Shopping List for a New Puppy
They'll be one-time and ongoing expenditures. Of course you can buy more toys and an entire clothing wardrobe if you want, but this will get you started.
Bed|Bowls|Brush|Carrier|Collar|Crate|Food|Harness and Leash|Health|
Poop Bags|Shampoo|Stain and Odor |ToysAlso Take a look at our 99-cent Puppy Care series:
Before You Get a Puppy: Learn how to select
a healthy puppy and where to find one. Understand
pedigrees, health certifications, registrations.
Kindle.com or Smashwords.comPuppy's First Year: What to Expect Month by Month
Kindle.com or Smashwords.comPuppy Caregivers: How to Pick Them
Kindle.com or Smashwords.comA to Z: 25 Common Puppy Problems
Kindle.com or Smashwords.comWhat If Your Dog Outlives You
Kindle.com or Smashwords.com(Smashwords.com versions for Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook, Palm, Stanza, PDF and Text)
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Throwing away a pooped on, peed on and chewed up box is a lot easier than keeping clean a fabric dog bed. If you don't want to be bothered cleaning a bed yet, let your puppy sleep in a box until he is somewhat reliably housetrained. Start collecting boxes as soon as you decide to get a puppy.
If you want something a bit nicer but easy to clean, you can get the bed I use for my puppy, the Midwest Quiet Time U-Design Bed Pod.
It's a hard plastic with rubber feet that keep it slightly off the floor and away from crawling insects. It stands up to puppy chewing and accidents and has a cut out side to enable little legs to easily climb in.
Buy a bed in a size large enough for your grown dog and you should never have to buy another bed. While your puppy is growing into it, pad it with blankets or cushions.
For either
the box or bed, I use ultra soft microfiber throws or baby blankets such
as NoJo
Jungle Babies Luxury Plush Throw Blanket
You can also
use old clothes, towels, blankets or other soft material
that you just throw away when they're too stained or smelly.
You'll need two: one for water and one for food. Get stainless steel because they don't retain odors and can (and should be) run through your dishwasher from time to time. Get ones heavy enough not to tip and ones with rubber bottoms so they don't slide.
I like 16
OZ - Rubber Bottom Stainless Steel Bowl - SET OF 2 MATCHING BOWLS
Do NOT get anything chippable, breakable or crackable - no matter how cute.
If you have a sports nut in the house, you can buy stainless steel dog bowls with official team logos for the ST. LOUIS CARDINALS or the Los Angeles LA Lakers.
Get
a soft brush such as Dog
Whisperer Natural Bristle Brush for Dogs
This is my favorite brush. It's every bit as nice as the one I use on myself, my hand wraps around it easily and my puppy happily sits in my lap while I use it.
As your puppy matures, so will his coat and you'll want to invest in more specialized products depending on which dog breed you have.
Brush him every day. It's not only good for his looks but it helps you two bond.
Odds are you're going to want to take your puppy to show him off or at a minimum, to the veterinarian. There are several ways you can do that.
If you have an SUV or truck, you may prefer to put him in a crate and tie it to your vehicle. Use the same crate you use at home. Don't let the crate loose so your poor puppy is being dashed about.
If you don't have room for a crate or are going on an plane trip, verify that the portable crate you're considering meets your airline's restrictions.
Don't get a carrier that is too large for your puppy. You want something just large enough for him to lay out or stand up and turn around. Too large and he won't fee secure. Too small and he'll be crunched. Test it out.
A couple nice carriers to check out are 32" Dog Cat Portable Travel Bed House Pet Crate Cage Kennel AG32 or SHERPA SPORT DUFFLE Dog Cat Animal Pet Carrier Bag & Tote. Airline/Subway/Rail Approved (shown).
Please, do not try to drive with your puppy on your lap or unleashed in your car. Absolutely never put your little puppy in bed of your pick up and drive off. Use common sense and think about the impact on a puppy if you had to stop suddenly or had an accident.
Get a lightweight collar and make sure you can put your little finger between the collar and your dog's neck. Unless you live in an area that requires you have tags on your dog, I recommend an embroidered dog collar rather than having tags.
Puppies can too easily get their tags caught in doorways, grates, stairs, fences, etc. sometime with tragic results.
