ummmmm
bowls for food and water
crate, I like the kind that can "grow" with the puppy
bed
toys, I like to Kongs
Puppy food -whatever the breeder is feeding for now. You'll need to do your homework on food and decide what you wish to feed.
Leash
Collar - I would suggest a martingale collar so that puppy cannot slip his head out of it. Sometimes people call these "no slip" collars or "greyhound collars".

I'd also have imformation on puppy training classes in your area, the sooner you can get them in the better. If nothing else you'll need the class for socialization. If you have a petsmart in your area thats a good place to start. Not all trainers are created equal but at least at petsmart the lesson is standardized and the same from store to store and trainers have to go through a cirtification process before they are allowed to teach. Or you can check out the association of pet dog trainers and do a trainer search on their site. It will bring up member trainers in your area

 

Im not sure if you have any experience with dogs/puppies but the crate is must in my house. Walmart started carrying a light weight dog crate and Im pretty sure I bought the biggest one they carry for $69.99. My Standard Eli is a big boy and he still uses that crate. I say light weight because its not as heavy as a Veri-Kennel brand crate but has held up as well as my other more expensive crates.

Im sorry if I offend anyone but I DO NOT suggest paying for the petsmart training classes. I personally think they are a waste of money. A few yrs ago I was offered a position to be a trainer at petsmart and after watching what they consider training is, I turned it down. I think all your paying for is to walk your dog around Petsmart with a group of other's and puppy socializing in a group setting. You can do that on your own and Poodle's are very easy to train anyhow. Again, I don't mean to offend anyone about these classes.


You may want to ask the breeder is she gives a bag of puppy food with the puppies. Some do and some don't. I just hate hearing that people are feeding foods like pedigree and purina and then you have to buy another bag of that food so you can mix it with what you are weaning them too. So hopefully she feeds better food and you don't have to go that route anyways. Or if she does feed that then she may give a bag of food so you don't have to buy that too. I hope that makes sence. lol I personally will change a dog/puppy cold turkey if it aviods them eating another meal of bad quality food. When I can mix it though I wil.

Well I hope I could help some but you seem like your already taking the right steps prepping for your new addition. When do you pick up again?

 

Dog Brush and Comb
Dog Shampoo
Dog Wormer (Nemex is good)
Nail Dremel
Puppy Training Pads
Deodorizer
Dog Bed
Toys
Dog Carrier
A chosen Vet


...make sure to keep your new puppy up to date on
vaccinations also!

 

Yes, a crate is a MUST! Also, when I went to pick Baxter up from the shelter, I took his crate...I put a doggie bed in his crate, as well as a blankie and a toy. He still loves to lay with the blankie. I think it helped him to transition from the shelter to our home.

The other ladies covered it all pretty well. I can't think of anything to add.:tongue:

 

If you don't already have a baby gate to help with potty training (like keeping him in one area when not in the crate) or to just have a safe room for him to go to...then make sure you get a gate that is not plastic. I have about 5 baby gates all customized by the teeth of my poodles...so save yourself some money and get a GOOD one the first time.

I would recommend one of the walk though kinds that your daughter can't figure out how to open just yet. So they both learn that when mommy says puppy stays in this room while mommy cleans...they BOTH learn that is where puppy stays!

I am totally for crate training, but if you can't bring yourself to it a baby gate will be great for you!

 

Thanks for all of the great help!! I have never crate trained a dog before, and dont know if I totally agree with it. Arent dogs pack animals? I dont know, I may consider it.

 

I've been training dogs for 15 years and I don't understand the above comment on dog's being pack animals? This has no bearing in crate training. A crate is a safe place to pup your puppy when you cannot watch them, are out of the house, or are traveling in the car. Not to mention you dog will be put in a crate if he goes to the vet for anything other than routine shots, and when he goes to the groomer. I believe owners who fail to teach their dogs that it is ok to be in a crate are doing them a great diservice.

 

I agree with Wonderpup but gosh darn it my reply was erased after I logged back in. Errrrrr!!!

Im so not writing all that again.

 

so what is so great about crate training? when and why? what is the diff between a crate and sectioning them off in the kitchen? I am not ytryiing to be rude or snarky, just looking for a diff perspective.

 

Bear was in the crate from the first night we got him home. It has been the best thing we did with him. Now he is loose in the house all the time but he was in the crate anytime we were gone for the first two years we had him. For about the first year and a half or so he was even in there when we went to bed. Now it's his safe spot. When he is tired or needs space he goes in his crate and goes to sleep. The crate is in the hall outside our family room. When we are watching TV he often goes in and lays down. I would recommend getting the crate that is big enough for when he's full grown but has the moveable divider that can be used to limit his space. As they grow they only need enough room to get up and turn around. If they can't get away from it they are less likely to have accidents in the crate. Even when we were housebreaking Bear he NEVER had an accident in his crate:high5: Oh yeah... when they are getting used to the crate...DON'T let them out when they cry. It even meant a night sleeping on the floor next to the crate, but he knew that whining wasn't getting him out. It also showed him that he wasn't being punished because we were right there but we didn't let him out. The next night we just sat the crate by our bed and he was fine. Whew...sorry for being so wordy!:tongue:

 

Oh... you also NEED this:
http://www.naturemakesitwork.com/home/index.php
Nature's Miracle...it works wonders:high5:

 

what do you use this for and what is the dff between this and any other cleaner?

