Puppy Essentials

What are the most essential things to have when you bring a new puppy home? 

• Crate

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There are some controversies around crate training, but there is no better way to potty train and keep your dog safe than using a crate that is the right size and properly associated with your dog. Crates should never be used as a punishment. They need to be positively associated as a place of safety, comfort, and rest. Find a crate that is the proper size for your dog, durable enough to keep them safe when you’re gone, and then train them properly. 

Examples of different kinds of crates: 

1. Wire Crate

   1. Pros: Collapsable, well ventilated, easy to get in and out of

   2. Cons: can be destroyed by heavy chewers

2. Plastic or Metal Solid Crates

   1. Pros: sturdy and good for escape artists

   2. Cons: Bulky and hard to move

3. Soft/fabric crates

   1. Pros: Lightweight and easy to transport

   2. Cons: Easy to destroy/chew up

• Healthy Food

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Finding the right food for your dog is absolutely essential. Do your research before you bring home your dog, talk to your vet about the most healthy choices, and make a decision that will benefit both your budget and your dog. There is no reason to feed your dog garbage food, there is high-quality food at various prices that can fit into a family’s budget. 

Brands that we like: Purina ProPlan, Victor, Taste of the Wild, Kirkland 

• A Good Leash

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Throw out your retractable leash. They’re garbage. You need a good, sturdy fixed leash. We typically recommend the length be between 4-6 feet long, depending on your height and the size of your dog. Our personal favorites are biothane leashes. They’re easy to clean, they don’t fade, they don’t tear, they don’t rip, they don’t stain. A good leash will keep your dog safe and help you control and train them.

• Feeding, water, and exercise schedule

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A puppy doesn’t need to be getting up every two hours during the night to go to the bathroom. If you put them on a feeding schedule you can train your puppy’s body to not need to use the bathroom during the night. It’s not magic, it’s biology. Making sure that the last bit of food your dog has is several hours before bedtime makes sure that they’ll be completely empty when it’s time to sleep. Your dog doesn’t need to be drinking water all hours of the day. If you have a schedule, you can anticipate when your dog will need to eliminate waste and plan your day around when you know they will need to go to the bathroom. 

Example: The average dog digests their food in about 9 to 11 hours. So if I feed my dog at 6pm, they’ll have to poop at 5am. If the last time they got water was 5pm and they urinate at 10pm, there will be nothing to hold in their bowels because they’ll be empty. 

• Toys

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Good toys are vital. We don’t generally like plush toys, it’s too easy for a dog to swallow stuffing and need to go to the emergency room. Toys need to be safe for your dog to chew. Get some high quality toys that are catered to what your puppy enjoys doing (tug, fetch, sit and chew, etc.) 

Once you have your dog’s toys, don’t leave them out all the time. If your dog always has access to all of their toys, they’ll lose their value and your furniture will start looking more appealing. When you give them a toy, let them play with it until they lose interest, and then immediately take it away when they’re done. Keep them valuable.

People will try to tell you that you need all sorts of fancy gadgets when you bring a new puppy home, but all that other stuff is fluff. These are the essentials. As long as you have these five things, then you and your puppy will be just fine.