New Puppy Checklist: Things You Need For A New Puppy

Ever wonder what to buy for a new puppy? From toys to treats to food to a crate and bed, there are so many things you need for a puppy. In fact, with the countless puppy must-haves and the excitement of bringing your pet home, it’s easy to forget even the most basic necessities. To help you prepare for this wonderful experience, we’ve created this new puppy supply list.

This checklist is a comprehensive set of products you’ll need before bringing a puppy home. Just remember to give yourself time to accumulate these essentials. After all, buying high-quality supplies from our shopping list will ensure you pick the best brands that build long-lasting products.

Basic New Puppy Supplies

Here’s a list of basic new puppy supplies. While some things, such as puppy food, doggy bowl, bedding, and collar, are important to buy before you get your puppy, other essentials like tags and shampoo can be purchased within the first week. Use this checklist to review your puppy’s needs.

Dog Toys

Just like human babies, puppies go through a teething stage, and they need to have things to chew on. If you don’t provide them with the proper chew toys, they are going to start chewing on other things in your home, including shoes and furniture, or even worse, something that is dangerous and potentially harmful to them.

Make sure that you have plenty of chew toys on hand so your new pup won’t be tempted to chew on other things that you would prefer them not to. Specifically, look for toys that are made for puppies. Toys for adult dogs are harder, and can break softer puppy teeth.

Puppy Treats

Puppies love to eat treats, and giving them treats can make training a lot easier by using the power of positive reinforcement. However, keep in mind that puppies don’t need to have treats often, and too many can lead to obesity. To give you an idea, dog treats should only comprise 5% to 10% of your puppy’s diet.

Also, make sure that the treats are small and easy for puppies to eat. Remember, treats are not a replacement for meals and you’ll want to find the best dog food for a healthy pup.

Best Puppy Food

Buying the best dry puppy food is essential to raising a happy, active and fit pup. Because puppies experienced fast muscle growth and skeletal development, it really is important owners give them the proper nutrition. While your puppy is young, they’ll need dog food products that are high in protein, fat and calories. We highly recommend you invest in a good brand because, like humans, your dog’s diet can very much affect her health.

However, it is noteworthy to mention that, although most dogs have the same dietary and nutritional needs, large and giant breeds may require special formulations for their bone health. This can can help prevent them from growing too fast and developing skeletal issues later in life.

Dog Bowls

Although relatively cheap, good dog bowls will last your puppy years. Because puppies tend to push their bowls around, leading to spills and messes, we recommend you get bowls with large bases or ones with rubber bottoms so they don’t slide across the floor.

If you have the budget for it, you can buy a stand that holds both water and food dishes to ensure that nothing is going to move while your puppy is eating.

Otherwise, get a large metal bowl. First, a large bowl is big enough to keep most of the kibble inside even if your pup shoves his face in his food. Second, metal bowls are more sanitary, easier to clean, and will last longer.

Dog Crates

Even though you may love having your puppy in bed with you, it’s important that pets have their own safe place to sleep. You can combine the bed with crate training so they become used to sleeping in their own bed while also working on house training them at the same time!

Make sure that the crate is large enough for your puppy to move around, both now and as they grow. Understanding your puppy’s breed will help you in deciding the proper size. Similarly, dog crates should also have a soft pad so your pup has a comfy place to sleep.

Dog Beds

Although your puppy will sleep on anything soft, it’s best to get a sturdy but comfortable dog bed. Getting puppies used to sleeping in their own personal space at a young age will teach them the right place to nap and rest before they are big enough to jump in your bed. Furthermore, good bedding will last your pet years, if not her whole life.

Training Tools For Dogs

You will likely need to house train your new puppy, unless you are getting one that is a few months old and already trained. While training your puppy, you will need to have certain items, including wee-wee pads for puppies that are not yet using the bathroom outdoors. This will keep you from cleaning up big, dirty messes all the time!

In addition, you will also need to have cleaning supplies for the messes that don’t make it to the potty training pad.  If your dog is particularly destructive, you may even want to consider getting some bitter apple spray. The terrible flavor will definitely teach her not to chew on your prized possessions.

Other than that, buy your puppy plenty of toys to keep him active and entertained. The best training tools can sometimes be toys because you can teach him to obey commands while playing. For example, if he doesn’t drop the ball or sit in front of you when asked, you can choose to not play. This will send your puppy the signal that if he doesn’t listen to you, he won’t get what he wants.

Dog Grooming Supplies

Even if you plan on taking your new puppy to a professional dog groomer, there are some grooming supplies you should always have on hand. For instance, if you are getting a long-haired dog, you will need to brush her regularly to keep her fur healthy and shiny.

In addition, you should also get dog shampoo and conditioner in case your puppy needs to be bathed in-between planned grooming sessions. You can also get toenail clippers for dogs to save money. Clipping your puppy’s nails are easy to do yourself and can save you hundreds of dollars over the years.

Puppy Leash and Collar

Part of training your new puppy will involve socialization, and this means that your pet will need to learn how to walk with a leash. Throughout the various stages of his life, your puppy will need a variety of collars and leashes.

Although a small puppy collar is fine in the beginning, you will need a larger one once he is full-grown. Your dog’s collar should be comfortable, yet tight enough that it doesn’t come off easily. Generally, a dog’s collar should be loose enough for you to fit two or three fingers.

In the early training stages, it’s best to use a shorter leash, which will give you more control. As your puppy becomes fully leash trained, you can start using longer leashes. We absolutely love the retractable leashes as they offer versatility for young and adult dogs.

What To Do When You Get A New Puppy

With so many things to buy before you bring a puppy home, it can be easy to forget the basics things to do to make sure your puppy is healthy. Whether you get your new puppy from a breeder, shelter or adoption center, here’s a checklist of things to do:

• Puppy-proof your home by removing toxic plants, keeping all medications, chemicals, and cleaning supplies in a safe place, removing exposed electrical cords, and cleaning up all small objects off the ground (e.g. coins, yarn, paper clips, and other choking hazards).
• Regardless of where your puppy comes from, make sure he is taking deworming medication.
• Like deworming, your vet should start your puppy on heartworm medication at around 8 weeks of age. The time period is not a hard guideline as different vets have different protocols and opinions on when to start heartworm treatment.
• Between birth and 6 months, you should get your puppy spayed or neutered. Other than avoiding pregnancy, getting a female dog spayed can decrease the chances of some cancers later. Similarly, a neutered male dog will be less aggressive, especially towards other male pets.

Supplies To Get For Puppies

There is one more crucial thing that you are going to need for your new puppy, and that is a veterinarian. You are going to need vet care, from vaccinations to spaying/neutering, and overall health care. Ultimately, it’s best to establish a relationship with a reputable vet in the earliest stages of your puppy’s life so that trust can be built. If this is your first dog, be sure to thoroughly research your vet and ask another owner for a recommendation.