Your New Puppy’s Shopping List

It is tempting to want to buy everything in the world to pamper your pet. While it is not quite true to say all it needs is love, there is also no need to go completely overboard.

There are hundreds of items to choose from and trying to choose the right products can be overwhelming for the new puppy owner.

So, here are some tips to help you select the basic puppy products you will need before you bring your new puppy home, including the ideal bowls, collar, leash, crate, and so on.

New Puppy Shopping List and Tips:

Crate
You need to purchase a sturdy wire frame crate with a plastic bottom tray which they sleep on, but which can slide in and out, is easy to clean, durable and offers good ventilation and visibility. See our guide to buying the right crate for your puppy.

Gate
You should have good quality plastic gates like the ones you use for child-proofing a home. They are both be safe and durable, and will keep your new puppy out of any room you don’t want him in. Plastic may crack if he chews at it, but it will not splinter like wood.

Bed
A thickish, slightly elevated bed style with soft polyfill lining conserves heat, and the elevated style protects your pet from floor drafts. This bed combines softness and comfort with durability. You will find it easier to buy a bed that comes with a removable cover, which you can throw in the washing machine. You can also buy a variety of covers to have a change, use one when the other is in the wash, or to match your décor if you wish. The bed should be able to fit in the back of the puppy’s crate.

Bringing Puppy Home
Remember that your puppy has been spending all its time with its mommy and litter mates, so its first night or two with you, it might get a bit lonely in its crate. Prepare for this with a small hot water bottle filled not too full, wrapped in a towel, and a ticking kind of clock, with the alarm turned off, also wrapped in a towel. Put both of these in the puppy’s bed, and he will feel the warmth and think the ticking is the heartbeat of his other companions.

Food
A great deal can be said about puppy and dog food, wet or dry. Dry is by far the most convenient, and contrary to popular belief, just as nutritious, if not more so, than canned food. You will have a lot less wastage, and can travel easily with your pet with a plastic tub of dry food, and another plastic tub for its water.
A puppy will need to be fed at least 4 times a day. Follow the instructions on the bag for their size, weight and growth stage. Don’t forget to increase the amount as the puppy gets older.
If you are fortunate and raise an emotionally secure puppy, he will grow up to be a “demand feeder”-that is, he will eat only when hungry, not wolf everything down in one gulp no matter how much or how little.
If you get a demand feeder, then they know they will always have food whenever they need it. You can leave a bowl down and they will finish it as needed.
If your dog is an eater, feed it once a day in the morning and once at night.
Remember that dogs do not get to eat every day in the wild, so if they don’t eat for one meal don’t panic. Above all, don’t try to tempt them with all sorts of different items. Like children, they don’t know it exists if you don’t feed it to them, so don’t create a finicky eater for yourself. If they don’t eat for a whole day, have a look for other symptoms which might indicate illness.
As a general guideline, read the label and look for foods with a single source protein and single source carbohydrate whenever possible. Examples would be lamb and rice, turkey and potato. The reason for this is that many dogs can develop allergies, so it is best to keep them on a hypoallergenic diet. There is no need to mix chicken, beef and fish, and we would avoid foods with fish and pork in them. Dogs do not require the kind of variety that humans seem to crave, so there is no need to alternate foods.

Biscuits and treats
These can add up in terms of calories, and also a lot of wheat flour and other ingredients which might trigger their allergies.

Bowls
Heavy stainless steel bowls with a rubber bottom and tapered sides are great choices for your new puppy. This bowl has some weight and a rubber bottom to avoid your pet being able to push it all over the floor or ground. The wide bottom and tapered sides make sure he can’t knock it over, though he might splash or step in it sometimes, so make sure it is not too large. Stainless steel is durable, easy to wash, dishwasher safe, and can;t be chewed or broken.

Chew Toys
Super durable rubber toys such as Nylabone® and Kong® brands are safe, durable and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They can be loaded with treats which can keep a curious puppy busy for hours. Just make sure you never leave your puppy unsupervised with the toy. They are generally safe, but different breeds of puppy chew in different ways, and a shredded piece of rubber can wreak havoc with a puppy’s digestive system.

