Welcome! If a new puppy is on your mind, these are a few essentials we recommend and have used ourselves, when getting a new puppy into the home.
Please remember these are only our suggestions and have been asked by several of our families for recommendations of this sort, which is why we decided to make a page about it! We do not get compensated in any way for making these recommendations to you!
Above everything else, do not forget to get your puppy vaccinated!
Your puppy will receive its first set of shots from our local veterinarian, but REMEMBER that they have to get a series of shots to be fully vaccinated and protected! Don’t forget to schedule your well checkup as soon as you get your puppy so your vet can give you the clean bill of health required for our contract. We get their first set of shots at 6-7 weeks, you will need to get the second set 3 weeks after their first vaccination and then 3 weeks after that until the vet tells you you are done and then you will bring them in once a year for boosters. Click the button below to see exactly what shots are administered when and what they prevent. Living in Arizona, it is IMPERATIVE you get the Parvovirus shot. It is rampant in our state and can take your healthy puppy and make them sick and pass away in a matter of a few days if they aren’t vaccinated against it. Please make this your priority!
The #2 thing we recommend is finding a local dog trainer as soon as you get your puppy home and sign up for puppy training classes!
We want you to be 100% successful with your new puppy, and starting obedience training is imperative to love your dog and help them realize its full potential. Also understanding that you, not they, are in charge!
To find a trainer nearest to you, just do a quick Google search, or ask in your local Facebook Group!
Slow feeder Bowl.
A lot of times when getting a new puppy, the puppy is used to fighting litter mates for eating time. You might find that when your puppy comes home they just love their food so much, they eat it too fast! Then give you big puppy dog eyes for some more. Overfeeding can cause a lot of health problems for new puppies, so getting them this type of dish helps them eat slower, and feel more full by the time they are finished!
Dog Collar and Leash
Obviously to make sure puppy is safe and can get back to you if they end up getting away from you somehow, they will need a collar and a leash. If you like a leather collar, this is the one we have for our Goldendoodle, Poppy, and it is really high quality and beautiful!
If you prefer a nylon collar, we have this one for several of our other dogs and they still look brand new over a year later. As you can see they have so many colors to choose from and the quality can’t be beaten. The price is also great!
This is the dog collar we bought for Finnick and have been extremely happy with the color, durability, and quality!
If you are getting a collar, you should also be getting a tag! We have gotten a few tags from this seller and have been happy with the quality.
Remember, once they are big enough your dog will need a daily walk!
Leashes don’t have to be expensive to be good quality. All of our dog leashes come from Walmart and are very good quality and are very reasonably priced!
A new puppy will also need a crate to sleep in, or a penned-in area. We don’t have this crate in particular but have one very similar. This crate is very highly rated on Amazon.
When getting a crate for your puppy, you want it to be big enough that they can stand, turn around, and lay down easily. You don’t want it too much bigger than them, so they don’t go in the back or side area and go to the bathroom. Just big enough to be cozy.
We have several of these gate systems in our house and outside to form our puppy play area outside of our dog door. It is a great, safe way, to keep your puppy in a smaller area while you continue to potty train! Or a safe place for them to play while you are away.
While continuing to potty train, these are great pads to use. We have several of these in different shapes and sizes. They have been washed countless times and don’t fade and still look brand new!
Puppies LOVE to chew. Give them these bully sticks to help with their chewing urges! They love them and will help them to chew what they should, and not what you don’t want them to! Make sure for Goldendoodle puppies you get the longer sticks.
These treats are small and perfect for training your puppy! All of our dogs love these.
New Puppies love to play! Even though their play sessions are shorter, and will grow in length as they get older, they need lots of things they love to play with. As part retrievers, it is in their blood to love to fetch and play with tennis balls! These are a little bit smaller, so easier for the puppy's mouth to get ahold of.
Our puppies also seem to love any toy that squeaks or crackles. This is a great set for starting out! The banana seems to be especially popular in our house.
We put all of the puppy toys in a basket that is easily accessible for them to pull out and play with at any time. If they are caught chewing something they shouldn’t we tell them firmly “NO” and then get them one of their toys to replace it, then praise them.
