You guys – Quinn is now SIX months old! She’s getting so big (new pics due – I’ll add some soon)! We have loved every aspect of her! She seriously transitioned so good, potty trained easily and handles the kids mauling her ALL. THE. TIME! And she is SO full of personality!
Today I thought it would be fun to talk about all the fun things we purchased and needed to get ready for sweet Quinn! I of course went to my friend, Whitney (David & Delilah’s mom), to find out what I needed to buy! I want to clarify, these are not all just necessities! These are also things that I bought and loved, but some I could have lived without!
Kennel of appropriate size
This is the kennel that we ordered. Quinn will be approx 35 lbs full grown, so I order a medium sized kennel.
You need to make sure to order a kennel that has an adjustable divider. That way you can make sure when your puppy is little, that it doesn’t have too much room. If your puppy has too much room, then it will start to potty in the kennel. Which you DO NOT WANT!
In full disclosure, we didn’t stick with kennel training. We ended up just letting her sleep with us! But, I will warn you that if you start this, be prepared to share your bed for a long while. It also will make it harder to have others watch them and/or board your dog. We are just wimps!
Puppy toys
This is pretty imperative, because if you don’t give a puppy to chew on, they’ll just find something else to chew on (shoes, couches, toys, etc).
Why do puppies chew SO FREAKING MUCH? Because, they’re teething! It helps relieve the soreness of their inflamed gums where their new teeth are coming in!
Here are a few of our favorite chew toys so far:
Keep in mind that your dog won’t love EVERY toy! So, you need to find toys they like. Otherwise, they’ll just find shoes, remotes, backpacks, etc to satisfy its desires!
Gate(s)
I knew that in order for me to REALLY get a dog and make it part of our family that I need to train it from day 1! My girl, Whitney, gave me the advise to only SLOWLY allow it to all areas of the house. So, I got a large set of gates and I have slowly let her to more parts of the house. It has worked out perfect!
Above is the type that we got for Quinny! They were nice, because I could move them all around the house!
You can see the price and more details here – Dog Gate. I did take it apart and turn it into smaller gates, which worked perfect!
Before you order yours, be sure and check the height you’ll need and adjust the height of the gate you order if you’re getting a smaller or bigger puppy!
I also ended up getting this gate to block off the door way that is next to the stair entrance to our upstairs!
Grooming Shampoos & Tools:
There are a lot of options of grooming tools, but a few are must haves!
For shedding dogs, I’ve heard the SleekEZ brushes are a must-have!
Because Quinn has long and thick hair, I give her a bath once a week. We are loving the following products:
BioSilk Xtreme Moisture Conditioner
BioSilk Cleansing Wipes – these are perfect to clean their paws and legs when they come in from playing outside. Especially during the wet winter!
Also, in between baths I will sometimes use the BioSilk Moisture Waterless Shampoo.
Food & Treats
I suggest finding a local dog store that you can consult about food and treats! I am obsessed with the store A Dogs Meow in Northern Utah!
Zignature Dog Food – we’ve really loved this brand of food!
Treats – Quinn loves all Plato dog treats and also loves these Bully Sticks are great!
Misc Stuff:
Food Bowls – I got mine from Home Goods, but I’m LOVING these Mason Jar Dog Bowls and I’m DROOLING over this Food and Water Bowl.
Potty Hanging Bells or Potty Foot Bell – Quinn had a harder time with the hanging bells, but totally loved the foot bell! We used them until we knew she was totally house trained and then we got the doggy door!
Dog Bed – I actually found that most beds online were a little more pricey! I’d check for deals locally – like pet stores, Home Goods, Ross, TJ Maxx, etc!
Doggy Door – we installed this panel in our sliding glass door and it’s been AH-MAZING!
Wireless Fence – our friends have this and we got Quinn a collar for when she’s over there! It’s a life-saver and the kids (aka our dogs) love being able to run around even though they don’t have a fence.
Leash – I’ve tried about 5 different leashes and my favorite has been the Bamboo Dog Leash. My least favorite has been the retractable leash. However, I can see how when they’re older and more trained that they may be nice. I just like feeling of control I get with my Bamboo Leash.
Tami
Hi there! Would you share the link to the crate that your bought? The link isn’t working. :). We are getting ready to bring home a mini goldendoodle
soon and SO excited!!
Pam Dana
Hey sorry about that! Here is a link: https://amzn.to/4a5BZQn! Have so much with that puppy!! I’m so excited for you guys!
Brett
Do you have a post on potty training?
Mallorie
Your puppy essentials were so great!! Totally need all of these to start with my golden doodle i am getting in about 3 weeks thanks for sharing!!!