Other Toys?
Cloth-rope tug toy are pretty safe, but never get into a tug of war with your pet, as it can result in encouraging the puppy’s aggression. It can also damage its tender mouth and teeth.
Stuffed toys are generally not durable enough to withstand puppy chewing. Eyes and so forth getting swallowed is not healthy, and allod the stuffing everywhere from a gutted toy can be rather annoying to clean up.
Never allow dogs anything with rubber, or real animal bones. We do not recommend rawhide chews, pigs’s ears or other animal derived ‘toys’ on the grounds that the preservatives alone are extremely unhealthy, let alone the damage that a bone chip can do to a puppy’s digestive system.

Your puppy should not go out for walks until it has had all its shots, usually by its 8th to 12th week. But he will need the following for his trips to the vet.

Collar
Webbed nylon collars with a snap-together closure are the best choices. You can get the dog in and out of it quickly, and if the puppy ever gets tangled, it will pop open rather than choke the dog. Test the snap-together sample to ensure that the hold is strong.
Depending on the size of your dog, you may need one that adjusts easily as he grows or choose one for him as a puppy and another for him at his adult size. Some collars can be woven with your pets name and your contact number in the case his is lost or gets away. Otherwise, just hang his id tag on the ring. Consider reflective materials if you plan to walk your dog at night.

Identification Tag
You should have a permanently engraved plastic or metal tag with your pet’s name and phone number. They are durable and easy to clean. These are available by mail or do-it-yourself machines. Your dog should also always wear his rabies tag, another easy way for your dog to be identified if it is ever lost.

In addition, we recommend microchipping your puppy and using the Home Again monthly service. It doesn’t matter how well-trained your dog is. It might wander, get startled or even be stolen, and there is nothing worse in the world than wondering where your lost pet is and whether or not it is suffering.

Your vet can tell you more about micorchipping, and you can visit Home Again’s website for more information. http://www.homeagain.com

Leash
A sturdy, six-foot leather, nylon leash with a good quality metal clip that securely fastens to a metal ring on your puppy’s collar is a practical and versatile choice for everyday use.

When your puppy is allowed to go for full walks, or for training at home.

Training Aids
Though is sounds cruel, the metallic “choke chain”, with a metal leash to train your dog to walk properly down the street with you is actually a quick training aid. The choke chain is comprised of a length of metal with two loop rings at either end of it. Either loop can fit into the other, and is then attached to the metal leash, keeping the dog secure and under control. If the dog tugs, the metal chain tightens, hence the name choke chain.
It may sound cruel, but for high spirited breeds like terriers and large dogs, they will soon learn not to pull you over when you are walking.
The key part, however, is the metallic noise of the chain and leash if you give them a tiny tug when you are trying to train the dog. This can be especially valuable when you are trying to get your dog to cross the street properly. A little clicking tug, and, “Wait,” will mean more to them than no, stop, and so forth.

What About a Harness?
We recommend a harness for large breed dogs or puppies as they get older, particularly if they have a tendency to tug or you might need more control over their movements. But try the collar and/or choke chain first.
We also recommend a harness for squarely built breeds such as bulldogs, and any breeds known for respiratory or heart problems.
Buy a webbed nylon one, not too thick in the straps, and adjustable, and look for the ones that they can step into and which fasten with a nylon clip and the top and two rings, either side, which will both go into the leash clip. Any other kind is way too difficult to get on and off quickly.

Never leave your pet’s collar or harness on in the house. It should be associated with going outdoors, and organized training sessions.

Clothing?
A dog should have an easy coat for cold, windy, or rainy weather. Our favorite, though not always easy to find, is the Caddis dog blanket. This doggie raincoat is waterproof poplin on the outside, and lined with fleece, on the inside, with nylon clip closures at neck and around the waist. You can pretty much throw it over the dog’s head, and go out in even the most inclement weather.
Another good option is the fleecy step-in coat which attaches up the back with velcro. On really snowy days, our dog would wear one underneath, with the Caddis dog blanket thrown over it.
Sweatshirts are another good option, though beware of the length of them in relation to male dogs, who will often manage to wet their clothing.
So don’t spend a fortune on your puppy’s wardroe-after all, he will grow soon enough. But do be aware of the season when he becomes old enough to go for his walks, and dress him accordingly.