What do I need to buy for my puppy that is coming home Easter weekend??

[Jennifer & Fozzi Sutter Bear!]

I need your recommendations on best chew toys, collar/leash, crate for the home, bedroom, car, puppy pads, treats, mess cleaners, etc. Also cute male names, too!

[BettyAnn, Holmes & Lucy]

Thanks for the link! What a great idea keeping track on Pinterest.  I like George Washington :) that would make more sense than my Holmes since we got him on President's Day. Ah well....

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

Lots of good suggestions here already.  I agree about my purchase of puppy pads being a total waste of money.  My puppy is an amazing paper shredder, plus I have  a back yard, so there was no need to train him twice on paper AND the back yard.  He is fully bell trained at the back door and I LOVE that!  I have a big 1.5 inch wide jingle bell hanging from a chord on the wall right next to my back door, and I trained him that any time he needs to go potty, to ring the bell.  Not a single accident since he learned that I could HEAR him sitting at the back door rather than just quietly sitting there at the risk of me not seeing him.

In the last 25 years of kitties and now a doodle, I've gone through a few gallons of Natures Miracle, only to find it a pale second in comparison to a single pint of Odor Medic.  Man that saved my tush a few times!  It saved a $2000 hand made wool area rug from dying kitty urine accients, and it's even better on less stinky doodle pee.  It's a company in Minnesota, and I even called the owner for tips on how to save that rug.  When I got Kona, I ordered a quart of it, and have only had to use it twice, but it's nice to know that it's under my sink and will last for years.  

The bully sticks that I liked the best (because they are "No Stink") are from I And Love And You.  They are called No Stink Ranger sticks and you can get them at Pet Co. and Unleashed http://www.petco.com/product/120664/I-and-Love-and-You-No-Stink-Fre...    They are a bit expensive, but each one lasts a few weeks for those little puppy teeth and they have saved me many times to keep Kona distracted and away from gnawing on my arm.  You can also find decent bully sticks for sale often on petflow.com  

His favorite chew toy for the first 5 months was a rubbery chicken.  I think because the material felt more like he was chewing on my arm (which is REALLY his favorite chew toy).  I assumed it would be destroyed by Christmas, but he still loves it and goes and finds it for fetch still even though he has about 2 dozen other toys of various material and sturdiness.  

Crate:  I started with the big metal crate with a divider, but he cried like a tiny baby for two solid nights, so I went and bought him a MUCH smaller plastic travel kennel so he'd feel more cozy and put my used pajama top in there, and he has slept thruough the night ever since.  At 4 months, I had to move him back to the bigger metal crate due to him bursting out at the seams, but he was ready by then for the bigger space.

Leash:  I went through about four collars (including kitten ones) before I found a decent small adjustable one that will last until he is about a year old.  The break away collars sound like a good idea, but you'll be amazed at how strong that little puppy is when you finally take him on a walk outside of your backyard.  He'll want to run and explore everything and will breakaway from you quickly.  So I got rid of the breakaway collar by they time he was 12 weeks old.  

[Jennifer & Fozzi Sutter Bear!]

Thank you everyone for all of the great advice!!! I'll post pics once we have him!

[Tait & Finn]

Another thing I forgot to add to my previous post is, I keep a piece of paper and pen on the back of the front door and write down when I take him out and what he does (1 &/or 2) and what time I feed meals. I can't remember anything so it helps me keep track of when he needs to go out. Didn't do it until after a few days with him and we've had very few accidents. Good luck.

[Vivian & Mojo]

I would like to add that setting a timer for potty breaks helped me. Sometimes I would be busy and forget. After a few weeks Mojo would hear the timer go off and go to the door and sit.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Love that!!!