visits were healthy visits and included a check up, vaccines and nail clipping.

Wellness Visit #1: $406.25 – this included: wellness exam, Stronged, Pediatric Fecal Profile, DA2PP Third Vaccine, Simparica Trio, Free Puppy Kit and OSHA Medical Waste
Wellness Visit#2: $390.98 – this included- wellness exam, Strongid, DA2PP Final Puppy, Rabies Vaccine, Diphenhydramine, Simparica Trio, OSHA Medical Waste

Puppy Potty Training

I can share candidly about puppy potty training because we are still working on it over here! I will share what has and has not worked for us and hopefully it will help you too! So far, Dolly is on a pretty good routine. She is about 12 weeks now and she usually sleeps through the night and has minimal accidents. But, we are still tweaking things and I’m actually trying something new tomorrow to hopefully help her understand where to go when she needs to go. Up until this point, we are all watching her like a hawk for signs that she needs to go outside and we are doing a great job of “catching her” before an accident happens.

Here’s what is working so far:

Taking her out as soon as she wakes up.
Waking her up before I go to bed to take her out.
Waking her up at 5 am to take her out.
Taking her out after she eats.
Rewarding her with treats immediately after she goes outside.
Taking her out at least every 45 minutes to an hour. Her bladder is the size of a teaspoon and she can go that often easily.
Tracking what time she goes on a notes app on my phone. This allows me to tell anyone that is taking a turn watching her when to take her out next.

What’s Not Working:

Allowing her to roam freely in the house, especially on carpets or my older dog’s beds.
Bringing her inside too soon. She will often pee or poop twice, especially in the morning. I have brought her in after she went and then she would have an accident. I have learned to give her more time.
Allowing her to use the bathroom all around the yard. I think designating a “potty area” is essential for training. Up until now, we have taken her outside to use the bathroom and then allowed her to run around and play. I just bought an outdoor playpen to define a spot for her to use the bathroom before playing. We are all crossing our fingers this starts to work.

What We Are Trying Next:

An outdoor playpen designated as a “potty area”
A door bell to ring on our way out to the “Potty area.”
Take her to the potty area any time she has an accident
Using key word “go outside” as a family so it’s less confusing.

How Long Can A Puppy Be Left Alone?

Newsflash… you can’t just leave a new puppy in a crate all day while you go off and live your life. A puppy is essentially a baby and that means it will need to eat more often and go potty way more often than a grown dog. So what is the rule for how long you can leave your new little guy alone? There is a rule of thumb that you can leave a puppy alone the most one hour for every month of age after three months. If you bring home an 8 week old puppy, like we did, that means you are not leaving that baby alone for more than minutes at a time. I found that my 8 week old puppy didn’t have a ton of bladder control. Now that she is 12 weeks, she is well on her way to being fully house broken.

The timeline looks like this:

Under 10 weeks – 1 hour maximum
10-12 weeks- 2 hour maximum
3 months- 3 hour maximum
4 months- 4 hour maximum
5 months- 5 hour maximum
6 months- 6 hours maximum

If you have an older dog like I do, this is a big change! Odie can be left alone for most of the day as long as he doesn’t miss any meals and is able to get outside after he eats. Dolly, on the other hand, needs someone with her almost full time (which means I need a sitter to get to the hair salon).

Do not worry too much because there is a hack to being able to leave your house regularly and it has allowed me to have a life! Get your puppy on a routine! I’m a morning person and without my morning workouts, I’m not the best girl to hang out with. I realized that if Dolly gets up early, eats, and is allowed a lot of time to run and play, she naps from 8:30-10:15 everyday. That timing works perfectly for me to get to the gym! She isn’t left to cry and feel “shoved” into her crate at a random time.

If I have to leave her for a short period of time while she’s in a playful mood, I have a playpen that allows her to safely play while I am away for less than 20 minutes. Right now, I plan errands and focused work during her naps.

