Read our top 10 tips to ensure you and your new dog start your life together on the right foot.

Bringing home a new dog is an exciting time. For some, it's the culmination of months of anticipation, and for all it is hopefully the start of a long, happy life together. To help you start as you mean to go on, we've put together 10 tips to see you through those early days.

1. Choose a name. Be creative and have fun with it, and make sure everyone uses it consistently - so if your puppy's name is Ben, use Ben and not Benjamin to avoid confusion. Also, make sure their name doesn't sound like anyone else's in the family. That way, when you call him, he'll know you're talking to him.
2. Provide toys and games. Make sure toys are large and sturdy enough so they can't be swallowed and put them away between play sessions so your puppy won't tire of them.
3. Dogs may require occasional bathing, so ask your vet to recommend a mild pet shampoo that is pH balanced and soap free. Never use human shampoo as it can burn your pet's skin. Try to avoid bathing your dog any more than every 2 weeks. Use a dog brush and a nail clipper made for dogs. And teach your puppy to enjoy being groomed by brushing a few strokes every day followed by a small treat.
4. Make sleep time comfortable. Provide soft, washable bedding for your dog to curl up in. Teach him to sleep in a doggy bed or confine in a crate overnight.
5. Puppies chew to investigate new objects and to help lose their baby teeth. Give your puppy chew toys, so your furniture, shoes and remote controls won't be destroyed.
6. Playing fetch with balls and ring toys is great exercise for your dog - and great fun for you
7. Choose the right collar. Collars should fit with some slack but not loosely enough to slide easily over the head. Allow for two finger-widths of space between the neck and collar and check the collar's fit every week during your puppy's growth, loosening as needed.
8. Start dental care early using a canine toothbrush and specially formulated toothpaste.
9. Always have an ID tag with current information attached to the collar, and speak to your vet about microchip insertion in case your puppy gets lost.
10. Find a vet you can trust at a quality practice and arrange a new-puppy health check.