New puppy - what do I need?

[JustMeAndWheatley]

We get a puppy in a few weeks time. I have two other dogs but they were rescue dogs and it has been over 20 years since I last had a puppy.

If you’ve had a puppy recently what are your must buys and don’t buys?

So far I only have:
Name tag
Puppy collar
Harness (no idea what size to get for a puppy)
Puppy food

Crate/dog pen?
Training pads?
Vetbed/vetfleece?

Have poo bags, food bowls from other dogs.

Gin
Crocs esp the ones with a fluffy lining
Really warm dressing gown with a hood
Pet accident spray (Simple Solution in the turquoise bottle)
Really good quality kitchen roll (Regina Blitz is my preference)
Gin
Beanie hat with built in LED light
Millions of tiny treats (Treats2sit4, dried sprats, broken up into minute bits)
Crate
Vet bed (multiple pieces)
Cheap fleece blankets for the crate
Biological washing powder
Napisan
Dog whistle
Total recall book
Rescue remedy (for you)
Dog bells for the door
Puppy carrier or rucksac to wear on your front to take them out to socialise
Many, many, many things to chew

Start now on training to see how fast you can get from the sofa to the door the puppy will need to go out of to toilet. Bonus marks for training to get the crocs on en route without pausing

Leave the harness till they come to you. I start tiny pups on collar and lead in the garden and work on that until they are old enough to walk outside

That list is fantastic, thank you! Just what I needed.

Everything that @CMOTDibbler said - especially the gin.

The thing I remember most was standing outside in the garden at 2am waiting for pup to wee, giving in after about 10 minutes, just before frost bite sets in. As we walked in the house and onto the carpet pup wees - why is it always on the carpet!

Have fun and enjoy your puppy

I have a new puppy arriving on Saturday - the excitement is unbearable.

I have crates (2, one for travel)
Vet bed
Porcelain food/water bowls (harder to tip over)
Fluffy crocs
Warm dressing gown
Umbrella
Torch
Unending patience

Mine's a gun dog and will be trained as one so haven't got thousands of chewy things or lots of toys and won't be training with food.

Out of interest @Enb76, with gundog training (of which I know nothing), what do you do when the puppy is teething and is desperate to chew? I spend my life (I foster pups for a rescue) giving them appropriate things to put in their mouth rather than shoes/furniture/me which they learn very quickly with. My fosters aren't the sort to just want to please innately, so high value food is an important part of them learning to recall in particular and so I know others don't need that reinforcement

Out of interest @Enb76, with gundog training (of which I know nothing), what do you do when the puppy is teething and is desperate to chew?

I find when puppies are unbearably nippy they are often tired so they get to chew something hard in their crate rather than chew me and they're normally zonked in about 5 minutes. A crate is always a safe space and never ever used as punishment. Otherwise, it's part of the training. I say 'ouch' (but not move away) when they nip on clothes, shoes or skin and when they stop and look at me I will praise and restart play/training until they nip again and repeat (and repeat, and repeat, and repeat etc...). I want them to have soft mouths. I don't allow lots of unstructured running around time and play is always focused on me as they need to think that pleasing me is the best thing they could ever possibly do and enjoy doing it.

If you live in the SE message me as have a brand new crate, a car carrier and a brand new Easy peasy book for sale plus some other bits.

I wouldn't buy too much and see how you go. They usually come with puppy food from the breeder. A lickimat has been good. A puppy pen too although we haven't really used ours much.

I’m in the Midlands, but thank you for the offer.

I have the easy peasy book. Any recommendations for other puppy books with more detailed content would be great.

These suggestions are all great. Thank you everyone.

It’s funny, because I’ve had at least 2 dogs (different ones) at all times over the last 20 odd years and feel quite confident I know what I’m doing, but I’m a bit nervous about the puppy stage (excited too, of course).

I think it is like having kids; there is tons of advice with some quite 'you HAVE to do xyz,', you MUST do ....' that I think it gets a bit stressful with people getting a bit wound up because, for example, they are feeding x brand of food when to them everyone says y is better or they haven't got a crate or the dog hates it. Just as with children the key things are love, warmth, safety, routine, boundaries, food, play, training and consistency. Do what fits in with your family and your situation. Like with children you modulate your dreams to the reality so I have dreams of pup walking to heel but actually, I'm quite happy with her trotting along on a loose lead and sitting at junctions. We are not going to go in for obedience comps so as long as she knows 'with me' means stay near me while walking, then that is good enough.

I bought LOADS for our new puppy. Some things have turned out to be a godsend, some things I haven’t touched yet, and some things I’ve had to run out for more of! Here are my random thought based on my experience so far:

Get loads and loads of chew toys with loads of different textures. Hard things like wood have been the thing we’ve struggled to find enough of (to redirect him from table and chair legs!) we have about 15 different options for him to chew and it still doesn’t feel like enough! The classic Kong ones have been great for feeding him his breakfast in as he’s particularly energetic in the morning and they give him something to engage with for a few minutes.

Long tuggy toys are great for playtime while keeping him away from our fingers. My puppy loves things that make crinkly noises when he plays!

A snuffle mat is a great way to use up some energy through frantic sniffing (just need to find some treats that they’re enthusiastic enough about first - my puppy loves the Nature’s menu ones which are really easy to break up into tiny bits)

Fleece blankets are great for the crate and for putting on the sofa when he snuggles with us. I ran out to buy more of these so I didn’t have to keep moving them from the crate to the sofa.

And I second the Regina Blitz kitchen towel for clean-ups!

