Before You Bring A Puppy Home
Before you bring your new puppy home, you must make sure that the home, and the family, are well prepared. If you have children, now is a good time to make the rules as they tend to get carried away when playing with puppies, which could ruin your training. You will achieve the best results if the children are included in the day to day care of the puppy.
Remember, the puppy is not a toy to be played with, so teach the children how to correctly handle and play with it. Tell them that it is far better for them to sit on the floor and throw a toy, than to chase it around and pick it up. One hard and fast rule that must never be broken, is that when the puppy is in its bed it must never be disturbed, as puppies need plenty of rest and its bed should be regarded as its sanctuary.

Your Garden
Have you thought about your garden? If there are parts of your garden that you do not want the puppy to go on, these must be fenced off. You can not expect a puppy to understand that some parts of the garden are out of bounds whilst other parts are fine to romp around in. Choose an area that you want the puppy to use as a toilet, always take it to that spot, so that it will soon learn to use it.

Fencing
Do you have adequate fencing? It is no use having a low fence as the puppy will soon learn to get over it. The puppy will then do the same thing to a higher fence when it is fully grown. If a dog has never been able to get over a fence, he will probably never try. Can visitors approach your door without crossing the puppy's area? Is the gate self closing to prevent it being left open?

Sleeping Arrangements
The puppy's bed should be made of a material that will not easily be chewed and be large enough for it to be confined in. The bed should be located where it is out of the way, quiet and free from any draughts. Remember that puppies are naturally very inquisitive, and like to chew things, so make sure that any cables or plugs are out of reach, as well as vegetable racks, rubbish bins, wash baskets etc. Prevention is a lot cheaper than cure!
You will need a plentiful supply of blankets for the puppy's bed. These will need to be washed regularly to prevent them from becoming smelly.

Toys
Give the puppy a collection of chewable toys that it can regard as its own. These will give the puppy hours of fun. Find a suitable container to keep them in.

Bowls
Your puppy will require at least two bowls, one for water and one for food. It is better to buy a more expensive, heavier bowl that will not be chewed easily, than to go through several cheap plastic ones. Buy bowls that will not tip over and are easy to clean.

Brushes and Combs
If you have a long-coated dog, you will require a metal comb and a brush, but bull terriers are smooth coated dogs and will need a rubber brush. This brings out the loose fur far easier and quicker than a bristle brush. An old pair of pantyhose rubbed along a smooth coated dog will leave its coat shining. Do not leave your brushes and combs where the puppy can chew them.

Lead and Collar
You will need a lead and collar before you start walking your puppy. A soft leather or webbing collar is a must for a puppy, as it will teach it at an early age to be restricted. If you have a very small breed you may find that a cat collar is sufficient. The lead should also be of soft leather or webbing, with a snaphook, rather than chain, which is harsh on the puppy and on your hands.

Bringing The Puppy Home
When the big day finally arrives and you have made all the necessary arrangements and set down the rules, make sure the day is clear of all other commitments. Remember this puppy is coming into a totally new environment, away from anything familiar. The worst thing you can do, is to bring the puppy home and then leave it alone for two or three hours.
It is important for you to understand your puppy, as it does not understand you. Put yourself in its place for a moment. The only way it will learn, is by constant demonstration and repetition of words. The puppy will no longer have any mother, brothers or sisters to run back to, for comfort and reassurance, if the going gets tough. Therefore you must be all things to it - provider, friend, companion, teacher, and playmate. So with this in mind, TRAINING SHOULD NOW BEGIN.

Feeding
Food will be one of your puppy's main interests in life. A new house and a different type of food can easily upset a puppy. We suggest the following guidelines.

• Where possible try to obtain a diet sheet from the breeder. This will enable you to continue feeding the puppy as it's used to, rather than changing the diet too suddenly.
• Choose suitable containers as previously described.
• Sloppy or milky foods may cause diarrhoea.
• Feed puppy on its own, away from distractions.
• Teach puppy to sit and wait before being fed. (Refer to training section)
• Maintain a regular feeding timetable, if possible.
• Do not leave uneaten food accessible. Remove and do not feed puppy until the next meal time.
• Limit liquid later in the day, to aid toilet training.
• Never feed raw offal or bones from rabbit, chicken, fish or chops.
• Add calcium supplement. Check with your veterinarian regarding quantities.
• The quantity of food should be in keeping with the size of the puppy.