 

I have found that when you train them for a crate - as they get older, the crate is something THEY choose to go to as a private place. Even Wrigley (at only 4 months) goes to his crate (I leave the door open at times that he is out with us.) when he wants to enjoy a stuffie or chew toy without the Crestie girls bothering him. It kind of becomes their own little bedroom.
My parents had a black lab and until he died at age 13, his crate was his get away.
But it also is a lifesaver when you are gone. You know they can't hop a gate or chew a wall out of boredom. They are safe inside their kennel. I use the kennel for night time (since Wriggs still isn't reliably potty trained) and when I'm away. But if I am home and just can't supervise him, he is in a puppy pen with more walk around room.
Oh, and my kennel is the black one with bars and a slide out tray. I like this style MUCH better than the plastic ones that have a top and bottom that you use screws to hold together.

 

We have been and still are crating T. It's brilliant! His crate is next to my side of the bed and when I can't watch him and he isn't in the backyard he is in his crate. This is for bedtime, if I'm having a shower, when we're eating tea anytime pretty much that I can't keep both eyes on him.

The theory behind it is then your pup can do NOTHING wrong, he can not make any mistakes because you are watching him and can intercept before he makes a mistake. These mistakes are not just toilet training (although it works beautifully for that) but chewing things up, stealing items of table tops, jumping on furniture or the bed uninvited, ohh the list goes on. If your pup never does anything wrong then he does not learn to do those naughty things or think it is acceptable and you have a fun, happy pup that isn't constantly in trouble or being told off. T has chewed up two electrical cords (unplugged both times luckily) because both times I was preoccupied, once I was grooming the shepherd and thought T was asleep at my feet, he wasn't he was quietly occupied chewing through the vacuum cleaner cord. The second time I got up to go the toilet after playing on my laptop, left him chewing on his toy came back to find he'd swapped the toy for my laptop cord!

It makes toilet training a breeze because your either watching him and when he makes any indication of needing to go to the toilet you put him outside - or - he is in his crate and will whine to let you know that he wants to go out because he won't toilet where he sleeps. It is your aim to make sure the pup never, ever toilets in the house, this should be your number one goal for toilet training. Even being super vigilant he will probably still have the occassional accident and it will be your fault because you haven't seen the signs. We have had three accidents in 4 months, 2 of those in the first few days while I was learning what his signals meant and one on the second week cause I was on the phone and couldn't get off in time to take him outside, nothing since.

The crate must only be big enough for him to lay down stretched out, stand up and turn around unhindered. If you make it any bigger he will find a corner to toilet and you have lost the benefit of the crate. There are two schools of thought about food and water in the crate. We started off with none but now that T is settled and understands the concept he does have a water bowl and some biscuits in there. The water I am sure is contributing to us still having to take him out once a night to toilet but he seems to get very thirsty so I am happy to have to get up cause I want him to be able to have a drink when he wants.

The crate should be seen by both you and he as a place of refuge, it is never used as punishment. Dogs have dens and you are providing him with his own private place to go when ever he pleases or when you need him too. The children should never play with or even touch the pup when he is in his crate - that is his space and should be preserved that way. Lots of treats and praise to start with help to make it a fun place until eventually you can leave the door open and he will go in of his own free will. T isn't quite at that point yet, he will go in for a drink or snack but he won't stay in there to sleep unless the door is closed cause he would rather sleep on the couch :smile:.

You will not get the benefits of a crate by sectioning off an area in the kitchen, place the crate in that area if it is the area you have chosen for the pup; personally I like T next to my bed which is also open to the lounge room so he is part of the action so to speak. If your going to crate he must be within earshot and you must be prepared to get up and take him outside when he asks.

Anyway I have written an epic again - sorry everyone, but it isn't cruel, it really is the best thing you can do for your pup. Just my two cents worth. :smile:

 

I would never assume you are being rude so no worries.

