Puppy guides for families
Ask your vet about your own pet. This page is general information from the sources below.
Guides for a new puppy and the children who live with it, built from the ASPCA, VCA, the AVSAB, Humane World for Animals and other named sources: kind, reward-based ways of living together. Each guide has a job for the children and a line a grown-up can say.
Checked October 29, 2026.
- Your puppy's first week home
Humane World for Animals says to keep the first week or more quiet and steady. - House training a puppy
VCA Animal Hospitals says to start house training the day the puppy comes home. - Crate training a puppy
VCA Animal Hospitals and Humane World for Animals both say to make the crate a happy place with treats and a soft bed, never use it as punishment, and go slowly. - Puppy biting and chewing
The ASPCA says mouthing is normal for puppies, but they need to learn that people have sensitive skin. - Socializing a puppy
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior says the first three months of life are the most important time for puppy socialization. - Helping a puppy who is upset when alone
The ASPCA says a dog with separation anxiety may bark, howl, chew, dig, or have accidents only when left alone, often within minutes.
Sources
- Humane World for Animals: How to bring your new dog home and make them feel welcome (checked October 29, 2026)
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Getting Your Puppy Started Off Right (checked October 29, 2026)
- VCA Animal Hospitals: House Training for Puppies and Dogs (checked October 29, 2026)
- WSAVA: Vaccination Guidelines (checked October 29, 2026)
- ASPCA: House Training Your Dog or Puppy (checked October 29, 2026)
- VCA Animal Hospitals: How to Crate Train Your Dog (checked October 29, 2026)