Bringing a new puppy into the house is an exciting time for you and your family, but your puppy may be a little bewildered by all the changes in his life. Be patient with him it takes a little time to adjust to all the changes for you but especially for the puppy. When you get him home it's best to give him a little time to settle in. When your puppy first arrives, let him sniff around and make himself familiar with his new surroundings. Choose a name for him as soon as possible. Be consistent and use it repeatedly as you talk to him. He will soon learn to respond. For the first few nights your puppy will probably be restless and whimper and howl, when he is left alone. This is normal. He will stop, as he becomes accustomed to his new surroundings.
Puppy Food. If you get no other puppy supplies beforehand, be sure you have some food! We
will give you some when you go home to get you through the first few days. Be sure to get Purina
Puppy Chow, blue bag w/brown colored morsels on the front (NOT the colored morsels). If you want
to switch your puppy to a different food, you can get a small bag of Purina Puppy Chow and a small
bag of the new food. Begin by making their meals 75% Purina and 25% New. Each day decrease
the amount of the Purina and increase the amount of new food. The change should take about 7 days
and this will avoid any upset tummies.
A veterinarian appointment. You MUST have your puppy seen by your veterinarian within 72 hours of
going home. This visit MUST include a fecal exam and overall health exam. This is REQUIRED by the
State of South Carolina to validate your health agreement. I will provide you with all medical
information regarding vaccines, wormings, etc to give to your veterinarian so he/she
can then set up the next appointment to vaccinate & worm your puppy. My vet does not provide
a health paper but I will furnish you with their business card so your vet can call for records if
needed. They are happy to fax over any information your vet may need.
Food and water bowls. Stainless Steel works best. Easy to clean and puppy chew proof. Look for ones with the
rubber around the edges. Less likely to tip over.
A flat cloth collar that will fit with about 2 inches of room to spare. I recommend a 6" to 10" collar.
An ID tag to go on the collar. Even if your puppy doesn't have a name yet, it's a good safety measure to get that ID on.
Put your last name, city, state and telephone number. If you have elected to have us insert an
AVID Microchip, please ask for the microchip number to place on your ID tags.
A short leash, usually 6 feet.
A crate. I would suggest a Life Stages (or similar) wire crate. This crate has a divider so you can make the
crate small when the puppy is small and larger as the puppy grows.
Approximate dimensions are 24 L x 18 W x 21 H".
Bedding for the crate, something easily washable. You can start out with old towels.
A way to confine the puppy while it is in your vehicle. This can be its crate, if the crate fits in the back.
There are hard sided crates used for airline transportation that work well in vehicles. As well, you can find
a soft sided crate that works well, too. I suggest getting a medium sized crate so you will not
have to purchase another when your puppy is an adult. Just holding a dog in a passenger's lap isn't safe.
A puppy Kong, a Nylabone, and maybe a few other toys. Be sure the toys don't have buttons are other
things that could be a hazard if the puppy chews the toy to shreds.
If you want to use rawhide bones, only get good quality ones and only let the puppy have them when
someone is watching.
If you want to feed treats, I like Old Mother Hubbard biscuits. They have several varieties to pick from.
Also Bil-Jac soft treats are great for training sessions.
Dog shampoo, a gentle one good for puppies. I suggest Oatmeal Shampoo and Conditioner. If you
have fleas, use Blue Dawn Dish Soap. It will instantly kill fleas on dogs. It does not kill the larvae or
eggs or so you will need to repeat in a few days. Follow up with your conditioner to be sure all the soap
residue is out of the hair and off the skin of your dog.
Grooming tools: nail clipper, dog brush and greyhound comb. A comb
is best so you will be all the down to the skin. Be sure to comb and brush your dog.
One or more ways to clean up the poop that your puppy will producing regularly.
If you will be walking your puppy in neighborhoods,you can use a little waist pack and
some plastic bags from the grocery store (my habit when I am in a city) or cheap sandwich
bags. Place one over your hand, pick up the mess and turn the bag inside out over the
mess and close up the bag. Also, for yard use, a long-handled pooper scooper is very useful.
Some kind of flea control product approved for puppies if you live in a flea-ridden area
and it's flea season. Ask your veterinarian about monthly flea preventative. I have found the best
monthly flea treatment is a once a month pill called "Comfortis". It is less expensive thru
1-800-Pet-Med and most vets will let you have a script to buy from them or match their price.
The best shampoo for killing fleas is the original blue Dawn dish soap. It will kill the fleas currently on your dog.
You will have to repeat the bath every week for about a month as it will not kill the larvae or
eggs. Follow up w/Pantene Conditioner. Rub a small amount on your hands and through the coat.
This will remove all soap residue from the skin so no scratching.
Monthly heartworm preventative. Ask your veterinarian which one they recommend, at what
age and why that particular brand over the other brands. I strongly suggest you not place
your puppy on any heartworm preventative until they are at least 16 weeks old.
These medicines are very strong and can cause neurological and digestive problems in small
puppies especially those that are also monthly wormers such as Interceptor.
