How do I prepare for my first puppy? Dr. Marty Greer and Shelley, a member of Revival’s Education Team, discuss Dr. Greer’s top 3 product suggestions for what a new puppy needs to help make life with a new puppy more enjoyable and rewarding for everyone.

Planning for a Puppy

Revival’s Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Marty Greer is a leading veterinary expert in neonatal care. She shares her top three puppy product picks when it comes to helping a puppy adjust to a new home.

Life With a Puppy

1. My first choice for life with a new puppy is the Your Pandemic Puppy book. I wrote this book at the beginning of the COVID shutdown because we were concerned about the number of puppies that were going to be adopted into homes. And then lifestyles were going to change as people went back to work. So, this book goes through a lot of information even before you get the puppy. I think it’s really important that people have this book ahead of time to them with pet selection to make sure that a puppy is right for them. If a puppy is right, what kind of characteristics do they want to be looking for in that puppy so that there aren’t any surprises later. We really want people to make sure that they’re getting a good choice. They’re going to be living with this dog for the next 15 years. So, from there the book goes through about the half behavioral and about half medical information. Vaccines, spay and neuter, heartworm, flea and tick preventive. And then the behavioral aspects of preventing separation anxiety. Leash walking, housebreaking, and crate training, other really important things that people have to have with their puppies’ skills so that they’re easy to live with. And this book applies whether we’re in the height of the pandemic or it’s over. I mean, a new puppy getting a new puppy is an adjustment no matter what. It was timely to call it Your Pandemic Puppy, but it’s not exclusive to the pandemic. There’s a lot of information in there that’s going to apply no matter when you get a puppy or in fact, whatever age you get that young dog It’s still going to be important information for you to have so that that puppy melds into your lifestyle and it really works well for you and your family.

How to Help Puppy Adjust to New Home

2. My second must-have for a new puppy is going to be the Snuggle Puppy. It’s a great tool for people that are getting a new puppy, especially if the puppies are really young and they’re leaving their litter mates and their mom for the first time. It includes a beating heart and a little heat pack. There are some really great things that this puppy will do. That’s so as the puppy transitions away from sleeping with its mom and its littermates, that all of a sudden, it’s not alone. In a crate or when you’re gone to work or to school, it’s got something there to soothe the puppy. It just makes that transition to a new home easier.

Puppy Behavior Training

3. As the puppies get older, we know they start to get into trouble. They become more creative when they have more time on their hands, and they start to chew on things. And it’s really important that we give them the appropriate puppy chew toys. If you don’t give them something to chew on, they are sure to find something to chew on, so this Nylabone Strong Chew is better than your shoe, better than your backpack, better than your couch, the leg of the chair. You really need to have something that’s appropriate so that you can direct those chewing behaviors. They’re going to happen. You might as well have something to keep your furniture, your house, the rest of your life safe. And bodies are a big concern. If dogs eat inappropriate things, they eat toys, stuffed animals, they eat dishcloth socks, underwear, our favorites, those all end up being very expensive surgeries. It’s really important that we appropriately direct puppies to things that they can chew on that are safe and that are the appropriate type of surface. If you need help with adjusting to life with a new puppy, call us at 800.786.4751.