What do I need for my new puppy?

[Serenity Now]

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Edited by Serenity Now - 1/1/11 at 9:57pm

[blessedwithboys]

if cost is not an issues, i would say register for puppy socialization and obedience classes. and i would invest in raw food, either commercial or homemade.

i also would buy a buttload of cute clothes and blingy collars. heehee

[Serenity Now]

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Edited by Serenity Now - 1/1/11 at 9:57pm

[lonegirl]

I would get pet insurance....they usually have levels...as a pup/young dog I would get emergency type as diseases don't hit until later usually.

A good crate for crate training (enough room to stand, turn around and lie down in)
A good quality puppy food and treats
Bowls (stainless steel or ceramic are best)
A bed
Toys (Kongs are great and come in a variety of sizes)
A collar/harness/gentle leader
lead
A good vet
Once you get the pup:
Puppy well visit and vaccines (8, 12 and 16 weeks) as well as dewormer (many pups have intestinal parasites...transmitted from mom) flea/heartworm preventive (wont need heartworm test until the following year)
Licence
Microchip (highly recommend)
Trainer-puppy classes

[greenmagick]

Before and After You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar is IMO one of the best resources there is. It covers pretty much everything!

And is available for free

Before
After

I have had dogs my whole life but when getting my last one I went into full research mode and read everything about dog behavior I could get my hands on and I feel it really helped...especially recommend Suzanne Clothier, Patricia McConnell, and Karen Pryor

I would also look at different vaccine protocols and talk to different vets about what they feel comfortable with. Many pets are WAY overvaccinated. Dr Dodds has a lot of info and a schedule many people like.
Otherwise I think everyone covered the physical stuff pretty well

[Oubliette8]

Food
Water bowl
Food bowl
Crate
Toddler gates
leash
collar
Harness- its safer for small breeds to be walked on a harness- pressure on their necks can cause throat and eye issues
Enzymatic cleaner spray (Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution)
An anti chewing spray, like Fooey or Bitter Apple
Dog bed
Grooming supplies-even if the dog needs minimal grooming, or if its coat isn't long enough to need much care yet, getting used to grooming is easiest if you start young and regularly this includes-
-Appropriate brushes/combs
-nail trimmers
-Kwik Stop
-ear cleaning solution (use after baths and swimming to prevent ear infections)
-shampoo

Car harness, unless you intend to always use a crate
Dog tags
A vet picked out, and emergency info- ie, Vet's emergency number, emergency clinic number and location, and animal poison control contact
Treats! Look for small training treats, soft ones that break easily are best for training popular ones include-
-Zuke's training Treats (you cant cut these into quarters for training sessions)
-Cloud star Soft Treats (the ginger bread men break into smaller pieces easily
- Freeze dried liver treats
-Wellness or Evanger's soft treats (tear one treat into even smaller portions)
-People food that keeps well and can be easily broken into small bits- my dog works for string cheese, but some people use shredded chicken, liver etc

A food picked out if you haven't already. Decide if you want to feed raw, kibble etc, and then learn about that option and pick some high quality options- ie, if you're feeding kibble, figure out what you want in a high-quality kibble and then pick a few brands that meet your requirements, just in case the first one or two don't agree with your pup.

Also, a few weeks worth of whatever the breeder has been feeding- I'd keep them on it for the first week or two until they get settled in, then gradually switch them over to your chosen food

Knowledge about vaccines- what you want to give and when. Small breed puppies can be prone to vaccine reactions, so limiting it to what you think is critical, and then taking precautions is a good idea. This site is a good intro- http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf
If you want to go more limited you might look into Jean Dodds

A vet appt within a day or two of the pups arrival. At this time, be sure to ask about flea and tick meds, and heartworm protection recommendations for your area

For training classes, be sure to talk to the trainer and ask to observe a current class. You want to make sure you agree with the instruction methods and atmosphere.

Toys!
To start I reccomend-
A kong- can be filled with peanut butter and other goodies to keep them occupied, if you want to get creative, google "kong recipes"

A ball
A toy that squeaks (I recommended JW Pet, they are rubber and hold up well, most toys that squeak meet quick ends)
A soft toy
A rope toy
toys for chewing- a puppy nylabone (for some reason the brown puppy ones seem to appeal to dogs more than the others), a sterilized bone (can also be filled with peanut butter), a rubber toy

That gives you a basic variety so you can figure out your puppies interests. Once he shows preference for one sort of toy or another, you'll have a better idea of what to buy in the future.

Also, treat dispensing toys can be nice to keep them busy.

Finally, chews. I do NOT recommend rawhide, it is often chemically treated and it can cause intestinal obstruction. Make sure you always supervise your dog with edible chews. However they are nice for puppies because they keep them busy and chewing something appropriate. I like-
Sweet Potato Chews- these digest well, the rock hard ones are best and last longest
Carrots work well in a pinch
Zuke's Z Ridge Bones (carrot flavor is most popular with dogs)
Cow tails, tracheas, etc
If you can find them- Himalayan Dog Chews- last a long time
Some dogs also really love Antlerz

Make sure you always give an appropriate size chew to your dog- giving too small a chew can cause issues if he swallows it whole.

Oh! I forgot-
pooper scooper if you have a yard
plastic doggie bags, or a good collection of old plastic bags (newspaper sleeves work well- just look out for holes!)

[da-tamsta]

I love these lists. Did you mention little dog? Maybe pee-pee pads for potty training or start collecting newspapers.

Also a couple old towels to put in the bottom of the crate. and a bowl that holds water for the inside fo the crate. They hook to the side of the crate.

BTW, it sounds like a pain, but crate training was the best thing I did for my cocker spaniel. It is her safe zone now. Kids are never ever allowed to go in/touch her while she is in there.

Make sure to designate safe zones for the dog and inforce them. (We have 3 for our dogs...top of couch, crate, dog beds...if they are in any of these places we do not touch or bug them anywhere else is fair game!)

[Serenity Now]

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Edited by Serenity Now - 1/1/11 at 9:57pm

[boobyfeeder]

Piggybacking on this thread, since we are getting a puppy soon as well. I read on dogstardaily.com about only feeding a puppy kibble in a Kong toy in the beginning. Has anyone used this method? The breeder has been feeding the pups out of one big bowl.

[Oubliette8]

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

Thanks for the lists! It's very helpful.

What kind/brand of crate do you recommend? Hard or soft?

I also want to get an ex pen (I think that's what it's called, it's a playpen for dogs) while the puppy is still new until I feel like it's safe for him or her to roam about the house.

Definitely a hard crate- either solid plastic or wire. Soft crates are sometimes an ok choice for an already crate trained dog, or under supervision (say, ringside at a dog show) but NOT for a puppy. They do not hold up well to chewing, scratching, soiling etc. A bored puppy could easily chew or scratch its way out, and the idea is to have a safe place to leave the puppy when its not supervised. Also, puppies normally have some accidents in their crates and a soft crate would be a big pain to clean properly.

As far as an expen, what about a puppy proofed room? Many people puppyproof the laundry room, mud room, or kitchen. You can put a toddler gate in the door to keep him in- the kind with only vertical bars are almost impossible for them to climb.