# items to have for new puppy coming home soon



## soxgrl09 (Oct 4, 2009)

hi everyone, first we are soooo excited about getting a new puppy, a goldendoodle, coming home sometime next week, so like an expecting parent i'm trying to cover all bases before she comes home. I've gotten some good advice on the food chat forum about which food to feed. I've made an appointment to take her to the vet within 72 hours of coming home. Now i need to know what other items are necessary to have on hand for the puppy? I ordered a large crate that is divideable, some food bowls, a few toys, and a dog bed. Please give me some advice what other items I may need to have on hand and also what to place in the crate. I know I need to purchase a collar, not sure what size to get, the puppy will be 8 weeks old, maybe a harness too, a leash? What brands and where to you recommend I purchase? As you can see I'm a nervous expecting parent. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

What you have on hand is definitely helpful, but personally I think that what you do with her is the important thing.

Socialization is key for new puppies. I can't stress this enough. You want to expose your new puppy to as many new things as possible, but in a safe way. 

Find out what local puppy socialization and training classes there are near by. Start a few, the more the better, right away!!! Post up on craigslist for puppy play dates with other VACCINATED puppies. 

Continue on with training socialization throughout their entire life.

As soon as they are fully vaccinated, by 4 months, you should take them everywhere and anywhere you can.

This will make a well rounded dog that can handle any situation and wont be fearful.

Good luck!!!


----------



## soxgrl09 (Oct 4, 2009)

thanks for the advice regarding socialization and training of the new puppy, as yes we definitely want to raise a happy, healthy and hopefully well behaved dog. We are an active family so we will be bringing the puppy with us to soccer and baseball games, etc. Great advice on socializing with other vaccinated puppies until 4 months old or so! Never thought to check craigslist for this! Thanks again.


----------



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I've raised a lot of puppies over the year. One thing I use with them (and with my human babies) is a small fan or air cleaner to put next to their crate at night. It has to be one that makes a noise. The whirring sound helps them sleep at night. It keeps them from hearing every little sound outside or hearing you if you get up in the middle of the night. Plus it is a nice 'white noise' and is soothing to them. We have a little floor fan for Rocky that he still uses at night. Right now it is acorn season and they are bouncing off the roof all night. I forgot to turn Rocky's fan on one night and he was barking at 3 am at the acorns. I turned it on the next night and he never barked. You can pick them up used at thrift stores or cheap at Target. Just make sure the puppy can never reach the cord or he will chew it and get injured. 

That is another thing to watch out for with puppies. Crawl around on the floor at his level and see what you find that he can get hold of and chew. They will put everything in their mouths, toys, electric cords, twist ties, etc. 

Make sure you have a comb, brush, and nail clippers and start out grooming him a little bit every day so he gets used to it (even just a few minutes). Play with his feet a lot and just pretend to cut his nails. You want to be able to cut his nails anytime once he is big without him having a fit. 

The most important thing I would say is to handle him a lot. Pet him, play with his feet, hold him, rub his tummy, just get him used to allowing you to do whatever you want and have him accept it. I've seen too many dogs where the owners can't even brush the dog without it snapping at them. You want a dog that will not go crazy if a little kid runs up while you are on a walk and grabs him before you can stop him (which has happened to me with Rocky several times). 

Yes, get a leash right away and let the puppy run around the yard with it on without you holding it. Let him get used to the idea of the leash. Then start taking holding the leash and calling him to you while holding a TINY treat. Eventually walk a bit with him and give him a tiny treat when he walks nice. Puppies usually hate the leash at first and will pull against it. You have to teach them to like taking a walk on their leash. Puppy kindergarten is great for them to learn. Petsmart has it and many Humane Society will have a puppy kindergarten. A harness will help at first if the collar pops off his head but he will outgrow it pretty quick. 

You don't need to spend a lot on the puppy for 'items' as long as you have the essentials and it sounds like you do. Crate, bowls, grooming supplies, and a collar and leash. The puppy will find his own toys. Empty paper towel rolls are great fun! Also empty buckets from plants in the yard (the plastic ones they come in), a piece of rope (Don't pay big money for one at Petsmart, go to Home Depot and get whatever size piece you want for real cheap), and tennis balls. The puppy will make almost anything into a toy, just like kids do. Oh yeah, empty boxes are fun, too. Just take it away once he shreads it to pieces. We still toss Rocky the empty soda boxes and he shreds them to bits and he is 17 months old. 

Good luck with the new baby and put some pictures up so we can see it!


----------



## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Just remember that puppies like to chew, I never had a issue with my dogs chewing on anything in my house because I ALWAYS had something for them to chew on. Kongs stuffed with peanut butter or yougart and then frozen for the times yor away, puppy chew sticks for times your home, and as they get older merricks bones work good, NO rawhide of any kind, very bad. Don't go the cheap route when it comes to collars and leashes, get a good width collar not too thin, you'll have to buy a couple as the puppy gets older, don't forget to get the puppy microchipped, and put name tags on the collar with your phone numbers. Hope this helps, Good Luck with the puppy


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

soxgrl09 said:


> thanks for the advice regarding socialization and training of the new puppy, as yes we definitely want to raise a happy, healthy and hopefully well behaved dog. We are an active family so we will be bringing the puppy with us to soccer and baseball games, etc. Great advice on socializing with other vaccinated puppies until 4 months old or so! Never thought to check craigslist for this! Thanks again.


