Preparing For A New Puppy

[wire]

WoooHoooo!!!! I am near getting my little puppy

Basically I want to buy everything I see but I think I need some guidance here before I break the bank!

Please help out guys, so far my list is:

1. A little pen enclosure for inside and out when I cannot keep a close eye on him.

2. Instead of a crate (in the enclosure) what about one of those foam dome shapped beds? They look so snuggly.

3. A baby blanket

4. A little rubber toy (or 20)

5. An appropriate puppy lead and harness

6. Those absorbent wee pads

7. Food, I will take instructions from the breeder

8. Dog grooming kit

9. Shampoo

10. Collar

Anything I've missed?

PS: This is a great site, everyone is so cool

[Kissindra]

WoooHoooo!!!! I am near getting my little puppy

Basically I want to buy everything I see but I think I need some guidance here before I break the bank!

Please help out guys, so far my list is:

1. A little pen enclosure for inside and out when I cannot keep a close eye on him.

2. Instead of a crate (in the enclosure) what about one of those foam dome shapped beds? They look so snuggly.

3. A baby blanket

4. A little rubber toy (or 20)

5. An appropriate puppy lead and harness

6. Those absorbent wee pads

7. Food, I will take instructions from the breeder

8. Dog grooming kit

9. Shampoo

10. Collar

Anything I've missed?

PS: This is a great site, everyone is so cool

hrm let's see!

Don't buy a pen from a pet store, bunnings has coated wire compost holders that are only $20 and make fine puppy pens with a tiny bit of tweaking, so that saves you a good $100 to put to more toys

Get at least two blankets so you have one while the other is being washed, you can get these cheaper at bargain stores.

Get a range of different toys rather than buying lots of similar things - a treat ball, kong, at least one soft toy, one squeaky toy, a ball, a rope bone, a hard wearing chew toy- I think that about covers it! Mind you there are lots of simple ways to make toys your pup will love. My pup used to have a ball with a pile of shredded paper and cardboard tubes that we'd coated inside with cream cheese or liver paste etc.

You SO don't need the wee pads, newspaper works fine.

Get some special cleaner for carpets if you have them, one that neutralizes the smell or your pup will keep weeing there, if you have hard floors get some laundry detergent that has enzymes to spot clean with.

It's a good idea to get one of those little engraved nametags made if your pup isn't already microchipped or registered, that way if he/she gets out your details are right on the collar and someone can call easily.

Avoid the extendable leads, some of them are longer than local regulations allow and it's better to have your pup close when you walk (once he/she is old enough that is)

Dome beds are nice and snuggly but the plastic ones tend to last longer and be easier to clean, we have one with a pillow in it for cushioning, when it starts to get dirty we wash the pillow cover and put the pillow in the sun then wipe down the plastic which is much easier than tring to hand wash the foam ones, they also tend to loose shape and take AGES to dry.

It's helpful to get at least one extra collar in the next size up so that when they grow out of the first one you've got another right there ready.

oooh! Food and water bowls! I believe that the stainless steel or ceramic ones are considered better than plastic, can't remember why!

[NoodleNut]

Stainless steel bowls ... the ones that are dropped into the black plastic (that are quite heavy and stay on the floor) are good as you can take the SS bit out and wash it without the whole bowl ... we wash ours in the dishwasher too ... dries quickley because it is just the insert not the wole bowl .. they are a bit more expensive though but a good investment.

Try one of the $2 ty shops for the little plastic type bed ... we got one for $8 and the biggest size was only $14 from memory ... saves a bit.

Rather than rugs we use old towels .. our breeder even suggested heading to a second hand shop for either old towels or blankets .. coming into winter the towels will dry quicker .. blankets are a bit of a pain.

Aussie Dog ball perhaps to add to the list (these are a bit expensive) but our pup loves it!! Teaches pup to have fun on their own too outside without detroying the garden

3 or four sets of toys (3 or 4 in each group) .. to rotate so pup does not get bored and look for 'other things' to do ... leave that to your immagination. Try to get toys classed ... play, seek and find (to look for their meal .,.. like a treat ball but filled with their lunch .. our pup couldn't cope with the Kongs at first so we used a football shaped toy with lots of holes in it .. stuffed that her food and froze it), chewing toys of different materials .. rope, rubber, the 'Petstages' toys I have found good with ours ... little like baby toys, bright coloured but fabric and hard bits to chew on) etc

Shampoo and conditioner

LOTS and LOTS of paper towel to clean up messes

Poo bags and more poo bags .. perhaps the 100% biodegradable ones so you can put them in your green rubbish.

