What to buy for new puppy (first time owner!)

[MauriceMossMug]

I've had a look to see if I could find a thread with a list of recommended products for a new puppy, I couldn't find one but apologises if this has been done a thousand times before.

We've been thinking about getting a dog for many years and the time is right for us now.
Before we fully commit I'm putting together a list of everything we need for her.

I'd really appreciate recommendations for everything please! There's so much choice and I'm feeling a bit lost.

I've read on here that Orvis and Tuffies beds are good, but there's so many different ones I wouldn't know where to start.

We're looking at getting a small/medium Golden Retriever cross at the moment.

So what do we need, and which ones are the best please?

[CMOTDibbler]

Lots and lots of Simple Solution spray, and a big roll of good kitchen towel.

A pair of fluffy lined crocs and a warm dressing gown or fleece for all the time you'll be standing outside waiting for them to wee/poo

A practical, washable cross body bag with lots of pockets to put poo bags/ treats/ whistle/ balls in when out

Comfortable, warm, waterproof boots.

I wouldn't spend loads on a bed at this point till you know what your dog is like. They may be a stretching out dog (flat bed) or a curled up tight one who likes to snuggle into something.

[Springermum1350]

I was going to say don't buy a bed. I did and my dog never slept in it as he liked to spread out.

[BlackMarigold]

Food and water bowl, cleaning products, poo bags.
Gwen Bailey's "Perfect Puppy" book.
Most things can wait till you get the puppy and you know what he/she's like. Breeder/rescue will tell you what food. If you want to crate train you'll need some idea of how big the dog will be as an adult before buying crate.
Golden retrievers are very chewy pups so don't go spending £££s on a bed. My lab ate his bed when he was 3 months old

[Claraoswald36]

A crate. Then have a clear out of old towels/fleeces/jumpers/blankets to line it with.
Nappy bags are 25p for 100 for poo bags :-)
A collar and lead.
A stair gate.
Dog treats for training. Cocktail sausages cut up tiny are good.
A brush
And yy to one million rolls of kitchen paper

[MauriceMossMug]

Brilliant. Few things added to the list, especially the book, and
a sensible idea about waiting for the bed to see what she likes doing. So just get a cheap and cheerful bed to begin with?

Also toys, is there anything in particular that's good for young puppies? Especially if they are chewers! Or again just get some basic bits and see what she's like when she's here?

Anything else I should prepare for?

The puppy is on a raw food diet. Nutriment has been recommended. If anyone has any experience with this, is it quite straight forward?

Sorry for all the questions!

[BlackMarigold]

Chuckitt Balls are brilliant. My dogs used to destroy balls in seconds till I bought these, seem to last forever.

[CMOTDibbler]

Another really good book is 'Total Recall'. I have a number of gundog whistles of the same frequency from our local country shop and keep them on lanyards so they are easy to find.

[MauriceMossMug]

Brilliant reviews on them, Black. They should hopefully last a while!

The more books the better, CMOT!

Thanks :)

Ooh whistle. Hadn't thought of that.
I'm going to do training classes with her, are whistles likely to be used do you think?

[actino]

Training classes!! For puppies, a lot of the classes are socialisation but this is extremely important because an unsocialised adult dog can be a nightmare down the road. Plus, who wouldn't want to spend an hour a week watching puppies play together??

• lots of old towels for cleaning off muddy paws
  
• I second chuckit balls. They can be flung much farther than tennis balls and the glow in the dark ones are lifesavers in the winter when your dog needs to run around but it's dark all the time.
  
• Wellies. I don't even bother with lace up shoes, especially in the mornings
  
• I carry a bag with balls, frisbees and poo bags so that in the morning I just have to grab it before I leave
  

There's tons of other stuff, but DH just called me in for dinner :) Congratulations on your puppy!

[cissyfuss]

Crate definitely! It creates a safe space for your pup and keeps your chewy pup safe. You will be able to leave your pup contained. Gets messy so lots of washable fleece blankets. I got cheap Ikea ones which I cut up.

Paper towels and disinfectant.

Training treats and I used Petstages chew toys. Don't go near soft toys... won't last five minutes.

Puppy training is a must. Socialisation etc.

Good luck and enjoy!

[nattyknitter]

Most of the bases are covered above. I don't believe in crating dogs, but each to their own. For early beds for my pups I have used a cardboard box on its side, so chewing is not a problem. I found a training lead better than a normal one as I could adjust the length. Flexi leads annoy me.

We did the first few levels of Good Citizen Dog Scheme to socialise and train. It was clicker training, which worked well.

Kongs are brilliant and they make a puppy version. I have a power chewer (German Shepherd) who makes short work of most things, I have found JW dog toys last the longest for her.

I went with a cooleroo dog bed in the end as mine likes to stretch out. Plus you don't always know how big they will end up. The 9 week old pup my vet said would grow to a max of 35kg is a 48kg tall giant with hulking shoulders and not an ounce of excess fat. She's huge.

A good vet is also key, start researching and getting recommendations now. I moved practice once our brilliant vet retired and sold on to a franchise and it was a different person every time.

Dog tags, most people don't realise your dog by law needs to wear a tag with your surname and address (inc postcode) when in public. Microchips are also now required by law, but are not enough alone. There is no harm having a second tag with dog name and phone number.

[Claraoswald36]

If you arnt going to crate you need to plan how to contain the dog before its house trained. I out a gate across the kitchen entry for example so pup was kept on the hard floor when I was out and couldn't reach anything.
I ditched the crate at 7 months and he got a plastic dog bed for Xmas. He was super pleased

[ImBrian]

A crate with cheap fleece blankets to sleep in/help with house training and a box of 80p smart price biological washing powder to dilute and use on accidents.

My pups coming up 5months and these are the two things I've used the most.

Indigo dog tag for his collar, you can get loads of info on them and no annoying clunking every time they eat/drink.

[BlackMarigold]

The Indigo dog tags are good, but I waited till my pup was fully grown as didn't want to pay out for new tag every time I got bigger collar.

[Teapot101]

We have tuffies and love them but start with the cheapest thing going. A bag of empty cows hooves are a must for us. Great for chewing for hours on end. I wouldn't get puppy without them. You can soak their kibble and feed them from them too.

[nmg85]

We found vet bed was the only bed ours didn't chew, now she is older she can have a 'proper' bed again.
Kong toys for chewing and keeping them occupied, freezing it helps when they are teething.
Lots of patience and understanding!

[MauriceMossMug]

The vetbed looks perfect, and the indigo tags thank you.
I'm nervous about what to give them to chew as I hear so much about the chemicals being bag for them and parts breaking off of stuff like rawhide and cow hooves

[1frenchfoodie]

Puppy kong real hit here with 9wk old lab x cocker. We push in a chicken stick (dehydrated breast meat) and it keeps him chewing and puzzling for ages.