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Supplies for Your New Puppies

Your new puppy is going to need supplies! Taking on a puppy is a big responsibility and you need to be sure to have the right equipment to handle it. When you get your first puppy, don’t forget to get your puppy the following items:

1. Food and water dish. The first thing that puppy is going to want when he/she gets to your house is water! After that, probably food. Feeding and watering your puppy are going to become high priorities are your daily to do list. Make sure you check on them frequently.
2. A crate or soft bed. Your little puppy is going to need somewhere to sleep at night - somewhere where the puppy can feel safe, comfortable, and at home. Your puppy will quickly accept this new place as his/her very own home and seek it during times of high stress or when he/she gets tired.
3. Tick and flea products. Not all climates have fleas and ticks. If you are at a higher elevation, fleas cannot survive in your local neighborhood, but ticks are still possible. However, most climates will have fleas. To protect your puppy from these little parasites, try drops and/or a flea/tick collar. The collars are very useful if your puppy is going to live outside a lot.
4. A travel cage or pet carrier. It is best to have a special item in which to carry your puppy. Remember that he/she is going to need several vet visits over the next few months and it is better to have your puppy in a carrier when driving to and from the vet as well as while sitting in the vet - having your young puppy on a leash and not in a carrier increases his/her risk of illness and/or injury through encounters with strange other animals. As your puppy gets older and builds up a stronger immune system, this is not as big of a worry.
5. Dog bath products (shampoo), toe nail clippers, and a brush. This will allow you to keep your puppy looking and smelling his/her best every day. Be careful when you clip a dog’s nails. You do not want to cut too deeply or close to the “quick” as this will cause the dog to bleed. Puppies with thicker hair will need more frequent brushing than shorter hair dogs.
6. CHEW TOYS!!!! Your puppy NEEDS to chew things! He/she just can’t help it. There is nothing your puppy can do to stop his/her own instinctual need to grab on to something with both jaws and just chew at it. Part of this is because your puppy is going to shed puppy teeth and grow into his/her adult teeth. Make sure you get things that are particularly good for chewing - it’s good for the teeth and it’s good for your shoes!
7. Toys and treats. Toys such as rubber balls, rubber bones, rope toys, stuffed animals, and other toys will keep your puppy happy! The puppy will get a chance to really play, satisfying his/her need to socialize, play, and practice his/her instinctive need to pounce, chase, attack, chew, and tug. Treats can be used as rewards for good behavior. When your puppy sits properly at the command “Sit,” give him/her a treat. You’ll give more treats out during the early parts of training, and less later on as the puppy starts to learn better. It makes the treats just that much more of a reward of the puppy has to really do something good in order to get them. However, don’t feel adverse to just rewarding your puppy now and again… just because he/she was oh so cute just now. Treats are a much better item for your puppy than table scraps - don’t let him/her get into THAT bad habit!