What do I need for a new puppy?

[Little My]

I mean, I could buy 101 things no doubt! Thus far I have been given a puppy crate, and that's all I have.

Any good tips on essentials? Or what not to buy?

Especially, what's a good type of starter leash and collar for an 8 week old? And what's a good bedding situation? I am anticipating high chance of accidents, so machine washable where possible sounds good for now. But I also keep reading that puppies will rip blankets apart, and that's a safety hazard. So confused..

Any help appreciated!

[rosy]

I don’t know, having never had a dog, but I just want to register my excitement at your new puppy.

I sent a quick message to my ex who has had lots of dogs. He says “things to chew and things to mop up all the piss”.

So, rubber toys and inco pads.

[Morganna]

S uses harnesses for Loki rather than collars. You attach the leash to the harness and it doesn’t pull on the puppy’s neck.

You will need bags to pick up poo when the dog is old enough to go out.

If you can get something that smells of his mother that might help him to settle.

Oh and a camera to take lots of photos to show your imaginary friends .

[Zoomer]

Patience. Lots and lots of patience.

Also, money to replace all your things the puppy will inevitably destroy.

We got a little bed for Honey that fit in rhe machine, but I don't think she ever actually peed her bed. Just everywhere else.

[Zoomer]

Oh and I'd also say, decide how you want future dog to behave (e.g. will your dog be allowed on furniture) and train that behaviour from the start. We let Honey get away with far too much when she was a puppy because she was sooo cuuute! And it was very hard/ impossible to train her out of it afterwards. So don't do that.

[Luna]

When we got Poppy we bought:-

A crate with soft bedding
Puppy pads
Small toys
Bowls for food and water
A soft collar with a name tag.

Get registered with a vet for a health check and vaccinations if needed. They can usually recommend pet insurance and a wellness plan. We use Pet Health Club.
Consider professional training as well.

[Little My]

I have a vet, but since I'm moving in 5 weeks ( ) I will need to find a different one nearer the new house. She's had her first set of vaccines and a health check already, so that's something. Next set in 3-4 weeks.

Zoomer, it's funny you should mention rules and furniture because clearly she is getting away with a lot at her current home because I just got this pic:

7weeks.jpeg

I am SO worried about her peeing everywhere and destroying things, with the house sale. We did put a deposit down for the pup before we even found the house we wanted to buy, so the timing certainly wasn't planned. I'm hoping crate training will help with this. And also children being off school, so she won't be left alone much at all.

We have a nice patch of grass to take her out to, with no other dogs to worry about, behind our house. So I'm thinking a soft collar with a clip on leash might be the way to go initially. We actually have a harness that was given to us, I forgot about that. It's probably a bit too big for her.

[Zoomer]

Oh, squeeee! I want her so much! When are you taking her home?

Oh, also, buy an enzyme cleaner for any accidents. That should get any smells out.

[Little My]

I love her! I thought we were picking her* up next weekend, but I've now arranged Tuesday.

The girl and I are about to pop out for some puppy shopping. Enzyme cleaner added to the list..


* I keep saying she and her. The puppy was definitely going to be called Luna, my daughter was very insistent on this and we even told the puppy owners this so she's been called Luna there for weeks. But now apparently Luna is "too basic" and she now wants to call the puppy Gilda. I'm waiting on actually getting her before confirming anything now. Tweens are opinionated.

[Morganna]

She is adorable

[Slug]

She’s too cute! We were recommended Perfect Fit harnesses at puppy training, and we’ve stuck with them ever since. Very easy to swap out worn parts, and buy new bits as she grows. Lots of trainers recommend them too, as they don’t hurt delicate puppy throats when they’re pulling on the lead.

[Livilla]

Baby gates are very useful, if they work with your house layout. We basically limited Kiwi to our kitchen and dining room at first (no carpets ) until she was toilet trained. I think we only had a couple of wee accidents after that?

In terms of the toilet training, we also went fo the shop door bell fixed on the skirting board by the kitchen door. Hit her paw on that every time you take her outside for a wee (like, every 20 minutes or so at first…) and after day three she cottoined on to ringing it herself when she wants to go out.

It will be good to get her used to things she’ll need to do later - like putting on a car harness, brushing her etc etc.

