Getting a new dog - what to buy? recommendations please

[Plentyoffishnets]

Hi there, all being well we should be collecting our dog from his fosterers within the next week. I would love to get an essential kit list and any particular recommendations you may have. Not got a massive budget so anything not mega bucks would be much appreciated, thanks in advance

Collar and lead: good range in Pets at Home
Tag for collar: required by law. Brass slide tags are about a tenner mail order (inc postage) from this site. This sounds a lot, but they do not fall of and get lost and need replacing like normal tags. Will not go on clip collars, though - you have to use a buckle one. We have gone through masses of dangling tags, but our big bruiser of a dog has had the same slide tag for years now.
Bowls for food and water - again, any big pet shop will have them.
Some of whatever food you have decided to try for the dog if you're not going to use whatever it has had before. This website give you the cost per day by the size of the dog, which is helpful, as well as info on the quality of the food.
Couple of toys.
Bedding. A hard plastic basket with a soft pad inside it is fine.

Good luck - enjoy your new addition!

That's great, thanks. What about a car seat belt harness? Any need do you thin?

We stick ours in a crate in the hatchback boot.
In an accident you wouldn't want a heavy dog hurtling around inside the car - not good for anyone.

You might also want to get some treats to help with training. Oh, and poo bags. Do not be one of THOSE people who get other dog walkers a bad name!

You really don't need much for a dog. Says she who has a selection of different leads, a longline, a harness, god knows how many toys, flashing collars for the winter evenings, a special waist belt for treats, poo bags and other walk gubbins, and two trowels entirely dedicated to shit-picking in the garden.

We have an attachment for a standard harness that clips into the seat belt.

I have an allsafe dog safety harness for my dog it's one of the few that is crash tested. I get cheap nappy sack as poo bags too and they do the same thing. Depending on breed/training you may want a harness for walking. You need a bed/bowls. Sturdy dog toys, decent treats and brush if needed.