PetSmart launches New Puppy program

PetSmart® Celebrates New Puppy Program in Stores with Comprehensive Product Collection, Events and New Puppy Guide for Pet Parents

PHOENIX, 2016-Feb-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — 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 fast, 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 atwww.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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