I am down to just under 5 weeks until I get to pick up my new puppy! I cannot wait. I am trying to think of what I need for the puppy though. I could use some help deciding if I am missing anything Crate - We have this already Food - Breeder should be sending us home with a bag of dog food so I will have time to get more when this runs out. Bowls - We have our old dog's stainless steel food bowl and we have a water bowl we use for the current dog/cat. They all just share water. Dog bed Kong - I bought 2 black ones already. Size large Stuffed animal toys Collar - I'll probably buy a new one but I have a red puppy collar from my current lab. Leashes - we have enough of these Harness - I'll wait on this until I see how the puppy is when I can take him/her out for a walk. Tug Toys Chew bones So I am thinking all I really need is maybe a little pad for the crate so the dog has a soft spot to lay down, a full size dog bed, and some toys. Is there anything that I am missing?
Re: Puppy Supplies How exciting! A good puppy book, unless you already have one. I think you need small puppy kongs, rather than large ones. I'd also get a harness. Your pup won't know how to walk on a lead, so if you plan to take him out before you have trained him, a harness is best. Unless, of course, you plan to have him off lead (which is best, anyway).
Re: Puppy Supplies I was also going to say get smaller Kongs, puppy sized ones to begin with. I bought a black one for adult dog and never used it, so gave it away, they were still happy with the smaller ones!
Re: Puppy Supplies Agree on the Kongs, Kenzi uses medium ones at 8months still, although she only really started liking the Kongs from around 4months. in terms of toys you seem to be covered, mine also liked and still likes empty plastic water bottles to play with, mainly the noise but she liked chasing after them etc. cardboard boxes which sometimes hid treats in, I have a massive cardboard box that has paper and bottles in that I sometimes throw treats in for her to hunt for... the rest you may already have them but I also had; Pee cleaning solution - like simple solution Plenty of Kitchen roll (I lost count of how many rolls I went through the first few weeks) Poo bags dog brush I also got toothpaste and a little brush and started her the first week by rubbing toothpaste on her teeth which was maybe a little buts considering they were like razors but i wanted her to get used to teeth brushing from the start (same with the grooming and puppy brush). I also used plaque off with her teeth but only started adding that to her food at about 4months. I got a stair gate so she was limited to downstairs, it helped keep an eye on her at the start when watching for toilet accidents.
Re: Puppy Supplies Thanks. I'll pick up a smaller kong I guess. Is the medium puppy one a good size? My current lab never really liked the kong that much. I've already got a brush, poop bags, lots of paper towels, baby gates. I was thinking of buying a book, but I've raised 1 lab already and I find I buy books and then dont read them. So I'm thinking it could be a waste of money. It seems you can really Google everything you need to know anyways, right? I might still do it, i just dont want it to be a waste of $10. I do have the "Labrador Retrievers for Dummies" book and I am a Kindle Unlimited member on Amazon, so there are some puppy books you can read for free with that.
Re: Puppy Supplies I like books, and I read them. Obviously, if you don't read them, yes, it would be a waste of money. I think I bought medium puppy kongs...memory fades...
Re: Puppy Supplies Oh, I like books too. And I read alot of them. Except not these type of "how-to" books. I'm much more likely to either google what I need to know, or find a forum like here and ask advice. So I might look thru a "how to raise a puppy" book, but I feel like they will just be filled with lots of stuff that I either A) Already know or b) could have searched online and got the answer for free.
Re: Puppy Supplies Yeah definately the medium puppy kong, I bought the small and it was too small. Also I can highly recommend a product called 'Urine Off'. It is the only substance on the market that will remove the smell of urine so the puppy cannot smell it. It has a great smell aswell, I have used it on my cream thick carpet and it's great. It organically breaks down the urine, it is not harmful to any animals. I normally just give it a quick going over with vanish. You can use it on hard floors. I only bought this about five years ago as we had a stray cat spraying in our house which upset my cats and stank! I tried everything and was getting upset until I found this. You can buy it on Amazon....make sure you have some in otherwise the pup will smell where he went before and will potentially pee there again, oh and they use it in hospitals too.
Re: Puppy Supplies My friend had given me bitter apple taste detergent spray for dogs And it's marvellous! No chewing kitchen chairs or radiator now ! Also try to find your sense of humour though lack of sleep button !
Re: Puppy Supplies Ok, adding Urine Off and Bitter Apple to my list of things to get! I have mostly hardwood floors on my lower level. But there are some wool rugs as well.
