What do I need in the house before we bring a dog home?
so, we've been in our house for more than 6 months now, and the deal i made with the wife can now kick in. i can get a dog!! we're still searching right now, so we've got some time to get ready.
but, with both of use being new dog owners, we're not quite sure what we should have in the house when we bring the dog home. obviously we'll want food, some toys and a crate/dog bed. but what else? i'm sure there's things we're missing that current dog owners will point out to us.
so, i ask my fellow wooters, what else will we need? we will most likely NOT be getting a puppy. the dogs we're looking at have all been 2+ years old. don't know if that makes a difference. we're shooting for a medium size dog, around 40-60 pounds. again, don't know if that makes a difference.
by
carl669
asked 8 months ago
I would suggest the following items:
1) Metal Kennel w/ Comfort Padded Bed inside. DO NOT make this kennel too big though, just enough room for the dog to walk in/spin around/sleep. If it's too big the dog might use it as a bathroom. This becomes their "safe haven" and great for when no one is in the house to make sure the dog doesn't get into trouble.
2) Horse-Hair Brush (for top coat).. and make sure you brush daily. This is mostly for shedding and isn't really necessary if you get a Poodle or Poodle-Mix.
3) Undercoat Comb. These are great for the dogs who REALLY REALLY shed all over the place. Generally long hair dogs.
4) Training Treats & pouch. They are generally small and help a ton. Repetition & consistency is the key to training dogs.
5) Dental Sticks.
6) Doggie Tooth Brush
7) Collar w/ Tags
8) Leash
9) Toys
10) Dry Food - NO soy/filler in ingredients if you can afford it. It will help with the dogs digestive track and help you in return! (think about it)
a grumpy cat to take all the warm spots before the dog gets used to them. and also:
leash
collar
treats
bone
water bowl
food bowl
sleeping blankets (can be your older, soft blankets)
laser pointer
walk-the-dog schedule
vet contact info
microchip discussion
squeaker toys
later on:
vacation boarding info
beware of killer dog sign
dog nail clippers
dog shampoo
summer wading pool
facebook account
yearly vet visits, vaccinations, treatments
you can bring your leashed pet into petsmart/petco to fit them for a quality or fashionable collar, leash, doggles, vest, whatever...
For treats, try the the small liver treats at Walmart/Petsmart etc.. I use them to reinforce good behavior/training treats.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755388
If your dog is going to be indoors and you need to keep him out of a certain area while you are away, look into getting a doggie gate. I have the Bindaboo and love it. It keeps the dog in, but I can still walk into the room because the gate has a door in it.
http://www.amazon.com/Bindaboo-Extra-Swing-Metal-39-5H/dp/B001B1GKAG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1317338704&sr=8-6
My mom recently adopted a dog and at his first vet visit she found out he had a wheat allergy. So get a vet check up right away because shelters catch the "big" things, but not the little things sometimes.
Congrats! Enjoy!
Dog waste bags! To keep your new dog from getting into too much trouble, walking him is pretty much a necessity. cleaning up after him will go a long way towards preventing bad blood with the rest of the neighborhood.
whoa! thanks for the list folks. definitely didn't think of some of those items!
@devexityspace - dental sticks? don't think i'm familiar with those. any recommendations on dry food that won't break the bank? someone once mentioned that the costco brand was good.
@w00tgurl - all the places we're looking have already microchipped the dogs. as for the vet, we figured we could get recommendations from the place. and, laser pointer?
@dreamyvelvet - thanks for the tip about getting a vet check up right away. out of curiosity though, is it different from the vet check up the rescue would have done?
@publiclurker - check. we've been saving up all our plastic grocery bags for just that purpose!
finally, do any of you get pet insurance? i keep seeing ads for it when i go to the different rescue sites. is it worth it?
Pet Insurance - absolutely. I did rescue for a number of years. My last rescue Doxie had been checked (but obviously superficially) by the vet the parent org. used. They do not perform expensive tests. Before my dog that I intended to keep could get the insurance, he needed bloodwork. That bloodwork disclosed a higher than average calcium level which my vet did not mention. All of the pet insurances turned him down because they said that would indicate or rather I should say that could indicate cancer. Sure enough, within a year he developed cancer and I had to have him put down. In the meantime, my attachment to him was great and the expense of keeping him comfortable was considerable, not to mention the sorrow of losing him.
Spot Cleaner!
Y'all are missing a few basics:
Tile Floors
A couch you don't mind parting with
A small shovel and large collection of bags from Target
The ability to return home every 8-12 hours for the next 13 years
-love dogs, but I have 3 neighbors who have one I can borrow whenever I want to.
Pet hair lint rollers. I vouch for the Evercare one... It's amazing
Edit: You also need flea & tick stuff and heart worm meds
Don't know exactly what kind of living situation, if a house then some sort of yard restrainer (invisible fence, or a fence, or a long leash), and if an apt, then poop bags! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003062BMG
I just got a labradoodle (she's 3 months!) and I seriously bought that 750 bag lot because we went through 8 rolls of poop bags in like, 2-3 weeks...haha. gross.
MEAT treats or NATURAL rawhides...you'd be surprised how sensitive a dog stomach will be. see: grass. ;) I find rawhides to be a great time-consumer during the day, and a kong filled with peanut butter!
Cleaning supplies, be prepared for little 'clean' spots on the carpet for a while, but if it's not a puppy, your dog should learn quickly.
I've had dogs that were and were not crate trained...since you're not getting a puppy, I would continue whatever the dog is comfortable with. My current puppy is not crate trained and LOVES it (she's amazingly good too), but dogs love their little dens at the same time.
@w00tgurl: oh God, not the facebook account.
PLEASE NOT THE FACEBOOK ACCOUNT. I just don't get it...
