We’ve created a list of our favorite products that we’ve come to love over the years. We’re always looking for what works, and what is natural and safest for our dogs. We hope this helps in preparing for your new family member. (A lot of our pictures and links are broken, we’ll working on this!)
THE BASICS
We like stainless steel bowls for feeding, to keep bacteria away as they’re easier to keep really clean. If pup is playing with the water dish, we like a raised dish holder as that seems to end the playing with their water (and knocking it over!)
We really like raw diets and there are lots of healthy brands of “raw diet” that you can purchase at natural pet food stores (like Nature’s Pet,) without making your own at home. NW Naturals, Stella & Chewy’s and others are available to keep your pup healthy. We love supplemental powder or vitamin tablets from NuVet. And for kibble, we like N&D Ancestral Grain varieties or Zignature or PureVita. Seek out a good, local natural pet store in your area that only sells healthier foods and products!
SAFETY AND CARE FOR YOUR PUP
Continued crate training is essential! Chewy.com is great for crates and they have easy returns. We recommend 30″ for mini’s and 36-42″ for bigger dogs.
SUPPLIES TO HELP MAKE LIFE EASIER
GROOMING NEEDS
We recommend a small shop vac- type wet/dry vacuum for blow drying those non-shedding coats. A two-five gallon, smaller horse power vac is all you need. Don’t ever brush a doodle wet. Towel dry and let air dry a bit, then use a shop vac (works the same as those expensive professional grooming dryers) to blow out thoroughly, bringing the mats to the surface, and smoothing out the coat. (Be sure to towel dry their ears really well, as those wet floppy ears are prone to ear infections.)
The Chris Christensen brush is our very favorite for brushing and keeping mats away. It looks similar to a basic pin brush, but so much better! Worth the added cost. Gets through to the skin, the dogs actually like the feel, and should last for years.
HEALTH AND BASIC CARE TO KEEP ON HAND
These products might save you a trip to the vet and expensive vet bills, and are great to keep on hand.
GREAT PRODUCTS TO HELP WITH TEETHING AND KEEP PUP FROM BECOMING BORED
Remember, no raw hide! And some human peanut butter is dangerous for dogs, so look for all-natural peanut butter, if you adding that to a toy. We like Kong or Nylabone toys, and every pup we’ve ever known loves Bully sticks. (Costco and Nature’s Pet is an option for these.)