Puppy Shopping List

We frequently get asked the following questions: "what do I need for our puppy? which toys are safe? what size crate do I need? how can I transport my dog safely in the car?" and what dog food do you use?

To make it easier for you, we created this shopping list of items we recommend for your puppy at home! Some of these items are not needed immediately but we encourage you to consider purchasing them for when your dog gets older as it applies to your lifestyle. For example, dog diapers when your female pup is in heat, a lifejacket for swimming, a bike pet trailer, and dog hiking/camping accessories (towards the bottom). We personally use most of these items listed. Otherwise, they came recommended to us by other breeders or past clients.

We feed our puppies and adult dogs a premium dog food called Farmina. It is imported from Italy and considered to be high quality dog food. This dog food is non GMO and doesn't use artificial preservatives, corn, soy, wheat, legumes, fillers, or by products in their ingredients. Instead, it uses high animal protein, ancient grains, and it's organic. Meets both European and US standards. Unfortunately, good quality dog food will cost you more similar to human food.

Our puppies consume Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken and Pomegranate Medium and Maxi Puppy Dry Dog Food and our adult dogs consume Farmina N&D Ancestral grain Chicken & pomegranate Medium and Maxi Adult Dry Dog Food. If its's out of stock on Amazon, check out Chewy!

When our puppies go home to their new owners, we provide them with a small bag of kibble.

Instead of giving your pup complete freedom right away (we highly discourage that for safety reasons!), give them a safe place (playpen) that is bigger than their crate when you need a break to do chores, etc. From there, you can make a slow transition by giving your puppy more access to other rooms in the house gradually and under supervision (baby gates are used here to keep puppies confined to one room at a time). Can furnish the area with toys and a water bowl then place a washable pee pad on the floor. We have personally used this setup for our dogs as puppies.

We provide probiotics (Doc Roys GI Synbiotics) and a pumpkin supplement (Diggin Firm up Pumpkin) to the puppies as soon as they are started on mush. You are welcome to continue using them on your puppy's food when you take them home. This helps maintain gut flora and firms up their stools.

We highly encourage you to crate train your puppy for many reasons! The size we use and recommend is 42 X 28 X 30. We attach the bowls to the inside of the crate for water and food (advise you to elevate them).

Rawhide toys and cooked bones are some of the most dangerous toys for puppies and adult dogs! Please supervise while your dog plays with any soft toys because the stuffing can easily come out and become a choking hazard. This also applies to any toys that potentially can be broken into smaller pieces/threads. These are toys we use and recommend for your puppy.

These are toys we use and recommend for your older dog.

We typically don't recommend using dog beds in their crate initially because they will destroy and/or have accidents on them (until they are older). For young puppies we just use towels instead and supervise them on their dog bed when out. We typically start using the dog beds in their crate when they are 4+ months of age. These dog beds are washable, which is important to have! All of our dogs love their beds and find comfort in them!

When it comes time to washing towels/bedding or cleaning surfaces, we use Natures Miracle. Puppies will often have accidents in the same place they can smell their scent, so this helps remove that scent!

We like these collars with the matching leash because they are reflective, durable, and allow you to personalize the collar with an engraved ID tag (have used several collars in the past and these last the longest!). Don't forget all of our puppies get AKC microchipped with lifetime enrollment before they leave!

Typically, 12-16 inches for a 10-12 week old puppy and 14.5-24 inches for an adult dog. It is best to measure your puppy's neck before purchasing.

We highly encourage you to safely transport your dog in the car. Car accidents can seriously injure your dog! Please treat them like family members. We use this waterproof car seat cover and Pawaboo seatbelt harness (also use the no pull harness below) in the back seat of our car. Similar to collars, it is best to measure your puppy before purchasing. Can also consider a small crate for transportation initially.

For those of you that prefer the no pull harness, this one provides you with two connections (front and back) for better control and ease of walking. It also has a nice velvet lining to prevent rubbing and sores. What is great about this harness is that it can also be used in the car! You would just need the attachment for the seatbelt buckle. However, If you buy the car seat cover above, this attachment comes with it.

There are many options for dog bowls online, but these are bowls that we personally use at home for our dogs.

Golden Retrievers shed a LOT and Goldendoodles have the potential to shed some. It's a good idea to brush your dog weekly as it will reduce the shedding and help detangle their hair.

Having a good vacuum is essential! We personally use the Dyson Ball Animal Upright Vacuum at home and it has good suction.

These dog poop dispensers with a light make everything much more convenient! We recommend you attach it to your leash or bag and take it everywhere! The poop scooper can be used for your backyard. You can also place a plastic bag over it inside out when it comes time to scoop up that turd!

I am a nurse so of course health is a top priority and being prepared for injuries when you least expect it! A pet first aid kit is good to have on trips or long hikes when your dog accompanies you. Can also just keep it in your car. There are a lot of chemicals that could be harmful to your pet. We use these chlorhexidine wipes on our dog's paws/ skin to prevent infection and most importantly it's safe. Always good to have on hand when you need it!

We normally provide our dogs with organic fruits and vegetables for snacks (they love these and you can freeze them!) but on occasion we also offer these Zukes treats. Either can be used for training!

Especially for those of you that have a deck or a patio, sometimes the ground can get pretty hot in the summer. We recommend an elevated dog bed. Can be used indoors, outdoors, while traveling, and while camping. We personally use this elevated bed for our pregnant dogs or while camping and it has met our expectations.

For clients flying in to pick up their puppy and need an airline approved carrier, these were used by some of our clients. Please make sure to check with the airline carrier first before purchasing as each airline could have different rules/requirements in place.

Yes. dental health is important for dogs just like it is for humans! Our veterinarian recommends this brand for toothpaste.

Food containers to store your dog food at home

Remember we don't remove dewclaws, so they need to be maintained as well with nail grooming supplies!

When your female is in heat, she will bleed for several days. We recommend these dog diapers to use in the house. We have not had any leakage and they are reusable after washing!

We are avid hikers and love to go camping with our dogs. We want to recommend these products (collapsible bowls and stake tie out cable) because they are portable and travel friendly for your dog! We tried to fit their normal size crate in our car with camping supplies and learned the hard way that wasn't going to work so we got this folding crate for travel/camping instead.

We also really enjoy other outdoor activities and try our best to include the dogs. If you also like to take your dog on outdoor adventures such as swimming, running, fishing, and bike riding, we recommend that you purchase a dog life jacket, hands free dog leash, and bike pet trailer. Please keep in mind it can be dangerous to have your dog run next to your bicycle. One wrong turn can injure your dog. Instead, consider this bike pet trailer!

Can't forget the bandanas for their birthday and the holidays! Make sure to send us a picture of your dog wearing the bandana!

​Shopping List For Your Puppy

Shopping List For Your Puppy