These are products I personally use and recommend.
Disclaimer: I’ve put together this resource to make shopping for your new puppy simple and easy. These are the items I’ve found to be useful and essential as I raise your newest family member.
I receive a small fee for each purchase (thank you!). It doesn’t increase product prices, but as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you have a doodle, you NEED this dryer! It revolutionized puppy bath time at our house. Doodles LOVE water, so they are always getting wet. This will dry them off very quickly. It is quiet, easy to use, and takes up very little space. One of the most stressful things for doodles is going to the groomer and getting used to the professional dryers, now you can acclimate your new puppy to the rigors of a grooming session in the comfort of your home with your love, patience, and assurances that they won’t be hurt by the blowing hot air. Or you can skip the expensive trip to the groomers entirely and give them a bath and blow dry at home.
This is another dog owner essential item. The nail grinder. What I love most about this one is that it is rechargeable using the included USB cable. So I never have to replace a battery again. It is also super quiet, all of my pups get their nails ground on a regular basis so they are used to having their toenails shortened. I dislike using clippers, as I always seem to cut too close to the quick, and then I have a messy bleeding puppy on my hands that I’ve hurt. So far with the grinder, I’ve never yet made a puppy bleed using this grinder. I even use it on my own toe nails, as it works so well!
With a new puppy, training is constant! Having a go-to treat that they LOVE, is small, soft, and you can buy in bulk so they last a long time, is essential. That is why I love the BilJac Little Jacs training treats. They are the perfect size for puppies.
With a new puppy, having a safe “den” where the puppy eats their meals, takes naps, or has down time to decompress when they get overstimulated is essential. There are so many benefits to crate training your new puppy. It is a skill once they learn sticks with them for life, and you never know when they will need that skill. If they have to go to a vet and stay overnight, they will have to be kenneled, or if your pup flies with you anywhere, they will have to be in a kennel. Wouldn’t you rather know that your baby is calm and chill sitting in their crate or kennel rather than freaking out because you’ve neglected to teach them this critical life skill? All of our pups come with an introduction to sleeping alone in a crate. I love having a crate with 2 doors, as it adds versatility and ease of use.
With a new puppy, having a safe place where you can keep puppy out of trouble and contained is not only essential for his safety, it helps make potty training so much easier. Not to mention that it is a real sanity saver. As a puppy grows older and gets more mature, you can gradually give them more freedoms and access to more areas of the home, but the puppy pen can be used as a gate to section off parts of your home. With a tool that is this versatile and easy to store, every home with a puppy should have at least one puppy pen.
We feed all of our moms and puppies Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Rice. We have found it to be a great food that has remained reliable and consistent in their ingredients. I LOVE having it on Auto-ship from Amazon. I never run out of dog food, and I never have to make a late-night dash to the store because I forgot to pick up dog food. I just set up the auto-ship for what I need, and it shows up on my doorstep every month without me having to think about it.
This is another new puppy essential item. I love the silicone treat pouch as it is so easy to clean. The magnets make it easy to open, and it shuts automatically so treats don’t fall out! The clip will attach to any waistband or a pocket, no belt needed. Also, it is super light weight. When training a puppy you need to have treats with you ALL the time! I love this set because it also comes with a couple of clickers. Clicker training a dog is SO easy, and we start training our puppies with a clicker as soon as they start eating food.
The Pet Agree is a harmless, ultrasonic device that requires no batteries, and no charging. When your pup is being naughty, chasing the cat, jumping up on the table, biting, eating a sock, or barking excessively, this little gadget is priceless! It grabs their attention and alerts them that the behaviour they are doing is not acceptable or displeases you. It is easy to keep on hand at all times, light weight, and has a very convenient clip to attach to any waistband or pocket. This is a great training tool in your training tool box.
I simply LOVE the Joyride harness, or any harness that is designed like this one. There are no confusing buckles, or straps, or taking 15 minutes putting a harness on your wiggly excited puppy only to figure out you’ve put it on upside down, inside out, and backward. (I’ve done all 3 on a harness I used to have!) This one has very strong velcro, so it is a custom fit, yet it can grow with your pup as they get bigger. It has the added advantage that it can be used easily in a car with a car seat belt leash to keep your pup buckled securely and safely in your car when you take him to Starbucks for a pup cup!
To go with the harness, having a car leash is essential in our home. I love this one because it is impervious to a puppy’s sharp teeth and constant chewing! If you use a regular leash, they can have that destroyed in less time than it takes you to drive to the closest Starbucks! I also love that this leash gives you options, it will clip into a regular seat belt latch, or you can clip it onto one of the existing LATCH clips built into most cars for baby car seats. Having that flexibility and convenience is a win/win for me on this travel essential for your new puppy!
