Puppy coming home tomorrow! What am I missing?

[Alissa Edwards]

My puppy is 7 weeks tomorrow and we are bringing him home (seems like all of you got yours at 8 or 9 weeks...I wonder why she sends them so early).

Here's what I have, what do I need?

Two crates with two pads for inside and a cover for outside the big one- one for family room, one for bedroom at night.

Leash and collar and name tag

One walkthrough gate to block off kitchen and hallway tiled area (think we may end up wanting two of these to make a smaller area but starting with one)

Snuggle puppy, Kong toys, Dura footballs, nylabones and nylabone keys, greenies

treat totes, dehydrated liver and other training treats

bitter apple and nature's miracle

holee roller toy, hide a squirrel, rope/tire thing, honeycomb toy

potty bells okra ball, kong moose toy

brush,shampoo and nail trimmers

wire rake scooper 
kong treats, kong wobble

Anything else you'd suggest?

[Michelle & Ruepunzel]

Sounds like you're very well prepared!!!

Congrats on your new furbaby!

[Tammy and Violet]

My gosh you are prepared !!! I kinda just winged it with my baby... :)  ............you must have really done your homework .. have fun !!!

[Shanen Sadowski]

We also have a permanent gate in our kitchen, which we love and use constantly.  If you decide to get another, I'd highly recommend the 2nd just be a regular baby gate  b/c they're easier to just move around as needed.  It's come in handy on several occasions now.  (Tethering gets old when the leash keeps getting wrapped around things, so this way I can just be sure she stays in the room w/me without having to close the door-blocking me away from the rest of the family.) 

As to the other stuff, sounds like you're WELL prepared!  I'd hold off on getting much more until you have him at home.  You may be pleasantly surprised and not need other things.  (I was prepared for horrible chewing and issues, but we thankfully had none of that. :) 

Enjoy!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Can I come live at your house? You sound well-prepared for anything! Enjoy your pup and post lots of photos. ;o)
My only suggestion is get pet insurance right away.

[Karen and "Gabby"]

Looks like you are totally prepared Alissa!!

I found Baby wipes to be helpful for quick cleanups with the puppy... 

Congratulations Alissa!

[Marcia & MoneyPenny]

Amazon did very well by you! You have plenty, you will see what will become the favorites so don't buy anything else. Good luck!

[Robin & Josie]

I assume you have food and water dishes and forgot to list them? 

Also, regarding the puppy pads for the crate? I would vote "no" on these. We had a nice cushy pad for our last puppy and she NEVER was properly house broken. They should be in the crate (with a divider that gives them only enough space to stand up, turn around and lie down), and nothing else. You can add a kong filled with peanut butter or something if it's not sleep time, but, otherwise nothing. The cushy pads act like a diaper and the pads meant for peeing on have a scent that encourages them to pee which is exactly what you don't want. We didn't use a a snuggle puppy, but others swear by them, so maybe just that in the crate.

Others may feel differently, but this worked like a charm for us. Josie never had an accident in the crate AND now she sleeps on our bed, but at times will jump off and prefer the cold tile of the bathroom. They're not like us. They like cold, hard surfaces LOL.

Good luck and sleep well!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

I agree 100% with not using pee pads.  They may be convenient but they ultimately send the wrong message. 

Not very environmentally friendly but I bought a huge package of paper towels for clean up of accidents.  Half that package of paper towels is still sitting in the basement.  ....and you must have poop bags already.

[Christy&Riley]

You are way more prepared than we were. :-) The night before we picked her up we ran out and got a crate, pen, a bag of food, water/food bowls (which she didn't like BTW so we now use a paper plate for food), a collar (which was way too big) and a leash (which she couldn't walk with for weeks) and maybe three toys. We were sooo clueless! :-) I made a few trips back to the store after as we thought of things. I agree with the wet wipes suggestion. They are handy if a number two trip outside sticks to their backside. Take lots of pictures the first week because they grow so fast! :-)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Sounds like you pretty much got it all covered.  If you are missing anything, it certainly isn't a "must"!  I agree on the treats, the first couple of weeks.  These guys digestive systems are very delicate.  You should only be giving what the Breeder started him on.  Gradually, add the treats, very sparingly.  LOL...You WILL KNOW if you over did it, because of the clean-up!

  I too not a fan of puppy pads.  They are scented to attract them to the pad to pee.  To me, it is one more step you have to overcome in housebreaking. 

[Marcia & MoneyPenny]

I agree on the puppy pads, it just adds another step in the process. Just get her out constantly at first & you will see when she needs to go & you can get a schedule based on feeding times.
You are prepared.
Keep us posted.

[Sheryl & Safiy]

Congratulations on your pup! Sounds like you are way more prepared than I was. I would agree with allowing only enough room in the crate for your pup to sleep. Our pup only peed once in it and he was not happy about it! I had to leave him in it longer than he could hold it as I had to take my daughter to a Dr. Appointment. He loves his crate and goes in there all the time to hide toys, nap and of course sleep (it's not filled with a cushy pillow - just a slightly padded dog blanket (that he loves!)). I was given a toy and blanket (not the padded ones he sleeps on) that had the scent of his litter mates. I was given the best advice to use it as a cover to create his little den and he has the scent around him. That way if he did have an accident, the blanket would not get soiled and need to be washed. Have fun! We LOVE our doodle! He's 19 weeks today and by the way we got him when he was just barely 7 weeks too. He's very healthy and he adjusted to his new home immediately. I really think the enclosed den with his mother and sibling scent was the clincher. AND our love for him too!