If you are a first time puppy owner or maybe it has just been a while since your last puppy, we are here to guide you through what you’ll need to prepare. From the must-haves to the items to skip, we’ve got your covered!
Before we jump into the list, please know we are not personally associated with any of the links attached, they are general recommendations of items we have used or are similar. We always recommend that you look up reviews for the items that you choose for your puppy to best fit your needs.
Food and Treats
Food: If you’ve ever walked into the food aisle of a pet store, I’m sure you have seen that it can be a bit overwhelming with all of the options. We first and foremost always recommend you speak to your breeder and vet about your puppy’s specific feeding needs. There are going to be a few opinions out there on whether dry, wet, or raw is best for your puppy. Here’s our recommendation after you’ve created a game plan with your vet:
If you are planning on training your puppy, you’ll want to take this into consideration when choosing a food type (kibble versus raw/wet). Your puppy may not “work” as hard for bagged treats if their food is considered high value. We recommend getting your puppy working for their meals to help prevent this from happening, especially if they have to be on a special food diet for skin or GI sensitivity reasons.
Food/Water Bowls:
Basic Stainless Steel Food and Water Bowls – Independent bowls are a great option for your puppy in case you need to place the food and water in different areas. Some puppies like to splash in their water bowls, so being able to place a water bowl outside is a nice alternative.
Raised feeding bowls – If you have a large breed or deep chested dog, your vet may recommend a raised bowl to prevent any GI or stomach flip concerns.
Slow Feeder – For puppies who eat a little fast or who need extra mental stimulation, a slow feeder is a great option.
Treats: If your puppy has a sensitive tummy, you will want to take that into consideration before choosing a treat. Many puppies as we above will work for their kibble, however, if you are looking for a tasty training treat, we recommend these Top Chew Premium Jerky Treats. They pull apart really easily so you can cut them into tiny pieces and the dogs we work with love them!
Treat Pouch: We like this one from The DogGone Good Company. It’s a great idea to have a treat pouch on you when going on walks or heading outside to let your puppy use the bathroom. For in the house, we would recommend just having a few little bowls (out of reach) set out around the house ready with kibble or treats if you need to grab them on the spot.
Housebreaking, Kennels, and Playpens
We recommend to skip: Puppy Pee Pads – Pee pads although seem like a great idea, tend to prolong how long housebreaking takes. Instead, we recommend using an appropriately sized kennel instead and heavy supervision. We also recommend to delay the use of hanging door bells until later on when your puppy has begun to become successful within the housebreaking process. If you have questions on housebreaking, we would be happy to help you in a puppy private in-home session. You can find information for that here.
Kennels:
Having a kennel will ensure a few things-
- Safety – You know your puppy is safe, and can’t get into anything harmful while you can’t supervise them
- Reinforcement of Housebreaking and Unwanted Behaviors – Having your puppy in an appropriate sized kennel while you can’t supervise them will help you to reinforce behaviors you may be working on such as housebreaking and chewing
Durable Wire Kennel with a Divider – These are a great option for your puppy to grow into. Make sure you get the size that your dog WILL be when full grown and divide it to just enough space for your puppy to comfortably turn around, stand up and lay down. If your puppy bites on the wire kennel or begins to show signs it may injure itself, we would recommend a plastic airline kennel such as below.
Small Dog Plastic Crate – If you have a petite puppy, you may need to invest in a cat crate or petite crate to start to assist in your housebreaking journey.
Foldable Exercise Pen – Having an exercise pen is a great option as a secondary confinement option that allows your puppy to have some freedom, but also stay in sight. These pens can be extended out in a “straight line” and used as a barrier, or connected as a puppy play pen area. We only recommend using these while supervising your puppy and not as a kennel solution.
Baby Gate – While your puppy is still learning and needs to be watched, a baby gate may be a great temporary addition to your household so you can ensure your puppy can’t sneak away out of your sight.
