Our Poochon, Biscuit and our Cavapoo, Blue recently had a litter of 3 adorable puppies. We have decided to keep one of them – his name is Castiel. He is the sweetest little puppy you could imagine. We have had a rather hectic yet exciting few months and we are now ready for the puppies to begin their new adventures in their forever homes (including Castiel). For their new families, I have compiled a list of essential items you’ll need when welcoming a new puppy into your home.
Food and Drink Bowl
There is a huge selection of food and drink bowls on the market and it can be a hard job trying to choose which one is right for your puppy. Consider the size of your puppy. I would recommend beginning with a small, shallow bowl so the puppy can easily reach the food. Similarly, a small shallow bowl for water.
If your puppy is greedy, consider a slow-feeding bowl. We had one of these for Blue and have recommended a slow feeder for one of our puppies. Eating their food too quickly can lead to digestive issues and can make the puppy vomit. Thankfully, Blue no longer needs his slow feeder bowl as he now takes the time to chew and savour his food. It took him until around 7 months of age to realise his food would remain there until he ate it!
Food
Before considering which food to buy for your puppy, consult the breeder. Which food has your puppy been eating since weaning? Ultimately, the decision is yours, but it is often advised to keep the puppy on the same food the breeder has used until they settle into their new home. When they arrive at your home, you want them to feel secure and retaining familiarity will help them to settle.
Also, ask the breeder how much food the puppy is eating per meal and how many meals were day they have been fed. The time of day is also important, again, keeping a puppy’s routine will help them to settle in their new forever home.
Bedding
I have recommended that the new families of our puppies not go out and buy expensive beds for the puppies. This is because they have chewed and completely destroyed the bedding they had here! Since the loss of their bed, they have been sleeping on fluffy blankets. These are also easy to wash should they have any accidents. Ultimately, it is up to you. If in doubt, ask the breeder what they would recommend.
Our puppies will be leaving us with a blanket with the scent of their mother, siblings and our home. This, again, is to help them to settle in their new homes. Ask the breeder if it is possible to take a blanket/bedding/something similar to help your puppy settle.
Puppy Pads
We have gone through more puppy pads than I care to recall these past two months. We have had three of the terrors running so have gone through many more than we did with Biscuit and Blue. Make sure to leave the puppy pad in the same spot every time. We have 3 puppy pads on the go at all times at the moment. If I remove one and forget to replace it, the puppies will automatically go to the toilet in the place the pad ought to be.
Kitchen Roll
I think our biggest expenditure this past two months has been on kitchen roll! We have it all over the house to mop up all those little accidents and all those moments when the puppies miss the puppy pad! Make sure you have kitchen roll to hand when your puppy is settling into their new home. You are going to need it!
Toys
It’s best to have at least a few toys waiting for your puppy when they arrive. Be mindful that they will chew on these, a lot! We have found that rope toys are a firm favourite among all the puppies. They’re great because we can play with the rope toys with them and they’re great for their teeth. We will often look around for a quiet puppy only to find them lying quietly in a corner chewing a rope toy.
For some reason, they all have enjoyed playing with old tights! We cleared out our clothes a few weeks ago and gave some tights and socks to the puppies. They love the tights because they can drag them around and they’re long enough for them all to have a go on!
Crate?
Every dog owner has their own opinion on crate training dogs. I did crate train Biscuit, on the advice of the breeder, but didn’t crate train Blue (on the advice of his breeder). We will be crate training Castiel as we have kept the puppies in the crate overnight. They seem to be accustomed to it now, and, although it will be different when they are on their own, I am hoping he will still settle in it overnight.
The new owners of our puppies have also decided to continue with the crate. In my opinion, it offers a safe and secure place to keep a puppy during the night or when you leave the house. However, there are others with differing opinions. Consider the pros and cons of crate training and think if it will be the best option for your puppy, or not.
Harness, collar, lead
We went all out when we bought Biscuit and purchased lots of leads, collars and harnesses. But what I found the most useful was the harness. Biscuit didn’t like to be clipped to her lead via her collar, so the harness was a real lifesaver. A harness is also good to have if you will be taking your puppy out in the car.
Car Seat
We used car seats for our dogs when they were young puppies. They work much like a child’s car seat. Their harness is then clipped to the car seat to keep them secure. The dogs loved to sit in their car seats, they knew that it meant adventure and those all-important walkies!
If you are transporting your dog in a car, be aware that the highway code states that dogs must be restrained in the car. If you didn’t want to use a car seat, you could opt for a harness-eat belt. These clip into the seat belt and keep the dog safe and secure whilst you are driving.
Name Tag
Dogs require two forms of identification when they are out in public – a microchip and a name tag. It is likely that when your puppy arrives at your home, it won’t be ready for walkies just yet. But this is something to bear in mind.
The breeder ought to have microchipped your puppy before they leave their mother. You will then need a name tag on a collar which includes your name and address. Initially, we added Biscuit and Blue’s names to their collars, However, we were later advised not to do so. The logic is if they escape, someone could gain their trust and ultimately take them if they know their name. Now we simply include my name, my address and my phone number on their name tags which are then attached to their collars.
This post is part of a series of posts on dogs and puppies. For a similar post, see Essential Considerations Before Owning a Dog.
