Preparing Yourselves and the Home for the New Puppy
Use this list as a guide but it is by no means complete :) Suggestions welcome.
Preparation - Before your Whippet Puppy Arrives
Preparation - Before your Whippet Puppy Arrives
- Remove ALL Toxins - your prescription medications, automotive oils/liquids, snail pellets (even the pet safe ones can be life threatening), rat bait (Please see AEC link: [Danger for Pets] for a comprehensive list of toxins), You can also download their PDF list of common pet toxins here.
- Remove Poisonous Vegetation - wild mushrooms, lillies, daffodils. Here is AEC's list of toxic plants in PDF for your reference (let me know if you have trouble with the link).
- List of Poisonous/Toxic Food - Some types of human food is toxic to dogs. Have a list of these on your fridge for your family to refer to. Here is one such list here, [What foods are Toxic for Dogs] compiled by Sara Logan Wilson.
- Adequate fencing - make sure your puppy can't squeeze out the bottom/jump over the top. If any part of your puppy can stick out of the fence, fix it. (I have seen first hand a dog who has had his nose bitten off by another dog through the fence.) When Kew was a puppy, she and the next door neighbour's dog dug a hole. If the next door neighbour's dog had been unfriendly, this could have ended in disaster. If you have a veggie patch, fence this up. You may need TALL fencing as whippets can jump quite high when they want to. I recommend the temporary fencing that you can buy at, Bunnings.
- Pool Fencing - Puppies (and even Kewie) can get in between the pool fencing bars. You might need to place chicken netting all around it to stop them from drowning, dogs can swim, but they often drown because they cannot find the steps to exit the pool.
- Chewable items away - this includes power cables.
- Install the doggy door.
- Think about enrolling your puppy in Puppy School and Obedience. Make sure all family members participate. I have had a good experience with Berwick Obedience and highly recommend.