Just about everybody loves a puppy. What’s not to love? Okay, maybe there are a few things — like accidents in the house, torn up blankets and potty pads, needle sharp baby teeth, whining and crying. The good news is that it will get easier in time…as long as you know how to get things off to a good start.

Here are a few things that you should know about your new puppy:

1. When you bring your new puppy home, he won’t know very much. He’s spent most of the first weeks of his life living with his mother and siblings, who are dogs. That means he knows some basic dog things, like how to whimper and bark to get attention. He knows how to poop on papers. His breeder may have taught him a few things but there wasn’t time to teach him very much. Your puppy is pretty much a blank slate. It’s up to you to teach him everything he needs to know.

2. Your puppy is a little animal, not a small person in a furry suit. He has animal instincts and will always react as an animal when he doesn’t know what to do. That means that your puppy can bite and scratch and hurt somebody if he’s not supervised and trained. He needs training while he’s young so that he grows up to be a well-mannered dog.

3. Puppies need socialization at a very early age. The best window of opportunity for socializing is up until 12 weeks of age, which doesn’t give you very much time! Socialization is the process of introducing your puppy to the big, wide world and everything in it. Your puppy needs to go places, see new things and meet people. What’s more, your pup’s encounters need to be very positive, not frightening or overwhelming in any way. He should learn that new things and new people are good. Socialization teaches a puppy to be confident and helps him later in life. Puppies that are well-socialized tend not to develop behavior problems later on.

4. You should begin training your puppy early. You can train a dog throughout his life but it’s always easier and advisable to start training a puppy when he’s young. Ideally, you can start training as early as 8 weeks of age. Teach your puppy good manners and some basic obedience skills like Sit and Come. You may also wish to enroll him in a local group puppy class, such as Puppy Socialization, or AKC STAR Puppy, where he can learn some simple obedience and enjoy some socialization at the same time.

5. Your puppy will most likely chew on things so you should try to “puppy proof” your house as much as possible. Put away your shoes and other things that he can reach. When your puppy chews on things take them away. If you catch your puppy in the act of chewing on something he’s not supposed to chew on, you can correct him (no physical punishments). Otherwise, if you don’t catch him, you should let it go. There is no point in correcting a puppy or dog for something that has already happened. Your puppy or dog won’t know why they’re being corrected.

6. Puppies may nip, and bite too hard when they are playing and feeling rambunctious. If your puppy nips you, let him know it hurts. If he even touches his teeth to your skin, yelp and stop playing with him. Immediately disengage, walk away, and ignore him. If you stop playing with him whenever he tries to nip, he will stop nipping.

7. If you have children teach them that they can’t mistreat a puppy. Tell them not to stare at a puppy, wrap their arms around a pup, squeeze a puppy, pull on tails or legs, lay on the puppy, or otherwise make the puppy uncomfortable. Many pups will lunge at and even bite kids if provoked too much. If a child runs away screaming, the puppy is very likely to chase them, and in fact, it would be difficult for a puppy to resist. Children under six should be supervised at all times when they play with puppies.

8. Puppies may whine and bark and whimper for attention. Sometimes you will have to ignore them, especially if you want to get any sleep.

9. You should be sure that you are feeding him a good  quality dog food. Check the label to make certain that there is no corn, soy, wheat, by-products, or artificial ingredients. The first two ingredients should be a specifically named protein, such as chicken meal, lamb , beef, or chicken. Avoid foods that list generic proteins, such as meat meal.

10. Puppies of all breeds have a TON of energy and must be able to exercise multiple times per day. Even so, remember that bones and joints are still forming, and be careful that you don’t overdo the exercise. Play dates in your yard with other friendly, healthy puppies can be an excellent way to burn off some of that excess energy. A daily game of fetch can also be a huge help. Be creative and have fun with your pup! After all, that’s half the fun of having a dog.

Puppies can be a lot of work, but if you make an effort to do things the right way from the start, you will reap the rewards: a dog that is house trained, has good manners, is comfortable and confident with other dogs and people, and is a joy to be around.