Start Looking For Help ASAP

You don’t need to wait until you have your puppy at home to start looking for outside help. There are many types of helpful hands to consider. Will you use a groomer, a dog walker, dog boarding or will you have someone come stay with your puppy while you travel? Who is the best vet, the nearest emergency vet and emergency contact? There is a lot to consider before you bring home a puppy and the more prepared you are, the better for everyone. Keep in mind that boarders often fill months in advance of holidays. So, if you always travel for Thanksgiving, it would make sense to book your appointment in the summer.

Quick List Of Helpers To Have Ready:

Vet
Emergency 24 hour Vet
Groomer
Boarder Or Boarding Kennels (You may need to get special vaccines to use these services.)
Dog Walker
House/ Pet Sitter
Doggy Day Care Centers
Dog Trainers
Friends/ Family/ Neighbors

Puppy Supplies

You won’t believe how many things you’ll need to buy for your tiny new best friend! I tried to think of everything I bought or use for Dolly. She rode home in a laundry basket and came with a little bag of dog food. It all seemed so simple until I started adding new things as I needed them. If you’re shopping for a new puppy, you might want to check out this section to be more prepared than I was!

Food

This can be a tricky topic because there are so many options. The best advice I have is to stick with the puppy food your puppy is currently eating. You don’t want to make too many changes right away. Our puppy is currently eating chicken which is known to cause allergies in bulldogs. I have decided to stick with this food for a little while and then work with my local pet store to help me transition her to a higher level protein. They actually allowed me to return dog food my older bulldog was allergic to and we worked together to find him a lamb recipe that was perfect for him. I am easing Dolly into eating salmon so I’m currently adding chicken and salmon patties as a topper to gently introduce a new protein. It’s working!

Here are the links to my puppy food:

Link To Diamond Natural Puppy Food

Link To Perfectly Puppy Dinner Patties

Food Bowls

You won’t believe how many styles you will have to choose from! You can easily pick up classic food dishes to start with, but do a little research. I chose raised bowls because bulldogs are high maintenance and can easily inhale food if they bend too far down to eat. I picked bowls that came with three leg lengths so Dolly’s can grow with her. Oh, and these bowls perfectly match my kitchen! It’s a good idea to get either stainless steel or ceramic and avoid plastic to keep your puppy healthy. Here is the link to my exact dog food bowls: Messy Mutts Elevated Double Feeder With Stainless Steel Bowls.

Treats

When you grab some food for your puppy, you may want to consider getting some treats as well. Try to pick a treat with the same type of protein as the dog food you chose. This will ensure that you can pinpoint an allergy faster. Also, read the ingredients. Not all dog treats are the same. I skipped the treats for my baby and give her pieces of her dog food as treats. She’s happy with it! But, I have these little treats for training fun when she gets a little older. Click Here To Try These Pocket Treats!

Crate

As soon as you do any research about puppy training, you will quickly find that most everyone recommends a crate. I tried to recycle my older bulldog’s crate, but it was way too big. You want to get a crate that is just big enough. I chose one that matches my house style because it will be in our living room. You can get a basic metal one or you can get a fancy one. Just make sure it’s the right size with ample ventilation. If you like mine CLICK HERE for a Link To My Exact Crate.

Bedding

You will need a little dog bed, but if I’m being honest, you should buy at least two. Make sure they are washable and are the right size to cuddle your puppy. We only use these round beds with sides because both Odie and Dolly like to sleep with their heads propped up.

Here is a link to one of Odie’s favorite beds!

Carseat

I know this sounds crazy, but it’s hard to leave a puppy home all the time and you need some way to keep them safe in the car. They make all types of carseats now so you can find the one that works best for your puppy and your car. My only BIG advice is to make sure it’s washable! Here is the link to DOLLY’S CARSEAT. I love this seat for her. It easily attaches to my center console and is completely washable. There is a pillow liner inside, handles if you want to carry her in it has an attached tether that is the perfect length to keep her safe.

Here is the link to ODIE’S CARSEAT. We found this bucket booster seat for Odie years ago and it is absolutely perfect for him. It fits on the front seat and boosts him enough that he can see out the window. The cover is washable and the inside is made from a sturdy foam so it has kept its shape for years!

