Puppy Supplies
Our goal is your puppies success when he/she comes home. This page has been created to help you with the supplies that may be helpful upon your puppies arrival.
We are often asked what supplies we use in our home, and in turn what should be purchased for your new puppies arrival. All the products recommended below have been personally tested and used by us.
Containment - Pen / Crate
When your puppy comes home it is best to be prepared and have a containment plan. Our puppies are litter box trained and for the most part will seek out the box (if you choose to continue to use one). There will be times when you need to run errands, go to work, etc. During this time your puppy will need to be contained. We also recommend crate training for sleeping and meals. I personally have my puppies sleep in a crate next to my bed until they are at least 6 months old.
Amazon Basics Wire Crate
Over the years I have tested and used many wire crates. THIS is the one that I ended up purchasing (and in turn replacing all my previous wire crates). I am a BIG fan of the latch. I have dogs that will open crate doors, they are not able to with this latch! The 24 x 18 x 20 is a good size for your puppy to grow into.
Crate Pad
Perfect to fit inside the crate or the puppy pen. Easy to clean, machine washable.
Stainless Bowl for Crate
I love these bowls, I use them for all of my dogs. Eating from a raised dish is a healthier option, this these make is still easy to feed in the crate. Prefered for potty training, as they do not want to soil where they eat and sleep.
Iris Puppy Pen
Puppy pens come in many shapes and sizes. I have used many over the years (metal and plastic). The Iris Puppy Pen is the one that I have chosen to move forward with. I do recommend the 6 panel, which will allow you to expand the space once your puppy is acclimated. This will also work well with a litter box if you choose to use one. I have the 24" version, if you are worried about your puppy jumping you can upgrade to the taller version.
Litter Box
Puppy pens come in many shapes and sizes. I have used many over the years (metal and plastic). The Iris Puppy Pen is the one that I have chosen to move forward with. I do recommend the 6 panel, which will allow you to expand the space once your puppy is acclimated. This will also work well with a litter box if you choose to use one. I have the 24" version, if you are worried about your puppy jumping you can upgrade to the taller version.
Litter
I have tested out most substrates on the market, from pine, paper, shavings, and fake grass. I keep coming back to the Naturally Fresh Walnut Pellets. I have found they are WAY less messy, creating less dust in my home. They are also easy to clean up using a combo of bags and a small dust pan.
Travel
Flight Bag
If your puppy will by flying home, I highly recommend to purchase his/her flight bag and have it sent to me at least two weeks prior to travel. This will give me ample time to train your puppy to the bag, having them ready for travel day. Training the skill takes a LOT of the stress out of travel day. Your puppy will look at their bag as their own. It is a known space and this will make travel that much easier. This is the bag that we use for flight travel with our own dogs. I recommend a large bag, this will allow room to grow and be useful for your dogs entire life.
Car Crate
We are firm believers that our dogs should be secure in the car when driving. 95% of the time we crate our dogs. This gives them more freedom to move around. The key is to properly secure your crate in your vehicle. They should not be left loose. When in the car, our dogs ride in a Mid-Size Ruffland Kennel.
Car Harness
We understand that not everyone can fit a crate in their car. For that reason if your pup is going to ride loose, it is important to ensure that the harness you are using for them fits proper AND is crash tested. On those odd trips that one of my dogs ride loose (normally it is when we are out Jeeping in the desert) we use the Kurgo Harness, it is easy to use with any seatbelt assembly. This is NOT a harness I recommend for daily walking etc.
Home Life
Kuranda Dog Bed
Once you dive into our Puppy Principles Online Academy (this is gifted to you as part of your puppy purchase) you will find that teaching your pup to go to "place" is a hand skill. We use and recommend Kuranda Pet Beds. The nice thing about a raised bed during training (and after) is that your dog is either on it or not. This makes the skill very black and white for your pup, expediting your training. PLUS they are chew proof! Perfect for puppies!!
* When you purchase the recommended products on this page, I do get compensation for some of the items. The money earned from these products go towards the care of our dogs. I greatly appreciate the continued support of our program.
