What should I buy to welcome home my new puppy?

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting time. One of my favorite parts of new puppy ownership is shopping for all the cute new things I will need and the essentials. I have definitely made some shopping mistakes in the past, but I have learned from them and I hope you can too. Here is a list of items I recommend for new puppy owners.* Many of these links are affiliate links. Under no circumstances are you required to purchase an item through one of these links, however, the use of the link is greatly appreciated.

new puppy basic supplies

Collars

No matter your personal preference, a dog collar is an essential tool for your puppy. I personally do not keep collars on my dogs 24/7, instead I opt to utilize a collar only when needed. If you choose to keep a collar on your dog 24/7, be sure to choose a variety that has a quick release safety feature. Dogs can be strangled to death if their collar gets caught on something.

Flat Collar (The Roam Premium, Hamilton Adjustable) - this is your basic, traditional collar. Useful for hold name tags, rabies tags, etc. Not the best training tool.

Martingale Collar - Useful tool to teach your puppy pressure control and loose leash walking.

Gentle Leader - Useful tool to teach a puppy that likes to pull to stop pulling.

Regarding Harnesses- I do not EVER recommend a harness UNLESS you are planning to engage in weight-pulling or cart-pulling. Harnesses impede shoulder movement and can cause injury. Plus, it encourages your dog to pull.

Leashes

There are 100’s of leashes out there, these are some I like. Again, each serves a different purpose and some may serve one type of dog better than others.

Traditional - (Roam, Fida) - This is your traditional clip leash. These are nice, have a good length and give some cushioning effects.

Leather Traditional - Wellbro - Traditional Leash, but in leather.

Slip Lead, Snake & Resco - These are training tools to help teach pressure control and loose leash walking. Additionally, these teach our dog to communicate better with you.

30 - 50 foot training Lead - Great for training recall and distance learning.