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Ready to take home your new puppy? Here's our shopping list of all the essentials you'll need:
Puppy Food
We recommend Life's Abundance Puppy Food until your puppy is around a year old and send them home with a 3-4 day supply of this. After a year you can switch to All Life Stages. Life's Abundance is not sold in stores but you can shop online at www.lifesabundance.com/creampufflabradoodles
If you're looking for other brands of dog food please visit www.dogfoodadvisor.com to do your research before buying. They have updated information on recalls and hundreds of reviews of different brands.
If you decide to change your puppy over to different food, this process takes about 1-2 weeks to avoid any stomach discomfort. Please add canned pumpkin to help them adjust to the change, it will aid in firming up their stool. Switch gradually, adding more of the new food each day.
Treats
For training, you want something you can rip up into pea-sized pieces. Life’s Abundance has a varied selection, Wellness also has good small treats. Later, you can do liver, the smell will drive your puppy crazy.
Stella & Chewy’s Freeze Dried Raw Food can be used as a topping for your dog’s regular food, can be fed as an entire meal replacement or just as treats. A firm favorite is the Salmon and & Cod version!
We DO NOT recommend ANY kind of Rawhide - it causes all kinds of stomach discomfort. We do recommend deer or elk antlers - your puppy will LOVE to chew on them and it will take a VERY long time for them to wear down, great for a teething pup!!
Separation Anxiety Toy
For a new puppy that may have some separation anxiety, we have used the Snuggle Puppy.
Chew Toy
We recommend purchasing a Kong. Kongs are great for filling with peanut butter when your puppy is left alone in the house, the challenge of getting the peanut butter out will keep them entertained and help stop them missing you. Just make sure the peanut butter does not contain Xylitol as this is dangerous for dogs.
Other Toys
We purchase most of our toys from Chewy, they often have special deals available. Tennis balls are also a great toy option.
Out & About
Collar – adjustable or leather, small or medium size.
Harness - Easy Walk Harness and a PetSafe Gentle Leader Head Collar.
Leash - adjustable or leather is fine, please do not buy a retractable leash as these can be dangerous.
ID tag - with your phone number and your vet’s number on it.
At Home
We like the The Other Door Steel Crate. A wire crate is a cheaper alternative and just as good. Depending on how big your puppy will grow, you should get the following size: Mini 15-30lbs - 24"L x 18"W x 19"H to 30"L x 19"W x 21"H
Medium 30-45lbs - 30"L x 19"W x 21"H to 36"L x 23"W x 25"H
Standard 45-60lbs - 36"L x 23"W x 25"H
Blanket(s) or towels for the crate while potty training is happening. Cheap towels are also great for the rain!
A baby gate, or gates, depending on your home layout.
Two bowls (ceramic or stainless steel). One can be a slow drinking one. Ceramic is preferred if your dog is white to help prevent staining around the mouth.
House Training
Bitter Apple Spray to spray on things you don’t want puppy to chew, they hate the taste! Cleaner to clean up any accidents, such as a Biodeodorizer Spray or Natures Miracle.
Poochie Bells to hang on your door so your puppy can easily let you know when they want to go outside.
Grooming
Metal fine tooth comb - this is a must have! Brushes can be used in conjunction with a comb, but are not a replacement for combs. Combs will catch mats in your puppy’s hair, but brushes tend to brush over them.
Dematting comb to help cut through mats.
Slicker brush - optional, but helps to catch any loose hairs.
Small, medium or large dog nail clippers (not the guillotine kind) with Styptic Powder (it's a white powder or pencil that stops the bleeding if you snip the quick on the dogs nails - if you don't have this, they actually could bleed to death!!) and a dremel to round out their nails after clipping. If you need some guidance on nail clipping please visit our blog post on this topic and watch our How to Trim Your Dog's Nails video.
Doggy shampoo – we like Life’s Abundance or Cowboy Magic (this one is actually used for horses and great for de-matting).
Finally...
Lots of love and patience!
To download a PDF copy of this supply list click here.