If you follow along on Instagram you might’ve seen that we welcomed a new four legged furry friend to our family a few weeks ago!
Little Maple, a 5 pound Cockapoo pup joined our fam and is loved by everyone, even our grumpy cat Jerry – shocker if you know him!
Colin & I both had dogs growing up, but have quickly realized there is a lot to pet ownership that our parents just “took care” of.
I wanted to share this post with y’all because it seems like everyone is adding furry friends to their families. To be honest, I am surprised there are any puppies left! That being said, I am SURE I am not alone in looking for a little advice and in wanting to hear what things have worked well for other new and experienced puppy owners.
Keep scrolling to see the list I have rounded up of must-haves that have helped us on our new puppy journey. Please feel free to add any in the comments that you may have found helpful as well!
Top Puppy Must-Haves:
- Food – Ask the shelter or breeder what they have been feeding your pup so you can make the decision to keep purchase the same, or slowly wean them off. It is important to do this gradually as their little tummies can be pretty sensitive.
- Food & Water bowls
- Kennel – for crate training and for when you may not be home with the puppy for a few hours. The kennel should be a space they can safely rest until you can watch them again.
- Training Treats – great for rewarding their good behaviors, i.e. pottying outside, ringing the potty bell, etc.
- Teething & Chew Toys – I don’t know about y’all but Maple is chewing on everything. I turn my back for two seconds and she’s hanging from the couch by her teeth or gnawing on the dining room chair legs.
- Collar, Harness and Leash – Depending on the size of your pup you may need to look at getting a kitty collar. My girlfriend Taylor gave us this tip because the xs puppy collars are still too big on Maple.
- Play Pen – This has been great for getting her to focus on eating at set meal times. This has also helped when we aren’t able to watch her, she can still play and we know she isn’t getting into trouble or pottying on our nice white rugs 🙂
- Puppy Bed – Maple loves hers!
- General Grooming Supplies – brush, puppy shampoo, ear wipes/drops
We ordered pretty much everything online and Chewy has been awesome. You’ll also see I have linked some Amazon purchases below as well!
Please let me know in the comments what worked for you! We would love puppy training tips and tricks, or to hear about any must-haves not included on the list above! We are new puppy parents and need all the help we can get!
Shop our puppy favs here:
