Fenced in yard? Not a necessity, but pretty nice to have. Are you willing to walk the dog daily? With our current living situation we don't have sidewalks, not as safe for dog walking. However we lucked out, our small dog gets good exercise in our yard. Medium to large sized dogs need a daily walk. They need the exercise, but they also just need to get that energy out. If you've got a "crazy" dog try walking him more frequently. Can't walk him, take him to the dog park.
Also consider the type of dog you want. Male or female? Pure bred or pound mutt? If you are considering pure bred, research the breeders and the breed. Do a home visit to see what environment your dog is coming from. AKC registered breeders are always the best to look for. For more on puppy mills click here and here. Unfortunately I didn't research our breeder enough, and Scooter came from a puppy mill. He is the sweetest dog I've ever had, but he does have his problems. Fear of strangers, excessive barking, and he can get territorial. Getting your dog from a shelter is a wonderful thing to do. Pet stores like Petco and Petsmart will have adoption days, this is when local shelters bring in cats and dogs to be adopted. Much different then the dogs being sold by the store, most of those dogs do come from puppy mills.
Alright so you've picked out your dog, congrats! Aside from the "supplies" I'm about to list, let me recommend if this is your first dog, or the first dog you've had in a long time, invest i training classes.
Alright so lets get to it. I'm not pimping out Petsmart, but all the items I'm listing are from their website. I don't buy all my pet stuff from Petsmart. I generally shop at Petsmart, Petco, Wal-Mart, or Kroger for my pet needs. Food is a big issue. I've had vets who've said buy what you can afford, other vets that try to push certain brands on you. As long as beef or chicken is the first ingredient you're good. We started Scooter off on Purina One Puppy Chow. We fed him another Purina One food (it was the red bag), now we feed him Beneful. He loves it and is healthy. We also give him a Cesar wet food once a day, he's at a normal weight. If you're dog is overweight I wouldn't recommend the wet food.
If your dog is medium to large I recommend getting some sort of elevated bowls to help avoid bloat, however it's not agreed upon by all, so consult your vet. The elevated bowls can cost between $25-40 at Petsmart, but you can check Amazon and Wal-Mart for cheaper options. I just use normal bowls and a placemat. The bowls pictured are under $2 each and the placemant is $5. If you like traveling and want to take your dog with you, get a traveling water dish. I love mine, and better to that Scooter loves it. I just so happened to stumble upon ours at a Dollar Tree, but you can find one for under $6. My final recommendation isn't a necessity by any means, just a convenience. My animals like to get into the bags and eat food directly from there, so I invested in some pet food holders. I didn't bother with scoop, I just use old cups.
My animals tend to be rough on stuff at times, so I normally choose inexpensive beds, the one pictured is $20. Heck you could just get a nice sized pillow and pillow case if you want. Honestly our dog doesn't really use his pet bed, but it's nice to have one for him. Scooter has an extra large crate because my husband and I used to have a crazy schedule and he'd be caged for about 8 hours a day. So if you have to leave your dog alone I'd recommend getting a nice sized crate. Now I have portable crates for all my cats, so when we travel I just keep our large portable crate in the Jeep in case we need it. Portable crates can start at $20 depending on where you shop. Scooter is a good car dog, but I will normally attach him to the seatbelt with his harness if it's just the two of us. Now as far as dog playpens go, I've never used one. I have friends who've used them for their smaller dogs. Really they can be nice for puppies. But if you have an older dog, or a dog that can jump over it, it's pointless. Starting off they can cost $65 depends on the size you get. Now gates are pretty important in our house. I have places I don't like Scooter to go since he tends to occasionally pee/poop inside. Also he's a scavenger, he'll get into anything he can. Now I'd really recommend getting baby gates, pet gates are too expensive and they're the same thing. If you get a walk through gate be sure to measure your doorway first. Metal walk through gates can be found under $50.
There are way too many options for the next few things I'll mention so I'll just skip the pictures for this. All dogs should have a collar and id tag. Your id tag should have the dogs name and your phone number or email address. You can even put your physical address if it'll fit. Ours is basic, Scooter (xxx) xxx-xxxx and city,state. You can find dog collars at so many places. A leash and harness are also musts. Not necessarily the harness, but I love having a harness for Scooter. It works out so well to walk him, and to have him in the car. Also a brush and nail clippers. I'd also recommend a tooth brush, human or dog both work the same. Getting a basic human tooth brush is cheaper. Just be sure to use a dog toothpaste. Oral care is very important for dogs, teeth problems can affect their organs. I try to brush Scooter once a week, but realistically I don't. However his teeth are very strong and clean. If I notice they look dirty I'll brush. Dog shampoo, doesn't have to be expensive, it could even be baby shampoo. I just use this stuff I find at Wal-Mart, costs a few bucks and lasts for months. Scooter's shampoo has oatmeal in it, that helps with his coat.
Alright and finally the fun stuff, toys. Go crazy. Be sure if your dog has a lot of toys (like mine) to phase them out. That way the pup won't get bored. One thing I love that Scooter has is his Kong and Wigzi. You can put treats in there. You can even freeze a mixture of hard/soft food, keeps them occupied for hours at times.
Now I did leave out dog clothes, and here's why....
Some pet owners are into clothing a pet, and that's fine. Me personally I love dressing Scooter up. BUT let me stress this, if the dog isn't into it don't do it. Scooter loves his clothes, gets excited when he sees them, even prances around in his outfits. But if he fought me putting a shirt on him I wouldn't do it. As it is, I'm lucky, he puts his arms into the sleeves and wags his tail in excitement when I pull out his clothes box.
So I hope this has been informative, and please enjoy your new pet. All the hassle that Scooter can be I'd never exchange him for another dog.
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