Recommended Puppy Supplies

This will allow you to start your puppy with a smaller area of the crate that you can slowly adjust to a larger area as your pup grows and learns. If you give your puppy too much room in his crate, he will designate a potty area and will sleep on the other side. This type of crates is perfect for crate training your puppy. My personal favorite is this one made by MidWest. This one is also a great alternative! We’ve used both. Just make sure to buy the correct size* by estimating the size of your puppy when its fully grown.

*Large size crate for medium bernedoodles.

*XL size crate for standard bernedoodles.

There are pros and cons of using elevated bowls. We have never had any problems using this kind at our home. I believe raised dog bowls make the process of drinking water and eating their food easier; it puts less strain on your dog’s neck; and it can also reduce the pressure on joints and bones.

Make sure you feed your dog age-appropriate kibble. We start your pup on  Victor Classic Hi-Pro Plus. We will send you home with a sample size to get you started. If you decide to switch to a different puppy food, you should do so gradually over the period of 5 to 7 days.

Always use high-quality treats to train your puppy with! I have never seen a pup that wouldn’t like these treats. Pupford or Blue Buffulo Bits are great training treats as well. When you train your pup, try not to overfeed them with treats. Just pinch a tiny piece to reward them with for doing a good job. Alternate treat rewards with verbal praises (5 YESes, 1 treat). Pay attention to the daily serving guidelines.

Make sure to choose the right size of the collar. You may need to size up and replace a collar from time to time as your dog grows. For leashes I recommend the ones that are 4 ft long, but no longer than 6 ft long. We are using this kind for our bigger dogs and absolutely love it!

No retractable leashes!!! They can cause bodily injuries to your dog, you, and anyone in the near surrounding.

As for a harness, I would recommend this no-pull harness by rabbitgoo.

You will need a steel comb. It removes tangles, mats, loose hair and dirt and stimulates skin and hair follicles. It is also perfect for finishing and fluffing. I would recommend it for a straight/wavy type of hair.

Slicker brush is to eliminate tangles and matting while removing dead hair from the undercoat and topcoat. Better for curlier hair type. Check our Amazon recommended puppy supply list for multiple choices.

Dematting rake is designed to meet grooming needs of long-haired breeds, with heavy-duty, stainless-steel blades that get through snarled coats and break up matted fur with ease. Perfect for every long hair type.

Fine toothed comb is perfect for removing eye boogers, cleaning up the face, feet and private areas.

Grooming scissors for trimming around the eyes.

I use both nail clippers and nail grinder.

I use this shampoo for both my puppies and adult dogs. It cleans great and keeps the dogs smelling nice for a few days.

Here is another option for puppy shampoo with natural ingredients.

If you decide to groom your pup yourself, I would recommend investing into professional grade clippers. These are my absolute favorite! You can always upgrade and use this version. I also prefer to use ceramic detachable blades, because they stay sharp longer and do not overheat as easy as the stainless steal ones.

The blades come in different length sizes, but you can always use a standard size 10 with a detachable clip comb set (that’s the exact one I use when grooming my doodles.)

And the last thing you absolutely must have – clipper oil. Use it before the groom and after you are finished and cleaned the blades to keep it sharp and last longer.

NOT NECESSARY, BUT GREAT TO HAVE:

• Clipper spray for blade care and treatment;
• Grooming table or a grooming arm that you can attach to a table or a countertop;
• Grooming dryer (love from first use!)

You will need an ear cleanser or ear wipes for your pup’s grooming routine.

I love this one! It is pest-proof and helps the dry food stay fresh longer.

Accidents happen and this spray works great to eliminate the odor!  And Folex will help you to remove any stains off of your carpet or furniture.

When travelling by plane to pick up your puppy, don’t forget to bring a TSA approved pet carrier to take your puppy back home!

If you think your puppy eats too fast, you can help them slow down by introducing them to a slow feeder or a slow feeder bowl insert. Fast eating can cause your dog to become sick. If your dog eats too fast, they could experience digestive problems and vomiting. More seriously, consuming food without chewing is a choking hazard.

I recommend choosing toys made by KONG. They are made out of a tougher rubber that can withstand almost all dogs. You can fill them up with your dog’s favorite treats. The idea is to keep your pup occupied while she works hard to get the food; it also provides them with mental stimulation.

We also prefer unstuffed toys, as they leave no mess.

And different brain toys and games similar to this one to keep your puppy occupied and away from trouble!

We are huge fans of Mammoth dog beds!  We’ve had a couple of them for years and I swear they are indestructible! Very durable, easy to wash, comes with a lifetime warranty.

We have recently discovered Wash’nZip Pet Bed and I love that the entire bed is washable and comes in handy when you need to use it in your car to protect the interior or in a crate as a pad. We usually send our pups home with a special offer for this particular bed!

Also, if your dog prefers to stay cool, we can recommend looking into a pet cot! They are cooling, lightweight, easy to clean, and perfect for both indoors and outdoors.

For those of you who don’t have a fenced in yard I would highly recommend investing in a wireless fence! It is not cheap, but worth every penny. We live on a 10-acre farm and it makes a lot of sense for us to use these collars with our herding Berners. I wouldn’t recommend spending your money on it if you live on a smaller lot (less than ½ acre) since the GPS boundaries shift a few feet each time you connect your dog’s collar. There are a few very good brands that are worth looking at: SpotOn GPS Fence; PetSafe Stay & Play Wireless Pet Fence (it is actually created for smaller yards up to ¾ acre); Halo Collar.

We chose to go with a SpotOn GPS Fence and we love it! If you are like us and decide to purchase one of the SpotOn GPS Fence collars, please do not hesitate to reach out to me to get a special referral link that will allow you to save $100 off!

We partnered up with a couple of wonderful training programs to help you find what works best for you!

We are honored to announce that we are now proud affiliates of My Loyal Hound The Puppy System program. Dre is amazing and has over 80 lessons to guide you through every step of puppy training with an emphasis on bonding and communication.

We are also partners with BAXTER & Bella The Online Puppy School. They provide our puppy families with a 25% discount for a lifetime membership!

You can always look up Zak George’s New Puppy Survival Guide video series on YouTube or use their Pupford training app.

You can also search if there are any dog trainers or puppy training classes in your area. For example, you can book a training class at your local Petco store.

There are a lot of great books on how to raise a perfect dog! These are just a few of them:

The Puppy Primer by Patricia B. McConnell I personally read this book every time before bringing a new puppy home just to refresh my memory.

How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Clarice Ruserford, David H.  Neil

Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy Off Right by Dr. Sophia Yin