I prefer a collar embroidered with your puppy's name and your cell phone. I like Nylon Cat & Dog Collar. Custom embroidered with your phone number for pet safety which is small enough for Toy and small breed puppies but allow for growth from a puppy to a small adult.
Housebreaking will be so much easier if you use a crate. Even if you don't want to make it a training tool, a crate is a secure, safe den for your puppy. I leave the door open and my puppy goes in there when she wants to be alone or needs a little nap. I have a cover over it for even more security and quiet.
I love the
Midwest brand and use their double doored crate that comes with a panel
you can position and eventually remove it as your puppy reaches maturity.
The one I have is Midwest
Life Stages Double-Door Folding Metal Dog Crate, 36 Inches by 24 Inches
by 27 Inches
The front
and side doors give you more flexibility in how you position the crate
and how you can get your puppy in and out or remove any bedding.
This crate also folds down so it is easy to transport if you are going
to visit the puppy's grandparents.
A crate should be just big enough for your puppy to stand up and turn around and then lie down. That size creates the most security for him.
And yes, it really is foldable. I opened the box, pulled it out and had it standing in less than 3-minutes. Highly recommended.
Hopefully, the place where you obtained your puppy provided you with information on what brand of dog food they were using and how often he was fed.
If you want to change brands, do it gradually (over seven days) by replacing a little of the breeders' brand with your brand so as to not to upset your puppy's stomach.
Some breeders also advise or require customers to use supplements. Make sure you understand what your breeder has put in the sales agreement.
If you want a brand you can find at grocery stores or Wal-Mart, I recommend Iams. My local Wal-Mart also carries the organic Newman's Own line of dog food.
I do prefer dry dog foods because 1) it's easier to store and travel with if you take your dog on a trip; 2) dry dog foods help create firmer bowel movements; and 3) dry foods don't spoil as rapidly as canned dog food after you've opened them.
ALWAYS
1) check the expiration date on any dog food, canned or dry, before you
buy;
2) check the label for the quantity to feed your dog. Many puppies don't eat a lot and if a label recommends you feed your 5-month old puppy two cups a day, that's telling you it is not a nutrient rich formula; and
3) only buy products manufactured in the USA. I'm not xenophobic. When China, India and Pakistan have safety requirements as high as ours, I'll stop saying this.
WARNING: As you peruse the Internet, you'll find all kinds of recommendations for canine diets: raw, bones, vegetarian, low protein, high protein, etc. There are several professional and authoritarian looking websites that rate dog foods. Unfortunately, there are many old wives tales that are taken as fact, and many websites that don't bother to update as our scientific knowledge evolves.
I highly,
highly recommend you read the book: Chow
Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter -A Vet's Plan to Save Their Lives
I don't recommend attaching the leash to a regular collar for small dogs. I prefer a harness as it gives you better control, especially when a puppy is still learning how to walk on a leash. A harness also won't pull or damage their little throats if you tug on it. A harness is an all-around safer choice.
The harnesses I prefer are the step-in kind. My puppy does not like having anything go on over her head, and it is almost impossible not to pull an ear or graze an eye when you try to remove it. The Puppia Soft Dog Harness brand has a beautiful rainbow of mesh harnesses that are popular but all require fitting over the head. Ugh.
The harnesses I'm recommending alleviate that problem. The Puppy Paws harness is step in kind. Put in on the floor, put your puppy on top of it and pull up the straps and buckle.
The Doggles frog harness is extra soft and fastens with Velcro. Your puppy shouldn't mind getting into or wearing either of these.
Xsmall
Blue/Brown Puppy Paws Dog Harness: 1/2" wide, Adjusts 8 - 16"
For a leash, I prefer lightweight nylon 6-foot. I don't like retractable leashes for small dogs, especially puppies. You're still training a puppy not to run off so why make it easy for him by using a 20-foot or so retractable leash?
You can always
upgrade once your puppy learns how to walk well on a leash without pulling.
Medium
Black Dog Leash/Nylon Webbing: 3/4" wide, 6ft length.
Once your veterinarian has finished your puppy's vaccinations and deworming, it will be up to you to prevent heartworm, fleas and ticks in your puppy.
Every year dogs die needlessly because they didn't have owners who provided a monthly preventive of heartworm. Usually not fatal but always dreadful and expensive to remove are infestations of fleas or ticks.
