The Puppy Essentials Edit: Everything Your New Best Friend Needs
Puppies! They’re the best… when they’re not being the worst 😂 There’s so much involved in bringing these little cuties home: sleep schedules, potty training, learning to sit and stay, and most of all TEETHING. Our girl Cherry has been the sweetest pup, but for as many cuddles as we’ve squeezed out of her, we’ve been met with her razor teeth in equal measure. We’ve learned so much (including the importance of long sleeves from months 4 to 6… lol) and I’ve compiled some of our favorite puppy essentials, products and tips for weathering the trials of puppyhood! Before we got a puppy I never thought I’d owe a portion of my sanity to yaks in the Himalayas, but if I ever make it to those mountains I will kiss as many yaks as I possibly can! If you’re in the trenches of the puppy months, by the end of this post, you might want to kiss a yak too!
Puzzle Toys
Cherry is a Portuguese Water Dog, a high energy breed that can be prone to boredom. She quickly tires of her more static toys like stuffies and rope toys unless she has another active participant playing with her. When we found puzzle toys, specifically this jelly roll, she was obsessed. The outside crinkles and closes up with velcro, and the inside has a series of pockets to tuck in small treats that the pup has to work to get out. I usually stuff this toy with a mix of her kibble and veggies like baby carrots, chunks of seedless cucumber, frozen green beans, or slices of apple. It keeps her entertained for quite a while, and I think it makes her feel accomplished!
Coffee Wood Chews
We have an absolute stick fanatic. Every single walk we go on ends with a mad dash for a piece of tree bark, mulch, leaves, or a little twig off the driveway. Generally, random wooden debris from the outside world isn’t the best idea for puppy consumption, as you never know which plant material or stick will lead to tummy upset, injury, or illness. When we were browsing a local farmers market, we came across these coffee wood chews, which according to our research appear to be safe. The coffee wood has a different fiber structure than backyard sticks, and are apparently digestible. Cherry loves her coffee chews and will spend a good while working on them, but they still aren’t quite as enticing to her as the outdoor stuff. We think it’s the thrill of the hunt and possibly the forbidden nature of the mulch and fallen branches that keep her going back. Coffee wood has been great, but it doesn’t fully curb her desire for the naughty stuff. C’est la vie!
A Sturdy 6 Foot Leash
A leash is definitely a must have from day one with a puppy! There are myriad leash opinions online and out in the world. The consensus from the training facility we attend classes is that a strong 6 foot leash with a wrist loop is ideal for handling and for safety. There are a ton of options out there, and there’s bound to be something perfect out there for every type of puppy!
Cute Food and Water Bowls
Cherry has always been a bit of a picky eater, and I like to think that she will be more likely to partake in her meals if she has a cute food bowl 😂 that remains to be seen, but I got these Kate Spade bowls from HomeGoods and she seems to be a fan! There are so many fun bowls out there, and it’s easy to find something to match your style and decor!
Grooming Tools
Regardless of your dog’s coat, every pup needs a brush and a good shampoo. We use a brush for Cherry that is designed for her coat, but you may need something to address matting, buildup, or shedding, depending on your dog’s needs!
A Cuddle Toy
When first bringing home a puppy they may feel a little lonely or lost since they are no longer with their littermates. It’s nice to give them a little something to snuggle when they’re getting used to sleeping on their own. We started out by giving Cherry a special Lamb Chop toy at bedtime, and it quickly became her favorite cuddle buddy. Some pet owners choose to give their furry friend a toy with an internal hot water bottle or heartbeat simulator to help them feel less alone.
Small Training Treats
Teeny treats are a great idea for training because you can give your puppy a larger quantity without worrying about over doing it. We also used kibble when starting out, but something “higher value” helps keep puppies engaged when they tire of kibble or get distracted. We like to mix it up, but Cherry has been loving dehydrated liver and salmon treats, small chunks of cheese, and shreds of boiled chicken.
A Collar or Harness to Suit Their Needs and Personality
Choosing a collar is an important fashion decision for your pup! With a name like Cherry you’d think she’d have a red collar, but something about yellow just really suited her since day one. Now I can’t imagine her without a yellow collar and leash! I recently saw a yellow collar with cherries on it, and I might just have to get it for her, even though the collar she wears now is perfectly good! There is bound to be a collar or harness that fits your dog’s personality while also addressing their breed, size, and training needs!
