What do you need?  

Before you bring your puppy home, you may want to have some of these supplies.  They are NOT all necessary to have but you may want to read through them.

• Premium dog food to get your new puppy off to a good start.  We will send you with 5 pounds of Fromm Large Breed Puppy Gold.
• Stainless steel, non-tip food and water bowls.
• Identification tag with your puppy’s name (if you know the name of your newest family member), your name, phone number and your veterinarian’s name and phone number.
• A home and travel crate that will accommodate your puppy.   This crate will serve as your puppy’s new “den” at home, when traveling or riding to the veterinarian’s office. The crate will provide comfort and a sense of security during these potentially stressful times. I also love the protection that a crate offers a puppy when you go to the vet because their feet don’t touch the ground at the vet and other dogs don’t  come up to sniff your new puppy.  This is a protection for your puppy to not be licked by other dogs.We like the medium size plastic crate with a handle to start.  Fleet Farm sells one for about $27 dollars. 
• Stain remover for accidental soiling.
• Brushes and combs suited to your puppy’s coat.   We like the Furminater.
• Dog shampoo (baby shampoo is great), toothbrush and paste.
• Flea, tick and parasite controls as needed and recommended by your vet.  Each geographical area is different and I would also not give any heavy medications when a puppy is quite young.
• Ear cleaner and Nail clippers (get the scissor type and NOT the guillotine type .
• Treats (We generally use the puppy food for baiting/training treats.  Many other treats are not really healthy for your puppy)  We occasionally do use raw-hides but not the kind with knots on the end…only the ones that are long and rolled in a tube shape.  Bully sticks/treats are a natural option.
• High-quality, safe chew toys to ease teething.  I always look at the ingredients and where the toys were made.  Please, be aware of this so that the toys are fun AND safe and not toxic.  
  His/Her favorite toys are the “squeaky ones” and a Kong Binkie and balls. One favorite toy is a rolling ball that makes noise.  I have found a really nice one at Fleet Farm that has a gentle noise and has rubber edges so they can grab and chew. Tennis balls can be wonderful as well. I would not recommend any stuffed animal toys unless they are covered with that tough almost nylon fabric.  Anything stuffed that they can chew up…they probably will.  We have a squeaky pig that they love -purchased at Chuck and Don’s.   At Petco and Fleet Farm there is a large heavy duty ball with a triangular handle- great for individual play and fetch.  They also have a ball that is inside another ball that allows for curious play.

I love the West Paw Hurley chew toy.  It is a bounce and float toy.  Its bright color makes it easy to find. Even our large dogs can’t chew it apart. It’s almost $12.00 and worth it in my view.

I prefer toys that can be thoroughly cleaned and toys that won’t get torn apart.  I don’t care for tied cloth toys.  I like toys that I am confident they won’t carry germs and won’t break into pieces in the pups sharp mouth.   I am always getting new toys- there are so many great ones out there.  Have fun choosing and always keep your eyes open for new and challenging toys that you think your pup would like.  I think it is important to have things that pup can play with and chew on. This makes life pleasant for pup and people. 

• I also love to have cushy, comfortable beds for our dogs.  Your puppy may not be able to have a big bed for the first few weeks until he or she is fully trained but they certainly can learn ‘bed’ or ‘rest’ or learn perimeters from right away and having a bed during wake hours can be a fun training tool option.  During the first 1-3 weeks I would suggest that you have a towel or a baby blanket in your dogs crate because they are easy to wash.