New Puppy Supplies: The Basics
Dog Crate and Exercise Pen
We recommend and use the 30 to 36 inch, Double Door, Folding Dog Crate.
This is the puppy’s own place that he can feel secure. You can choose from an airline kennel (plastic enclosed) or a wire kennel.
It is extremely important that your puppy take naps in his/her crate and sleeps there at bedtime so that his brain can fully relax and reset. Without this, your puppy will exhaust himself, be naughty, not listen, and wear your patience thin!
Their cute little mugs will only take them so far!
Also, to make house-training easier, we use an Exercise Pen!
We will be providing you with complete instructions on how we house-train our puppies here at Magnolia Labradoodles! You can read about that here!
Food and Water Dishes
Non-breakable, non-chewable, tip-proof, and easy to clean.
We recommend stainless steel or heavy ceramic bowls big enough to be used when your puppy is full grown, or heavy enough to not be picked up, pushed around, or tipped over.
Here at Magnolia Australian Labradoodles, we LOVE the Slopper Stopper Bowls, and you will too! The Slopper Stoppers, do exactly what they say, no slopper and no playing in the water!!!
Collar, Harness and Leash
We will send you home with an “Magnolia Labradoodles” collar when you pick your puppy up. We also recommend that you purchase a harness for your new puppy for potty trips on your way home. Young puppies should never have a leash attached to their collars as this can cause damage to their necks and also encourage puppies to pull when walking them.
Puppies grow quickly, so we recommend having a couple small, lightweight, adjustable harnesses that are easy to snap on and off. Your puppy will ONLY wear a collar/harness when he/she is supervised!!
NEVER leave a collar/harness on your puppy when you are not watching them!
Having a lightweight four to six foot leash to start out with will give them great beginning exposure to leash training. You will work on his leash training for short periods indoors and out, he/she will drag it, step on it, get it caught on things around the house, and learn that a tug on the leash is OK, nothing to worry about. Same rules apply! Only place your leash on your puppy when they are under DIRECT supervision!!
As a word of caution, we do not recommend retractable leashes. They can pose a danger to puppies and their families.
Enrichment and Chew Toys
Your new puppy will come home with stuffed Kong animal. We especially love the Kongs that can be stuffed, find that here!
We also prefer to use your puppy’s kibble and peanut butter to stuff the Kong!
Any of the puzzle toys are also excellant for your new puppy! Chewy.com will have all of your puppy supplies and great prices too!!!
Grooming Tools
We recommend that you buy a soft brush to get your puppy used to and comfortable with the brushing/grooming process. Then as your puppy is more comfortable with grooming, and his/her hair grows out, you will want to use a slicker brush (wire, rectangular), for regular brushing.
A wire comb (Greyhound brand type comb) is awesome to check for any small mats that could be starting. It will go from the skin to the ends of the hair and grab onto any dead hair that needs to come out.
A nail trimmer to keep the ends of his nails short is helpful, or you can ask your Vet to trim nails at each visit as you go through your puppy vaccination series, and ultimately have your groomer trim them at each grooming visit.
Shampoo and conditioner that is gentle on your puppy’s skin and coat will allow you to bathe your puppy as often as it is needed, without worrying about drying out their skin. A detangler for when your puppy’s coat grows out is a helpful tool!!
The ALAA has a great grooming video and printable instructions that you should share with your groomer when they are older!
You can look for these items by following the links above and as a special tip: Life’s Abundance has a wonderful shampoo/conditioner combo that smells yummy!!
Positive Training Books
Below you will find a list of wonderful, helpful books to read.
Train Your Dog Positively, by Victoria Stilwell
The Puppy Primer, by Patricia B. McConnell and Brenda Scidmore