If you live in an apartment or townhome:
Grass pads – For housebreaking, your puppy may not be able to hold it until you get all the way downstairs, or you may not have many grass options. Placing either a faux grass option such as this one on your outside patio OR even better, there are companies which specialize in shipping REAL grass pads to dog owners is a great temporary option until your puppy is old enough to hold it.
Leashes, Harnesses and Training Supplies
If you want to get a jumpstart on training your puppy, this is a list of our trainer approved equipment:
6 ft Flat Leash – We recommend to skip the retractable leashes and pick up a flat leash instead. This will provide you more safety and control while you walk and your puppy can drag the leash while supervised in the home as well while working on puppy manners and housebreaking.
Chain leash – If your puppy chews on the leash, you can try a chain leash as a temporary alternative. These tend to not be as fun to chew in the house for most puppies.
Easy Walk Harness – This harness is a trainer favorite! It attaches in the front, and when introduced correctly, can assist with pulling on the leash. We recommend double connecting it to the collar for extra safety.
Gentle Leader headcollar – This is not a typical recommendation for puppies, however if you are an owner who may have trouble physically controlling a puppy on a walk (back, leg or arm injury, elderly, etc.) introducing a gentle leader may be a great alternative for you. We highly recommend if you need this option, they have videos for you to watch on how to introduce, or one of our trainers would be happy to help in a private session.
50ft Long line – Long lines can be a great option when practicing, wait at the door, heel/following exercises, and come when called. The one attached is for larger breed dogs, you can find a long line for smaller breeds here.
Dog Bed – We recommend when picking out a dog bed, you get one that your puppy can grow into, or else you end up needing to replace it in a few months. This one has raised sides, is orthopedic and doesn’t slide around as easily.
Cot/Raised dog bed – If you have a breed of puppy that tends to get “hot” you may find they prefer a cooling cot or raised bed like this one.
Toys/Bones for Chewing, Playtime and Training
As your puppy is working through the “chewing” phase, toys we recommend delaying (for now) are stuffed animals, soft toys, tug toys, and rope toys. It can be tricky at this age for a puppy to understand the difference between your 5 year olds stuffed animal and their stuffed toy, or the edging of your fringe carpet versus a rope tug toy. For now, until they go 1 month of no chewing on inappropriate items, we have a list below of toys we love for puppies that help differentiate what they are allowed to chew on and not during the puppy phase. We recommend ALWAYS supervising your puppy when introducing a new toy to ensure it is the correct size, it doesn’t pose a choking risk (pieces don’t rip off) and your puppy doesn’t chew so hard that it could injure their teeth. If at any point you notice your puppy growling, showing teeth or snapping inappropriately at a given toy, we highly recommend you remove that toy from access and reach out to a behavior consultant/trainer.
Nylabone X-Shaped Teething Bone
Nylabone Power Chew Ring -Flavored
Nylabone Gourmet Chew Bone Flavored
Kong Squeaker Tennis Balls – We recommend keeping these particular squeaky balls “on reserve” for owner included playtime, training sessions, or fetch. That will keep these squeaky tennis balls nice and exciting.
Puzzle balls – Interactive puzzle balls are a great way to stimulate your puppy mentally and get them working for their treats or kibble.
Liki Mat – Puzzle mats are another great way to stimulate your puppy and get them working for treats. You can also place them into the kennel as additional positive reinforcement.
Grooming and Monthly Supplements
Every breed and puppy is different, and based on your puppy’s needs both for grooming and medical care such as monthly flea and heartworm treatment, we recommend asking your vet for these recommendations. Hypoallergenic shampoos are always a great way to go, and your vet will be able to point you in the right direction on the rest.
Now that you have the list..
If after reading through the above list, you would like more personalized assistance on housebreaking, chewing, play biting, or training equipment and techniques, we would be happy to help! Our puppy private in-home sessions are a great way to get more hands on tips and training. You can contact us here for more information.
