Must haves for your first puppy

So you decided to expand your family and get a puppy! Congratulations, how exciting!

You're probably feeling equal excitement and nerves at the same time, will you be a good dog mom/dad/brother/sister?

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Here are some must haves so your puppy can adjust well to a new home:

1) Collar & Identification

Your puppy is going to need identification, we got ours at Petco, they have a self service machine where you just choose the tag you want and enter in the name and phone number.

For collar, rule of thumb is you should be able to fit two fingers between the collar and puppy's neck. Would suggest getting a collar with a buckle for easy clip on and clip off and an adjustable strap since your puppy will be growing quickly.

2) Crate

Crates are important to help with house training and establishing boundaries. When we first got our puppy, having a crate helped regulate his sleeping schedule and when he wanted some privacy.

3) Bed

While your puppy is in house training mode, you'll want your puppy to sleep in the crate so make sure its comfy with pillows and blankets.

Beds are fun to pick out after your puppy matures and is house trained because it's basically another piece of decor.

4) Leash

We got two leashes, one that is retractable for everyday use and one that is a long nylon strap for when we're hiking or at a park and want to let him roam free.

Be careful with the retractable ones since its usually a thinner more wire like material and can easily cut your hands or legs. That's why we like using the nylon strap one when we're at a park and running is involved.

5) Food/Water bowl

We picked up set with two stainless steels bowls (left for food and right for water)

It's important not to mix the bowls, keep a consistency for what bowl is used for what.

While there are many options such as ceramic, plastic, stainless steel, we opted for stainless steel because it's super easy to clean and durable.

6) Food & Treats

When starting out, it might be good to get the same food that your puppy was used to eating in the previous home or store and slowly mix in new food. Keep note of what you puppy likes or dislikes and make sure to read the ingredients on the back.

For our puppy, he doesn't like lamb, he sniffed the lamb kibble and basically opted to starve himself than eat.

It's good to also note any allergic reactions or skin rashes from food at this time. For instance, our dog cannot have chicken so we are conscious of that when picking out new foods/treats.

It's good to have dental bone treats to keep your dog's breath fresh, clean, and not build up plague.

7) Toys

Depending on your dog, they might go through a chewing phase so make sure to have plenty of toys ready before your couch ends up chewed up.

We also like a kong toy to put in kibble mixed with peanut butter.

8) Grooming supplies

Don't forget about the shampoo, nail clippers, and brushes. While your dog will groom itself regularly, your puppy will need help trimming his or her nails and a proper shower.

Keep note of the ingredients in the shampoo and conditioner as well for any allergic skin reactions

Hope these tips helped!

-ari

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If interested, please follow along Lele (my dog) for his adventures