I regret buying a HUGE bag of the kibble that the breeder was feeding him, even though it’s a decent one as far as kibbles go. We quickly ended up transitioning him to something else that worked better for him and us, and now we have this huge bag of kibble that we don’t need. The breeder gave us plenty to start with anyway so we really could have waited before buying any more, but I was so keen to be prepared.

Oh and he hated the first water bowl we got in because it’s too shiny and reflective and he gets scared of his own reflection, so we had to get another one!

@LostArcher, just wanted to post and say I love your last post. So many stresses when you get a new pup and so much conflicting advice, but when they are tiny, your sentence “Just as with children the key things are love, warmth, safety, routine, boundaries, food, play, training and consistency.” sums it up beautifully.

We are on a waiting list for the first purebreed/non-rescue dog we’ve had since 1998. All our others have been rescues. (Although we won’t be getting a pup while we still have our old guy, as it wouldn’t be fair at his age.) Our last ‘pup’ (a complicated rescue with a very bad start) was in 2013. I have had dogs for over 30 years, all but one from pups, but I am still really nervous. Even with lots of experience and evidence of us being capable of getting it right sat at my feet, in the shape of my fantastic 15.5 year old Lurcher, I still constantly doubt myself, research, ask advice and get confused. So your words are a wise and comforting reminder that, with the aforementioned parameters in place, we will find our own way and it will be ok.

Thank you @moosemama. I'm on a puppy training facebook page and sometimes it is all a bit...rigid. The rabid comments if some poor person dares to mention that their dog has a last drink at ten and then sleeps in their crate are a bit daft. Clearly dog is fine and owner not some cruel water thief! As a teacher, I've noticed that children are now so pandered to - we have some who clearly on one has ever said 'no' to that they have all sorts of problems and this same trend is happening with dogs too. Likewise, when my eldest was born, the advice was to wean at three months - which I started off doing. The youngest was four months. Now you seem to have to wait for ever because of all sorts of dire predictions that will happen to the moppets. I am sure things go wrong with utterly stupid parents but really, the majority are sensible enough to know that weaning means a teaspoon of mooshed up pear and carrot! I think the same hysteria and need 'to get it right' is now prevalent in the dog world. I am just as guilty as the next person of it and need to remind myself of good old common sense. I got myself thoroughly wound up over several things! Good luck wihen you get your pup. It is fun and ours is rather chilled

@LostArcher She is beautiful. Our old next door neighbour had a stunning Rough Collie boy, he was such a sweetheart, everyone knew him locally.

Out of reach shelving to put your footwear on. Our beloved 9 nth old pup has chewed several pairs of our shoes/ trainers/ slippers... he's lucky he's so lovable

@LostArcher she is gorgeous.

Good God. I am a cat person thinking about getting a dog. These lists are terrifying. Far worse than preparing for a baby. What did people do before all this stuff was invented? It sounds like preparing for a siege!

Somewhere for them to sleep, that spray for cleaning up accidents, lots of kitchen roll. A collar and lead. Fluffy dressing gown, umbrella. Dog bowls.

Remember if they are being a little shit they are probably tired. They need way more sleep than they think they do.

Good strong toys.

Frozen carrots, broccoli stalks, frozen tea towel. Old toilet rolls, fold ends over with a little treat inside.

Thank you so much everyone. These lists have been really helpful.

It does seem more stressful this time round, like having a baby. Lots of advice online and much of it conflicting.

Ultimately all that really matters on day 1/2 is having the right food and lots of cleaning stuff, I think.

mermaidsariel hahaha that really made me laugh... siege is right! Trapped in your home with a bitey little fluffball until they can go outside

@mermaidsariel Another cat person here! We have two and have just got a puppy. Love her to bits already, but my admiration for the self sufficiency and smartness of cats has gone up and up! Puppies are full on!

I’m a cat person surprised by how smart dogs are. And how needy!

What did people do before all this stuff was invented?

I know what you mean! Dogs have become so much more complicated since the 1970s

What they really need is lots of positive reinforcement for what you want them to do, and either ignoring or redirecting what you don't

If they feel safe and happy with you (pack theory of dominance is bollocks, but your family is now their pack and they need to belong and feel secure)

Do make sure you have good insurance from the off. Inquisitive puppies can get injuries, eat unsuitable stuff and catch every dog vomiting bug going around

Our pen is the best thing we bought.
She wasn’t keen on a crate but having the pen means we can enforce naps and we know she’s safe at times we’re not able to keep our eyes on her.
Agree with others above that it’s got very complicated and doesn’t really need to be.

Petalpup that’s interesting, we had the exact opposite where pup was fine in his crate but hated the pen, so we got rid of it pretty quickly. They really are all very different! A good argument for not buying too much until you get a feel for what works for your dog.

I agree that it can all become a bit overcomplicated. I got SO overwhelmed at first and let myself believe that my puppy would be totally ruined forever if I didn’t follow all the different advice exactly right (thanks, Ian Dunbar...) but thankfully I’ve relaxed a bit now and realised it’s all a lot more straightforward than some of these books make you believe!

You can buy and sell most things easily on fb marketplace so it might be worth checking there for things like crates, pens, stair gates etc.

We had a little heat pad that went in the microwave that we used for the first week or so at night. She slept well from the start but don’t know how much difference it made-maybe she would have done anyway.

A few towels to keep by the back door are useful for drying paws as they come in-good to get them used to this early on.

A useful tip I found for encouraging a wee outside is to throw a tiny treat where they usually wee and as they are sniffing it out they should catch the scent of wee and hopefully perform.