Holiday Hounds: Getting that New Puppy Off on the Right Paw

CINCINNATI, Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- If a new puppy topped your children's holiday gift list, there's another list you'll want to get started on – a checklist for keeping your newest family member healthy and happy.

Author and veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Coates advises families to plan ahead – even in secret – for the big arrival.

"Once you've carefully considered the pros and cons of bringing a new pet into your home and have decided to move forward, the preparation really begins," Dr. Coates says. "Especially with a new puppy or rescue dog, I recommend that my clients consider four main categories: finding a veterinarian; puppy proofing; shopping for supplies; and your family's approach to being a pet parent."

• Finding a veterinarian: Ask for recommendations from family and friends before you bring your new dog home, and set up the first appointment.

"A new pet should be seen by a veterinarian within a day or two of joining its new family," Dr. Coates says. "This is a good time to consider comprehensive pet insurance, which can cover future vaccines and other preventative care for any age dog, allowing pet owners to stay focused on the best care for their animals."

• Puppy proofing: It's important to keep a puppy safe, and to do that, Dr. Coates recommends seeing the world from their vantage point by getting down on the floor to look for potential dangers.  

"It's a good time to roll up the Persian rug and to put away items that you really care about to protect them from curious paws and teeth," Dr. Coates says. "You also want to create a safe area for your dog. Ideally, this is a crate, which includes a bed and several chew toys. Crate training helps puppies associate their crate with a safe, happy place."

• Shopping: Before you bring your new pet home, it's a good idea to purchase a few essential items such as: a collar with an identifying tag (to be worn immediately); the same food the puppy has been eating to avoid digestion issues; food and water bowls; a leash; and grooming supplies such as a nail clipper and a brush.

"The earlier you start to clip your dog's toe nails and clean his ears, the better he will be accustomed to these routine and necessary grooming procedures," Dr. Coates says.  

• Family rules: Is your dog going to be allowed on the couch? What verbal cue will you use to tell it to release a toy? "Drop it" or "leave it," for example. Does everyone know to take the puppy outside to relieve itself immediately after it comes out of its crate? Because a dog is often becoming part of a larger household – where more than one person will be in charge – it's important that everyone is consistent.

"Often, families make up the rules as they go along," Dr. Coates says. "But if they can have these discussions before the puppy arrives, the dog will receive consistent messages, which will make training that much easier." 

About Kroger and Pet Insurance

One of the nation's most popular retailers of pet foods, pet medicines and other pet-related products, Kroger helps provide for the care of its customers' four-legged family members. This program is offered through KPF Insurance Services LLC, an Ohio resident agency with its principal place of business in Cincinnati, OH, underwritten by American Alternative Insurance Corporation with its principal place of business at 555 College Road East Princeton, NJ, 08543 and administered by PetFirst Healthcare with its principal place of business in Jeffersonville, IN. KPF Insurance Services LLC is an affiliate of The Kroger Co. and its affiliates. To see a complete list of The Kroger Co. affiliates visit savewithpetinsurance.com/docs/default-document-library/kroger-affiliates.pdf.  To see a complete list of KPF Insurance Services LLC agency licenses, visit savewithpetinsurance.com/docs/default-document-library/kpfis-licenses.pdf.

About Kroger

Kroger, the nation's largest traditional grocery retailer, employs more than 338,000 associates who serve customers in 2,439 supermarkets and multi- department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's. The company also operates 796 convenience stores, 363 fine jewelry stores, 1,067 supermarket fuel centers and 40 food processing plants in the U.S. Kroger was recognized by Forbes as the most generous company in the U.S. The company focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, breast cancer awareness, the military and their families, and more than 30,000 schools and grassroots organizations in the communities it serves. Kroger contributes food and funds equal to 125 million meals a year through its partnership with more than 80 Feeding America food banks. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.

SOURCE Kroger