Toys (Chew Toys)

What can be more fun than shopping for puppy toys? You can find them anywhere, but amazon is a great place to start! We also took Dolly to our local pet store and let her pick out her favorites – which turned out to be little KONG balls.

Here are links to Dolly’s favorite toys:

Playpen (outdoor too)

Puppies with too much freedom in the house tend to be harder to train and can potentially get into things that are dangerous. A puppy playpen can give your puppy a safe environment to play when you can’t be right there watching. Dolly goes into this little playpen when I need to switch the laundry, cook dinner or anytime I can’t keep a close eye on her. It’s super light and portable so I carry it up to my daughter’s room in the morning while I walk Odie.

Click here for the link to the indoor playpen pictured above.

Click here for the link to the outdoor playpen we use for a “potty area.”

Poop Bags

Puppies poop a lot and you might not want have it all over your yard. It’s a good idea to stash some of these little bags in your car, attach some to your leashes, put them near the areas your puppy goes potty. I love these bags because the rolls fit in so many places, including your coat pocket! Click here for the exact link to these little bags.

Small Outdoor Trash For Waste

Because Dolly isn’t vaccinated and we live in an area where there are a lot of dogs, she isn’t able to take regular walks on a leash. That means she is “going potty” in our yard every time. We found that adding a tiny outdoor trash can with poop bags attached to it makes it easy to keep the yard clean. Instead of cleaning up the entire yard, we clean up one little poop and drop it into the trash.

Click Here for the link to our little trash can!

Collar

Even though your puppy may not need a collar right away, it’s safe to have one! We put one on Dolly every time we put her in the car. This keeps her safe and if for any reason she needs to walk on a leash, she’s all set! My main advice for the collar is to not get a super expensive one. Puppies grow so fast and that huge collar will soon be too tight! Click here for the link for Dolly’s cute collar.

Leash

Even though you can’t walk your puppy in public places right away, you still need to get a leash. Your puppy will need to be trained on the leash and you can start doing that in your yard or even your house. If you start early, as soon as your little one is vaccinated, you can walk like a pro when she’s ready to hit the streets! We have these two retractable leashes that we love, but Dolly is doing really well right now on a super old ugly leash (not pictured). We will be getting her a very cute pink one soon and I will update this post!

Click Here for the link to the retractable leash!

Shampoo

Puppies get dirty! Dolly is a digger and can get herself covered in mud right after a bath. Do yourself a favor and research a very gentle safe shampoo for your puppy. I was scared to try any shampoo on Dolly because I once bought one for Odie that claimed to be safe for dogs with allegories. He ended up breaking out in hives and had to be raced to the vet. I decided to use Odie’s medicated shampoo with Dolly because it works so well with Odie. So far, so good!

Click Here for a link to this shampoo.

Nail clippers

Nothing can bring me more anxiety than clipping my dogs’ toenails. To make matters worse, Dolly’s nails are the size of the tip of a pencil and Odie has black nails so you never quite know how far is too far. These are the clippers I own right now. They are old school and they feel way too big to use to cut Dolly’s nails, but hey work well. Click Here for a link to the exact pair I own. Dolly has had her nails cut at the vet and they told me they use cat nail trimmers for puppies! That is something you can try! I will be on the hunt for something smaller in the near future and will keep you updated!

Neutralizing Spray For Accidents

Accidents Happen! Somehow Dolly has picked rugs as her spot of choice to randomly have an accident. The hardwood flooring is so much easier to clean so obviously she never has an accident there. Believe me when I tell you, this stuff works! It might smell a little overwhelming at first but it cleans and deodorizes all surfaces. Click Here For The Link To This Odor Eliminator!

Things No One Tells You About Getting A Puppy

You can’t walk them right away.
They bite and it HURTS.
You can’t leave them alone and just live life.
They are cute, but you have to teach them manners.
They need naps and they might get grouchy if they are tired.
You will fall completely in love with them.
They go to the vet a lot and it’s not cheap.
They poop so much and they pee even more.
Your older dog might not love your puppy right away, but give it time!