We have items in our store that we have found helpful. You can find our favorites here: store.
- A Crate - It will need to be long enough for your puppy to stand up and turn around easily. The width and height dimensions change with each manufacturer. Plastic or wire crates are fine.
- A Blanket for the Crate - A soft blanket like a polar fleece blanket is best. But an old blanket or quilt works well too. Fold the polar fleece in half or quarters, if the puppy happens to have an accident, the moisture will be wicked away, but the blanket will still be dry on the top layer. These also wash and dry well. Don't feel like you have to spend a lot of money on your puppy on a fancy bed. The puppy can't read price tags. We send our puppies home with a blanket that smells like us.
- Food & Water Bowls - Some puppies like to chew on the bowls, some love to play with them. Ceramic style bowls seem to be harder to pick up for the puppy and the metal ones seem to be able to take a beating, and plastic ones seem to keep their scratches and that can make them hard to clean, so it's up to you to decide which is best for you! Separate bowls for food and water are better for crating purposes, because you can remove the food bowl, but still be able to supply puppy with fresh water.
- Nail Clippers - There are many kinds of clippers out there. The scissor-style clipper is useful for novice trimmer because it has a guard to ensure that you don't clip too much.
- Toys - Kongs are wonderful to hide treats in!
- Pet Emergency Kit this includes: a. Your puppy health card b. Pet Reference Sheet c. First Aid Kit Items
- Puppy Collar & Leash & I. D. with your phone number on it. You can get a Pet Driver's License This is a fun way to identify your puppy! This company has made Pet Identification Cards to look like Driver's Licenses for Canadian provinces/territories and American states. This does not take the place of a city license but, it a great conversation piece at the dog park. You get 1 dog tag and 3 key chain tags in one order. Check them out here: www.mypetdmv.com/canada-pet-drivers-license-tags/
- Puppy Treats for training - dry kibble works well, as well as cheese chunks.
- Food
- White vinegar to wash up "accidents" up.
- Dog Brush
- Baby gates can be helpful to confine your puppy to areas that are safe and OUT of areas that are not puppy-proofed.
- Chew toys, you will want this when they are in the teething stage.
- A vet - you may want to interview your local vets to see which one you feel most comfortable with.
- Obedience Classes - You may want to give us the opportunity to train your puppy or you may want to have that joy yourself. Either way, training and obedience is a key factor in enjoying puppy! Jordan Fines, an accomplished dog trainer that has had her dogs on such features as "Snow Buddies", "Air Buddies" and a live stage production of "The Wizard of Oz" suggests to get your puppy into classes as early as 10 -16 weeks old. (once their full compliment of shots have been done) For more puppy tips, check out Jordan Fines Puppy Training Tips.