Really decent pair of scissors (I spent a bit on ours as our pup has a thick coat) ... to cut the hair on the pads of their feet ... good to get them used to them from the start ... no point waiting until they are full grown.

Brush?

Lots of rice and some chicken fillet in the freezer incase pup has an upset tummy when you first get her - we fed what the breeder fed but she got an upset tummy probably just from being in different surrounding.

Collar and soft lead

Treat bag - good to start teaching sit for food, going outside before you get to puppy school.

[Baileys mum]

Oh how exciting! I just brought my new puppy home a week & a half ago

I looked at your list, & you might also want to look into worm/heartworm & flea preventive's. Check what your breeder has been using, I have actually just put some Advocate on my puppy yesterday. It's a monthly spot treatment, that does fleas, heatworm & all intestinal worms (except tape worm ) all in the one treatment. It's safe to use on a puppy after 7 weeks of age. But please check with your breeder or vet before making any descisions. :D

IMO I found the only way I could get my puppy to sleep, was when I put her in a crate in my bedroom. On the first night I thought the same as you, & put her bed, toys, puppy training pad, & water in her puppy pen in our family room. Well she cried so much that night, you would have thought someone was murdering her We never got one minute of sleep that night. On the second night we got our other dogs crate out of the garage, put her bed, 1 toy & some water in it, & put it in our bedroom. She whimperd for about 5 minutes & then went to sleep. We had to get up a couple of times during the night to take her to the toilet, but it was a much better night than the first night. She actually love's her crate now & I think she feels safe & secure in it. Being in our bedroom with us had helped too, because dogs like to be near their pack.

I still use her play pen during the day, its a great place to put her, when I can't watch her all the time. I agree about getting a good assortment of toys as puppies can get bored very easily.

Also buy a good book on training a puppy & look into puppy preschool.

MOST OF ALL get LOTS & LOTS of rest at the moment as puppies are full time work & you might not get a good sleep for a while It's all worth it in the end though. ;)

Last of all ENJOY YOUR PUPPY!

Good Luck! ;)

Nicole.

[wire]

Thanks guys, I'm off shopping

I'm just soooooooooo excited, I feel like a kid again

[NoodleNut]

Thanks guys, I'm off shopping

I'm just soooooooooo excited, I feel like a kid again

Have fun!!

You will have a ball! We love our pup to bits!! Definately worth all the hard work .. what you put in is what you get out so they say

I don't know if you are in the Eastern 'burbs of Melbourne but I got a couple of toys for out pup .. REDUCED from $15 - $17 down to $4.99 at the Pets Direct shop in Cantebury Road in Kilsyth...definately a saving and good quality toys that I bought too.

[Cockerlover]

Congratulation on your new baby!! fleecy blankets are best; they dry real quick ;as for toys dont by from the $2shops invest in good quality otherwise your pup will just shred them!forget about wee pads; good old clean newspaper works just as well ;you may want to buy a hottie for it; now the weather is getting cooler & wrap it well in towel ;so they cant chew it; for bed time as it will miss its litter mates ;& its something to snuggle up with ;good luck & enjoy ;what breed is it bye the way

[LostBoy]

I found newspapers seeped to the floor that you would need to mop the floor. I'm not too sure though, I guess each to their own.

With toys, I found my boy loves fluffy toys but won't play with the plastic ones or treat balls. Experiences taught me to see how your pup settles down and which toys he likes the best.

ETA, fleas & worm treatment products :D

I guess other members have pretty much covered it all. Another thing is to perhaps learning how to be patience and not to stress too much :D

NN thanks for the tip, I will surely buy my next toys from that shop.

Edited April 7, 2008 by LostBoy

[jr_inoz]

I am bringing my puppy home on friday night (two more days to go...)

This thread has been great, but i also need some advice.

I live in a little townhouse (bedrooms upstairs, living areas downstairs) and a small but nice backyard for puppy to play in that i have made secure (cant see anything she can get into trouble with).

I am hoping to begin the way i plan to continue and so am planning on having her crate downstairs (Inside) with perhaps a little pen around it as well. My problem is that with me sleeping upstairs, i dont think i will hear her if she needs to go outside. Should i keep the crate door open when i put her to bed (inside the pen) in case i dont hear her? I dont mind cleaning up 'mistakes' if i dont get her out quickly enough. I've also been thinking about making the 'pet-loo' that i've seen on another thread.

I bought a cushion/bed for her crate. do i need to put anything else in there with it? She has an outside shelter/kennel too for when she is outside.

