If you’ve ever had a dog before, you know: they are the most loyal, most precious creatures on this green earth, and they will go to the earth and back for their owners, caring for them as much as they’re cared for.

Bringing a puppy into your home can be a joyful, wonderful thing, as you get the opportunity to care for your dog as it grows up, allowing it to forge strong, unbreakable bonds with every member of your family. However, it is also a responsibility, and whether you’ve owned a pet or not before, you’ll likely have to take precautions to make sure that your puppy gets to your doorstep happy and healthy and stays that way once it’s acclimated to your home’s environment. You’re taking responsibility for a living creature, and one that won’t necessarily be too bright initially as it’s figuring out the do’s and don’ts of walking in the world: as such, you’ll need to make sure your home is accident-proof and that you provide your new puppy all the care and love it needs.

Without further ado, here are a few steps you can take to make sure your puppy is healthy upon adoption and to make sure it stays healthy after taking it home.

Check Up On Your Puppy’s Health

Most reliable breeders with puppies for sale provide certain guarantees as to your new pup’s health and vaccination status: things like having them dewormed at two weeks and having regular checkups with a vet to make sure disease doesn’t set in. Still, after bringing your pup home, you may want to take it to a vet just to make sure. Make sure your puppy has all the required vaccinations, doesn’t have worms, or any other kinds of diseases out the gate, to give your puppy the best possible start at living happily and healthy in your home. You may also want to buy pet insurance, just to be sure that if anything were to happen, your new best friend would be thoroughly covered.

Puppy-Proof Your Home

Puppies are like babies, in a sense, innately curious and liable to mess with anything dangerous, not recognizing the inherent danger of certain objects. As such, you should go out of your way before the puppy enters your home to ensure that certain measures are taken to make sure your new puppy doesn’t hurt itself.

As such, you’ll want to:

• Hide away or unplug all of your loose electrical cords, as puppies tend to see these potential shocking hazards as new, exciting chew toys. Putting them out of reach or using a cord concealer is your best bet to make sure your puppy doesn’t get electrocuted.
• Keep windows and doors closed to prevent any unwanted exploring, making sure your puppy stays supervised when you let it outside. Keep windows and doors closed to prevent any unwanted exploring, making sure your puppy stays supervised when you let it outside. Consider also installing a dog door for small dogs so your puppy can use the restroom whenever it needs and you won’t have to train them later on using a pet door. You will also want to use a leash for similar reasons: puppies are prone to running off first, asking permission later. Prepare for that in advance, and chances are your puppy won’t wind up on a flyer a week or so later.
• Secure trash cans and toilet lids, keeping your puppy from eating or drinking out of receptacles they shouldn’t be, as well as falling in. Remember, dogs can’t eat all human foods, and if they are allowed access to foods that they find poisonous, such as grapes or chocolate, the consequences could be disastrous. For this same reason, don’t feed them food from the table, especially if you are unaware of what foods your dog cannot eat.

Introduce Your New Member of the Family

Remember to take things slow: your new puppy might be familiar with you, as you’re the one who adopted them and took the time to meet them first, but that will not be the case with your family. Introduce your family members one by one, taking care to instruct kids not to be aggressively adoring of the dog (perhaps tell them to restrain themselves to a pat on the head and offering a treat, instead of crushing it with a hug or smothering it in kisses), and give your dog time to acclimate to the people in its new setting.

Adopting a pet is a huge responsibility, and it’s not for everyone, despite the comfort and love a new dog can bring into any home. However, by taking the proper steps to make sure your new puppy integrates smoothly into your home, you may find that it quickly adapts to its new environment, becoming a new member of your family in no time at all.