How do I prepare my children before a puppy comes home?

Children often imagine a puppy as a constant playmate, so explaining beforehand that it will sleep a lot, need calm handling and sometimes want to be left alone helps avoid disappointment and frustration in the first few days.

Involving children in simple, age appropriate preparation tasks, like choosing a toy or helping set up the crate, builds excitement in a way that channels their energy productively before the puppy actually arrives.

Agree in advance who greets the puppy first and how, since a crowd of excited children all reaching at once on collection day is one of the more common causes of an overwhelmed, nervous start. A calm, one at a time introduction, planned ahead rather than decided in the moment, sets a better tone.

Consider a short practice run a day or two before arrival, walking through exactly what the first hour will look like, where the puppy will be set down, who sits where, so that children know what to expect and are less likely to act on excitement alone once the real moment arrives.

Reassure children in advance that any nervousness or hiding from the puppy in the first day or two is normal and not a sign the puppy dislikes them, since children can take a shy first reaction personally without that context, which sometimes leads to overly persistent attempts to get the puppy to engage before it is ready.