Lab puppy essentials/collar/harness recommendations please!

[DoggyNewbie]

We are collecting NewbiePup in 10 days! So excited, and getting together everything we will need. Have sorted crate and bedding, some toys and treats, ordered stairgate...

Would really like recommendations for:

1. playpen - ideally big enough for crate to be in too

2. collar and harness - how do I know what size to get? He will be almost 9 weeks when we bring him home

Thank you 😊

Stick with a puppy collar at first, the size adjustability on the ancol puppy collar and lead set is pretty broad and fits most puppies from terriers whom it would fit as adult dogs to golden retrievers whom it would fit until around 3 months and tend to fit long enough that you’ll still have room by the time the puppy has had all its vaccinations and waited the appropriate time afterwards to go for walks. Once you’re actually ready for walking, you’ll be able to measure the dog and will have a much better idea of it’s size and rate of growth. My smaller breed dogs have had the same harnesses since they were 5 months old, because they didn’t really grow much after 6 months and we were able to find a highly adjustable harness for each of them (rabbitgoo no pull harness) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rabbitgoo-Adjustable-Reflective-Lightweight-Training/dp/B07QFZ7RXJ/ref=asc_df_B07QFZ7RXJ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=340199238868&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18262108357838881844&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045459&hvtargid=pla-794486053847&psc=1
My lurcher has had three harnesses, one the rabbitgoo escape proof harness which was highly adjustable and fit her until a month before she was fully grown, and then the ruffwear flagline and the ruffwear swamp cooler harnesses which have less adjustability, but are better suited to her needs.
As for play pens, https://www.diy.com/departments/S-8-Panel-Heavy-Duty-Play-Pen-Black/5060477741535_BQ.prd?&&&&gbraid=0AAAAADt-XHlwYIJL102nPcDkUtaZ_1PK5&gclid=CjwKCAjwxaanBhBQEiwA84TVXHX2UVlAe9yFf_LQleZ-Ymw4yZ6TQ2Pcqf_BhtFHcVo4Q-KT2p-h-hoCMOoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
have the option to add extra panels if you need to buy more, or take some out to fit into a smaller space, and you can build it in the exact shape you need. Do be careful to keep the puppy properly locked inside the crate while unsupervised, though, because our little Houdini-dog used the open crate door as leverage to pull herself onto the crate, then jumped to the floor outside of the pen. We ended up using it to fence off plants in the garden in the end, the playpen was more hassle than it was worth for us 😂

Harness - have a look at Perfect Fit - they are modular so you can replace bits as you go. There is a good Facebook buy, sell and swap group. They're beautifully fitted too and their customer service is brilliant. You just tell them the measurements and they sell you the right one or you can get one fitted if you live near somewhere that sell them. They got it right for my pup first time and then I have just had to buy a new Y bit which I bought from the group and sold my old one so it cost nothing.

Collar - they grow out of them quickly so something cheap. They shouldn't be walked on them anyway so it doesn't need to be very strong.

Please put a tag or plate on with your name, address and phone number. The first are legal requirements for all dogs in public.

Pens - I bought a cheap Amazon one. A lab puppy will outgrow a pen very quickly!

Think about where pup will sleep - it needs to be with you for some weeks and sometimes months. That means you get sleep and they get security and much more likely to turn into an easy going secure dog down the line. That may dictate pen and crate size initially. Don't get fixated on a crate though - they do take some work to train.

Good luck!

Thank you both!

Yes a pen is more just for the first weeks, particularly as we have cats 😬

Will check out those links now

Second the advice about not investing too much in a playpen - I vividly remember the day my first Labrador puppy disappeared from hers, only to be found on top of the piano! She'd jumped around the bookcases before settling there and going to sleep! Got about 3 weeks' use out of it before that happened.

Yakker bars are amazing for those teething weeks - they last for ages and you can microwave them once they are small and they turn into a big crispy snack.

Best of luck - it's a whirlwind but so worth it!

Our pup was climbing the play pen at the breeders when we picked her up, she managed to get on top of the crate the first days we got her and she'd found a route onto the dining table in the first week! So a play pen might actually be less safe than nothing and fairly short lived in its usefulness.

For a harness I'd wait until closer to the time you need to be out on walks. It's not unusual for labs to put on 1kg a week.