Wouldn’t it be great if your new puppy just came with all the accessories and life essentials it needs? We would all appreciate that, but I have the next best thing! I created this list of supplies that you can get really quickly from everyone’s favorite online shopping resource–Amazon. These are just the items that we have personally found useful, but as always get the products you think will be best for you and your pet! I am in no means a puppy expert, but through trial and error, these are the items we have liked.
If you’d like to meet my new puppy Kaptain, you can read all about him here. 🙂
*Some links used are affiliate links, meaning should you choose to use them I earn a percentage of the sales, so thank you in advance if you decide to make your purchase through them! Please view my Privacy and Disclosure pages for more information
1.Collar
This is a pretty simple essential where you will keep your dog’s name tag and any additional tags your pup might need. A good rule of thumb to make sure the collar isn’t too tight is to make sure you can fit two fingers under it.
2.Harness + Leash
These Items are the first things you should get for your puppy before you even pick him up! We made the mistake of getting a collar that was too big (a size small when we needed an extra small) and he almost slipped out when we took him on one of his first potty breaks! Some People like to hook the leash to their pup’s collar, but I prefer using a harness because you have more control of the direction of your pup. I don’t like the idea of pulling at my pups throat from the leash being directly on the collar.
3.Treats + Food
I personally try to stick to the dog treats that have ingredients that I can read! I treat Kaptain’s food like mine. If I can’t read any of the ingredients then he doesn’t need it! I also try to make sure that all of his treats are made in the US. While he is a puppy I try to get him a mix of hard and soft treats and treats and food that are specifically made for puppies.
4.Crate
Not everyone likes to crate train, but for us it was essential. We don’t have him sleep in the bed with us and from day one he has been in a crate. With crate training, we try to have him in there for random periods and not just when we’re going to leave him. We don’t want him to have negative associations with being in his crate. An important tip for picking a crate is that it shouldn’t be too big. Your pup should be able to turn around comfortably, but you don’t want him to be comfortable having accidents in there.
5.Toys
With all of the biting that puppies come with, you’ll want to have lots of toys on hand to redirect them and guide them to appropriate play. You’ll also want an assortment of fun and interesting toys so your pup doesn’t get bored and resort to chewing your favorite pair of shoes or headphones 🙂
6.Grooming Supplies
Whether your dog is long hair or short hair you will want the supplies to keep them looking good! Kaptain does have fur he has hair, so that is why we use a comb on him to get out any tangles.
7.Flea + Tick Medication & Heartworm
This is basically mandatory for your pup’s health figure out which treatments will work best for your dog. Heartworm treatment requires a prescription from your dog’s vet but you can get flea and tick medication in bulk on Amazon once your dog’s weight has stabilized. Consult your vet to make the best decision!
8.Puppy Training Pads
These can be a lifesaver especially if you have carpet! Not everyone recommends training with these, but it worked for us and we were able to phase them out appropriately. But while we were training him to go outside these were a great intermediate solution for when we could him outside quickly *We live in a large apartment building several floors up so going outside is a process
9.Food and Water Dishes
These are essential because clearly, your new dog will need something to eat and drink out of! We chose to go with a stainless steel option that can easily go into the dishwasher when we want to clean them. The one I have linked is also perfect for travel. Our dog has however figured out how to take the dishes out to play with. We don’t mind that as much because there isn’t any real harm in a little play time with his dishes.
10.Carpet Cleaner
This is a major key if you do live in a home with carpet. You can’t just use any old carpet cleaner, you need to use one that really removes the scent in the carpet so that your pup doesn’t think it is ok to come back to that same spot in the future to have an accident. You’ll want to make sure you have carpet cleaner handy along with a roll of paper towel to act fast when your dog has an accident.
11.Towels
These aren’t a real necessity for everyone, but we got this set of towels that we specifically designated for wiping his feet or drying him after it rains. Not that we have super fancy towels for ourselves but we wanted them to be separate. We have carpet and don’t want him to track whatever is on his wet paws all through the apartment.
12.Poop bag holder + Poop bags
Pro tip: Buy these in bulk. You will go through so many of these. It’s like as soon as you put a new roll in your holder you’re back down to the little cardboard roller. We like to use scented bags that are eco-friendly to help mask the smell. I really like bag holder that I have linked because it is easy to use and attaches well to a leash.
13.Car Seat Belt Harnesses
This isn’t absolutely necessary but it just depends on how you prefer to let your dog travel. Some people prefer to have their pet in a travel crate while they’re in the car. My dog generally does well riding in the seat and I think that is how he feels most comfortable. The seatbelt we use clips on nicely to his harness and stops him from falling out of the seat everytime I press on the breaks!
14.Travel Crate
would recommend these for people that have small dogs and plan on traveling often. We haven’t gotten one for Kaptain yet because we don’t plan on taking him on a plane any time soon. We did buy one but it ended up being too small for our comfort for him.
15.Storage
We currently have one of those storage cube shelves so we have one cube designated to containing most of the items on this list. It takes no time at all for your apartment to look like chaos when you have a new puppy, but it is nice to have one spot to throw everything when you want to clean up real quick! We also just use a reusable grocery bag to put his things in when we travel. These bags are durable but not the end of the world if something messes them up. Food Containers are also great if you don’t just want the bag out.
16.Blanket
It’s nice to just have a fleece blanket dedicated for your pup. They can cuddle with it on the couch or floor. It is also good for travel so they can be comfy in the car.
Leave a Reply