15 Puppy Essentials Every First Time Puppy Owner Should Have

Are you getting ready to bring home a new puppy and excitedly researching the best puppy essentials? These are my absolute must have puppy essentials you need  before bringing home your first puppy! Plus, check out my FREE Puppy Essentials Checklist. 

My sister and her boyfriend are preparing to bring home their very first puppy in a few weeks! Since this is their first puppy together, they asked me to help put together a list of everything they need. It has been quite awhile since I have started from scratch for a new puppy and I have accumulated a LOT of puppy essentials over the years and tested what works and what doesn’t work well. The items I recommend are all those I have personally used and can attest to.

If you are also bringing home a new puppy in 2023 here are my absolute favorite puppy essentials to help get you started.

Best Puppy Essentials: 

1. Crate or kennel: Having a crate is essential for having a secure space for your puppy to rest while unsupervised. It’s also a good tool for house training, as puppies are naturally inclined to avoid soiling their living space. My absolute favorite wire crate has been the Amazon Essentials because the locking mechanism, in my opinion, is the most secure. It comes with a divider so you can expand the crate as your puppy grows. It is imperative to potty training your puppy that their crate is appropriately sized so they do not learn to go potty in their kennel.

If you are looking for a more luxury crate, we love our Impact Crate but it is absolutely not needed for most dogs. I have also heard wonderful things about the Fable Crate and think it elevates any space.

 

2. Enzymatic Pet Cleaner: As good as your potty training may be, it is super important to have an enzymatic cleaner on hand for any puppy messes that may occur. We have used Nature’s Miracle for years and is the brand we continue to re-purchase.

 

3. Puppy Collar: I normally opt for a very cheap puppy collar as puppies outgrow collars quickly. I typically go ahead and buy at least two sizes for my puppies knowing that in the first 3-4 weeks they will outgrow their first one. I love the White Pine collars as they are ultra-soft and lightweight and won’t damage your puppies coat if you have a long-haired breed. These are also the only collars I use on my adult show dogs.

 

4. Identification tag: I typically opt for slide on dog tags as the dangling dog tags can be loud and damage your puppy’s coat. I love the collar tags from Boomerang Tags, they have held up over years of hard wear from my dogs.

 

5. Puppy Harness: I generally do not walk my puppies on a collar until they can walk nicely without choking themselves. I love the Puppia Harness and the Voyager Harness have used them for all my puppies. Because of its step-in design, it is puppy friendly verses something that you need to wrangle over their head. It is also made out of extremely flexible and soft mesh verses rigid nylon.

 

6. Puppy Leash: when it comes to leashes in my opinion you need several for different use cases. For every day walks my favorite leash is the Hoot and Co. all-in-one leash. Ours has lasted more than 3 years and still looks brand new. These leashes are waterproof, stinkproof and have a very nice feel in your hand. I also think it is imperative to get a long line for training. The 3/8 inch drag leash from CSJCreations is super lightweight making it perfect for puppies. I generally like a 15 -20 foot long line for teaching recall, and because its biothane it can hold up to mud, water, and sand! Lastly, I always get a soft nylon leash for working on training inside the home, my favorites continue to be the White Pine soft web leashes.

 

7. Puppy Food and Storage: each puppy will have different needs and what you feed will likely be based on your breeder or rescue’s recommendation. Personally, my puppies eat Purina Pro Plan. You will also need a storage container for your puppy food. I love the IRIS 47 Qt Airtight Pet Food Container because you can slide a 30 lbs bag of dog food into the container without dumping out the food. This helps keep your dog food fresh for longer.

 

8. Food and Water Bowls: We have many different brands of food and water bowls for our dogs that we have collected over the years. Of all the ones we have, I love the ones with a rubber bottom most because they are less likely to move around. I aways recommend having at least two food dishes and two water dishes per dog so that you can wash them between each use. I could not find the exact brand we have, but these Stainless Steel Bowls with a Nonslip Surface look very close.

 

9. Puppy Toys: Puppies have lots of energy and need plenty of mental and physical stimulation to keep them happy and healthy. Provide a variety of toys, including enrichment toys to help keep them busy and give them an outlet. I love the DOICOL Training Toy because it can fit between the bars of a wire crate making it great for crate training. My other favorite dog enrichment toys include: Kong, West Paw Toppl, and the Planet Dog Orbee Snoop. For toys I opt for things like the Outward Hound Invincibles line,  Zippy Paws Loopy toys, and the Kong Puppy These toys do not have a lot of stuffing or have no stuffing at all. It is important that if you are offering toys with stuffing to your puppies that you are supervising them so they do not eat the stuffing if they manage to tear open a toy.

 

10. Treats and Chews: I generally look for either low ingredient treats like Full Moon Chicken Fillet (I generally purchase at Costco), or a complete and balanced food like the freeze dried raw from Stella and Chewy’s. Some other favorites are Pure Bites, Sojo’s,  and Tricky Trainers. For puppy chews my go to is Beef Tendon and as they get older bully sticks and collagen chews from Pawstruck.

 

11. Exercise Pen or Baby Gates: While potty training it can be extremely useful to keep your puppy contained so that you can supervise. We generally use a combination of both exercise pens and baby gates as needed. I picked up most of ours on Facebook marketplace used for less than half the price of buying new. If you are looking for options these are similar to what we have: Amazon Basics Exercise Pen, Walk Through Baby Gate, Wood Free Standing Gate (I only use for adult dogs that will not knock over).

 

12. Bed: Your puppy will need a comfortable place to rest and sleep. Choosing a bed that includes a waterproof liner and washable cover will extend the life of the bed and prevent that “dog” smell. Unfortunately the ones I bought years ago are no longer available but here are some similar ones I found: K9 Ballistics Rip-Stop Rectangle Pillow Dog Bed, Bark Box Outdoor Dog Bed, HNUOUNH Orthopedic Dog Bed.

 

13. Grooming kit: Regular grooming is important for keeping your puppy’s coat clean and healthy. Invest in a good quality grooming kit that includes a brush, comb, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, and nail clippers. What brushes you need will greatly depend on your dog’s coat type. My all-time favorite brushes are the Chris Christensen line and this is what I use for my Finnish Lapphund. I also love the shampoo and conditioner from Chris Christensen. I always choose oral products that are accepted by the American Oral Veterinary Council. I prefer the Petsmile Finally these Millers Forge nail clippers just cannot be beat. I have tried quite a few over the years and these work best. If you opt to Dremel your pet’s nails instead of clipping I recommend the Dremel 7350.

 

14. Poop bags: there are a lot of poop bags on the market, but our favorite are the Earth Rated. I also love this poopbag dispenser from Wildebeest.

 

15. Treat pouch: I love to reward my new puppy for good behavior throughout the day. I like to wear a treat pouch to ensure I always have treats available when they do something I want to see more of. My favorite is the Litto Howler Adenventure pack, but any sort of fanny pack will work.

 

There are few things more exciting than a new puppy, but it can be daunting to think about everything you need. By getting these puppy essentials, you’ll be setting them up for success and helping them feel comfortable and happy in their new home. Happy puppy-parenting!

Download my Puppy Essentials Checklist