Before you bring your puppy home, be sure you have the following supplies:
If you get no other puppy supplies beforehand, be sure you have some food! We feed Costco puppy food in the yellow bag. If you find your puppy is not wanting to eat when you get it home, that’s very normal. So much is going on! Puppies love their food a bit moistened with a spoonful of canned high quality puppy food. If you have a small puppy s/he will still be eating moistened food with a little canned food to insure s/he are eating well and not losing weight and also will have dry kibble available.
If you change your food, the change should take about 4 or days and this will avoid any upset tummies. Begin by mixing 75% of the Costco kibble w/25% of the new food. Over 4 or 5 days, lower the amount of Costco kibble and increase the amount of new food. We do not recommend a change in diet until you’ve had your puppy for a few weeks. This will be one less stressful situation when you first bring him home.
Stainless Steel or Ceramic work best. Easy to clean and puppy chew proof. Look for ones with the rubber around the edges. Less likely to tip over. Plastic food/water bowls are no good, they harbor bacteria.
A flat cloth collar that will fit with about 2 inches of room to spare. I recommend a 6″ to 10″ collar. If your puppy is on the small side you may want to consider buying a cat collar.
A short leash, usually 6 feet.
We would suggest a crate made of plastic so that your puppy does not get his legs, paws nor his/her mouth stuck in the wires of wire cages. When s/he is older you may change to a wire cage/crate if you wish. The crate will serve as a “den” and your puppy will grow to love it and feel comforted by being inside it although not for longer than 4 hours or so at a time. I get my wire crates at Ross Dress for Less or T.J. Maxx. They often have one or two in their pet aisle, and much less expensive for the same crate you get at a pet store. They have other well priced dog items. Supervise your puppy with toys that contain squeakers and/or strings of any kind, even if braided. If torn apart and swallowed they can cause bowel obstructions that can seriously/fatally injure your puppy.
Bedding for the crate, something easily washable. You can start out with old towels or old t-shirts you have with your scent on them for comfort. We will also give you a scent blankie and/or toy as a transitional object for your puppy. It will have his mama’s and littermate’s scent on it. Don’t wash it until you absolutely can’t stand it anymore.
A way to confine the puppy while it is in your vehicle. A seat belt safety harness or it can be its crate, if the crate fits in the back. There are hard sided crates used for airline transportation that work well in vehicles. As well, you can find a soft sided crate that works well, too. We suggest getting a medium sized crate so you will not have to purchase another when your puppy is an adult.
A puppy Kong, a Nylabone, and maybe a few other toys. Be sure the toys don’t have buttons are other things that could be a hazard if the puppy chews the toy to shreds.
If you want to use rawhide bones, only get good quality ones and only let the puppy have them when someone is watching. I use the tiny twisted ones with no dye or flavor from Petco, made in the USA. 50 for $10.99.
If you want to feed treats, we just give them little bites of fresh chicken or just a piece of kibble at a time. Do a little research and experiment if you like, but too many treats can cause loose stools. Please no milkbones or begging strips.
A gentle one good for puppies. I suggest Oatmeal Shampoo and Conditioner. If you have fleas, use Blue Dawn Dish Soap. It will instantly kill fleas on dogs. It does not kill the larvae or eggs or so you will need to repeat in a few days. Follow up with your conditioner to be sure all the soap residue is out of the hair and off the skin of your dog. It will also prevent the skin from drying out….keeping it moist and reduce itching dry skin can cause.
nail clipper, dog brush and greyhound comb. A comb is best so you will be all the down to the skin. Be sure to comb and brush your dog. I recommend a Scalpmaster brush and a Greyhound Comb.
If you are squeamish about clipping your dogs nails, ask your groomer to be sure the nails are cut each time they are groomed. Also, your vet will be happy to clip toe nails when you take your puppy for a vet visit.
One or more ways to clean up the poop that your puppy will producing regularly. If you will be walking your puppy in neighborhoods,you can use a little waist pack and some plastic bags from the grocery store (my habit when I am in a city) or cheap sandwich bags. Place one over your hand, pick up the mess and turn the bag inside out over the mess and close up the bag. Also, for yard use, a long-handled pooper scooper is very useful.
Some kind of flea control product approved for puppies if you live in a flea-ridden area and it’s flea season. Ask your veterinarian about monthly flea preventative. I have found the best monthly flea treatment is a once a month pill called “Comfortis”. It is less expensive thru 1-800-Pet-Med and most vets will let you have a script to buy from them or match their price. The best shampoo for killing fleas is the original blue Dawn dish soap. It will kill the fleas currently on your dog. You will have to repeat the bath every week for about a month as it will not kill the larvae or eggs. Follow up w/Pantene Conditioner. Rub a small amount on your hands and through the coat. This will remove all soap residue from the skin so no scratching.
