Recommended Products
Bringing home a new puppy can be overwhelming, but don’t worry, that’s why I’m here to HELP!
First things first, are you going to crate train? I suggest crate training, however, I will support your decision no matter what you choose! Any kind of metal/plastic crate will work but here are a some popular ones. I recommend one that has a divider to make the crate smaller for when they are little. You want enough room for them to lay down and turn around but not much else or they might have accidents in their crate. If you want to buy more than one start with a 24 inch crate. If you only want to buy one, I suggest a 30 inch or 36 inch crate…all with dividers of course! You can remove it later and/or put it farther back as they grow.
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MidWest Homes for Pets Dog Crate from Amazon
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Amazon Basics Single Door and Double Door Crate
Puppy Play Pens! If you’re looking for something simple to keep your new puppy contained in one area (such as the kitchen or family room), these are great products/options! Keep their living/play area as small as possible to reduce potty accidents.
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MidWest Foldable Metal Exercise Pen
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ZENY Foldable Metal Exercise Pen
ALL puppies/adult dogs need something to chew on (other than our shoes!) Teething for puppies is just like a baby teething! I suggest Natural Dog Chews such as deer antlers or buffalo horns because it’s the easiest to digest and they last a LONG time. I don’t really suggest any kind of soft chew toy that can easily be destroyed and swallowed. They may be cute but they don’t last and kind of a waste of money. But with all toys keep an eye on them always and watch out for ingesting anything like rope strings (that can get twisted up in their intestines) and fluff or squeakers. Crinkly toys are always a hit for the young puppy stages and great for distracting them away from things/areas they shouldn’t get into like cords or such.
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Buffalo Horns on Amazon
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Nature Gnaws Deer Antlers
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Craving Canine Grade A Deer Antlers
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Beef tracheas
Most importantly let’s talk about FOOD! I’ve been incredibly satisfied with Diamond Naturals, which can be ordered from Chewy.com. It can be found at Tractor Supply Stores and Amazon but I don’t always trust the ones on Amazon because there are mixed reviews on the freshness. I use autoship on Chewy and it has been great!
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I use Diamond Naturals Small to Medium Chicken and Rice Puppy food!
Grooming Tools! We suggest starting with nail clippers or grinder and a brush. Everyday be sure to touch your puppy’s paws to let them know it’s OK to have their paws held. In the long run it’ll be easier for you to trim their nails. I prefer grinding because I’m always scared of trimming too much with clippers. When they’re young with soft nails, the cheap rechargeable grinders are fine but I feel they don’t work as well as they get older…a Dremel is best for then. I’ve tried many different kind of slicker brushes. When they’re young they don’t really need a whole lot but again its for training them as they grow and will definitely need brushing. You can use smaller and softer headed brushes when they’re small but if you wanted to economize and only buy one brush I would choose the Chris Christensen ones. I’ve tried similar ones and they just don’t get through all the hair the same. Metal combs are also necessary for checking to see if all the matts are out. It should have fine and wider tooth ends and it should run through the hair easily…or at least fairly easily.
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Epica Pet Nail Clipper
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Hertzko Soft Pet Brush for Dogs
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Slicker Brush (if you can afford it, Chris Christensen Big K or Big G brushes are amazing!)
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Shiny Pet Metal Comb (has a nice grip handle)
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Dremel or other nail grinder
Training Treats: I prefer treats that are small and soft and even easily broken smaller and has as few ingredients as possible. Plain boiled chicken is also amazing!
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Target: Buddy Trainers Training Bites (1.5 calories each)
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Pupford.com: Freeze dried treats (only one ingredient and 1 calorie each)