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Checklist: The 14 Things You Really Need at Home to Greet Your New Puppy (And the Ones That Can Wait)

You want to buy the whole pet aisle, but you don't need to. Here are the true must-have's.

By Jo RiosPublished 5 years ago 8 min read
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So, you made the decision. After thinking about it forever, probably delaying it two or three times because it wasn’t the right time, you finally decided to get a dog (hopefully by visiting a shelter). Now what?

What the Internet Says

I went through dozens of advice blogs, good and bad. At the time, I really just wanted to know the things I needed immediately since we adopted Arya with very little time to prepare. A lot of websites I found were really helpful, but some were too extent, or listed things I didn’t really need to be thinking about yet (like doggie toothpaste from day one, wtf?). So to save others some time, I put together a list with all the things that I was told to get and actually needed, the ones we didn’t really need, and the ones I definitely should’ve gotten. You are very welcome. 😉

What You Really Need

Let's break this down by categories, starting with what you need for the house.

#1: Kennel

You will find this in almost every list and there is a reason its number one on this one. As you'll learn quickly, getting a puppy is very much like getting a baby. Regardless of your thoughts about kennels for the future when your dog is all grown up, you're going to need one to keep your puppy safe at night while you sleep. They don’t know their surroundings or the rules yet, and you don’t want them getting into trouble or hurting themselves while they learn. So get a kennel according to your dog’s size and on their first day home show them how to get inside it. You will both be glad you did.

#2: Padding or Used Towels/Bedding

Since your pup will be sleeping in a kennel for at least a few months while they’re trained, they need to be comfortable. You can get them padding very cheap on Amazon, or use old towels or bedding. Believe me, you won’t want to spend too much money on this yet as there's a 90 percent chance your dog will pee on it or destroy it within a week.

#3: Newspaper/Pads

Your puppy is going to have accidents. Engrave this into your mind now and save yourself the tears when you have to clean pee off your floor six times a day every day. But it will get better. So line up Pupper’s kennel with newspaper and keep it around for accidents or you will run through your paper towel roll in a day. If you’re going to pad-train your pup, have those always available at the spot where you want them to go from day one. Which brings us to…

#4 Cleaning Supplies

Like I said, your new pup is going to get messy, so you better be ready. Get A LOT of paper towels and an odor neutralizer like Nature's Miracle. If you get tired of going through those bottles too quickly, you can get Odo-ban on Amazon or your nearest Home Depot. It cost the same as the little bottle and works wonders while saving you money.

#5 Puppy Proofing Supplies

This one is easy. If you don’t want it in Pupper’s mouth, it can’t be on the floor. Apply that to everything and you’ll be good. Those things on your coffee table? Put them away for the next few months. Cables? Make sure they are out of reach or covered. It should go without saying that a puppy can never be unsupervised, but you can never be too safe.

For Your Pup's Diet:

Here are three important things...

#6 Kibble

If you know what they have been eating up until now, get the same kind of food. It'll make the transition easier for your pup if they don’t have to switch diets and homes in the same week, as both can be stressful. After they are accustomed to their new house, you can switch their food to the one of your preference.

If you don’t know which kind they had or if it’s not available, just make sure it’s puppy food, and try to go for the best quality you can afford. We use Taste of the Wild's salmon recipe for puppies.

#7 Treats for Training

Although there are different opinions on how soon you can start training your dog, in my experience, they will start learning from the moment they arrive, especially if properly rewarded. The very first thing they need to learn on day one: their name. Get some low-calorie treats and give them one every time they turn their heads towards you when you say their name. You can do this in intervals of ten minutes two or three times a day. From there you can continue in the future with other commands like “sit” or “ven” (“come here” in Spanish).

#8 Water and Food Bowl

It might seem obvious, but not many sites told me to get them and I completely forgot. (I know, I know…) I improvised with a plastic bowl while I ran to the pet shop the next day. Save yourself some time and money and get them on Amazon.

For Your Pup's Daily Life and Activities:

Six more items...

#9 ID Tag

With your pupper's name and your info in case they get lost. I got mine at the machine thingy at PetSmart for $5, or if you already picked the name you can order them online.

#10 Collar

To hold Pupper’s tags. I wouldn’t go buying a fancy one yet as they will outgrow it (or break it) pretty quickly.

#11 Harness

Here’s something not everyone gets. Attaching your leash directly to your dog’s collar can hurt them, especially since they don’t know how to be leash-walked yet and will pull on it. Do the right thing and spend a few bucks on a harness to walk your dog. Have it ready when they come home so they get used to it quickly. As with the collar, don't overspend on it as it's outgrown quickly.

#12 Leash

Now here’s a tricky one. Some people hate on the retractable leash for many valid reasons, but when my dog Arya first came home as a pup, it was a good way to have her secure while letting her explore her surroundings, especially when we went on walks. Everything was so new to her. Yes, they might get tangled or they might break (mine never did either) but I think it’s a good choice for a small puppy. After they start growing and getting stronger, you can switch to a regular leash as we did.

#13 Toys

My dog Arya and Woodstock on their first day home.

Get Pupper a few toys for their new place. It will keep them entertained and make them feel more at ease. And you obviously need them for play time! Woodstock and Señor Mono were Arya’s first toys, and they're still her favorite.

#14 Poop Bags

Lord, do I wish someone told me this. First, it was so hard to make her go outside, and when she finally did… I didn’t have any poop bags! I obvs ran back home and improvised with a Ziploc, but there are better, less wasteful options out there. I get mine in bulk online.

Now let's list the things you need, but for later.

Like I said, there are things you can definitely wait for. We adopted Arya in the aftermath of Hurricane María in Puerto Rico, so there were a lot of things that were not considered essentials right then, and after a while I figured they weren’t essential, period. So just save yourself some time and money and get these things online when they’re on sale:

#1 Brush and Other Grooming Items

Yes, you will need to brush your dog. A lot if you are like us and got a hairy breed. But take your time to figure out which brush is best for your pup, then get them when you see them on sale somewhere. I got mine at 25 percent off on Amazon.

#2 A Proper Bed

Please don’t do buy this yet. I went ahead and bought Arya an orthopedic pad for her kennel, and she peed on it the first time she saw it, then turned it to shreds a week after. Wait after Pupper is potty trained, then wait for a sale and get them a great comfy bed. I got Arya’s latest one at 40 percent off at Petco this summer.

#3 Kong Toys

A Kong toy is a great way to keep your puppy entertained, but don’t fall for buying it immediately. Everything is new for your dog right now, so save the Kong for later.

There are also things you can totally skip.

Like:

Food Containers

I fell into this trap early, thinking food is better kept in an airtight container. Turns out the best place to store and keep kibble fresh is in its own bag, so the joke was on me. I also felt guilty throwing away giant bags of food after only transporting the kibble home from the store, so I ended up donating the container to a dog foster house. Save yourself some clutter and skip this.

Nail Clippers

While it is true that you can save money by clipping you puppy’s nails yourself, you have to make sure you do it right in order to avoid injuries. In my case, I chose to skip this altogether, as my dog walks enough that her nails take a long time to grow, and when they do I just take her to the nearest PetSmart for clipping and save myself the headache. If you still want to cut your dog’s nails yourself, check out this info on what tools you’ll need and how to do it.

Flimsy Toys

We are all tempted to raid the clearance bin for toys, but most of these won't last the week. Puppies like to bite, so spend a few extra bucks and get decent toys that will last a bit longer.

So there you have it! Do you feel there's something missing on this list?

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About the Creator

Jo Rios

A pet lover with a knack to share her experiences in pupper parenting to save others the trouble of figuring it out themselves.

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