Dog trainers and behaviorists believe good habits can be easily taught (and bad habits broken) from the very first moment you arrive home with your newly adopted dog. Follow these simple steps and you and your canine companion will be well on your way to a long and happy life together.

1. Before you take your new dog into the house for the first time, show her where her toilet area will be. Don't take her away from this area until she has gone to the bathroom. While you're standing there, holding the leash and waiting for her to "go", don't talk to her. This is not the time to try to talk to her into "going". When she does go, quietly praise her while she's in the act. Use the word you'll be using for this process. For example, say, "good potty, good potty."

2. When you enter the house, make sure that you go in the door before the dog does. In the canine world, leaders always lead.

3. Keep the dog on a leash and give her a tour of your home. While doing this, teach her the rules of the house. If, for example, you don't want her on the furniture, now is the time to let her know. If there are certain rooms she will not be allowed in, let her know from the very beginning. If the dog has had any obedience training, stop in every room during the tour and ask her to do something for you. This may be as simple as asking for a sit. Or, if she knows more ask for a down. If all she knows is how to shake hands, ask her to do that in each room. The idea behind this is to let the dog know that you have the right to ask her to do things for you in her new environment.

4. After the tour of the house, take her back out to the toilet area to see if she needs to go again.

5. Next, give her a tour of the yard. Do this on a leash. Again, ask her to do something for you in various areas of the yard. Its' very easy for dogs to get the idea that they can do anything they want in the yard. Help the dog learn from the beginning that she still has to mind, even if she's outside.

6. Take the dog to the area where you and she will be spending the majority of your time, for example the living room or family room. (When you take her back into the house again, don't forget to go in the door first!) Find something sturdy to loop her leash on (doorknobs usually work best) and tie her to it. Then go sit down away from her. If she starts pitching a fit, ignore her. Don't' even look at her. When she's quiet, look at her and talk softly to her, praising her for being such a good dog. She needs to learn that quiet, good behavior will get attention.

7. The first time you feed your dog, even if you simply give her a dog treat, make sure you eat something before she does. And make sure that she is aware you're eating. After you have finished your treat, offer her something. But first, it's important to ask her to do something for you. Asking her to sit would be just fine.

Keep in mind that from the moment you bring your new dog home she is learning the rules of your "territory". It's up to you to help her understand what you want. With a new dog, expect to have several nights of interrupted sleep. Assuming that you have decided not to let the dog sleep in bed with you, expect the dog to whine and try to crawl out of her bed and into yours. She may get excited and have an accident or two. This is perfectly normal, even for a well-housebroken dog. You can help minimize this behavior by doing the following: before bed, have a play session, give the dog water, let the dog relieve herself, then bed her down for the night. If the dog keeps trying to hop into your bed, put her in her own bed, soothe her a moment, then leave her alone. A puppy will most certainly cry for the first several nights, if not longer. Remember that she is a baby, lonely for her littermates and her mother. Give her some chew toys and lots of blankets to keep warm. Talk to her and pet her when putting her to bed. Then leave her along. It will be hard for her, but it’s all a part of growing up. Eventually, as the dog begins to feel more secure, you should be able to gradually pay her less attention at night and begin to get more sleep.

The first and foremost reason to puppy-proof your home is to ensure that your new dog doesn’t hurt herself. The other major reason is to keep you from being chewed out of house and home. You may have heard that if you teach your dog what to chew and what not to chew, and if your provide her with lots of chew toys, your house won’t be destroyed. Although this is true, it works well only if you have the time to provide consistent training. Thus puppy-proofing the area she will spend time in, in addition to supplying her with chew toys, is important.

Your goal while you have a new dog is to keep common puppy targets away from the dog instead of trying to keep the dog away from the targets. A dog who never learns to chew forbidden items, especially during the adjustment period and while she’s teething, is less likely to chew them later in life. She’ll be in the habit of chewing the things you want her to chew because that’s all she’s ever had to chew. Make it hard for your dog to get herself in trouble.

Don’t make the mistake most new dog guardians make: they wait until the dog has begun to destroy the house, then take steps to protect each item the dog has chewed from further destruction—one by one. Before they know it, the list of things the dog has ruined is as long as their arm. Be one step ahead of your puppy. Make a systematic search of the dog’s space; start at one end and work your way to the other. Item by item, remove or protect each puppy target—meaning anything that doesn’t belong to the dog. You should be able to limit puppy-proofing to the confined space in which your puppy spends her time alone—as long as she is securely confined and supervised when out of her space. The exceptions are electrical cords, poisonous plants and any other dangerous items. These should always be inaccessible.