Most puppy training classes start at 8 weeks, as long as they have had at least one round of vaccines. I would start then, and continue on from there. My puppy Bailey finished advanced training by the time she was nearly 8 months old. Now I just need to finish her CGC...

I would not recommend getting rawhides for puppies to chew on...try the bully sticks first, but get ones that are at least a foot long.

Also, going to thrift stores is MUCH cheaper for dog toys. We just buy teddy bears that rattle or make squeaky noises and they only cost us a dollar or so each. That way they are more disposable and you wont feel as upset when they get torn up to shreds!


----------



## EnglishBullTerriers (Sep 10, 2008)

danemama08 said:


> Also, going to thrift stores is MUCH cheaper for dog toys. We just buy teddy bears that rattle or make squeaky noises and they only cost us a dollar or so each. That way they are more disposable and you wont feel as upset when they get torn up to shreds!


Oh boy!! I wish I would have taken a picture of what I just had to clean up. 1 year old Titus and 2 1/2 year old Owen got a stuffed toy as a treat to play with last night and they shredded it!! They LOVE it! I get to clean them up after, so they don't get stuffed toys too often, but it is a great reward when they do!  I still go to thrift stores and get what I can find for $1 or less and buy in bulk, put them in a closet in a room that they are not allowed in and they only get one at a time... NOT one each, but one to share! I don't think there is enough time in a day to pick up that much stuffing and heads, parts and pieces that the poor things end up in! :biggrin: I do enjoy watching them have fun with it though! 
Deffinently get anything hard to be chewed on. DO NOT get anything that looks like something that you don't want the dog to chew on in the house. NO 'chew shoes', 'chew pillows' anything that you don't want of yours to be eaten, don't get anything that looks like it. That is something that he will have to be tought to distinguish the difference between when he gets older. Don't confuse the poor puppy! Bully sticks are good to get, and some trachea tubes are good too, but remember to supervise when you give those sorts of things. When he gets older he won't have to be watched as much, but you don't want something to happen if you arent there to watch.
In the crate, you should have at least a blanket or something that they enjoy, a toy that they can snuggle up to to keep warm, I was told when I last had a puppy to put a ticking clock for the sound and feel of a beat. I just turned on a little music on the radio. Some good (quiet) classical music would put my Abbi to sleep in no time! For the first week or so when she came home, I had her in a box that sat beside the bed and would put my hand in the box till we fell asleep. When she would wake up, I would put my hand back in and she would go back to sleep. You also want to be sure that every thing in the puppies life is routine from the beginning. Potty times should be both on your schedule as well as the puppies. I wouldn't let Abbi out every 30 minutes just because she wanted, I know that sounds mean, but it worked. She had to wait till 1 hour. Every hour she would go out, pee, play and fave fun for 20 minutes and then had to come back in for 'nap time'. All the way to her final days at the beginning of this year, she would hold her bladder till it was time to go out and she would always come back in for a nap time and then get up and come beg to play again!  It was cute! But routine is another key for puppies. They learn best with repatition!
Good luck and great questions!


----------



## soxgrl09 (Oct 4, 2009)

thanks chowder for the wealth of great information! Some great training tips with the leash and all and the fan idea! And duh, forgot all about the comb and brush  And great ideas for some cheap toys! I'm learning a little bit at a time but I have to say this forum will be my savior, as everyone is just for willing to help out. Keep the tips coming!!!!


----------



## soxgrl09 (Oct 4, 2009)

thank you englishbullterriers for the great info as well. i'll get an old blanket and a stuffie for the crate. I'm expecting that the puppy will most likely cry at night for a bit. I'm hoping the fan or clock idea will work. So it sounds like repetition, repetition, repetition is the key . I'm sure I'll be making mistakes but at least this is a great starting point for us not having had a puppy!!!! I think I'll check in the local humane society and see if they have any puppy kindergarten classes!


----------



## EnglishBullTerriers (Sep 10, 2008)

You can also check craigslist, petsmart and any other pet store local to you for puppy classes. If you google it, there are also some places that have classes starting at kindergarden and going all of the way thru CGC (Canine Good Citizen) classes. I tried getting Owen into these, but have been moving around too much and he is good enough for me. I think that I have done a good job and had a lot of luck on my side with him!  
Also, as I was typing, I thought about craigslist would be a good place to look for toys too. You can look under the free section and just look for toys in all the other sections too. Just be sure to clean them well before you give them to your dog. If it is a hard plastic chew toy, clean it with bleach and then boil it to get anything that might be on it off. That way you don't give your puppy anything that might make him sick. I know that I have been able to find a lot of toys on there, and Kijiji.com is another good place to look. 
Just a few more things! 
I might be back to post more, sometimes my brain only works in segments!


----------



## Whiskey's Momma (Sep 23, 2009)

Puppy pads worked great for us, he got the idea right away. If you are going to use puppy pads buy them at walmart they are alot cheaper then the ones at petco or petsmart and they work just as well.

Our dog loves kongs, they are a little expensive but you can buy other brands that are similar.

We spent a lot of money buying de-shedding brushes and then finally bought the furminator which is worth everypenny.

Also buy a spray that has enzymes in it for when your puppy has an accident it takes the stain out and also does something it break it down so your puppy wont want to go in that same spot, they have them at major petstores.

Good luck...enjoy your new puppy


----------