The crate can be a valuable training tool. Firstly in housebreaking your puppy. Dogs naturaly try not to potty where they eat/ sleep if they can help it. Soooo confining your puppy to a crate will help teach him to "hold it" so to speak. Keep in mind though that he will still need to go out to potty every few hours and it is unlikely he will be able to make it through the night at first. Alot of people in my classes have issues that involve taking the puppy outside and he does potty but doesn't do everything he needs to do. When they bring him back inside he then potties on the floor within a few minutes. If you take your puppy out say after breakfast and he usually pees and poops but this time he only pees you can bring him inside, put him back in his crate for 15 minutes and then take him outside again. This prevents accidents in the house. If you just section them off in one area in the house (which I suggest you do in addition to crate training), you are giving puppy a huge area that he will have no problems pottying in.
A crate can be used to confine your puppy when she cannot be watched Or when you aren't home. If you just keep them in a room or the kitchen or laundry room while you are away you are very likely to end up with damage to your home. My first dog chewed the baseboards, and the bottoms of the cabnets in my parents bathroom because we didn't crate train him. Last year we allowed my grandmother to keep a puppy from one of my mothers litters. Grandma is one of those " I don't believe in crate training" type of people. I got a very upset phone call telling me that Angel had chewed a hole in one of the walls in the kitchen while they were at church. Nice. Now they believe in crating her.
Also as I mentioned before it is definitly in your dog's best interest to learn to be confined to a smaller area. If you go to a groomer he will be in a crate. If you leave him at the vet for neutering, dentals, or anything else that would require that they keep him through the day or overnight if he were ill he will be in a crate. If you board him, depending on the kennel he may be crated then too. I always reserved a kennel run for my two small dogs and I came to pick them up early one time and found that they were both in a very small cage. I'm not saying every place is like that, (and I no longer board my dogs at all now), but it is possiable.
In the car the only truely safe place is a crate. If god forbid you were in an accident a loose dog becomes a dangerous thing. It would be the same as if you had not buckeled your child in. Now I'll admit to not crating Jazz on our trips to and from work but if she were to travel with us any real distance she would definitly be crated for her safety, just like my other dogs are.
If your dog sleeps in his crate and you were to have a housefire or other emergancy there would be no time wasted looking for the dog, you would know exactly where he is and how to get to him. Not to mention you know you can sleep soundly knowing your puppy isn't chewing or eating something he shouldn't.
Another use for crates is if you have more than one dog. If the dogs eat in the crates you will always know who ate and how much they ate. It makes it really easy to spot if somebody is off their food, which is often one of the first signs of illness.

I think this post is long enough, but I assure you I could go on about the benifits of crate training. I will mention though that just because you crate train your dog doesn't mean he has to be in the crate all the time or for that matter ever once he is an adult. I will admit that at the moment none of my dogs are sleeping in crates or are crated when I am gone from the house with the exception of the poodle. Both my smaller dogs have their own bedroom, which contains their crates, and they sleep in there. It's blocked by a babygate. They eat in their crates when I don't have time to watch them, otherwise they eat in the kitchen. Jazz get confined to our bedroom if we aren't home and spents her days in a crate at work with me. She's allowed out of course when we don't have clients in but is crated otherwise. It keeps everyone safe and we don't have to worry about her getting into trouble. Mr. Wonderful is already learning to be in a crate and doing well at about 9 weeks old.
I'm sure you can do an internet search and find tons more info on crate training. I'm just tired of typing now lol.

 

Dang Blue Fox, I wouldn't have bother to write so much had I realized you were in the process of doing the same LoL

 

LoL I musta just pressed the post key before you WonderPup, I'm definately with you on this one though. I don't know what I would do without a crate, couldn't imagine it. I'd be stressed out to the max wondering what T was chewing up at any given time or how much mess I had to clean up!

 

ok, so you guys have sold me on the crate!!:tongue:
my enxt queston I guess would be where to put the crate and can I move it around? I ask this because I want him to not only be with us at all times if possible, but also because the bedroom is upstairs away from everything including the door to outside. The 2 places I would want his crate would be un the bedroom and/or in the kitchen. I guess I could baby gate the kitchen area and then have the crate upstairs? any input?

 

Get two:tongue: Nah, well you could but is probably overkill. I couldn't be bothered moving mine it is quite big and I have upstairs bedroom too so moving it down the stairs is really not on. I like T's next to my bed so I can hear him during the night, during the day while we're in the kitchen he is free but I am always watching him or he is outside in the yard where he can't do any real damage. Our shower is upstairs so we're together then and we usually eat upstairs on the couch so no problem there either.

 

I agree a crate is a must. Sam no longer uses one, but he did for the first couple of years. I wish I had kept one for him. When he was really sick this summer, we wanted to keep him as still as possible but he wanted to follow us everywhere we went and when he got really bad and couldn't follow us at all, it broke our hearts to hear him cry everytime we left the room. If he had a crate he would have been much better off. So, as important as it is for housebreaking and keeping a puppy safe, it's just as important later on should they get sick or injured. We made sure we got Jenny a large one and the divider was a lifesaver! Much better than trying to use a makeshift divider. As far as where to put it, we moved it around at first alot until she got more reliable. I kept it in our main living space so that I could put her in it whenever I wasn't watching her, but now I don't have to be as diligent about so I moved it into my bedroom just because its so big and I hated looking at it all the time. I didn't think she was ever going to take to it. She was fine when we put her in it, but she would never go in on her own. She would even run from us when we tried to get her to walk in on her own. But now that she really only uses it for bedtime, when we aren't home, and if I'm in the shower or something like that, she loves to get in it.
On another matter, you'll want to take a crate or a box or something and towels when you pick him up. I don't know how far you have to go but he will probably get sick. Good Luck!

 

I have my three crates lined up in my living room. I couldn't live with out those babies!

By the way...before I learned about crates my dogs ate the side of my new couch and tore up a whole room's carpet. Thats when I said never again am I leaving them out while Im gone. Needless to say I bought crates immediantly!