Your puppy needs a safe place to grow up in. Here are some simple steps you can take to make sure your puppy stays healthy, happy, and well adjusted.

Puppies love to chew on extention cords - many pups are electrocuted accidentally this way. So never leave your pup in a room where he can get to an electrical cord of any kind - they're irresistable!

Choose a safe place for your pup to stay when you are not watching him, somewhere he can't get into any trouble - like a bathroom or laundry room or his crate. This is very important for his protection. Letting your puppy spend some time in a crate ensures that he will be used to it later if it is ever needed, for example to take him to the vet, or on a family trip. Never use the crate as punishment, and remember, your puppy should NOT spend hour after hour in his crate. However, short periods of time when you are there to comfort him and tell him what a good boy he is, and offer treats to encourage acceptance, will make it much less stressful for him later should you need to use the crate. If you must crate your puppy for the night, put the crate near your bed. He'll be comforted by your presence.

Keep your pup away from strange dogs until he's one year old. Although he has completed his series of shots by 4-5 months, his immune system is still not as strong as an adult dog's system.. He is still very vulnerable to disease and worms. If you take him to the pet food store to shop, be sure you keep him in the buggy and don't allow contact with any other dogs. Strange dogs may have distemper or kennel cough or deadly parvo. Even though your pup has had a vaccination that doesn't totally protect him - and ata young age he is too fragile to take the risk. Also be careful where you potty him - if he steps in the stool of a dog with worms or disease he could pick it up. Hookworms can go through the footpads and remember dogs lick their feet - thus ingesting what they step on.

Always supervise children with your pup. Don't let really young children hold him unless they sit on the ground. You will want to expose your pup to children who are gentle and kind so that he won't dislike them later. Dogs who grow up with no exposure to children can be snappy with them and thus a liability risk. Tiny dogs and children don't mix. Children want to hold them too much and may be rough. Before very long, the dog wants to get away from them. So limit your puppy's time with children - he should always be able to get away from the child if he wants to.