Dr. Elisa Mazzaferro: Hi! I'm Dr. Elisa Mazzaferro with AAHA and we're talking about taking care of a puppy. Now, we're going to discuss how to prepare your home for a puppy. Similar to parents that are preparing to bring home their first baby, you wouldn't want to bring a baby home from the hospital without first having a crib, maybe some bottles, some formula and maybe some toys.

Similarly, you'll want to prepare your home for your new puppy baby. So before going to pick up your puppy, make sure that you have some bowls, a leash, a collar or harness, some toys and things for them to chew on. And finally, a place where your puppy could be comfortable in its new home, typically, a crate, or for extremely small dogs, even a small playpen.

We know that puppies like to chew on things and puppy-proofing your home is very, very important, that puppy, unlike a brand-new baby can get underneath things and around things that adult animals and adult humans cannot. So you want to make sure that all electrical cords and short objects are far out of that puppy's reach. You may have to invest in several baby gates to prevent that puppy from going in the areas that maybe dangerous for him or her as well as dangerous for your household.

You want to get chew toys for them to chew on. Remember that puppies like human babies like to teethe and like to know on things to comfort their mouths when they're erupting new teeth.

Putting little childproof latches on your household cabinets maybe necessary for the inquisitive puppy to prevent them from getting into your cabinets and into the things that they shouldn't, such as household cleaners, antifreeze, as well as mundane things, such as potpourri that could be considered toxic.

So puppy-proofing your home is extremely important to help you and your puppy, lead a happy, healthy life.

Next, we're going to talk about how to choose a veterinarian for you and your pet.