1. SAFE AREA: Either a baby or puppy playpen or baby gate to partition a small area. It should be large enough to hold a little bed, a play area, small dish for food and water, with enough room left over to relieve themselves if necessary. Puppies can get into lot's of trouble if they are left unsupervised, so it is necessary to put them in a playpen or other small confined area to keep them safe. This is just a temporary place until the puppy is older and doesn't need quite so much sleep, less mischievous and hopefully housebroken!

2. PUPPY PROOF YOUR HOUSE: Just as you would for a child or baby! You need to move all houseplants, electrical cords, household cleaning supplies, or anything else dangerous near floor level that a small puppy could possible chew on or be harmed by.

3. FOOD: It is best to find out ahead of time what brand of dog food that your puppy has been on, so that you may have a bag ready for them.  It is best to keep your puppy on the same diet that it is used to so that it will not be subjected to too many changes at once. Changing to a different food can cause an upset stomach or diarrhea. Any switch in diet should be done gradually by mixing the old food with the new food.

4. CHEW TOYS: It is a good idea to have on hand several types of toys and chew toys to help keep your puppy amused and away from things he shouldn't chew on. Young puppies seem to especially like soft stuffed toys to chew on and sleep with. Dogs have a very keen sense of smell, so we always send a soft toy that smells like our home and siblings along with our puppies when they leave. This seems to help their adjustment, and many people say that years later, this is still their dogs favorite toy. It is also a good idea to give your puppy some harder teething bones or toys too. But remember to only purchase toys that are safe for puppies!

5. BEDDING: The puppy has been sleeping on a dog pillow very comfortably in the kitchen with a puppy pad at the door. 

6. PUPPY PADS: Puppy pads or " Wee wee" pads are good to have on hand for your puppy to relieve themselves on.  Many people are choosing to litter box train their small pups. The puppy has already been started on puppy pad training. To litter box train, it is usually easiest to start with a litter box lined with newspaper or piddle pads. 

7. BOWLS: You will need a shallow food bowl and a semi-shallow water bowl for your puppy. Do not use a bowl that is deep, especially for water, because it is possible for a small puppy to fall in or even drown. Also they cannot reach if the water or food level gets too low.