[Cosmopolitan]

The doorbell thing Liv mentions is so good, I wish we'd mentioned that, we mainly just leave the door open but that's not going to work in winter.

Basically take the dog everywhere and get her to meet everybody and every other dog as soon as possible. Really sets you up well for the future.

Baby gates, enzyme cleanser, being in high alert for pees, a few beds around the house, lots and lots of toys of all textures to stop the furniture chewing, a harness and extra long lead for starting walks are all good. And they are never too young to learn sit!

[Rhodonite]

She's so cute! I love her.

The bell is a brilliant idea. We used clicker trainer, which worked really well so wish we'd thought to use it for toilet training too.

This is the best cleaner I found. Our 2nd dog took a long time to toilet train and this was the only cleaner I found that completely rid of the smell. You get different sizes but I bought the big one!

[Luna]

* I keep saying she and her. The puppy was definitely going to be called Luna, my daughter was very insistent on this and we even told the puppy owners this so she's been called Luna there for weeks. But now apparently Luna is "too basic" and she now wants to call the puppy Gilda. I'm waiting on actually getting her before confirming anything now. Tweens are opinionated.

Luna is not basic

She is totally adorable

[Little My]

Hey, we all loved Luna. ;)

Thank you all SO much for the info. You've jogged my memory on a few things, and I had no idea there was even such a thing as a dog restraint harness for in the car.

My motto at the moment is 'prepare for the worst, hope for the best'.

[Toast]

Oh, look at her!

I recently bought my friend one of those toys with the heartbeat that you can also warm up in the microwave, mostly because it was so cute I couldn't resist but her little spaniel puppy apparently loves it.

I use white vinegar for carpet-based accidents. Blot up as much as you can, spray with a white vinegar/water solution, leave for five minutes and then blot again. You can add a little bicarb too but my vacuum doesn't like it.

The PawPour is a really good water bottle for when you're out and about.

[SunnyMum]

Our puppy was very quick to work out that she had to be outside to do her business. She saw the cat scratch the windowpane twice and swiftly worked out that that was how you got the door opened. I think we only had two pee accidents. Luckily we don't have carpets.
The bell idea is genius!

Le Puppy had a bed (aka a big cardboard box) but never slept in it so I got rid of it. She's quite happy just sleeping on the tiled floor.
We got a couple of chew toys to save the legs of the chairs and shoes. Every time she started attacking furniture or shoes we gave her a toy instead. There has been no significant damage to anything in the house.

I agree that you have to decide what the house rules are right from the start. Le Puppy is not allowed on the sofa etc inside. She is allowed on the garden furniture outside. Here, Sit! is a requirement for being allowed to go to her dinner dish. She cottoned onto that really quickly. Shame that "come here" doesn't work so well. As some of you will remember we had the same problem with PolarBearDog who used to leg it and go walkabout on her own.

Make sure all the family use the same key words. Sit! Come here! Good girl! etc... to avoid confusion.

[Duophonic]

Luna is adorable

My major suggestion is to join - https://www.facebook.com/groups/374160792599484/

I can't remember if someone here recommended it, but it's a godsend for reassurance and training tips.

We decided early on that we wouldn't crate train and Innes is allowed on the indoor furniture and sleeps in bed with us.

Instead of baby gates, we would stretch across clothes horses, the same effect no outlay. One went across the kitchen doorway and the other went across the bottom of the stairs.

I used biological washing powder for accidents, does the same job.

Toilet training was out every 20 mins or so with a command of WEE WEE which was really effective. I took that from the FB group linked above.

If Luna's a lab then they'll eat and swallow everything, prevention is best and you'll start getting really annoyed at the amount of rubbish from chewing gum to random litter strewn around everywhere. Get comfortable with removing really grotty things from mouths.

[Little My]

Yes, no-longer-Luna is a lab, and I know from the lab I had in my childhood that they gleefully eat garbage.

Do you feed any of your dogs human food for treats? I remember we used cubes of cheese for training.

Thanks for the advice. I have signed up to the FB group, it is a mine of info! We pick her up today, and I plan to panic buy a few more chew toys, a clicker, and a stash of dog treats. I'm very tempted by the heartbeat stuffy, I'll see how well she settles tonight first though. I am hoping for an easy Sunny-puppy.

It has been decided I'm in charge of her overnight.