It is so much better for your puppy, your state of mind and your pocketbook to prevent these problems. Pick a day of the month (first Monday, 15th, last day of the month, etc) and treat your puppy for heartworm, fleas and ticks.
Your vet may recommend brands and most sell the popular brands. Do have the vet or vet tech show you how to apply the topical preventive.
It is usually substantially cheaper, however, to buy them through the Internet and you do not need a prescription.
I used to use Heartgard Plus, which has been the gold standard, but now am using a newer medication called Iverhart Plus which has the same main ingredient but is about $10 a box cheaper. A six month supply should be $40-60 depending on where you buy it.
The flea and tick preventive I use on my dog is only sold by veterinarians but I've found the price comparable to Frontline Plus. It's called Vectra 3D and also protects your dog against mosquitoes. This product really does last a full 30 months. If you don't want to go through a veterinarian, my second choice would be FRONTLINE PLUS for Dogs and Puppies - Up to 22 lbs.
Use either product every month, not just in the summer. If your home is ever infected with fleas and you have to wash and clean everything, you'll kick yourself for not using a preventive.
The other health issue especially applicable to small dogs is good dental hygiene. Our petite pals are prone to tooth and gum disease due to having so many teeth in such small mouths.
You need to brush your dog's teeth daily and use a dental chew or toy to help prevent tartar buildup. You can use a toothbrush, finger toothbrush or dental wipes. Be sure to use only an enzyme toothpaste made for dogs. Remember, they can't spit out a toothpaste so you must use one designed to be swallowed.
Please watch 3-minute video at how to brush your dog's teeth and get descriptions of the types of products you can use on our puppy's teeth.
Also look at 2-minute video at how to clean your dog's ears so you can help prevent ear wax buildup and ear infections.
As you begin
housebreaking and walking your puppy, you will need to pick up his poop.
After trying several brands, the ones I use are Pooch
Pick-Up Biodegradable Pet Waste Clean-Up Bags (100 Bags)
They are unscented so there's no cloying odor but they also contain cornstarch so you aren't overwhelmed with puppy poop smell.
They really won out over other brands because they are easy to pull apart during the walk and they are strong enough and large enough to protect my hand when I do my puppy owner duty.
Simply pull one out, turn it inside out and place over your had. Then pick up the poop. Pull it off your hand and tie securely with its long handles.
This product package states it is 'biodegradable' but in the context that nearly anything left in a landfill long enough will eventually biodegrade.
If, unlike
me, you would rather sacrifice convenience and pay more for a truly biodegradable
product, consider BioBag
Dog Waste Compostable Bags, 50-Count Boxes (Pack of 4)
Use a tearless
shampoo on your puppy. You don't want him to associate the bathing process
with eye and skin irritation. I like Magic
Coat Puppy Tearless Shampoo
It also contains aloe vera, lanolin and proteins that leave a puppy's coat soft and fluffy. Once a puppy is fully mature, I switch to an oatmeal shampoo.
How often you bathe him will depend on where he plays and how dirty or smelly he gets. Be sure to rinse thoroughly so you don't leave a residue of shampoo.
There will be housetraining accidents. You must use an enzyme cleaner to get rid of poop and pee odor. If you use a regular cleaner such as ammonia, a 'green' or homemade one such as vinegar, you may not smell any residue odor but your dog will. That odor says to him: 'pee here.'
The granddaddy
of dog odor removers is Nature's
Miracle Stain and Odor Remover
Highly recommended.
You'll need to experiment to find the type of toy your puppy likes best. Some like plush chew toys. Others prefer squeaky ones. Some like bouncy balls and some prefer rope toys. Test a few on your puppy.
Every puppy will chew especially as he's teething. A good trick is to put his favorite chew toy in the freezer as the cold will help soothe irritated gums.
There's no
reason you can't 'trick' your dog and give him a toy that is as good for
his teeth as it is fun to play with. Nylabone is the grandfather of this
concept and one of the most popular dental chew toys for small dogs is
the Nylabone
Pro Action Advanced K-9 Dental Device - Small
If you're
a dedicated Kong fan, that company also has introduced dental chew toys.
One to consider is the Small
Dental Kong with Rope
Just be sure to buy only small sizes and inspect his toys at least once or twice a year. If they're coming apart, throw then away. You don't want your puppy to choke on a piece of broken toy.
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