SO excited! Bringing home puppy in a few weeks and going shopping soon for supplies. Is there a list here of recommended things I should buy?

[Susan]

I am new here, this is my first post.  Super excited to be finally bringing home my little doodle.

I need to buy everything!  Crate, bowls, food, poop bags, leash, brushes, etc.  

Favorite toys?  I"m so nervous about him choking.  I know I should get a Kong at the least.

Anything that you really recommend or a list somewhere on this forum?

Thank you!

[Cameron Crow]

Congrats! I went through this a month ago, and have had my new doodle for 2 and a half weeks. :)

I didn't see anything on this website when I was looking (I could have missed something), but I did come across this list: http://www.dreamydoodles.com/new-puppy-supplies-2/ . I bought a lot of things off the list and used it as inspiration for other things too. 

[Susan]

Thanks so much!  Will check everything out.   I really like that doormat.. getting that for sure.  

[Debbie and Toby]

Congratulations on getting your new puppy! You must be so excited! Looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing all about your new furbaby. I would also add extra leash and harness, which we keep in our car, we have a small tote bag that has supplies in it that always goes in the car with us ..poop bags, collapsible water dish, we always add a bottled water when we leave with him, extra treats,  a container of the puppy wipes, just in case he has an accident or steps in something..

[Susan]

Thank you!  Oh great idea about keeping a dog bag in the car.    I have a question, hope it's not dumb... I haven't had a dog since I was a kid... but do I need a harness for a puppy?  When do I need a harness and when do I need a leash?    I kind of thought harness was good for long walks ... do you use the harness all the time?

[Debbie and Toby]

https://www.lupinepet.com/adjustable-dog-collars/

http://store.petsafe.net/easy-walk-harness

No question is dumb....We prefer the Lupine martingale collar because Toby has been able to back out of regular collars, and they are 100% guaranteed, we also use an EasyWalk harness (or something similar).. We only put the lupine collar on when we go out for walks.. (We don't leave it on in the house because it could catch on something)

One thing I do want to mention...always check your leashes and collars on a regular basis for fraying, tears..etc. We were walking Toby one day when he was about 2 years old and all of a sudden, I noticed the leash was no longer connected to the collar, the clip had fallen off the end of the leash, the leash dropped to the ground and he kept walking...thank goodness he didn't realize he was no longer on the leash, I was able to walk up to him, tie the leash onto the collar and get him back home..  turns out the leash was defective, the store replaced it, but it was a much bigger concern that he could have run and been injured or hit by a car, This would also be good reason to always have an extra leash and collar available at home and in car...

Regarding the tote bag, we always keep it packed, except for the bottled water, we put that in whenever we leave the house, and we don't leave it in the car, as it gets hot outside, just like packing a diaper bag, we keep it on a wall hook  right next to the back door and it always goes with us, then carried back in each time

I don't really know if the harness or collar is better than the other, We use both. Maybe someone else here will have a better idea if you should use one rather than the other. Hope this helps.

[Susan]

excellent, thank you for those links! And that is scary about the leash breaking on your dog like that :(  Never thought to buy an extra leash but now I will

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Oh what fun! My number one recommendation (besides the obvious) would be something to chew on! Those little razor sharp teeth need a place of their own to go and not on your shoes! My girls like Bully horns (water buffalo horn), Himalayan dog chews, elk antlers which are split down the middle or a filet: http://www.bestelkantlers.com/elk-antler-fillets  And braided bully sticks(not related at all to bully horn). All of these things will take a while to chew and the dogs love them!

[Susan]

Thanks, I was in Petsmart and I was completely overwhelmed looking at all the toys and bones and stuff.  I've heard good things about Bully Sticks.. so will get those, never heard of Bully horns.  Very cool, will check out the website for sure :)

Should I stay away from other "chewable" bone/stick things at the petstore?  I don't know what is safe and what is not.  

[Susan]

This is amazing, thank you very much.  Quick question, I already know the crate I am getting, and I will eventually put a small bed/mat in the crate, but do I need a separate bed for outside of the crate?

[Susan]

ok that is very helpful.  I would like to do something like this once he is older.  Thank you so much!

[Collette Bonvillain]

Good list!

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

So excited for you! I know what you are going through as my first pup was my doodle about 3 years ago.

One thing I did that worked out really well regarding crate training:

I bought a used small dog crate for when she was a puppy off of craigslist. As she outgrew it I sold it and bought a used medium crate, also sold. So I didn't even spend any money as I sold for what I paid. (She pretty much had free reign of the house with no issues at about 4 months so I didn't continue the crate training.)

Aside from saving money, it was a huge convenience, as the small crate was easily moved from room to room during the day and night, and easily to put in my car, and I could bring her when visiting friends at their homes and just keep her in her crate and she was fine. 

I did get a Snuggle puppy as some suggested at the time. Georgia was not that into it. (If you want a barely used snuggle puppy, I have one) Every dog is different.