As you may know, we just brought a new puppy into our home a few weeks ago. I’d forgotten how much work puppies are, but I’ll be honest with you: I know that our little Georgie is totally worth it. She’s adorable and funny, and every day she’s changing. I don’t want to wish her puppyhood away, but I am so excited to see the dog she becomes.
It’s a fact of life that like human babies, puppies need a lot of stuff. Today I’m sharing my Puppy Starter Kit with you. This is my list of the must-have items you’ll need before you bring your new bundle of joy into your home. Take a peek:
- Soft plush toys. These from Kong are among my favorites, and puppies love them.
- Poop bags. Trust me, you can never have enough and we love these from Earth Rated. Pair them with this poop bag dispenser, and you’re good to go.
- Pee pads. I’m starting to think I should buy stock in these. We use a ton of them.
- Chew toys. Puppies chew a lot, and they’ll chew on darn near anything they can find. Give them something good.
- Dog bed. Depending on how much your pup will grow, this is something it might be able to use for an entire lifetime. Buy a good quality bed.
- Treat pouch. It’s good to keep this handy during training. This one from PetSafe is my favorite.
- Play pen. This is a must, because there are going to be times you need to get things done around the house and keeping an eye on your pup is tricky. A play pen is great because it corrals your mutt but still allows plenty of room for play.
- Crate. I’m a huge believer in crate training, so a good high-quality crate is an absolute must.
In addition to the items on this list, you might find that you want to brush up on your puppy IQ. There are some really awesome books about puppies on topics like house training, crate training, and general care. These are a few of my absolute favorites.
These are just a few of my personal recommendations, but there are many quality books and products available on the market today. What other items can you think of that a new puppy might need? Please feel free to share them in a comment below! And be sure to check out my post, 7 Things to Do Before You Bring Your New Puppy Home.
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Puppies can be so much fun but they do take a lot of work. Ma says in a few months we will be looking to add another pup to our home. The potty training is the only thing she is stressing about. She also said that she would crate train the new puppy.
Congratulations on your new puppy.
Grooming equipment? It’s good to get them used to handling and combing and teeth brushing early. Congrats on the puppy.
Great starter kit! I love the idea of a GPS tracker for pets of all ages.
Awesome starter kit! Nylabones, split antlers, bully sticks, hooves, anything puppy can chew on will always make my list. Those teeth are sharp! For my next puppy (a ways off still ;)), I’ll be doing a lot of “at home socializing” with various textures, moving objects like balance balls and wobble boards, kids’ playground toys, ect.
Excellent starter kit – all of those are ‘must have’ items! We also include toothbrush, or one of those starter toothbrush finger thingies!
Great List. The nylabone puppy chew looks pretty cool. Wish i had that when our pups were babies!
I do not want any more children but I would happily have many more puppies!!
Chews are definitely one of the MOST important! I love all natural chews. Just make sure that they’re fairly big in comparison to your pup so they don’t try to swallow them whole. I love bully sticks, tracheas, hooves, ears, etc. You may want to monitor how often they have them though as they are edible and do you know what happens to puppies when they eat stuff they’re not use to? Yea…that potty training will need even extra work! Antlers are my absolute favorite! If pups don’t seem interested at first try to find the ones with the velvet still on them. The velvet tends to entice them for their first