If you’ve been living under a rock and paying zero attention to my life lately you might not know that WE HAVE A PUPPY! Teddy is four months old, he’s lived with us just over two months and he’s my little fur-baby-sweetheart-angel-face. There’s a few posts about him on here and he has Instagram so go check him out for daily pupdates.
Before we picked up Ted, the list lover in me made a checklist of all the things we would need before bringing our bundle of joy home. Some of them we didn’t end up buying or needing and other things we had to buy more of because the little shit chewed through them (see harness).
Anyway, I thought I’d share my list with any potential new pupper owners and hopefully give you an idea of the kind of things you’ll need for the little rascal.
- Collar – An adjustable collar is best as they grow so quickly, and when fitting it, make sure you can put no more than two fingers inside the collar or your pupper can get out of it. Ted is currently wearing a cute red polka dot collar from Pets at Home but I have my eye on a grey leather number.
- Lead – We have a matching lead, it’s really strong with a hefty fastening so Teddy is secure out on walks.
- Harness – A harness is completely optional and it all depends on preference but we got Teddy a harness because my brother (dog walker/trainer etc) suggested it as his neck is so little we didn’t want to damage it if he pulled on his collar. Teddy walks great on his harness and he’s currently on his third. The first one I named his ‘gilet’ as that’s exactly what it looked like, it was lined and far too hot, especially in the recent heatwave. The second annoyed him as the chest plate was quite stiff, and then he ended up chewing it. And his newest one is a soft, neoprene step-in number that he is getting on really well with.
- ID tag – Every dog, by law (in the UK) needs to have an ID tag with their owners name and address on, we put our phone number on Ted’s too, but that is optional. You can get tags in all colours, shapes and from pet stores or most key cutting shops.
- Two bowls – One for food and one for water. We opted for heavy ceramic bowls so they wouldn’t be easy to tip, and have had no issue with them. We also ended up buying another bowl (a stainless steel one) for the garden as Ted spends a lot of time playing outside; it’s also really handy when we’re taking him out as it’s light enough to put in a backpack and we just toss any unwanted water out when he’s finished.
- Toys – We bought a variety of toys for Teddy, including balls (rubber and tennis), cuddly toys, rope knots, a Kong etc. We made sure we had a variety of textures; one of his favourites was a soft elephant with a squeaker in its head and a rustling, paper sound in its bum. I was against squeaky toys as I thought it would annoy me but they’ve turned out to be great distractions.
- Crate – Decide where you’re pup will sleep, do you want to crate train? There are many advantages and we have Teddy in a crate in the kitchen but keep his crate door open. We did this to begin with so he could go toilet on the kitchen floor and not in his bed, but we’ve never had to shut his crate door because the kitchen door is always closed. The advantage of this is he knows his crate is part of his den but he can get out and play in the kitchen. He also actively goes to his crate of a night and knows that’s where he goes to sleep. If you don’t have the room or need to shut the crate door make sure you don’t use the crate as a sin bin, make it fun and enjoyable for your doggo in there, and leave ample room for toileting.
- Bed – We got a plush, grey cosy bed from Home Bargains because we didn’t want to spend a fortune in case he destroyed it and he’s only little so didn’t want it to be massive. As long as the pup can fully stretch out on the bed, it’ll be perfect.
- Blanket – A blanket is a good idea for comfort and to put over the top of the dogs crate if crate training as it blocks out the light and creates that den-like environment. Teddy also sleeps with one of my blankets and he has one that he plays with. He’s a prince, okay, I can’t help it.
- Brush/comb – Grooming is SO important and it’s vital you start it early. Our Cockapoo is going to need a lot of grooming and although I brush him daily, he still fights me. However, he had his first furcut last week and was an angel. Shame he’s not like that for his Mum. We have a normal bristled brush and a fine-tooth comb. What you’ll need will depend on your dogs coat.
- Car harness/travel crate – It’s UK law that a dog should not be able to distract or harm you whilst driving and therefore should have a seat belt harness, carrier, crate or guard. Teddy sits in the back with a seat belt attached to his harness and loves the car. If you want to transport your dog using a seat belt, it has to be attached to a harness and not a collar around the neck as it can severely injure the dog if there was an accident.
- Poo bags – Well, I’m sorry to tell you my friends but dogs poo and you need to clean that shit up, literally.
- Baby gate – We considered a baby gate to close off certain rooms Teddy could go in but didn’t need one in the end. Again, go with what suits you.
- Food – My brother introduced me to All About Dog Food as it has reviews and a directory of loads of dog foods. We kept Teddy on what his breeder recommended but after reading reviews changed it up. We changed his food gradually so not to disrupt his digestive system and he loves his new munch.
- Treats – A lot of puppy treats state that they can’t be used until three months of age so make sure you read the labels. We use reward based training with treats and Teddy is doing amazingly.
- Shampoo – Pups get filthy, pals. Your pupper probably won’t be your friend during their first bath but they’ll love you again as soon as they’re dry.
- Newspaper/puppy training pads – We toilet trained Teddy with newspaper and he picked it up very quickly. We did, however, run out of paper very quickly so advertised on local Facebook groups stating we had a new pup and were in desperate need of newspaper and a few lovely people in the village helped us out.
- Toothpaste/toothbrush – It’s important to get your doggo used to having their teeth cleaned. You can get finger brushes and dog friendly toothpaste. I get all mine from Vet UK.
- Flea/Worming – You can do this at home or the vet will flea and worm your dog for a ridiculous price. I use Frontline pipettes and Drontal worming both from Vet UK.
- Eye and ear care – There’s a few different wipes you can purchase that can be used on the eyes and ears to keep them clean. If your dog gets used to it as a puppy, it’ll be easy when they’re older.
- Playpen – We didn’t use a pen with Teddy but I know some people do for time-outs or putting the dog in a safe place when they need to leave the room etc. It’s completely up to you and what will work with your family and household.
- Cleaning stuff – The little’un will no doubt have some accidents, hopefully not many, but if they do, you’ll need to check whether your usual cleaning products are pet friendly. Random tip: before bed, I squirt the living room with Zoflora to kill any bacteria and nasty smells…and it’s doggo safe.
Optional but very much on my list
- Bow ties – Ted currently has four and he’s a dapper dood.
- Bandana – Scroll back up and look at that skull and crossbones bandana.
- Letterboard – For cute pupdate pics; check Teddy’s IG for them.
- Puppy cologne – His groomer sprayed some on him and he smelled lovely, so I naturally had to get some.
- Training lead – We got our 50ft training lead for recalls from eBay for about a fiver.
- ‘Dog loose’ sign – For the garden gate so people shut the bloody gate.