Puppy essentials list

"What do I need to buy for my puppy?" If you are asking this then you are already on the right track to being a great puppy-parent.

Below is a list of the essentials followed by a break down of which products I personally found over my 10 years of being a qualified dog trainer to be the best in the industry.

Things you need for your puppy

• High quality dog food

• Water and food bowl

• Crate and puppy pen

• Bedding

• Lead, collar and harness

• Dog ID Tag

• Safe natural chews

• Kongs

• Snuffle mat

• Toys

• Puppy safe treats

• Grooming brush

• Shampoo

Optional:

• Baby gate(s)

• Heartbeat Snuggle puppy

• Puppy camera

• Toilet Bells

• Puppy litter tray

Getting everything before the puppy arrives is going to help your puppy to settle into their new forever home and will help to ease you into the journey of puppy-parenthood.

Management is key. Prevent your puppy from doing the unwanted behaviours such as chewing cables, furniture and chairs. Use puppy pens and baby gates and train your puppy to do what you would like them to repeat. For example sitting for attention rather than jumping, chewing on their puppy safe chews rather than your hands and clothing.

Along with buying all your puppy the essentials products, you should also ask your self "what does my puppy need form me?"

Along with consistency, patience, and lots of love, your puppy is going to need early health screenings, veterinary visits, vaccines, safe and appropriate socialisation and the most important thing obedience training from a qualified positive trainer. All of this is key to raising a happy, healthy, and well-rounded puppy!

So, let's go through the list in more detail.

Puppy Food - What to look for

Puppy food contains more nutrients than adult dog food does and a puppy needs these special nutrients to grow and develop properly.

Your puppy might come home with a bag of the food his breeder has weaned him onto. If you are looking at changing the brand then make sure you do it gradually over the following week. Speak to your vet about when and how to transition if you are unsure.

Picking a good quality food brand can feel like a mine field. There are so many brands out there all saying how good they are. The important thing to look for is the ingredients. You want to make sure the food contains at least 60% real human grade meat. ( you will be surprised how many don't.) I have written a detailed blog post on everything you need to know about picking the best quality food for your puppy here: 'How to choose the best puppy food'

Butterbox is my go to fresh food brand. - Get 75% off your first order here

Eden is my favourite dry food brand

Natural Instinct is my go to Raw food brand

Water and Food Bowls

Ceramic or stainless-steel bowls are easy to clean and won’t harbor bacteria like plastic does. They are also dishwasher safe and you can get them in a variety of colours.

This Mason Cash bowl comes in a couple of colours and sizes

Your puppy should always have access to water even through the night. Puppies get dehydrated quickly and need access to water during the night. Your puppy will more than likely get up a couple of times during the middle of the night to go to the toilet. Their bladders are still tiny and they can't hold it in yet. Not giving them access to water wont stop this as they will still need to get up. So it is best to make sure you have a water bowl that can be attached to your puppy's crate. (if you are crate training.)

This crate water bowl by GreeSuit hangs off the bars of the crate. This way your puppy won't accidentally knock the water bowl while they are sleeping or step in it.

Crate and Puppy Pen

When you're looking at what size crate to get, ideally you need one that is big enough for your puppy to be able to stretch out and stand in. Puppy crates don't have to be used forever. Once your puppy is fully house trained then you can ditch the crate for a comfy bed.

Here is a basic metal crate from the AmazonBasic range

For the first few nights I would recommend that your puppy sleeps near you either in your bedroom or you move into the puppy's room and sleep on a blow up bed or pull out sofa. Don't forget this will be the first time your puppy has ever slept on their own without their mum or siblings, on top of that they will be in a strange house with people they have only recently met.

A foldable fabric crate might be easier to have in your bedroom than a crate.