You put a deposit on your puppy and are awaiting the time that she’s done bonding with her mommy and siblings and can be taken home. Whether you are a first-timer or this isn’t your first rodeo, you still have to go through an intensive list of items you will need for day 1 and beyond. This blog will review many of the items needed and why you need them.

To start, you will need a crate. The best way to potty train your pup is crate training. Without the crate, you will have to basically follow your pup around and catch her every time she squats and that’s no fun nor do you have the time. See my “all about puppies” blog for detailed instructions on how to crate train your pup. The best type of crate to buy is one with a divider so when your puppy grows, so can your crate to accommodate. You should put the crate in an area where she can hear the goings-on so as to reduce her anxiety of being alone. You should also put a blanket over 3 sides of the crate at night to give it more of a den feeling.

You will also need an X Pen – an area where the puppy can play and relax without tearing up the house. Most X Pens are about 4 feet by 4 feet and come in metal and wood frames. The crate is best located in connection with the X Pen so that she can freely come and go in the pen from the crate and vice versa. I highly recommend that you buy reusable pee pads, washable, and 4 feet by 4 feet to put under the X Pen. Get 2 so you always have 1 while the other is being washed. This will not be the actual pad that your pup should pee on – you will also need the standard white pee pads and place them inside the X Pen. See my blog “all about puppies” for how to train your pup to pee on the pads.

OK, now your have her home set up, we can move on to other important items. Most likely, you will want to get a dog bed. You’ll need water and food bowls, a leash, collar, poop bags (if you choose to take her in the backyard to do her business), and toys (chew, plush, and balls). You’ll also want an enzymatic pet cleaner that can remove stains, kill all the bacteria, and leave a pleasant scent. Then there are treats – I recommend high value freeze dried beef liver or chicken. Yes, there is a difference in the value of the treat – it’s like a $50 bill vs a $100 bill – freeze dried beef liver is the $100 bill – your pup will work harder during training for these treats.

Kongs – are hardened rubber oblong balls that are hollowed out with a hole at one end. I recommend stuffing wet dog food in them and freezing them. Whenever your pup is to be left alone for an extended period of time, drop one of these filled kongs into her crate or X Pen and she’ll have a great time for at least 40 minutes. I recommend having 2 of these so that 1 is always ready to go.

Cleaning your pup. It’s recommended that you wash your pup once a month, more often if she is rolling around in the mud of course. I recommend baby shampoo. For when she comes in after a walk or running around out back, you should use sanitizing wipes to clean their paws.

Other items you may want or need based on your circumstances are pet/baby gates to keep her in/out of rooms, a toy basket, and bully sticks. Bully sticks are all natural, fully digestible, tasty sticks of high-protein beef muscle full of amino acids that are great for your dog’s musculature, skin, coat and brain.

I’m sure I missed out on some things, but if you start out with the above, you should be good to go and you will soon be a pro at inventory management for your pup.