Our Secret Weapon… YAK CHEESE!
Yak cheese has been our closest ally in the war against our teething puppy. It has saved our fingers and toes, our shoes and our furniture. Yak cheese chews are made from yak’s milk, which is then dehydrated and made into cheese. It looks a lot like parmesan, but it is quite a bit harder and almost has a crystalline structure. The result is a long lasting chew that our dog is totally obsessed with. Our first stick of yak cheese lasted from Thanksgiving into the new year, but since Cherry has gotten a bit bigger, we anticipate she will start to go through them faster. Another amazing feature of yak cheese is that once it gets too small to chew you can soak it in water and then microwave it and it puffs up into a big crunchy cheeto!
Baby Gates or X Pen
Containing a puppy is another hot topic in dog training forums, but one thing’s for certain, an unsupervised puppy can get into a whole lot. There are many benefits and drawbacks of all methods of keeping a puppy contained. You may decide to keep your dog leashed in the home, employ an X pen for naps and quiet time, use baby gates to create off limit areas, or a combination of any of these with other methods sprinkled in. We use an X pen for enforcing Cherry’s naps and when we leave home, and she is contained by a baby gate at our discretion most other times. It took some trial and error to arrive at the best options for us, but now that we’ve settled on our method it’s been smooth sailing!
Stuffing Free Toys
If you have a toy destroyer like we do, opt for the toys that have no fluff! Cherry’s favorite of this variety is a bendy horse with rope legs and many squeakers. We don’t have to worry about a belly full of polyester stuffing, and she’s happy to have a toy that has lasted her!
Paw Balm
Nothing is cuter than those soft puppy feet! Massaging some paw balm into your puppy’s paws doubles as a good way to help their pads stay soft and helps your pup get used to their paws being touched! A chance at easier nail clipping? Sign me up!
The Pupsicle by Woof
Oh boy, do we love this thing! The Pupsicle is right up there with yak cheese for us. Cherry goes bonkers for it! We first ordered the Pupsicle starter kit that includes the brand’s proprietary treats, a silicon mold to create treats of your own, and the Pupsicle itself. The dog works to get the treat by licking, and the licking keeps them busy and calm. We quickly realized that the best Pupsicle filling for our pup was a chunk of frozen boiled chicken. The Pupsicle is truly some of the best money we’ve spent on our puppy, and it’s the first gift I’d give any new dog owner in my life!
The Right Food
Finding food was one of the most daunting things about getting a new puppy. There are endless options of endless brands touting endless health benefits. Some companies offer breed specific foods, others market freeze dried, raw, or fresh ingredients, and there’s a lot of he-said-she-said out there (especially online) that if you look or listen too closely, you’ll probably end up feeling like you’re doing something wrong. If you’re on the fence, consult your vet. If you’re tempted to dive into Reddit forums or Facebook comments, look at real scientific studies first. At the end of the day, the right food is the kind your dog will actually eat. Remember that marketing is just that, marketing. Do your best to ignore the hubbub and pay closer attention to the nutrition label than the branding.
A Fun Poo Bag Dispenser
Picking up dog poop is not the most fun, so that’s why your poop bag holder should be! I love fruit themed items and toys for Cherry because of her name, so I ordered this strawberry bag dispenser and it’s just so stinkin’ adorable (lol)! The bags it comes with smell like strawberry which is a bit odd, but hey, it’s a better smell than what they’re used for! We only get so many opportunities to accessorize our pups, so why not go for it?
Nail Clippers
Oh the dreaded nail trim! Getting your dog used to getting their nails clipped is one of the best ways to bless your groomer, your door frames, your upholstery, and your skin! The way you trim your dog’s nails is up to you – I’ve seen scratch pads, dremel tools, emery boards, and scissor style clippers. Do what you feel most comfortable with and combine it with the paw butter to get those lil feet looking cute!
And because I couldn’t talk about her without showing her off a little… here are some recent photos of our cutie! She’s also made appearances in some of my monthly favorites posts!
