A few of you have had puppies before so you know what to expect but for those that don't, I thought I would put together a quick list of recommended things you will need for your new puppy :)
1. Crate or basket for puppy to sleep in. I would personally recommend the use of a crate - more details can be found by searching earlier posts
2. Water and food bowls. These need to be durable (ie not chewable !) - either stainless steel (ones with rubber underneath are good to stop the bowl being pushed all around the room) or ceramic ones are the best
3. Chew items - your puppy at this stage is a chewing machine ! It's important to have some good, durable toys that they can use to help with teething rather than your prized shoes. Puppies need to know right from the beginning what they are allowed to chew and what they are not ! Don't put down countless toys for them, just one or two at a time which can then be rotated to provide the puppy with some variety (and allow you to clean them if necessary). Once the puppy is older and going outside, it's good to have a "special" toy that you take outside for use with training. Labradors are very powerful chewers and you will need sturdy toys if they are to last. Nylabone and Kong make some excellent products.
4. Food. The puppies are being raised on predominately a raw diet and they have had chicken mince, chicken carcasses, chicken fillet, liver, heart, kidney, duck necks, green tripe and pork belly ! For those keen to continue with a raw diet there are some good suppliers around (if in Edinburgh, contact Steven at http://www.fifeanimalfeeds.co.uk/). For England, http://www.landywoods.co.uk/ is very good. If you are wanting to feed them on biscuits then the only one I would recommend is Burns (http://www.burnspet.co.uk/dog/index.asp). For more detail on other commercial pet food companies see my earlier posts. I can provide you with some Burns when you collect your puppy
5. Poop bags. Until their final vaccination they will need to stay inside your own property but once out, it is your responsibility to clean up after your dog. For those that are interested in the details, the relevant legislation can be found here - in England Dogs Fouling of Land 1996, and in Scotland Dogs Fouling Scotland 2003
6. Lead and collar. Even before your puppy is safely able to go outside you can start some basic training inside. I'm a big fan of Red Dingo Collars - you will only need a small one to start with. You can get matching Red Dingo Leads as well - Hamish McBeth do some fantastic collars as well but are more expensive. Once the pup is getting bigger (eg 9 months) I would personally recommend investing in a good quality leather lead and collar - a good one will last for years (still good to pack a cheap one for trips to the beach !)
7. ID tag. Under the Control of Dogs Order 1992 your dog must be identified (either on the collar or by a tag attached to the collar) with the name and address of the owner. Your telephone number is optional but advisable. Once again (I promise I don't work for Red Dingo ;), Red Dingo have some really nice ID tags
8. Wire brush for grooming
9. Stair gate. If you have a house with stairs you must be very careful to ensure that the puppy cannot run up and down them until they are at least 6-8 months old as doing so can cause damage to their soft, young bones and joints. Stair gates are an excellent option giving you peace of mind that the puppy will be safe (also good for restricting puppies to a particular room within the house rather than shutting the door). You can get ones that don't require any mountings to be screwed to the wall. Lindam have a great range of gates (and extensions for bigger gaps) and can be bought at a number of different retailers (eg Amazon, Argos, Asda, Tesco)
10. Vet. For those that don't already have a vet I would recommend hunting around for a good local vet. Get registered with the vet and let them know you are buying a new puppy. It's a good idea to take the puppy along to the vet a day or two after you have them home so you can get them checked over and get all their details on the system. You will need to take the puppy back for their second vaccination once they are at least 10 weeks old
11. Insurance. In my opinion an essential purchase for peace of mind. Looking after your puppy if something goes wrong can be very expensive - especially if you need out of hours consultation which usually will charge you a minimum of £100. For as little as £12 a month you can be covered for up to £7000 a year, every year. I will put some more details around insurance in a separate blog. When you pick up your puppy I will offer you free 4 weeks insurance from Petplan which will cover you from the moment you leave with your new puppy. If you wish to take advantage of this, I can organise it online in a matter of minutes when you collect your puppy.
Happy shopping ! :)
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