What was your number 1 puppy purchase?

[Autumn101]

We are picking up our first puppy in a few weeks time when he’ll be 8 weeks old (all very excited).

I think I’ve bought most of the pet shop so far but wanted to know what were your number one puppy purchases/what was the most useful??

We’ve all done lots of reading about puppies but any other tips or tricks would be great!

Aww so gorgeous

BEST:
*Play pen was a life saver and used until about 6 months, especially in the evenings. It's somewhere safe to put them if you need them contained (answering the door, going to the loo etc) and you can interact/play with them easily over the sides even when they're being a bit bitey/jumpy/humpy. (Plus, our pen is now doing service in the garden blocking off a bit where the fence needs repairing!)
*There are hardly any poo bins around here so the Dicky bag is in daily use www.dickybag.com/
*snuffle mats and puzzle feeders to make food fun and make it last longer.

• The dog training and advice Facebook page. Here's their website fbdtas.com/

WORST:
-Crate was kept in the kitchen for 6 months but hardly used - 2 play pens would have worked better for us.
-Fleece jumper; by the time it was cold/wet enough he'd outgrown it 🤦‍♀️
-Sling might have been good if I'd got him used it right from the start, but he was never relaxed and settled when he was in it - kept trying to climb out and lick my face - so it didn't get used much.

Good luck with your new puppy!

He’s a Springer so getting plenty of toys and snuffle mats etc as I know he’ll be high energy!!

Really appreciate everyone’s replies x

Ours still love split antlers and those nylabone bacon keys someone mentioned upthread.

We used the enzyme pee spray though he had hardly any accidents and as he seemed keen to house train we bought some bells you hang on the door and they ring them to let you know they need out. He learnt to use those very fast.

I don’t recommend the Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy book. I bought it on the recommendation of MN but, as usual with so many training books and YouTube videos etc, they expect the best and offer little support or gloss over the worst . Eg the author has a couple of paragraphs on puppy biting. If you have a puppy flying through the air with teeth bared, I’m telling you that distracting with a toy or a treat is useless !

The very best thing you will spend money on is a high-quality trainer. Not a puppy class (useless) or any number of gadgets, toys, chews. I know, cos I bought them all and they were all useless compared to the ex-police dog handler we found after muddling through for a few weeks.

Expensive, but worth every penny.

The only pricey thing I bought, that was really useful, was the Tapo rotating cameras. These meant I could leave the dog from an early age, whilst keeping tabs on her. You can also talk to them through the camera when out.

And possibly bits of dried offal/ animal parts. Agree that JW make the best ones, Anco are also really good.