New Puppy Starter kit

[HRHQueenMe]

We are welcoming a little fur baby in February and I am a little overwhelmed by the suggested ''essentials'' Can you please give me some pointers as to what we actually need? Thank you!!!

Head torch for trips outside to the toilet in the night. Lots of poo bags.

Lots of kitchen towel and enzyme cleaner for accidents inside.

Shoes and clothes you can quickly throw on when you have to rush outside when they look as if they are going to pee.

Puppy proof your garden and at least one room in the house.

Crate/playpen depending on your preference.

Pet insurance is a must (I claimed £4500 in the first 2 years).

Invest in finding a good trainer. Personally if I was doing this again I would go 1-1 rather than the group sessions to get on track straight away.

I am sure there are other essentials and will pop back if I remember.

Thank you BiteyShark, this is exactly what I need to hear. Garden will be puppy proofed. We are sorting insurance. Playpen in place. Gates everywhere. Poop bags going on the list. Puppy food order in place. Need to research bed, harness and toys. Vet and trainer. Anything else? I am looking at books on Amazon, especially for the children (older). Any recs? xx

Ooh yes baby gates are great. I still have them and my dog is now 2.

I am on a vet plan which covers vaccinations, worming/flea treatments, check ups and discounts on any treatments.

I didn't use any books and honestly a lot of the guides I read online went out the window as every puppy is different and reacts differently. Maybe someone else will be along with good recommendations.

A bed (borrow if you can, they grow fast), blankets that are washable, towels, industrial strength kitchen roll (the blue one is good which is acquired from work), cleaning spray, poo bags, chew toys, puppy food, two bowls, a secure place to sleep that's easily cleaned - some people use a crate, we use a small room but ensure it doesn't have things they may chew in there eg shoes, piano legs (yes he chewed them) etc. Choose a vet and work out payment for vaccinations, insurance etc. We use vets for pets but as they are a franchise they vary. Investigate training, it needs to happen from day 1, but put down for lessons from around 12 weeks ideally, especially if this is your first dog.

Top tip, let them off lead early, they will be scared to loose you so won't wander - best tip my vet gave me was to do this at 10 weeks.

We are just about to get a second dog so this is going through my mind!

As your puppy isn't coming until February you might want to get any big long days out you want to visit done before they arrive. It can take many weeks/months before they can be happily left on their own for more than a short time.

Groomer. Even if you don't plan to use one permanently it can help to get the pup used to one in the early days, just in case. Many good ones offer free or discounted puppy baths to help gently get them used to it. Good groomers also tend to be booked up way in advance so worth getting in early.

Crawl around the house looking under everything to see what puppy can get into. For example, I think we watched battendog like a HAWK but recently pulled the sideboard out to find a dangerously chewed cable under it from his tiny puppy days. As it was also an inch thick with dust and hair under there I hate to think how close we've been to a fire...

Travel crate. Even if you're not going to use one forever, it helps to get them used to a car, I think. Battendog would never have gone straight in the boot without a fuss but spent the first few weeks in a crate. First with someone sat next to him, then on the back seat so he could see me driving, finally moving to the (secure) boot when he was big enough to see over the seat backs. As he is a dream in the car I would do this again for any future pups. not that there will be any

For bed I used bits of vet bed for the first months. Puppies will sleep on anything and vet bed is tough and washes and dries so quickly that it is easy to swap it out in case of an accident and clean. I would not waste money on fancy beds until he is older and you can trust him not to chew the bed and can see what his 'sleep style' is like (e.g. curled tight in a ball or spread out like an eagle!)

Lead, collar, ID tag.

Thank you so much!! Lots of really good useful advice here. Sorted a crate from neighbours who has outgrown it. Also harness. Wow. I'm definitely nestmaking!

If you see a cheap dehydrator, get one. Start making tiny chicken pieces and freeze them - can then be bagged and used as immediate, tiny, healthy rewards for training.

We are new to dogs and our first puppy is now 4 months.

I bought books. Didn’t have time to read them!

Zak George on YouTube has been great for me. He’s a dog trainer and it’s all very reward focussed. You can watch his short videos in order too so you know what to be doing it not doing with your puppy as soon as you get them.

We didn’t do puppy pads. Bad for the environment and they really need to know early on to toilet outside.

Puppy pen has been my saviour.

I would look into a harness yet. The puppy will grow out of it so fast and you won’t lnow which is best without taking your dog to a reputable place for a fitting.

Some good treats suitable for young puppies so you can reward any tiny thing they do that’s good.

Have fun!

Barker & Barker Little Liver Training Treats from eBay.
They’re brilliant ... my puppy absolutely loves them.

Don't spend too much money on a dog bed... It will be destroyed. Buy some vet bed instead, it's perfect for lining the crate, can be washed at 60°C and it's just not nice to chew!t

Collar, leashes, ID tags
Cleaning kit (as mentioned above)
Water bowl and food bowl
Blankets/mat
Toys (toys are essential for pups). You want a couple of chew toys. A snuggly. A tug toy. A ball or frisbee. You want at least ten different things ideally.
Kong or food dispenser toy.
Crate or restraint for car.
Grooming kit - brushes, ear cleaner, nail clippers, clotting powder, toothbrush and toothpaste.
Old towels for wiping them down post walk.

Vet bed is great.
YY to days out and batch cooking. Mine couldn’t be left for months so I wish I had done more of both.
Know the law. Tags and microchipping etc.
Find a good reward based trainer.
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February is a while off. Are puppies born yet? Have you checked out the breeder?