What to get before my new puppy comes home?

[Nicole L]

I just put a deposit on our new doodle puppy and we couldn't be more excited!  Now I have to buy his collar, leash, food and water bowls, toys etc etc.  I would love to hear what products you love best and where you found the best place to get them.  Local pet store, on line stores etc.  What are the products you can't live without?  What do you wish you would have had on hand when your puppy first came home?

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Congratualtions!!  I like our local pet store vs. the big chains, they seem to carry higher quality foods, treats and toys.  Here is a list that comes to mind

crate

puppy pads

urine spray

treats

kong

chew toys for puppies, nylabone makes some good ones but not the edible nylabones!

a ball

a couple stuffies,

brush, puppy shampoo

pooper scooper,

potty bags

hmmmm, I am sure there is more... It would be a good idea for us to post a list on one of the puppy groups.  Make sure you joing Puppy Madness group!!

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Mentioning the edible nylabones made me think of no rawhides! 

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Nancy, do you have TJ Maxx or Tuesday morning?  I always find potty bags there very reasonable.  They also have them at the Dollar store, they are a bit thinner but do the trick, 50 bags for $1.  And yes a clip on holder is helpful.  Oh and a training "fanny backpack" of some sort too is great.

[sandy b]

Congratulations, you have to be so excited. Looking back I can't imagine not having a crate, even though we don't use it now. Also the poochie bell which I can't imagine being without now. Kongs - also can't imagine being without when Max was a puppy. Oh, and his snuggle buddy (puppy section at Petco). He slept with him in his crate at night.

[PoochieBells]

Hi Nancy- Thanks for the "ringing" endorsement of PoochieBells! We are so glad that Maddy is a pro ringer. We have quite a few Doodle friends - so happy to be a member of this great community.

 

PoochieBells

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

CONGRATULATIONS!!  When is your new puppy coming home?  I swear I think I prepared as much for my doodle as I did with my kids! LOL

One thing I was glad that I did (because my friend told me to) is I had a small crate for her to use when she came home.  I had purchased a larger crate for her with the divider but my friend convinced me that being so little she might feel better in a smaller crate "her size".  It really worked out great and I could move it into a room that I was in if I wanted her to stay in it.  I also purchased 2 baby gates to block her off in my kitchen so she would be able to run around and play and I wouldn't have to worry about accidents on the carpet.  I actually ended up using that area a lot during the day and she basically only went in her crate at night.  I took her outside constantly so I didn't use the puppy pee pads, I didn't want her to get used to going in the house at all. 

 

Make sure you get LOTS for him to chew on - most doodles are chewers!  Hunter loves her Kongs.  I got her a few different styles - the puppy one with the sherpa on the outside for when she was little and a little regular puppy sized one.  You can put treats in them so it will keep him entertained, I like to mix cheerios and peanut butter and freeze it and it would really last.  Then when she got bigger I got her a regular one not wrapped and one wrapped in the nylon stuff.  A long, light weight lead for training and a puppy size collar, lots of little treats for training.  A few soft stuffed animals - watch he doesn't chew on them and tear them but Hunter liked to snuggle with them - now its her mission to tear the stuffing out!  I would also highly recommend having some canned pumpkin on hand in case he gets an upset tummy, not the pumpkin pie filling but the canned pumpkin - works WONDERS!  You can add some to his food if you think his tummy is upset - with change sometimes that happens. 

 

My biggest piece of advise - make sure your camera battery is charged!!  Take LOTS of photos!!!!  ENJOY!!!  He is a total DOLL looking at his picture :-)

 

[Shelby and Kev]

Well,    Heartguard and Comfortis for heart health and Comfortis for flea and tick.   Definitely need a slicker brush, it works wonders.

Ear meds a must with the long ears and...TOYS , but most of all you should have lots of patience.  Maybe a baby gate??  Goood luck and DoodleKisses!!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Portable Exercise Pen (for those times when you can't have your eyes on the puppy at all times but want to have a little more room than the crate!

[Sharon & Monty]

a portable rug cleaner.  as an example"     http://www.bissell.com/little-green-deep-cleaner/

[Sharon & Monty]

actually our townhouse was for sale when Monty was being housebroken. Our real estate agent was very happy that we had no odors in our house when we put it up for sale.  thanks to the constant efforts of the green machine!

[Julie & Wrigley]

We have a 7 month old and our puppy play pen has been invaluable! When we leave him during the day we don't crate him, but rather leave him in the larger enclosed pen so he can lay down, walk around, play w/ a few toys and drink. We left a puppy training pad in there w/ him and I think he used it twice before he realized he didn't want to go remotely near where he was sitting/playing. He goes in willingly when we leave and I feel better about leave for 2-3 hours knowning he has more room etc.

 

Frozen chew toys have also worked for us. Anything that squeaks he loves. Sour apple spray was also a life saver as he liked to chew the table legs, sofa legs, etc.

 

Good luck!

[Diane and Alma]

Congratulations!  I too wanted to be prepared when we brought out puppy home. 

Make sure to ask the breeder what puppy food they are feeding.  You'll want to start with that and then transition if it's not the quality you prefer.  We hand fed our pup at first and we have never had a problem with dominance or biting us.

A crate is a good idea.  We also borrowed a portable exercise pen for day use and used baby gates to keep her in a confined area.  A 6' leash - I would leash her to my belt loop so she could explore the house as I did chores and not get into trouble.  Sounds crazy but it worked for us.

A can with some small stones in it.  We used this as a training device when Alma was a bit older.  When she would jump up with paws on the kitchen counter, we would shake the can and it would startle her just enough to make her get down.  She always thought the counter was making the noise so she didn't keep jumping up.

We made a "potty area" for Alma but I wasn't diligent about training her so now she just uses the yard.  Maybe I'll try again when the weather gets better.  Someone else mentioned "poochi bells" and I would recommend them too.

A collar with your address and phone number. 

Lots of love and patience!