Getting a new puppy is exciting but can also be overwhelming. You want to spoil them and buy all the things! Before you blow your puppy budget on toys and treats, here is a list of 10 new puppy essentials that you should consider picking up for your new addition.
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Crate
Arguably the most essential dog accessory of all time: The Crate. Some people are not a fan of crates, and that is perfectly okay. A more open playpen or a small puppy-proof room (like a bathroom) works too. In my opinion, a larger space is much more work and harder to clean. I liken crates to a baby’s crib or a pack-n-play; a place to put puppy when it is sleeping or when you need them to entertain themselves for a moment while you do something else. If you ask me, crating nicely is an essential skill that all dogs should be taught- Even if you don’t personally use a crate at home.
My dogs are both old enough now to roam freely. However, they still get crated if they are boarded somewhere, at the groomer, at a dog show, are sick or injured, or if I need to separate them for whatever reason. All of these situations are much less stressful for them because they are comfortable relaxing in a crate. A Samoyed that is within the breed standard for size will fit in a 36″ crate when fully grown. The breed is trending oversize at the moment, so if you feel like you’ve got a big puppy then you might want a 42″. You are better off getting a full-size crate with a divider than sizing up crates as your pup grows. They just outgrow the small crates too fast! I personally have a 36″ crate in the bedroom and for travel, with 42″ crates in the living room.
Benebones
Benebones are a personal favorite chew toy of mine (and the pups). They are soft enough that they don’t pose a huge risk of cracking teeth but are hard enough to be long-lasting. The material they are made from shreds into small flakes as they chew and their shape makes it hard to bite off large chunks. I have three or four around the house at all times. They last about 9 months before they get worn down to a point where I need to toss them. They come in a bunch of sizes, but I just get the Large from the get-go. They’ll quickly grow into it and I don’t have to toss a hardly chewed bone for being too small. Our favorite shapes are the Stick and the Zaggler.
Puppy Potty Bells
Potty Training! The first struggle of every puppy owner. With Kashmir, we struggled because she couldn’t figure out how to tell us that she needed to go out. She finally settled on sitting quietly by the door, which obviously isn’t a great way to get my attention. I got some bells on a whim and after about a week of ringing them myself every time we went out to potty, she started to ring them herself! They really helped a lot in the early days. Unfortunately, nowadays they’re more “Kashmir demands outside now” bells than potty bells, haha. I leave them up even though Kashmir is older now because we have doggy guests often. It’s easy to teach them all how to let me know they need to go out and I’m not left wondering if I missed that someone needs to pee.
Kongs
No puppy essentials list is complete without Kongs! I call them Puppy Pacifiers because they’re great if you need a few minutes of quiet. You can stuff them with anything you can think of (so long as it’s dog-safe) and freeze them to make them last longer. If you need some stuffing inspiration, check out my list of favorite Kong recipes here! Kongs are a great tool for teaching your pup to settle and are fantastic for crate training.
Nail Clippers & Dremel
Nail maintenance is super important and a really common battle for pet owners. Puppies are much more open to new experiences. I highly recommend grabbing a pair of clippers and a Dremel and getting them used to having their feet touched and nails done early on. You don’t have to actually do their nails every time or right off the bat. Practicing a routine once or twice a week will make things much easier later on! This is one of my biggest regrets with my own dog; I am so bad at nails and Pixel runs from me every time she sees me with the nail clippers. After a lot of work, she is okay with anyone but me clipping them. It took us a long time to get there though.
Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
Tooth brushing is another health and wellness activity that is infinitely easier if introduced early on. It’s fairly easy to teach too because doggy toothpaste comes in fun yummy flavors like bacon! I prefer the triple-headed brushes like this Vet’s Best Toothbrush, but the finger brushes can be easier for tiny puppy teeth. You can also use toddler toothbrushes if you want something cute! You can even theme it to match your dog, like a Frozen toothbrush for a dog named Elsa. I find that making things cute and fun encourages me to stay on top of easily forgettable tasks like brushing my dog’s teeth.
Shampoo
What is harder than bathing a wiggly puppy? Bathing a strong-willed wiggly adult! My breeder friend recommends bathing your new puppy once a week until they are 6 months old. Then from six months to a year, bathing at least once a month. If you set yourself up for success early, you too can have one of those unicorn dogs that loves baths and falls asleep while you’re blow-drying them. I have Samoyeds, so my go-to puppy shampoo is BioGroom Fluffy Puppy. To be honest, I use this for my adult show dog as well. It does the job and smells so good! Any dog shampoo will do though! I try to look for gentle or no-tears shampoos for puppies; they’re so rambunctious it’s easy to accidentally get some in their eyes or ears.
Brushes
If you are getting a fluffy puppy you know that you are going to need brushes of some kind. But which ones? There are so many! The good news is, you don’t need to rush out and buy a full set of brushes right away. For a first brush, I recommend a Chris Christenson Pin Brush. I know, I know, it does seem really expensive for a pin brush. I promise you it will outlast every cheap pin brush on the market though. If you do insist on an alternative, get a pin brush without the little balls on the pins. These balls can catch and break the guard hairs, which you don’t want.
I like pin brushes as a first brush because they are gentle yet still capable of getting out fur and small tangles. You will eventually also want to pick up a comb, rake, and slicker, but I won’t cover those here. Keep an eye out for a future post on all of my must-have grooming tools!
Training Treats
A tired puppy is a good puppy! The absolute best way to tire out a rambunctious puppy is to make them use their noggin! I like these Wet Noses Little Stars treats because of their size. They are small enough that you don’t really have to worry about how many you give your puppy, and are great for jackpot rewards where you scatter a handful on the ground. It is never too early to start teaching your puppy new things! Short (~5 minutes) training sessions are best at first, puppies have short attention spans. If you’ve mastered the basics and aren’t sure what to teach next, the AKC offers Trick Dog Titles and the example list of tricks has tons of fun ideas on it! Pixel is just a few tricks shy of having enough tricks for a Trick Dog Advanced title.
Pureed Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a doggy superfood and a natural stomach soother. I always have some on hand because you never know when an upset stomach might strike. My favorite canned pumpkin is the Fruitables Digestive Supplement because it’s fortified with extra goodies. It also saves me the stress of having to triple-check that I’ve got plain pumpkin and not pre-sweetened pumpkin pie filling (the cans look so similar)! Even when you’re not having tummy troubles, pumpkin is a great Kong filling or food topper.
Think I missed something? Drop a comment below and share your essentials! It was incredibly hard to limit myself to 10 things, I’m sure there are tons more awesome products out there waiting to be discovered.
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