When you are bringing a new puppy home for the first time, it can be very exciting. There are some things that you should be sure to have ready, in preparation for the new addition to the family. When you’re having a baby, you tend to get clothes, diapers, toys, a crib, and other related things sometimes well in advance of the baby’s birthday.
When you’re getting a puppy, if you have any knowledge of when you’re going to get one, be sure to put these things on your list. Many of these items are things you’ll only need to buy once or twice, but they’re all good to have.
This is food designed specifically for puppies. The same is actually true for baby Guinea Pigs. Oxbow makes a special blend of food for “Young Guinea Pigs” that contains the nutrients that they need. Puppy food is higher in calories, and puppies need more protein than adult dogs because of the high level of energy and how quickly they grow.
Training Treats
You’re going to want to train your puppy from the first day that they’re in your home. Treats are a fantastic way to help your puppy learn to behave properly.
Food and Water Dishes
This seems obvious, but sometimes the most obvious things are the most easily missed. Getting food and water dishes, and putting them where the puppy can expect to find them, is very important.
Crate
Crate training can be helpful for a number of reasons, and it gives your puppy their own place to call their own. They will have a place that they can sleep at night, and feel safe. If you have a puppy that will grow to a very large size, you might consider starting with a smaller one, but plan on replacing it with a bigger one as the puppy grows.
Puppy Housetraining Pads
Teaching your puppy about where to potty is very important. These are especially good for those with small dogs. I wouldn’t suggest using these with bigger breeds.
Get at least two sets of bedding for your puppy. You’ll appreciate having more, for wash cycles. I recommend getting different colors or patterns. It helps you to keep track of what you’ve washed and what is clean, etc. It’s also more interesting for your puppy. We use a similar system for our guinea pig cages, with fleece for the bedding. It was hilarious when we changed the bedding on a couple of baby guinea pigs for the first time. When they returned to their cage, the color was so different they were scared of leaving the pocket at first. But then they realized that it was home and ran around excitedly.
Dog Gate(s)
Have any part of your house that is off limits to your puppy? Dog gates are a good way to set a boundary, so that they know where they cannot enter. Oftentimes I see these where people have a carpeted area that they’d like to keep clean for an event or just in general. The dog would then stay in an area that is either wood or other types of flooring. Sometimes these gates are temporary, as the puppy learns where they can and cannot lay down, such as a couch or chair.
If the puppy somehow manages to get out of your house, and go off on its’ own, a collar with some form of identification attached is always a good idea. Plus, you can easily attach a lead to most collars. As the puppy grows, you may find yourself in need of new ones. You don’t want to accidentally squeeze the puppy’s neck with a collar that becomes too small.
Leashes are very important for the safety of your puppy. Many places require you to have a leash that is no longer than six feet. For highly populated areas, a four foot leash can be very useful. Leashes also provide a way to restrain your dog if someone is fearful of dogs. For training, a longer leash can be useful for teaching distance commands. Leashes are also a simple and effective way to keep your dog under control during training sessions. They are essential for your puppies and convenient for your dogs.
Get at least five or six safe chew toys. The more the better, because toys can be rotated. Some toys even have mechanisms that release a treat every so often, rewarding a dog for playing with this particular toy. That can be very helpful to keep a dog occupied with the toy, rather than tearing up the furniture.
For grooming your puppy you’ll find that you use a brush pretty often, but if you have a puppy with longer fur, you’ll also want to get a comb. And there are a lot of various combs these days, which can make things a bit more complicated. Having a comb is better than not having one at all, so do some research, but even a simple sturdy metal comb to get started is better than nothing.
Puppies have very soft skin, so the shampoo you’ll use for them is different than what you’d use for an older dog. Get a shampoo made for sensitive skin, that is also “tear free.”
Dog Nail Trimmer
Get a good quality dog nail trimmer. Don’t buy cheap clippers. The quality ones are not that much higher in cost than the cheap ones, and your puppy will thank you for using them. Plus, they won’t break as quickly as the cheap ones.