Puppy Transition Guide

1) Welcoming Your Puppy Home

Welcome to our Puppy Transition Guide! The short video below provides a quick overview of this chapter, while the written information that follows is designed to serve as a practical reference you can return to throughout your puppy’s transition into your home.

Getting Started

Your first week together is all about helping your puppy feel safe and secure in their new environment while beginning to build a trusting connection with you.

If possible, plan to take the first full week off to focus on settling in and establishing a predictable routine for your puppy. Keep things simple and calm during this time—avoid too many visitors or busy outings, which can easily overwhelm a young puppy. Instead, focus on gentle routines, confidence-building experiences at home, and positive interactions with you.

Below, you’ll find a list of essential items to have on hand—ideally before your puppy arrives. Many new owners are surprised by how much these small details can make the transition smoother for both them and their pup!

Starting equipment:

Harness for walking
Crate: Essential containment tool.
X-pen or baby gate: Essential containment tools
Lightweight 6 and 15 ft drag lines: For indoor supervision and outdoor training
Leash: Regular 6 foot leash for walks
Treat pouch
Appropriate toys: For teething, mental stimulation, self-soothing, bonding, and distracting
Dog bed: Ensure comfort and a designated resting area. Choose a raised edge.
“Non-toxic” materials: Look for toys that specify non-toxic materials
Grooming equipment (brush or comb, nail clipper, and dremel)

Things to Avoid:

No regular flat buckle collar for leash walking until you begin leash training
No small toys: Avoid toys smaller than your pup’s mouth
No toys prone to dissection or ingestion, especially when unsupervised
No corrective tools, such as e-collars or prong collars
No dollar-store toys: cheap toys can have lead and other toxic materials in them

DETAILS

Crate and an x-pen, and possibly some baby/door gates

Purchase the correct sized crate for your pup, as well as an x-pen. Starting crate training early is essential, unless your pup has severe confinement trauma. If crate training seems challenging, consider using an x-pen, which can also serve as a flexible barrier in various situations, like restricting your puppy from certain areas when guests or repairmen are around. Additionally, use a barrier around food preparation to prevent your puppy from scavenging scraps. We have found that used crates and baby gates are plentiful, while x-pens might be easier to purchase new. However, their versatility makes them well worth it!

Leash and drag lines

To get started, purchase a regular 6-foot leash for walking, and two lightweight leashes that you can use to make a 6 and 15 foot drag line by cutting off the handles.

High end lightweight leash recommendation

Low end lightweight leash recommendation

There are not a lot of lightweight puppy leashes on the market. If you want to save money, it’s easy enough to make them yourself with paracord from a hardware store and clips.

Treat pouch

There’s many to choose from, but we like pouches like these, with different attachment options (belt clip, shoulder strap, waist cinch), a drawstring to prevent treats from dropping out, a poop bag dispenser, two zipper pockets for valuables, and a side clip.

Dog bed

There are too many variables, sizes, and preference styles when it comes to recommending a specific dog bed. However, we can suggest two features you will want to look for: a raised edge, as it more clearly delineates the rest area for your dog, and machine washable!

Harness

We strongly recommend using a harness for your puppy initially. Allow your puppy to be a bit spazzy and distracted for now; the harness will not hinder their behavior. The goal is to switch to a regular flat-buckle collar later when we teach leash walking. At that time, we can teach our puppy how it can avoid the pressure it feels when pulling on the collar, without having been desensitized to the feeling. We do not recommend used harnesses. Our preferred harness, which offers both good ergonomics and has a martingale collar that prevents your pup from squirming out, is the Freedom No-pull Harness.

Nail clippers, dremel, and styptic powder

Consider purchasing nail clippers with a guard rather than the "guillotine" style, allowing you to shape the nail cut around the quick. A dremel can help refine the cut. Conditioning your puppy to accept these tools is crucial.

Additional resource (blog): “Cutting Your Dog’s Nails: How Important Is It Really?”

Food Toys

Your puppy requires toys for teething, training, distraction, mental stimulation, enrichment, and bonding. Different types of toys and play serve different purposes, and puppies often develop strong individual preferences. Some puppies enjoy food toys most, while others may become excited by tug toys, squeaky plush toys, chase games, flirt poles, or interactive play with their owners. As your puppy grows, you’ll likely discover certain toys and activities they especially love.

Whatever toys you choose, ensure they are size-appropriate, durable, and safe for your puppy. Avoid toys that can easily be swallowed, dissected, or ingested, and be cautious with inexpensive toys that may contain unsafe materials.

Food toys are particularly useful during the first few months because they encourage relaxation, independence, problem-solving, and appropriate chewing behaviors. They can also help redirect biting and keep your puppy occupied during downtime. Many food toys can be frozen to make the enrichment last longer. For some puppies, however, you may need to slightly soften frozen items initially to help keep them engaged.

Experiment to discover which toys your puppy responds to best, as preferences can vary widely among dogs. Below are a few food toy options we commonly recommend as useful starter items for most new puppy owners.

Safety item to secure bones and bully sticks