10 Must-Have Items For Your New Puppy

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting and nerve-racking experience! Before bringing home your new furry friend, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared with all the must have supplies, so today I am sharing 10 items you MUST have before bringing home your new pup!

1. A Crate

Crate training is an important part of the puppy training process. Not only does crate training help with house breaking your pup, it also gives them a safe space to go while you’re away as well as a place to sleep at night. Most dogs see their crate as their den, or safe space, so don’t worry about them seeing it as a bad or scary place. Find a crate that is large enough for your pup to stand, lay down completely flat, and walk in a complete circle. Fill it with a blanket or bed and a couple of toys to provide all the comfort they’ll need to be content while you’re away! 

2. Food and Water Bowls

This one should be a no brainer, since your new puppy will obviously need something to eat and drink out of! There are plenty of cute food and water dishes out there for you to choose from. I recommend stainless steel bowls as they’re easy to clean and therefore won’t harbor bacteria that could cause your dog to fall ill the way that plastic bowls do. Ceramic bowls are not a bad option, however, they tend to be heavy which could cause injury to your new pup should they fall off of a counter or table. Finding a set of bowls with rubber bottoms, or purchasing a silicone mat for the bowls to sit on is a great idea to keep them from spilling and being pushed around. 

3. Training Treats

As soon as you bring your puppy home, you’re going to want to get started on training. Finding a yummy treat that will motivate your dog to learn his commands is super important. You’ll want to find a treat that is small and has very few calories per treat, since you’ll likely be giving your pup a lot of them. American Journey training treats are a great option since they’re only 4 calories per treat. Blue Buffalo Blue Bits treats are another low calorie option for training your puppy!

4. A Collar and Name Tag

You’ll definitely want to make sure you have both a collar and name tag before bringing your pup home. I recommend finding a cheaper and more simple collar at first as they will most likely grow out of it pretty quickly. You’ll want to make sure the collar fits securely around your dogs neck, it should be snug so that they can’t slip their head out. If you can fit two fingers between the collar and your dogs neck, you’ll know it’s fitted properly. 

You should have a name tag that is attached to your dogs collar. The name tag should have, at the least, your dogs name and your phone number on it. If your puppy manages to run away, this will help bring him home quicker. You should also ask your vet about having your dog microchipped, if it’s not already. 

5. A Leash

Once your dog is old enough, and fully vaccinated, you’ll want to start training him to walk properly on a leash. There are many leash options out there, so you may want to try out a few before settling on a specific leash. My personal favorite leashes are rope leashes, but you can also choose a retractable leash, a nylon leash, or one of the many other leash options on the market. 

6. Grooming Supplies

The supplies you’ll need for grooming your dog varies greatly based on what breed of pup you have. When bringing your new puppy home, you’ll want to make sure you have a brush that will work well with your dogs coat. You’ll also want to pick up a good dog shampoo, toothbrush and DOG toothpaste (human toothpaste will make your dog very sick), and nail clippers. 

7. A Quality Puppy Food

Choosing a good quality food for my puppy was by far the most difficult part of the entire process. There are SO many different food options out there. Whatever food you choose, make sure it is a puppy food, as adult dog foods do not have all the nutrients your puppy needs to grow and develop properly. When it comes down to it, any food that is rated 4 or 5 starts on dogfoodadvisor.com should be a good option for your pup. Make sure you talk to your vet to find the absolute best food for your dog, as all dogs have different nutritional requirements.

8. Enzyme Cleaner

All puppies are going to have accidents inside while being house broken. Remember not to yell at your pup after finding a puddle of pee or a pile of poo in the house, as this could scare them, and they’ll probably try to hide from you when they need to go potty, rather than alerting you. If your puppy does use the bathroom in the house, don’t worry too much, a good enzyme cleaner will break down the smell and keep your pup from using the bathroom there again (hopefully). 

9. A Bed

You wouldn’t want to lay on your floor, so why should your dog? If you don’t plan to let your puppy on your furniture, you’ll want to get them a comfy place of their own to lounge around. Finding a good quality bed that you can put in the main living space of your home (where you spend most of your time) is a great idea for those of you who would prefer to keep dog hair off of your couch. Having a second dog bed that you keep in their crate or in your bedroom, for them to sleep on at night, is also a good idea.

10. Toys, and Lots of Them

Puppies love to chew! If you don’t provide your pup with a variety of different chew toys, your furniture is going to suffer. Before bringing home your new furry friend, purchase a variety of different toys for your dog to choose from. Some of my dogs favorite toys when she was a puppy were her Benebone and her Zippy Paws Ladybug. To find plenty of toys for your pooch, without breaking the bank, try searching at your local TJ Maxx or Home Goods. You can also shop online for toys at chewy.com or amazon.com, both options will be much cheaper than the big name pet stores.