Puppy arriving next month - what do I need??!!

[Wingingit2022]

We are so excited to be getting our much longed for Shihtzu next month. We have met him for a few mins just to see him. We haven't had a dog since 2018 and we have 2 kids 6 and 9. What in the world do I need?? I'm so out of touch with this! I am thinking of crate training. In terms of basics what does one need for a puppy? And where do I even start! So far I have a crate with comfy bed, water and food bowl (very small so puppy can get to it) little toy, good brush and breeder will supply food.Does anyone have any recommendations for a good book I can read about training etc? Thanks so much. I don't think I put this much effort into my kids lol!

Kitchen roll lots of it...
Kong toys
Bed
Crate
And loads patience....(puppy 4 months old and not getting toileting at all)

Brilliant thank you. Hopefully things get better for you soon. Good call on the kitchen roll! Do you have the pup in a crate at night?

Definitely crate with a 6yo and absolutely instill in the dc that the crates the pups safe space and they don't go in it!!

Puppy pads for the floor overnight, though you might be lucky during the day of you take out often enough, our pup only ever had 3 accidents in the house.

you don't need loads of kitchen roll, it's expensive and totally wasteful. Cloth and cleaning stuff much better.

A collar and tag is a must.

Our dog has always loved a blanket, maybe ask the breeder if you can drop one of there a few days before pick up so it gets mums smell.

Great thank you so much. Yes I plan on lots of conversations with the kids and not overwhelming the pup and it having a safe space to retreat to. I could actually see my 6yo climbing in and trying to sleep there 🤣 good call on the blanket I will bring 2 up to mum. Thank you so much.

Neutralising spray for if it pees on the floor. Bitter apple spray to discourage chewing on anything you don't want destroyed. Either a crate or playpen to keep pup safe if you need to do something else can't keep an eye. Crate has been fantastic for us. Vetbed is better than a bed or even just a blanket as it can go in the wash and dries quickly.

Thanks Soggydog the spray was not on my list! It is now as we lost a few floorboards with my last dog!

Easy peasy puppy squeezy. Steve Mann. Brilliant puppy training book that I am currently trying to memorise before DPup arrives next month!

Brilliant thank you. I'm going to get that and start ASAP.

Following as I am in the same boat as you - 4 weeks to go!

We’ve had River Pup for 7 days now. If you have dc, it’s like going back to the toddler stage - they need constant watching.

Therefore, before pup arrives, get all washing etc done, and make sure you have easy meals to make.

We’ve bought bowls, blankets, toys, food, treats, food more toys, lead, collar , chew toys, identity disc for collar, yet more toys, Pooh bags, bag for treats, anti-chew spray, de-odour spray.

We have several water bowls - one in crate, one with food and one outside.

(Not used puppy pads)

Endless patience.
A good sense of timing.
A strong stomach.
A decent vet.
A bright torch, for locating night time poo.
Endless poo bags.
An idea of how you want him to be as an adult and plan towards that.

I preferred Pippa Mattinson's book, The Happy Puppy, to the Puppy Squeezy one. I referred to it constantly in the first four months after Painlesspup arrived and I have had four dogs from puppies over my adult years, but we are always learning!

I found this site brilliant www.facebook.com/groups/dogtrainingadviceandsupport/?ref=share

it’s got a great section on how to puppy proof house.

decide on what behaviour you want from your adult dog and praise behaviour in the puppy that is like that. 4 paws on floor when greeting, off furniture (unless you don’t mind…), don’t ever feed at table.

praise good, ignore bad. If they are being a bitey little git they are probably tired…they need A Lot of sleep.

you don’t need to crate but if you do read up on it first somewhere reputable. Don’t leave them in a position where they end up toileting in crate.

Great advice everyone thank you so much x

We’ve had our pup for two months now and my tick list before we brought him home was:

Collar, tag and lead
Lightweight longline
2 Heavy water bowls (one for inside playpen, one for kitchen)
Food bowl
Kong
Lickimat
Snuffle Mat
Variety of toys, of different types and textures etc, eg squeaky, chewy, ball, tuggy
A few things to chew (yakker and braided ostrich tendons have been his favourite)
Playpen with comfy bed for downstairs
Crate for our bedroom
Vet bedding for both of the above
Lots of blankets (ours is a breed that loves to bury themselves in blankets)
Washable mats for the bottom of the playpen (only because it’s located on a carpeted floor)
Simple solution extreme for housetraining accidents (I keep this in a clean up kit with a scrubbing brush and a roll of kitchen towel and have a second kit in the car - just in case)
Lots of biodegradable poo bags
Crash tested crate for the car (later bought him a crash tested car harness, which he prefers)
Training treats (Natures Menu puppy treats, JR Pet Products Pate’s and Arden Grange Liver Paste have been his favourites)

Puppy classes booked in as soon as they are able to go
Vet appointment for a health check once they’ve had enough time to settle in and bond with you

Useful things I already owned:

Kept by the back door:

One of those fabric tubes for storing carrier bags (I stuff it full of ready opened poo bags and hang it by the back door so I can just grab one every time I take pup out.)
Lightweight raincoat
Comfortable, warm hoodie
Beanie with head-torch built in - for night-time toilet trips
Ankle wellies and crocs

Clip on treat pouches and several clickers (so I always have them about my person)

I don’t use puppy pads, they just confuse the puppy into thinking it’s ok to toilet indoors. I find management, vigilance and lots of praise/reward is the best way with puppies.

Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy by Steve Mann is a lovely book, but agree the Pippa Mattinson one is also good, as is Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey.

Kikopup videos on YouTube are a good way to see training in action as well.

You need wine. Lots and lots of lovely wine.

And chew toys.

And kitchen roll.

But mostly wine.

@Impossiblepossibilities Can I ask what sort of dog you have? We were recommended yak chews by one person, but then another said they were too tough for puppies.

I agree you need a pair of easy-to-put on shoes by back door for outside trips.

@Riverlee I have a toy breed, so as is common with toy breeds, he was a little older - at 12 weeks - when we brought him home. I was worried about them being too tough as well (especially as he’s my first ever toy breed, being used to large breed dogs) but bought one to try him with and it’s been fine. I bought the tiniest size.

He wasn’t bothered by them initially, but they have been great since he started teething - he loves to gnaw on and scrape his teeth on them, rather than trying to actually bite/break them, but has barely made a dent in the surface so far.

I also bought olive wood and coffee wood sticks, but he’s studiously ignored those. He has a couple of the manufactured Dogwood sticks as well and he does gnaw on them occasionally, but the yakker and ostrich tendons are definitely his favourites. (I am quite pleased about that, as both are low odour and not messy.)

Best tip I gained during the puppy stage was, socialisation meant teaching them to ignore others and focus on me when out and about.
clicker training in the house on a long lead before progressing out side of the house.

I also played YouTube clips of fireworks, fire engines, crowds etc when they were sleeping and when awake to de sensitise them, it worked really well and now they are 2 they aren’t fussed at all.

we had stair gates everywhere to restrict them especially stopping them getting to the front door when shopping arrived etc whilst I taught them boundaries and seeking permission to go through the front door

once they were old enough to be trusted on the stairs to lay on the hall carpet I made sure the children knew to shut all upstairs doors to stop pups getting into rooms without me being there.

I bought a fake poo and put it on the beds and carpets in rooms where doors were left open “he’s poo’d in my room!!!!!” Didn’t take long to remember to shut the bloody doors

its really hard work but so very worth it. I joined Southend dog training FB page and it was so helpful

Chew toys, mine liked the nylabone puppy ones and Petstages dog wood . I didn't use anti chew spray as he had plenty of things he could chew. Carrots are good!

If you have hard flooring I wouldn't bother with puppy pads, nine just ripped them up! We used Simple Solution spray to clean up accidents then a pet floor cleaner at night.

Stair gates

Carry walks! We took him to the pub the day after we got him ( we socialise a lot there) and held him untill he could go on the floor. Carried him around the village too so he could get used to the outdoors. Expose him to as many differnt environments as you can to help socialise. Pet shops, pubs, markets, other dogs and people.

We took him out in the car pretty much everyday, he didn't like the boot so he has a seat in the back (started in the front si he could get used to it). We would always end up somewhere nice or fun fir him so he knows going in the car is a good thing.

Puppy classes or any dog training, I do this mostly to make sure I'm doing the tight things with him.

Lots of blankets, easier to clean up snd replace.

Ultimately you'll find what works for you, some things suggested here might not be right for your pup but other things will be.

Good luck!

Don't forget the wine

Has your pup arrived yet, OP? We're bringing ours home on Sunday - do you have any tips for the first week? 🐶

Vet appointment - our local vet isn't taking new customers as there is something of a vet shortage at the moment. You'll need the vet for vaccinations and ongoing health care.

Puppy is here a week now and doing great! I think I confused him with puppy pads though as left them out at night downstairs. He has the run of downstairs at night as didn't want him in the crate all night. He hasn't cried in the crate once and loves it. We hide treats in there if we have to go somewhere etc. Hard work with toilet training when it's lashing but I'm lifting puppy pads tonight. We have wooden floors so can be easily cleaned. We also made the mistake of taking him onto the couch at night for a snuggle when kids gone to bed. He is used to that now but we don't mind. Overall it's been a lot better than I thought it would be. He just loves being outside and we have secure garden so that helps. Vets tomorrow and injections and we've taken him to a few pet free houses in the car carrier to get him used to it and not associate car with vets and bad things!! Oh and stock up on the wine 🤣

@Wingingit2022 we have an 8 month old Shih Tzu. He is the best thing we ever purchased! He has destroyed a few things....living room stool, chewed the wires off the hairdryer, hair straightners and laptop. Oh and picked at the lino, until he could get a grip of it, and pulled it up! He's a bugger, but we love him 😍