Overwhelmed in Pet Smart!

[Melody & Bruin]

There is a Pet Smart around the corner from where I work.  So I decided to cruise around during my lunch hour, maybe pick up a few things to get ready for my pup.

 

It was overwhelming.  I did not know where to begin, collars, leashes, harness, food, ear powder,  shampoo, etc. The only thing I bought was a little first aid kit.  I need a list. 

 

Your advice is appreciated!

 

I do have a crate and a brush from Kemp.

[Jen & Ember]

Melody - thank you for posting this; I am also overwhelmed with the what to get as well! Looking forward to reading the responses.

[shelly]

A MUST have "A # 1" on the list... pure canned pumpkin... get it while you can and stock up!  It's hard to come by at certain times of the year.  Walmart usually has it year round.  This will help with all bouts of stomach issues from diarrhea, to constipation, to 'eating a spoon full to coat a foreign object that may have been swallowed.  It is GREAT for digestion!

also... bells to hang on the door to train your pup to ring to go potty (it really works!), bowls that are sturdy enough that when your puppy decided to play splash in them, they won't tip over, a long leash so you can tether your pup to you to keep a watchful eye and to let him/her know YOU are boss - lol, bitter apple (for teething on no-no items), nature's miracle for cleaning up accidents and LOTS of paper towels - lol, a clicker is something I wish I did - clicker training works wonderfully, a kong is a great toy - it really is the ONLY thing that has not gotten destroyed and you can fill it with many treats and it even freezes well to make fillings last longer and helps with teething.  DO NOT buy rawhide or any treats or chews made in China.  Of course a collar (collars are a matter of preference. I like the snap in kind as Tori was often left in her crate as a puppy for a few hours and I didn't want the buckle catching on anything.  I got so neurotic, that I took her collar off when she was in the crate, but that actually made it harder to put on to go potty after a long time in the crate and actually caused more accidents), and a leash.  This is something yo can't BUY now, but it may be a good idea to start interviewing groomers if yo are not grooming on your own.  There has been many nightmares with members and bad grooming experiences.  Start gathering pictures of the type of cut you'd like for your doodle, and ask questions before you need a groomer.  Whew!  Sorry about the long winded response!  I only wish I had found this site earlier when Tori was still a young puppy!  Good luck! Oh yeah... one more thing... you can NEVER shop TOO much for a doodle!  LOL

[Melody & Bruin]

Thank you Shelly!

[Adina P]

My list of essentials:

 

Collar

Leash

Food

Shampoo

Nail Clipper

Epi Otic ear wash (NOT found at most stores...only at vets and online).

Food bowl

Water bowl

Kongs

A couple of the strong nylabones

Nature's Miracle

That's about all I'd get!  Well lots of paper towels but you can get those anywhere =)

[Jess and Pippin]

These lists are similar to what we bought.  I'd add, not to go overboard on buying toys (hard not to!!).  We bought 1 ball, 1 stuffed squeaky toy, 1 rope for tug along with the kong.  None of our pups ever really liked the freezable toys (for teething) but loved chewing on ice cubes.  Also, we LOVE bully sticks.  Great for blunting those needle sharp teeth and for good chewing activity for teething pups.  We found that Pippin ended up with chocolate pudding poo if he was allowed too much chewing time.  We also made sure that we had a good quality puppy shampoo, just in case we had an emergency bath (needed it for pup #1 at 2 am, so very glad we had it!)  We also invested in a couple of training books.  Have fun!

[Melody & Bruin]

OK...there are so many Kongs...do I get a small one? 

 

Thanks, I am printing a list and will keep in my car!

[Adina P]

I would just get the basic regular red Kong.  Nothing extra small unless you're gonna have a tiny dog.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Ditto Peri chewed her puppy kong up quickly.

[Heather Martinez]

A Kong ball (you can fill it with food) is very handy. We fed Teddy out of this for the first couple of months. We used it to distract him by filling it with food and giving it to him before leaving the house.

We also used regular Kongs, the puppy ones. I think we got the medium sized, which was a bit big for Teddy's mouth at first, but he eventually loved it.

You also might want a harness in addition to a collar. We could not tether Teddy on the collar at first because he would forget he was on it and pull hard on his neck. 

Finally, we only got him a couple of toys to start but I have such cute pictures of him playing with them the first day home. We had a stuffed elephant that was as big as Teddy and it was adorable watching him try to drag it around. 

[Julie and Maggie]

As far as Kongs go, I am starting with the small size (under 20 pounds) and I do have one medium size (15 pounds and up) just to have since I am still unsure about how fast they grow and all that. 

 

Kongs come in a puppy version too. The color might be pink or blue/green. The rubber is softer than the typical red ones which is easier on their puppy teeth. The red ones do come in that small size but I think they are for grown small breed dogs.

 

Have you thought about how you will transport the puppy in your car? Is that an issue?

 

Julie

[Melody & Bruin]

Nope...didn't of the car transport...hmmmm?  Thanks for the Kong advice!

[Julie and Maggie]

This is MY plan, FWIW... I am using the SturdiBag Pet Carrier that will be used for the plane ride home from the breeder's. It is the large size and supposedly goes up to 30 lbs. Won't use it THAT long. It does have a place for a seat belt to strap through. This will work for early car trips and as a carrier for going to the vet. At some point when she is big enough for a car seat harness we will move to that. I'm still shopping around for a brand I like (between what people have used on DK to what I can find in a store or online.)