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The Puppy Page
Information and Resources for New Puppy Owners
- A shopping list of what you need for a new puppy. Or feel
free to download it (MS Word).
- First things first - things you should do with your new puppy.
- Articles on training your puppy and other puppy stuff can be found at
DoggieDoor. Includes good articles on house
training and stopping inappropriate chewing.
- An article by Champion Pets -
A New Puppy
- Find a great range of food, toys, equipment for your new puppy at
PetPlanet (UK). They deliver to the UK, Ireland and
the rest of Europe, and have a huge array of products.
- Buy some books about a new puppy:
Shopping List for a New Puppy
- Food - A good brand of puppy food (cans of meat and a bag of dry food) - Pedigree Puppy,
Omega Puppy. In general, puppies should be fed 4 times daily until they are 6 months of age.
I give 2 dry food meals and 2 meat meals. Amounts usually depend on the puppy's adult size
but will be detailed on the food packaging.
- Chews & Treats - these can be given as a reward when training the puppy. Pedigree
Schmackos can be broken into small pieces and are easy for even the smallest pups to chew.
Markies and Bonios can also be used as he gets older.
- Toys - a good selection of toys and things for the puppy to chew on. Puppies love to chew
so a good selection of toys is essential to distract the puppy from chewing on
inappropriate things like your furniture. Kongs, rawhide bones, soft toys, squeaky toys,
balls, rattles. Kongs can be filled with treats to make them more tempting to chew on.
- Toy Box - Durable box to keep his toys in. The box should be kept somewhere where he can
access it easily, so he can rummage in it for toys whenever he wants. Also prevents all the
toys being strewn round the floor at the same time.
- Food and Water Bowls - They should be shallow enough for him to be able to reach the
bottom with his nose, and it shouldn't be possible to tip them over easily.
- Bed - Doggy bed or beanbag, for a small puppy an old cushion should do, as he will outgrow
a bed very quickly. Invest in a proper bed when he reaches his full size.
- Collar & Leash - measure your puppy's neck with a tape measure and get an
appropriately sized collar. you can get a standard or retractable leash. You should also get
your puppy a name tag to attach to his collar. It should be made of light material, and
should display the puppy's name and your phone number at a minimum.
- Carrier - for bringing him to the vet etc. A large cat carrier is usually big enough for
a puppy.
- Harness - a harness can be used instead of a leash for walking him or can be attached to
a seatbelt for taking your puppy on car journeys. Very handy as they stop him jumping all
over you when you're driving! You will need to measure him around the chest, just under the
shoulders, to find the right size harness for him.
- Grooming Tools - depending on breed, not usually essential at the puppy stage, but you
could use a soft brush on him once a week to get him used to the whole process of
grooming.
- Nappy Bags - very handy for picking up poop and much cheaper than commercial poop scoop
products.
- Mop and Bucket - if you don't already have one you will need one for mopping up those
little accidents while toilet training him!
- Stain & Odour Remover - Oxyclean (available from Kleeneze) is the best product
for removing pet odours and stains.
To Do List for a New Puppy
- As soon as you get him you may need to worm him and de-flea him if necessary. Repeat
at recommended intervals throughout puppyhood.
- Bring him to the vet for a checkup and get his vaccinations started.
- At about 6 months of age get him/her neutered or spayed.
- Organise some pet insurance for him - First
Call Direct are the only Irish company offering pet insurance.
- Finally, don't forget to play with him - lots!
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