Puppies Were Popular Holiday Arrivals
PetSmart® Celebrates New Puppy Program in Stores with Comprehensive
Product Collection, Events and New Puppy Guide for Pet Parents
PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Plenty of people welcomed a new pet this past holiday season, delivering
a cherished and happy memory for the whole family. According to an
online survey for PetSmart by Toluna conducted Dec. 29 – 31, 2015, many
people welcomed a furry family member with more than 80 percent given
the actual dog specially wrapped up or in person, and for about half of
those families the new arrival was truly a new arrival – a puppy under
one year old.
PetSmart is providing additional support to help new puppy parents
manage the transition with its New Puppy program running now through
April in stores nationwide and online at petsmart.com/puppy.
“While consideration should be given to make sure receivers of pets as
gifts are prepared for the responsibility, puppies were popular arrivals
at homes across America this past holiday season,” said Eran Cohen,
chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “And our New Puppy program
is here to help, featuring trusted advice, a comprehensive New Puppy
collection and national in-store Puppy Events, which will run in our
stores Feb. 20 with education on nutrition, grooming, training and more.”
Dr. Kemba Marshall, DVM, PetSmart’s resident veterinarian and pet care
expert, offers important basic tips for new puppy parents:
-
ID Your Pup. Get a collar that is comfortable for your new puppy, and
for large-breed puppies that will grow quickly, check the collar
sizing regularly to ensure it’s not getting too tight. Tagworks®
ID tag systems in PetSmart stores are easy and provide plenty of room
on the tag for the proper information. Make sure you put the dog’s
name and two phone numbers at which you, the pet parent, can be easily
reached. -
Puppy Proof! Puppies are teething and they love to chew – on
everything from shoes and rugs to electrical cords and plants. Puppy
proof the house by removing items at the puppy level. Keep shoes,
clothing and handbags off the ground and raise houseplants out of the
puppy’s reach. Get some great chew toys, like the Nylabone
Puppy Bone Starter Kit, to keep your puppy actively chewing on the
right stuff, what puppy experts call “positive chewing,” which puppies
need to learn. There are even calming toys, like the SENTRY®
Bear Dog Toy, with pheromones similar to those emitted by the
pup’s mother that help reduce anxiety. -
Remove All Toxins. Puppies are curious and they get into everything
and some common household items can be toxic – like laundry detergent,
cleaners and the contents in our kitchen trash bin. Keep all these
items locked away and out of a puppy’s reach. -
Vaccinate. Before you step out on a puppy play date, make sure your
puppy has all their vaccinations to protect them from contagious
diseases. -
Socialize. When socializing your puppy to other dogs and people, be
selective and invite just one or two trusted, safe dogs to your home
to meet your new pup for the first time. -
Practice Proper Nutrition. Puppy-specific
food is crucial as it serves a puppy’s special dietary needs.
Develop a proper feeding schedule, as puppies eat more often than
adult dogs, which tend to have feeding schedules twice a day: morning
and night. Talk to a vet about the feeding schedule that’s right for
your specific breed of puppy. -
Consider Crate Training. Dogs need their own safe place – like a den –
and a crate
can serve that purpose. They can feel relaxed and safe in their crate
and they instinctively keep their crate, or den, clean, aiding in
potty training. Sizing the crate to your puppy is important – it
shouldn’t be too large. -
Establish Routines and Schedules. Training a puppy is all about a
routine, so have your family get on a schedule with your puppy. From
walks to feeding, naps and crate time, a routine will serve you and
your family well.
PetSmart also offers its New Puppy Guide for $20 with $250 in offers on
all the essentials a new puppy parent needs, from crates, feeding bowls
and chew toys to free bags of food and free services like the puppy’s
first bath and vet consultation. Learn more at PetSmart’s online Puppy
Center at www.petsmart.com/puppy.
About PetSmart®
PetSmart,
Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions
for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we
believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection,
PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their
pets so they can live more fulfilled lives. This mission impacts
everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates,
and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 53,000
associates, operate approximately 1,444 pet stores in the United States,
Canada and Puerto Rico and approximately 202 in-store PetSmart®
PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a
broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers
dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart
Doggie Day Camp day care services and pet adoption services in
stores. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents – including PetSmart.com,
PetFoodDirect.com,
Pet360.com,
OnlyNaturalPet.com
and petMD.com
– offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care
information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership
with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart
Charities™ and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save
the lives of nearly 500,000 homeless pets each year. In addition,
PetSmart supports organizations that make communities a better place to
call home through our philanthropy program, PetSmart
Gives Back™. By giving back to the communities where we live and
work, PetSmart not only celebrates the power of pets to enrich
people’s lives—we live it.
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See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart
Contacts
Golin for PetSmart
Danielle Bickelmann, 972-341-2503
dbickelmann@golin.com
or
PetSmart
Media Line, 623-587-2177