Have bought bowls, collars, leads, toys, brushes, comb (a sheltie, she will need it). Someone gave me puppy training pads they had used with their dog.

My other big question is what should i do when i first bring her home? I am figuring letting her have a big sniff around the house and a play and just get used to new surroundings. Supper. Anything else that people think i should do to make it less stressful for her?

Very excited right now. Been waiting for the right puppy for almost two years! Finally here.

Any advice, help, recommendations of great crate training websites etc will be appreciated.

[Justchillin]

I have found a few interesting things on youtube about training, I like visuals over text. I would go to your local vet and find out about puppy preschool where a big bonus is dog socialisation.

Umm what did I do... that's right took a week off work and kept an eye on her lol. As she got bigger I was lucky in my job at the time I would call in and have lunch and check on her, I was really paranoid about someone steeling her but that's just me I get very over protective.

I rushed in and brought a heap of things and wish I had of waited a bit and looked into things a bit more but yeah I got caught up in the excitement of a new addition and at the time I thought I was doing/ buying the right things. I guess one thing was buying cheap plastic dog toys, I found out later some types of cheap plastic are bad for dogs. I brought a harness for her and she didn't really like it, we brought ya basic dog collar and lead which she found much better and didn't really pull like I thought she would. I spent like $30 on the original lead to pair with the harness but after a while I realised it was too short, so I brought a longer one.

Just keep it simple I guess, large bowls of fresh water (one inside and out), some decent dog biscuts to chew on through the day and dinner at night including things like: chicken wings, necks, minced carcus, eggs, raw meat, bones etc. Somewhere warm to sleep, a few decent chewing toys ( tires with rope are good for tug of war), teaching some basics for now and being consistant, love and attention

I bet you can't wait, I can feel your excitment through your email :D

Look forward to seeing some photos

Ben

[Guest Splodge]

Oh wow, makes me want a puppy now!!!

[Luke W]

I am bringing my puppy home on friday night (two more days to go...)

This thread has been great, but i also need some advice.

I live in a little townhouse (bedrooms upstairs, living areas downstairs) and a small but nice backyard for puppy to play in that i have made secure (cant see anything she can get into trouble with).

I am hoping to begin the way i plan to continue and so am planning on having her crate downstairs (Inside) with perhaps a little pen around it as well. My problem is that with me sleeping upstairs, i dont think i will hear her if she needs to go outside. Should i keep the crate door open when i put her to bed (inside the pen) in case i dont hear her? I dont mind cleaning up 'mistakes' if i dont get her out quickly enough. I've also been thinking about making the 'pet-loo' that i've seen on another thread.

I bought a cushion/bed for her crate. do i need to put anything else in there with it? She has an outside shelter/kennel too for when she is outside.

Have bought bowls, collars, leads, toys, brushes, comb (a sheltie, she will need it). Someone gave me puppy training pads they had used with their dog.

My other big question is what should i do when i first bring her home? I am figuring letting her have a big sniff around the house and a play and just get used to new surroundings. Supper. Anything else that people think i should do to make it less stressful for her?

Very excited right now. Been waiting for the right puppy for almost two years! Finally here.

Any advice, help, recommendations of great crate training websites etc will be appreciated.

Download and read this:

http://www.siriuspup.com/beforebook.html

When I first brought my pup home - I started with crate training. He still spends most of his day inside his pen. His pen has an airline carrier inside and he loves it in there. I leave his carrier open during the night and when I'm not home (long term confinement) in case he does need to go to the toilet and alternate periods of carrier open and carrier closed when I am home (which is most of the time).

He got small supervised periods of access to the house. Then back in his crate.

If you pup is anything like mine - you'll hear him when he wants to go outside.

I lined my pen with plastic sheeting - it's easy to clean and cheap. I started with newspaper - but he likes to tear it to shreds.

I leave mine with various toys in his pen and carrier - kongs, ropes, treat balls, hide chews.

Oh you'll need some treats - dried liver, cheese, etc...especially for toilet training.

Nail clippers - get puppy used to them.

Shampoo for bath time (start early and often). A hair drier if you don't already own one.

Congratulations!!!!!!

[Papi_Searcher]

This is ALL very interesting I am looking at adopting shortly and am keen to find out what others think is best practice as I will be at work ALL day and want to make sure puppy is ok at home by himself ALLDAY. We have 2 cats so I am thinking it might be safer to lock puppy in a room away from them. It's all very confusing with toileting - belly bands, training pads and going outside - enough to confuse any puppy - let alone the owner!