new puppy, what should i be buying? Tell me your must buys

[glowingworm]

Hello,
We are bringing home a new puppy. We have obvious things like bowls, and a crate but wondered if anyone had any must buys or must have in the house

Thanks

Crates are entirely optional; generations of people raised puppies before crates were invented. Far too many people nowadays use them as a cage (i.e. they shut the door) and as a crutch for when they cba to deal with the dogs behaviour.

Make sure you have multiple toys that the puppy is allowed to chew on. They are teething and need to chew.

Tiny training treats are a necessity. Go for the ones that are essentially dried meat. Avoid anything where the ingredients list starts with wheat, or meat & animal derivatives.

Not all dog foods are of equivalent quality, and spending more doesn't always mean a higher quality dog food. This is an excellent directory allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

You'll want to take your puppy out into the world before their vaccinations are completed and they can go on the ground; a puppy sling is often recommended.

This is one of the better books on the topic www.amazon.co.uk/Peasy-Puppy-Squeezy-step-step/dp/1788701607

Don't forget to puppy proof the house as things WILL get chewed. Heirloom table with the carved legs? Put it somewhere the puppy cannot access for the next 18 months. Cables - put them away too.

Puppy pads, great for training, once they have got used to them move them outside.

Crates work well for some dogs, but personally I would advise against locking them in until they are using it of their own free will.

Poo bag holder that you can put on a lead. Nothing worse than being caught out.

After a few weeks puppies tend not to to wee/ poo near where they eat or sleep if they can avoid it. So it's good to keep these areas separate if you can.

Also works as a deterrent, i.e. if the dog wees on the landing, put there dog bowl there for a couple of days, it usually stops them.

Collar and name tag plus spares.

Consider a harness for dogs that can escape from a collar (i.e. ones with small heads (brains)). If in any doubt think about your dog running loose in the middle of a busy town.

Consider a dog flap

Treats and a whistle, start recall training (bribery) within a few weeks.

Consider cargo grill if dog is large and you have suitable car with a boot.

Mix with as many dogs as possible (after vacs), and expose the pup as much as possible, car journeys, busy streets, pubs and fireworks etc. they usually just assume it's part of life. and it makes life so much easier later.

Unless you're able to finance unexpected vet bills, I would recommend considering insurance.

Decide now, is the dog allowed on the furniture or not?
Decide now, do you feed the dog only in their bowl, or will you feed random scraps off your plate, and live with the possible consequences of them pestering you?

Make sure the puppy knows you're the leader of the pack.

Difficult, but a try to leave them alone a bit as well.

I hope you have many years of love and good times with your puppy.

Lots of wine to get you through puppy nipping stage. Make vet appointment asap to start vaccinations.

And enzyme based urine-busting spray cleaner.

Plus things like rope toys that you can give the puppy to chew on when those little teething jaws get applied to something (or someone) they mustn't chew

Sort out insurance - even if you want to self insure for medical, get third party in case your dog causes accident or injury to someone else or their property.

Remember to register with a vet as soon as your puppy comes to you

A booking for puppy classes with a well-regarded local trainer, to start once vaccs are completed, as the good ones are often booked up early.

You might also want to book a puppy 1:1 at your house with the trainer, which you can do before their jabs are completed. Some trainers offer a pre-puppy advice session.

Lots and lots for puppy to chew on. Different textures, some hard, some crinkly, some bobbly. And when puppy tries to chew stuff they should replace what we it is with a toy! Don’t let them chew fingers or any part of a human either! It’s cute when they’re tiny but they’ll nip you and maybe kids when teething so again always have a little chew toy or ring and replace your fingers with that and play.

Forget a trainer - just do it yourself but be firm. They’re cute but if you aren’t firm when their little you’ll end up with a dog that jumps all over people, won’t recall, and generally is ‘naughty’.
cute when they’re little. Less cute after the age of 1

I am really not a fan of crates so we didn't bother with one - but we do have a puppy pen and it's the best purchase we made. It's big enough for her bed plus extra room to play/move about a bit.

She goes in at night and if left alone but its also invaluable for those times you just need them out of the way for a few mins - ie a shattered glass all over the floor, mopping the floor and letting it dry. She goes in with a couple of toys quite happily.

No puppy pads. They can go out in your garden as soon as you bring them home. Puppy pads just encourage toileting in the house and make toilet training even more difficult. You also need something like Simple Solution to clear up any accidents properly.

A crate is personal choice - just make sure it's the right size and is never used for punishment.

Baby gates are vital in this house and our dog is four now - we only have one left up, but it keeps him out from under our feet while we're cooking.

Lots of puppy chews of different textures, though make sure they only have chews under supervision just in case they break or the puppy chokes.

We didn't bother paying for specific training treats - we just used his kibble when he was tiny and then moved on to human food - chicken, cheese and cocktail sausages are firm favourites.

Blankets and throws to cover your furniture - not only to save them from hair and mud, but also to make them easier to clean if the puppy has an accident or throws up etc.

Something to keep them safe and secure in the car - they can't be loose. So, you either need a crash-tested crate in the boot or a seatbelt on the back seat attached to their harness (never a collar). If a small breed, you can get little doggy car seats too.

An ID tag (plus several spares) they are a legal requirement. You can get them off eBay for only a few pounds each.

A good quality collar (I prefer a buckle not a clasp as they're more secure) and a well fitting harness, plus leads (and spares).

Make sure you puppy proof! Hide things like wires, socks, remote controls and get into the habit of putting things in drawers rather than just left on surfaces - puppies are quicker than you think and they can jump surprisingly high too. Child locks on cupboards and make sure nobody leaves things like medication, glasses etc. lying around. Make sure the bin is secure too as they're very easy for puppies to get into and/or knock over.

If you've never had a puppy then I'd recommend puppy classes, even if it's to just teach you the basics. Ours covered things like muzzle training which is really important in case your dog has to wear one someday (eg. if they're injured).

Good luck and enjoy!

One thing I would suggest is booking a vet appointment for vaccinations. Vets are in short supply at the moment and our local one isn't taking on new customers.

If you can get a bit of blanket that smells of the mum and the litter, that should help your puppy to settle on the first night or two.

Definitely speak to vets in advance of bringing puppy home…

I would say toys/things to chew and a crate is the most important things after the basics like bed, bowls etc. Of course, plenty of people don’t use a crate and are perfectly fine, I find one invaluable to help with toilet training, (prevent accidents) getting a good night’s sleep and help teach them not to chew, unless you never need to go to the loo or cook dinner or do anything else that means you can’t supervise the pup constantly.