I spoke with a client this morning who is getting a puppy next week. She already has a senior dog and her son is living with them now with his adolescent Labrador, so she's going to have her hands full soon! She loves sending me ideas for my blog that she and her dog-loving friends come up with over coffee once a month, but asked if this time around I'd answer a question specifically for her. She wanted to know my top five things that every puppy owner should have; she was pretty sure she knew what I would say (that there are a lot more than five!), but if I could only pick five, what would they be? It was hard, but I think these would be my top 5 puppy picks:
1. An x-pen: Yes, I believe in crate training, but not every puppy loves a crate. X-pens are terrific for time outs (yours and your puppy's!), for use outside as a designated potty area, and for trips to visit your friends and the park, where you will want your puppy to have some freedom to explore, but under your careful and controlled supervision.
2. A Snuggle Puppy: These stuffed dogs that come with a heartbeat and a heat pack can be real lifesavers for puppies living away from their moms and siblings for the first time. They reduce anxiety with sleeping alone, and help puppies to transition to their new families. They can often help with crate training as well, making puppies feel safer when left alone. If you've never seen a Snuggle Puppy, check them out Chewy, Amazon, or the company's own website, www.snugglepuppy.com.
3. A Nylabone Puppy Pack: I love a lot of the products from Nylabone, but their puppy packs are indispensable as they cover all your bases: a gummy-textured, flavored bone for chewing, an edible bone, a hard bone for active chewers, and a "nubbed" bone (that can even be frozen!) for those teething puppies. I'm pretty sure I bought dozens of these Nylabone Puppy Packs when Ozzie was a puppy; they saved me from buying new furniture, for sure!
4. Braided Rope Toys: Buy these in bulk as well! You can (obviously) use them for fetch and tug-of-war, but they can also be soaked in water or chicken broth and then frozen for added teething/chewing joy for your puppy. Just throw them in the wash when they get icky, and you are ready to start all over again.
5. A Puppy Kong: There are interactive puzzle toys I love much more than the Kong, but nothing beats a frozen Kong for keeping a puppy busy so you can shower, answer email, or just have 10 minutes to yourself. For really active puppies, I recommend only feeding them from a bowl one meal a day; the other two to four meals (depending on the size and breed of your puppy) can be given in a Kong. Simply put the kibble into the Kong and cover the hole with peanut butter, almond butter, or plain Greek yogurt and freeze.
It was hard to limit myself to just five, but I feel like any new puppy owner would be off to a great start if they had these on hand. Is there anything else you'd add to the list? Or change? I'd love to know your favorite puppy things too.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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