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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Best and Worst puppy purchases?

23 replies

KenAdams · 22/03/2021 14:29

To stop me buying everything I see I wondered if you could let me know from experience if you've purchased anything you couldn't live without or anything that was totally useless?

Ideally I just want to start with a few bits and add more as and when I need to.

OP posts:
EndOfLifeDoula · 22/03/2021 14:32

Anything from Amazon with the word dog toy included. I bought baby teething toys that have lasted well beyond any type of dog toy inc kong.

A licky Mat has been a favourite time waster for my puppy.

DoubleTweenQueen · 22/03/2021 14:44

We found a lickimat quite useful for evening 'going a bit bonkers and need something to calm me down NOW' sort of thing.
Rope toys - didn't realise they come apart quite easily and pup can end up with bits of string in her mouth before you know it, and quite dangerous if swallowed.

Useful things - puzzle feeders, things they may chew on that are. Not likely to splinter, fragment etc - I find the Kong rubber toys quite good - large crate & mattress, floor mats to catch water/mud and prevent them slipping on tiles and hard floors - bad for joints. Also good as placemarkers they get to know to go to once they come in from the garden/waiting to go out/lie down on floor , so a bit of training opportunity

Decide what they will and will not be allowed access to and start to show them your expectations from day one.

Lots and lots of patience, coffee, old clothing and LOVE

DoubleTweenQueen · 22/03/2021 14:46

Keep all your packing boxes from now on :)

RedNovember · 22/03/2021 14:54

hope that means it's going ahead @KenAdams !

someone did a very useful post on another thread (they were a dog/puppy fosterer)

things I couldn't have done without

  • some sort of easy to put on outdoor shoes for middle of the night wees and poos plus dressing gown unless you want to give the neighbours a fright/surprise (delete as necessary)
  • torch for above !
  • dog blankets
  • the enzyme spray for indoor wees
  • if you have a lot of carpets indoors, probably worth getting a protector or stopping him/her being on them till a bit older!
  • seat protector for the car plus a way of strapping the dog in (we are still using our original one)
  • mat for under their food dishes (a non slip one but easy to clean)
  • drying gloves for when they are wet/muddy
  • selection of toys that you keep in and out of circulation - petsathome do some great puppy toy selection packs

useless purchases

  • getting too big a bag of food and then discovering they won't eat it, buy small till they've settled (you'll usually feed what the breeder feeds them but a lot get unsettled tums at first)
  • we also didn't get on with a lickimat but a lot swear by them
  • ours also didn't like Kongs and to this day isn't interested
  • we went through a ridiculous amount of harnesses so worth trying to gain some knowledge of what works for your size dog before spending too much money!
MaryIsA · 22/03/2021 14:59

boxes, toilet roll inners, egg boxes. All can have treats put in them and closed or ends folded over. Put newspaper with treats in in a box and let them at it.

We found Kong lasted the longest the ones with rope inside. But frozen carrots and brocolli stalks and a frozen tea towel were favourites when little.

lambs tails, frozen raw chicken wings, yakkers, ostrich bone.

The kongs you put peanut butter in or yoghurt were brilliant.

Snuffle mat - she still loves.

the easy peasy puppy squeazy book or the happy puppy book...read them before the puppy arrives!

Little lead and collar to get her used to them.

Old covered cat bed that she loved hiding in and searching for treats in.

Slippers with proper soles and a big thick dressing gown for taking her out in the middle of the night.

Ours slept in a crate at night - helped with toilet training. Depends where she's going to sleep though. it worked as she slept upstairs in our bedroom.

In retrospect I'd have probably put her to sleep in the kitchen in a bed and slept with her for the first few nights - and if she weed in the night after that just quietly cleaned it up in the morning. And not had her in a crate.

Stuff that wasn't used
Seat belt for car
dog play pen (though was handy to use as a fire guard)
puppy pads
puppy sling to carry her about

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 22/03/2021 15:01

I've never had a puppy, but I will recommend the following

  • chuck it balls - very durable
  • kongs
  • outward hound range of toys
  • stuffed toys from the cheap end of the charity shop - avoiding those with hard eyes, noses, or bean fillings. Buy them with the intention that DDog will destroy them, and have fun doing so
  • perfect fit harness and an equafleece - but I wouldn't bother spending the £££ until fully grown
AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 22/03/2021 15:03

A good rule of thumb is that everything stocked in pets at home is either crap quality or can be found significantly cheaper elsewhere (or both)

Www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk is a fantastic resource

Treat pouch that clips onto your trouser waistband is very useful when training

KenAdams · 22/03/2021 17:15

Thank you - keep them coming,

We have the books mentioned - we've done a couple of years of research whilst waiting.

@RedNovember I'm still too scared to say out loud but we've had lots more contact with the breeder now so it all looks good :)

OP posts:
Insomnia5 · 22/03/2021 17:16

A puppy sling??? Why do they exist, and why did you buy one? 🤣

MissShapesMissStakes · 22/03/2021 17:21

Yes I agree with pp. Avoid anything from Pets at Home.

