Before a puppy arrives, cables, small objects, medicines and bins are put out of reach, and the garden fence is checked for gaps. Chocolate, grapes, xylitol and human painkillers are among the most dangerous household poisons.
A fixed routine for sleep, toilet trips and meals makes the first weeks far easier.
A puppy explores with its mouth and has no sense of danger. Preparing the house and garden before it arrives prevents most accidents, and a settled routine in the first weeks makes house-training and sleep easier for everyone.
A puppy that may have eaten any of these needs a vet immediately, without waiting for signs to appear.
Fences and gates are checked for gaps at ground level; a small puppy passes through a surprisingly narrow space. Ponds are fenced or covered. Sheds and garages containing chemicals, tools and fertiliser are kept shut.
Plants that are poisonous if chewed include daffodil and tulip bulbs, foxglove, yew, laburnum, rhododendron and lily of the valley. Cocoa-shell mulch is toxic, and compost heaps can contain mould that causes seizures.
A puppy has never been alone before. A blanket carrying the scent of its mother and litter, a covered warm-water bottle and a bed near the owner for the first nights reduce distress, and the bed can be moved gradually to where the dog is to sleep. Puppies cannot hold their bladders all night and need taking out.
The puppy is taken to the same spot outdoors on waking, after every meal, after play and at least every hour or two, and rewarded the moment it finishes. Accidents indoors are cleaned up without comment. Punishment teaches a puppy to hide when it needs to go.
Puppies are usually vaccinated at about eight weeks and again two to four weeks later, and are kept off public ground until the vet advises that the course has taken effect. The weeks before that are also the most important period for getting used to the world, so an unvaccinated puppy is carried outdoors to see traffic, people and other sights, and meets healthy, vaccinated dogs at home.
A well-run puppy class that uses reward-based methods helps with both training and socialising.
Puppies chew to explore and to ease teething, which lasts until about six months. Offering a toy whenever the puppy mouths hands or furniture, and ending play briefly when it bites hard, teaches it what is allowed.
A puppy must be microchipped by eight weeks of age, and the new keeper must put their own details on the database. In public it must wear a collar and tag showing the owner's name and address. Advice on sources is given under finding a puppy or rescue dog.