What You'll Need for your New Family Member
Veterinarian:
Before you bring home your new puppy or dog make sure to get registered with a veterinarian and have an appointment scheduled within 48 hours of the puppy coming home
Feeding:
Start with what the puppy or dog is currently eating to avoid tummy upset
Puppy Food: Fromm, Merrick
Food Storage Container
Food Scoop
Placemat
Food & Water Bowls
Training:
Potty Pads
Enzyme Cleaning Product
Bitter Apple/Lime/Cherry etc.
Crate Pad (bedding)
Martingale Collar (properly fitted these are escape proof)
Leash
ID Tags
A Positive Reinforcement trainer
Toys/Treats:
Toys of different texture
*Soft fabric
*Hard (i.e. bone, antler)
*Moderate – Nylabones
Training Treats – soft, easy to break & eat
“Cookies”
Clean Up:
Stain/Odor Remover
Poop Bags
Pooper Scooper
Shampoo
Wipes
Brush/Comb
Supplements/Health:
Vitamins
Dewormer
Flea/Tick Treatment
Tick Remover Tool
Toothbrush/Paste
Probiotics
Travel/Home:
Travel Carrier or Seatbelt
Carsickness treatment
What to do for Successful Potty Training
When do I bring my puppy outside to potty?
In addition to first thing in the morning and last thing at night -
Immediately after:
1 - Eating
2 - Playing
3 - Sleeping
How often does my puppy need to go out?
2 Months Old - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Every 1 to 2 hours
Each Additional Month - - - - - - - - - - -- - - Add 1 hour
6 Months + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Every 4 to 6 hours
The Do's and Don'ts of Potty Training:
**Don't leave your potty training puppy unsupervised - If you can't watch him confine him or put him on a leash with you
**Don't punish your dog for an accident - NO yelling NO hitting and NO rubbing his nose in it
**Do reward your dog for going in the correct place (not when you come back inside)
**Do clean up indoor accidents immediately (use enzyme cleaner)
**Do keep your puppy supervised at all times
**Do stick to regular feeding (no free feeding or grazing)
**Do stick to a regulars potty schedule
10 Reasons NOT to Use a Retractable Leash
1. The length of retractable leashes, some of which can extend up to 26 feet, allows dogs to get far enough away from their humans that a situation can quickly turn dangerous. A dog on a retractable leash is often able to run into the middle of the street, for example, or make uninvited contact with other dogs or people.
2. In the above scenario, or one in which your pet is being approached by an aggressive dog, it is nearly impossible to get control of the situation if the need arises. It's much easier to regain control of – or protect -- a dog at the end of a six-foot standard flat leash than it is if he's 20 or so feet away at the end of what amounts to a thin string.
3. The thin cord of a retractable leash can break – especially when a powerful dog is on the other end of it. If a strong, good-sized dog takes off at full speed, the cord can snap. Not only can that put the dog and whatever he may be chasing in danger, but also the cord can snap back and injure the human at the other end.
4. If a dog walker gets tangled up in the cord of a retractable leash, or grabs it in an attempt to reel in their dog, it can result in burns, cuts, and even amputation. In addition, many people have been pulled right off their feet by a dog that reaches the end of the leash and keeps going. This can result in bruises, "road rash," broken bones, and worse.
5. Dogs have also received terrible injuries as a result of the sudden jerk on their neck that occurs when they run out the leash, including neck wounds, lacerated tracheas, and injuries to the spine.
6. Retractable leashes allow dogs more freedom to pull at the end of them, which can look like aggression to another dog who may decide to "fight back."
7. The handles of retractable leashes are bulky and can be easily pulled out of human hands, resulting in a runaway dog.
8. Along those same lines, many dogs – especially fearful ones – are terrorized by the sound of a dropped retractable leash handle and may take off running, which is dangerous enough. To make matters worse, the object of the poor dog's fear is then "chasing" her, and if the leash is retracting as she runs, the handle is gaining ground on her – she can't escape it, even if this scenario ultimately ends without physical harm to the dog (or anyone else), it can create lingering fear in the dog not only of leashes, but also of being walked.
9. Retractable leashes, like most retractable devices, have a tendency to malfunction over time, either refusing to extend, refusing to retract, or unspooling at will.
10. Retractable leashes are an especially bad idea for dogs that haven't been trained to walk politely on a regular leash. By their very nature, retractable train dogs to pull while on leash, because they learn that pulling extends the lead.