My pup had a treat ball from there. On his first go with it he started choking. Turns out the inside was splintered and small bits of very sharp plastic came out with his treats!

He had a cough for a few days after as the vet said it had probably scratched his throat. Pets at home customer service was truly awful and they basically did nothing after many many phone calls.

The play pen was the best thing we got. We are all open plan and it was good to know he had a safe space to be left alone without lurking wires, small kids toys etc.

Cardboard boxes and tea towels are his favourite toys.

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 22/03/2021 17:22

A whistle
A bumbag for poo bags, phone, treats etc.

Tinkletwat · 22/03/2021 17:30

Generally agree with the Pet's at Home comment. Have done well by shopping in local independent pet shops and listening to their advice instead. Anything made by Kong has lasted us well.
Get a light up collar for dark walks, reflective lead etc. I find retractable leads a nuisance, especially when dogs have a sniff with each other and the owner with the retractable lead just stands there laughing about how tangled they're getting when it's me trying to stop her dog injuring itself on its own lead Angry

Rubber mat with a lip for under bowls, got a messy drinker.
Extra towels (dark ones!).
Crate and pen.

Most things are phases, would recommend not shelling out £ and bide your time to see if they grow out of the habit.

DoubleTweenQueen · 22/03/2021 17:41

@KenAdams Also - keep an eye out for the 'puppy survival thread' here
On FB, look for breed specific groups, and join the 'dog training advice & support' group - if you haven't already!

Frenchfancy · 22/03/2021 17:48

Pl
Ay pen was a waste of money, we got a good one but she still managed to get out of it on day 3, it got packed away inn the garage.

Long line is very useful, get a biothane one if you can.

BestIsWest · 22/03/2021 17:50

Definitely a crate.
Total Recall by Pippa Mattison and a whistle. Mine are rubbish at coming to their names but a whistle never fails.

We had a puppy sling - we went on holiday when dog was about 16 weeks old and there was just too much walking for him. He loved it.

QOD · 22/03/2021 19:16

Puppy training by Gwen Bailey

i have a chi who doesnt do rain, wind, wet, days with a Y in etc ... so i have a doggy back pack bag, she sits in it and bobs around looking down her nose at my friends Cockapoos, schnoodles and Pooshits

Best thing is her crate, also a variety of car seat belts, she also has a foam doggy car seat like a booster as wants to look out and is tiny

candlemasbells · 22/03/2021 19:21

It’s a long time since I had a puppy but carrots are great for teething on and keeping them busy.

Claudia84 · 22/03/2021 19:57

Best - pizzle sticks
Worst - a cave bed. Thought he would love it as he likes going under the covers/ behind the curtain but not interested. £90 down the drain. In fact any bed at all he’ll take or leave. Just get a mat - like a square of vet bed that he’ll settle on. They sleep anywhere and move around when they sleep so it’s pointless.

Derbee · 22/03/2021 20:06

We couldn’t have been without our puppy pen. Needs to be a good quality one, with a gate. Not these flimsy ones you see.

The licky mat was a complete waste of money, as it’s such a pain to clean. We just spread a bit of primula, or dog peanut butter into a plate for him to kick when we want some down time.

Also a sounds app or cd, to socialise your puppy to noises.

StillMedusa · 22/03/2021 20:10

Best:
Kong ball on a rope (not the fill with food kong) .. you don't need a ball thrower as you can chuck it and it really flies.. my girl loves hers above anything. I have lost a few in the trees tho (my bad aim)

Wildwash dog shampoo... really mild and lovely for when your darling rolls in foxpoo/dead bunny!

Dog whistle.

A long line.

A decent raincoat with huge pockets to fit in poo bags, treats and a dog water bottle

The dog waterbottle..with a little rubber cup thingy on it ..we always take it on warm days and it's been so useful!

A Tractive GPS tracker... one hopes never to need to need it, but if your dog turns out to have a high prey drive and selective hearing if they see a deer when off lead in a wood.... saves you from losing your dog!!!! glares at dog

Stairgates!

Useless:
Puppy pads.. we took her straight outside every 30mins at first and never needed or used a single one.

Nice dog bed: She prefers the floor (or sofa!)

Julius K9 harness... they are popular but not good for dogs movement as they cut across the shoulders. Also they CAN back out of them as we discovered when our puppy panicked. Go for a decent y fronted harness like a Perfect Fit if you are going to use a harness .

Oh and avoid rawhide chews of any kind... they are really bad for dogs!

Derbee · 22/03/2021 22:04

Agree with not getting a nice bed for a while! Our puppy loves his vet bedding. It’s really soft and warm, and not expensive at all. He’s got a big piece in multiple rooms

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 23/03/2021 00:37

@Insomnia5

A puppy sling??? Why do they exist, and why did you buy one? 🤣
Until the puppy is about 12 weeks old, it won't be fully vaccinated and cannot therefore be placed on the ground in public areas for fear of it picking up parvovirus etc. A sling is for taking the puppy out and about, so that it can see the world and start socialisation, before it can safely walk.
Derbee · 23/03/2021 01:31

We took our Labrador puppy in a holdall with a solid bottom.

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