Puppy Product Recommedations
When we brought home our new puppy, we knew there would be a learning curve and a lot of trial and error trying to figure out our new life together. We quickly learned not all dog products were the right fit, and there were some “must have” essentials that no one told us about. As we’ve learned and grown together, we’ve found a few specific products that have really shined during the puppy, adolescent, mensuration, and now whelping stages of our dog’s life.
Welcome home, Daisy!
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Play pen
A good, sturdy play pen was a must for us! In the early puppy days, we found that Daisy really thrived on structure and boundaries. We would let her out to play several times a day, but she wasn’t given the full run of the house when she wasn’t supervised. During down times, she would happily relax in her play pen and nap. As she grew, she was able to exercise more and more self control and impulse control, and her domain expanded accordingly.
This is the play pen we use for Daisy. It is tall enough to keep her from jumping over, and sturdy enough that she can’t knock it over. It is functional and elegant looking, which was really important to me. It also has worked really well as a whelping space for her and the puppies.
Grooming
I had no idea, but apparently most groomers won't groom your dog until he or she is fully vaccinated. The full vaccine series takes about a year to complete. In hind sight, it makes sense. They want to protect your unvaccinated puppy from harmful diseases. However, what do you do when you have a puppy that needs a groom??
We found that having grooming clippers on hand was really helpful during the first year, and for touch ups in between grooming sessions thereafter. If grooming your own dog seems intimidating, I get it. It was intimidating to me too. After a few deep breaths, several Youtube videos, and lots of grated cheese, Daisy was officially groomed on our back patio by yours truly. And it didn’t turn out half bad!
I will say, though, trimming behind the ears is really tricky! Only trim what you feel comfortable doing.
These clippers I bought on Amazon have been fantastic. I only have to charge the clippers once every 3-4 grooming sessions. They aren’t terribly noisy, and they are really easy to clean.
Before
After
Whelping mat
This mat was fantastic for potty training, and even better for breeding (should you choose to have puppies one day). It lays nice and flat on the ground, is machine washable, dig proof (and she tried!), waterproof, and doesn't slip or slide.
Training Collar
I know training collars aren’t for everyone, so don’t rake me across the coals for this one. We love and respect our dog and expect her to do the same. Goldendoodles are highly intelligent and high energy, and we found a training collar to be really helpful at getting her attention when we have needed it most. Daisy used to bolt out the front door every chance she got, and with three little kids, and friends and family coming and going, she found a lot of chances to make her escape. This was not only alarming to passers by, but also extremely dangerous for Daisy, who wasn’t keen on watching out for cars or coming back when we called. The training collar was a miracle worker. It only took a few training sessions to help her learn not to bolt, and now it’s no longer an issue.
The training collar we’ve used has beep, vibrate, and shock options. We found the beep to be sufficient 90% of the time. It would startle her enough to snap out of her misbehavior, and look at us and take direction. The other 10% of the time, the little vibration would convince her to avoid the misbehavior completely. The collar also has a shock option. We’ve never used it, but in order to use that option, you have to assemble an additional feature, making it impossible to accidentally administer a shock.
Toys
Fun fact: 30 minutes of mental stimulation can wear a dog out as much as 2 hours of physical activity!
Daisy is what I would call an aggressive chewer. She’s not an aggressive dog, but her chewing skills are next level. Even the “durable” chew toys don’t last more than 5 minutes once she gets a hold of them. We went through a LOT of chew toys before finally landing on some that stand out for their quality, durability, and mental stimulation.
Kong - This one is especially fun because you can hide treats, or smear peanut butter inside!
Green celery - This one is my favorite! You can jam treats in it or line it with peanut butter, and it keeps the dog entertained for quite a long time.
