All dogs need their own “things” – that is to say, they have some basic equipment needs. Your best place to purchase these items is a “pet specialty” type of store where there is a wide variety of supplies. What do you need before you bring your puppy/dog home?

• Expandable baby gate
• 6 foot leather leash
• Leather or other material collar for ID purposes only
• Training collar (flat collar, Gentle Leader, Halti, nylon pinch-type collar, or prong)

  A prong collar may look like something from the Medieval torture chambers, but it is actually easier on a dog’s neck that a pinch collar. Prong collars are like “power steering” as opposed to manual stick shifts. These collars are only on when you are with the dog and you plan on doing some training with her/him. Otherwise your dog should be wearing a flat ID collar at all times with information on how to contact you.

• Stainless steel water and food bowls (ceramic ones break and chip, and puppies can swallow the sharp chards).

  Stainless steel equipment lasts almost forever, it doesn’t rust, and you only have to buy the item one time. Puppies that are teething will chew up anything in site, and a plastic bowl can be shredded in no time. Do your dog and your budget a favor, get stainless steel bowls.

• Short pull-tab leash

  This is usually a leather mini-leash (8 inches) that you can attach to your dog’s collar while you’re at home and the dog is free to be with you. If your dog needs to be corrected (usually while you’re reading the paper) you can quickly get up, put the dog where you want him by grabbing the pull-tab, then go back to what you were doing.

• Always have lots of fresh water available for your dog whether it is in or out. Clean all bowls daily just like you do your own dishes.
• Kong rubber toys – these are almost indestructible and may last years. Get a smaller size for young puppies (helpful during teething), and for large dogs get the king size. These toys can be left with a puppy/dog as long as it’s large enough that they CANNOT swallow it. It’s a puppy safe toy.
• Squeaky toys, balls, etc. – get a few of these to use when you are teaching the puppy new obedience commands (or parlor tricks, like “high 5.” However, these are not puppy/dog safe and should be put away when you are through playing with them with the puppy.

CHEW TOYS

• Nylabone regular and Gumabone for the teething period (usually at 12 weeks).

Tip: When the puppy starts to teeth, put one Gumabone in the freezer as the cold helps to soothe his/her gums. Teething can be irritating and painful to your puppy, but the cold Gumabones help relieve some of this.

I highly recommend the “Nylabone” brand because I have found it to be the safest for a young puppy. Buy these items large enough so that there is no chance that the “bone” can be swallowed. I don’t like the “rawhide” type chews because they can be dangerous to your dog’s digestive system and may cause blockages. Blockages can result in surgery or death.

The WELL-GROOMED PUP

Grooming your puppy every day teaches it to like being handled by people. The best time to do this is when the puppy is sleepy and will enjoy the gentle touching by you. You will need:

• Brush and comb appropriate for your puppy’s coat
• Nail clipper (have your Vet show you how the first time) or use an electric Dremel grinder

You can teach a puppy to accept the Dremel grinder by starting out just turning it on while the puppy eats a goodie, or during a meal. Just hold it above the puppy's head, when he looks at it, say "good boy" and then (without any fuss) turn it off and repeat the exercise until the pup pays little attention to the noise. Then you can use it on the puppy's nails -- one at a time. The first actual use, have someone hold the puppy, grind one nail, give the puppy a treat and you're all done. The next day, do another nail and repeat until you have done all 4 paws. The next time you bring the Dremel out, the puppy will probably let you do all 4 paws (with a treat after each toe). If introduced slowly and with positive motivation, you pup might look forward to nail trimming.

• Ear cleaning solution (Nolvasan Otic is good) and cleansing pads (in beauty supply section). Cleaning is best done when a puppy has done some hard playing and is asleep on the floor with you. Then you can just gently rub its ears and gently clean the leathers.

Check your puppy each time you come back home for plant debris, i.e. foxtails or other weeds that may get imbedded into the coat and skin.

When you’re brushing the puppy, check for fleas (if you can’t find any, then examine the puppy’s tummy and look for tiny black dots on the belly – that may indicate flea dandruff).

Ask your vet if and when you should use a flea topical.