Your puppy’s natural curiosity can also lead her into trouble. Make sure you have safe place to keep your puppy such as a crate when you cannot watch her, and puppy-proof your house and yard to prevent her from ingesting or mouthing inappropriate objects.

• Don’t leave table food where your puppy can get to it
• Put household cleaners and garbage cans in a safe and unreachable place
• Keep electric cords out of reach
• By careful of any objects lying around from children’s toys and clothing to dentures, medications, feminine hygiene products
• Use only pet-friendly fertilizers and avoid poisonous plants.

In general, you should always be attentive to any signs that indicate your puppy isn’t feeling well. In addition to changes in her vital signs such as heart rate and breathing rate, some general things to look for include:

• increase or decrease in urination or defecation
• increase or decrease in appetite
• increase or decrease in energy
• swollen or bloated stomach
• vomiting or diarrhea
• discolored (pale or yellow) eyes or gums
• nasal or eye discharge
• tender or painful joints
• excessive panting
• whining
• weight loss
• genital discharge
• skin irritations

Finally, you should enroll your puppy in a basic obedience class. Learning to be responsive to you and curbing bad behaviors is an important first line of defense in keeping your puppy out of trouble.