Puppies have been a popular distraction in the pandemic timeline we’re currently in. Staying at home provides a lot of opportunity to be with a new canine companion throughout the day and the work-from-home lifestyle is ideal for making potty-training (or housebreaking) as pain free as it can be.
We have an 11 year old Golden Retriever named Sedona, who I’ve always known would be a great teacher for a new pup. Having brought Sedona up from a puppy, I feel pretty confident that our new puppy will be just fine – even though it’s been over a decade since I’ve had to train a new puppy. But when it came down to our preparations for the new incoming puppy (another golden retriever named Charlotte), it wasn’t just my puppy training skills that needed to be polished. I noticed that there were several issues we would have in our open concept home, issues that would need to be figured out quickly if we were going to successfully integrate an 8 week old puppy with an 11 year old dog and a family of four.
- A Baby Gates Play Pen (Or a Puppy Play Pen for us)
Having 2 kids including an active 1 year old, we have a good collection of standard baby gates. These are great for keeping kids off of stairs and out of rooms, but they don’t do a great job of confining a puppy to an area of today’s open-concept home. This 6-panel baby gate was exactly what we needed. We wanted a plastic one since it would be used indoors and we have wood flooring. The accordion-style folding gates not only allow for a number of shapes, but they can be detached if you don’t need all 6 panels. We usually have ours separated into 2 pieces, with 3 panels each. One goes around the crate area and the other goes into whichever room we’re in. This puppy pen has exceeded our expectations, and it didn’t break the bank.
We use this to keep our puppy in the same room regardless of where we are, rather than having to relegate our new addition to an easy-to-block area of our open-concept house.
2. Splat Mats to protect your floor from accidents
Regardless of how diligent you are, accidents will happen. Nothing burns the fun out of owning a new puppy more than constantly worrying about them soiling on your floor. Rather than worry, get 2 or 3 of these splat mats and place them under any spot that you plan on setting your puppy on. Using these splat mats with the baby pen provides a worry-free space where you can take your eyes off of the puppy without constant concern of ruining your floor, rug, or carpeting!
3. Folex Carpet Stain Remover to remove pet stains when they do happen
So you took your puppy out of the pen, and away from the splat mat and at that very moment – accident! It’s expected – because the carpet feels a lot like grass under the puppy’s paws, giving it the urge to go to the bathroom. But don’t worry, this amazing carpet cleaner that I’ve been using for years has never failed to get the worst pet stains out of any carpet or rug. Seriously, it’s magic. Just read the reviews, people are amazed at how it literally makes stains disappear in front of your eyes. It doesn’t make sense, but it works and that’s all that matters!
4. Natures Miracle Scent Remover, to get rid of pet urine or poop odor
Unfortunately, accidents leave 2 issues: the stain AND the odor. while Folex Carpet Stain Remover is great at removing the visible issues left from a pet accident, it doesn’t do much for the odor. That’s where Natures Miracle Scent Remover comes in. This stuff works miracles getting rid of the smell of urine or poop out of your carpet or rug. It’s a little strong smelling when you spray it at first, kind of a citrus like smell, but after leaving it for 15 minutes both the citrus smell and the pet stain smell are gone.
5. No-Smell Bully Sticks for teething and treating
Bully sticks are a staple of puppy ownership. They can keep your biting, chewing, and gnawing pup busy for 15 to 30 minutes or longer at a time. But the ones at the store smell HORRIBLE. Dogs love them, but the smell of a gnawed bully stick will clear a room full of people quickly. But these low-odor bully sticks are a god-send when it comes to entertaining your teething pup without having to leave the room to do so. It’s also nice that these are pre-cut into 6-inch bully sticks, since a full sized bully stick isn’t necessary for a puppy and storing a gnawed bully stick is kinda gross.
6. Dried Liver Treats for training & treating
I’m a big believer in using treats often for puppy training. Dog breeds that are especially food-driven (in my experience, Labradors and Retrievers will strive to get them more often, and work harder to figure out how they can do that.