@carl669: apparently dogs and cats both love laser pointers. they chase them around. good as a toy or for exercising lazy pets.
for the microchip, if the chip is already in, you send the registration paperwork to the chip company. they try to upsell a yearly fee for extra services, but just for the chip and scanning ability and storing your contact info, there is NO yearly fee. possible one-time fee though
if the recommended vets are on yelp.com, look them up. i believe lots of shelters push for Banfield vets... do your research
@underinsomnia: i have one of these Scotch fur fighters and love it. not sticky at all, it's more like a lint brush but instead of silky fibers it's got tiny rubber teeth that grip the fur on stuff like couches. very cool, and i'm still on my first sheet, just wipe the hair off in the trash
http://www.amazon.com/3M-FurFighter-849SK-5-1-Handle-5-Sheets/dp/B00153EXHC
@zarfus: lol. it's cool :) he can get twitter instead for Buster
you see. THIS is exactly why i posted this question. look at all this helpful info i've got! kudos to all you for the help!
oh...and @w00tgurl, the dog shall not twitter nor facebook. it's google+ for Rasputin all the way!
@klozitshoper: very sorry to hear about your dog. and thank you for the input.
@carl669: yea, some rawhides splinter instead of...unravel/get soft and nasty. I would look at reviews before purchasing them or watch your dog way one before leaving him/her alone with one
You need love and patience.
I think the rescue I got Rusty from wanted people to take 3 months before deciding to bring a dog back. It might take longer then you expected to feel right.
As for cleaning stuff....someone on woot who works with animals said to get this
[url]http://www.amazon.com/X--Plus-Cleaner-32-Concentrate/dp/B0002XJ150/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317353358&sr=8-2[/url]
X-O Plus odor neutralizer and cleaner
You mix it in a spray bottle, according to the directions on the bottle.
Then is something happens, you are ready.
It smells, but then it dries and there is no oder at all.
It also got other dirt spots out of my rug.
Rusty was house broken, but he still hasn't figured out if he eats wood chips at the dog park, he will vomit wood chips the next day.
It took me 30 years to talk my husband into a dog! Now he thinks it was the best thing we ever did!
LOTS of deodorizing sprays and the like.
The shelter vet certainly did their job as to seeing to the dogs/cats overall health but a food allergy is something that may not be as noticeable unless a pet is more closely monitored.
Appleton is a 7 yr old Shih Tzu mix, neutered male, whose elderly owner sadly passed away and there was (apparently) little info provided to the shelter as to his dietary needs. So, the shelter gave him the same dog food they give to all the other dogs. Mom adopted him, took him to the vet within 48 hrs and the vet noticed he had a few spots of dry skin (nothing like a hotspot which is wet, raw, oozing and itchy), his eyes were blood shot and his gums were inflamed. I guess these are signs of a wheat allergy! Mom had bought him expensive vet food thinking she was doing the right thing. The signs wouldn't have been noticeable to someone who wasn't familiar with the dog or specifically looking for allergy symptoms. The new food cleared it right up.
@dontwantaname - lol! got it. no wood chips. although i'm sure he/she will get into something else. and, i consider myself lucky. not only did it only take me 5 years to convince my wife to get a dog, but now, i think she may actually be more excited to get one than i am. and, everyone i've talked to has said to take our sweet time to find the right dog. they've also said that we'll know almost immediately when we've found our dog. would you echo that sentiment?
@dreamyvelvet - so did your mom take him to the vet because she noticed something wrong? or just for a more thorough exam? i guess we better start looking around for a vet. wouldn't want anything to happen to little Rasputin, now would we?
@carl669: i see you're dead set on Rasputin. no Buster for you eh? darn...
so Rasputin, or Rasputina if you fall in puppy love with a girl dog. Tina for short ;-)
i got the cat equivalent of these treats from the vet's office and ended up buying a bulk pack from amazon. they're good for overweight pups who still deserve treats
http://www.amazon.com/Butler-NutriSentials-Treats-Resealable-Pouch/dp/B0015Y943Y
different prices and quantities from each seller, btw
We crate trained our dog, and as mentioned above, you do not want it to be too large of a crate. Since we knew our dog would eventually need the large sized crate, we did not want to buy multiple crates for him as he grew. The way we worked around this was when we brought him home, we placed an empty box in the back of the crate to fill the space. As he grew, the box got smaller. Once we were certain he was house broken, we removed the box.
Even though we eventually stopped using the crate for him when we left the house, it remained available for him. If he really wanted to get away from everything, he would just head into his crate and hang there for a while. It was definitely his comfort zone.
@carl669: You don't really need anything. A little bit of love and some food go a long way with dogs. I guess my point is, just don't get too anxious and get crazy-stressed about dog care.
Dogs end up being like family, but when it comes to care-giving they're a hell of a lot more forgiving than a baby :D
If it helps, I'll break my dogs schedule down a little:
Morning: Wake up - eat (/play)
Noon: Wake up - eat (/play)
Afternoon: Wake up - walk/play
Evening: Wake up - eat (/play)
Night: Wake up - play - sleep
(He plays randomly throughout the day - the /play being optional)
That's a pretty simplified version, but also pretty accurate :D
(and I'm not starving him - he's on a diet)
I should also say, needs change depending on what kind of dog you get - size being a major factor.
I have smaller dog now and he's different than my last two dogs (both monsters). When a little dog isn't listening you can just snatch 'em up and pack 'em home - big dogs, not so much. Walks and car rids are much different too.
The one thing I will say is train you dog early. Also, positive reinforcement works well done right (food).
Many of these same type of items are needed for bringing a new baby home too.
Safety gates, special foods, toys, a separate bed.
Why not go all in and have a kid instead?
@w00tgurl - i'm liking Rasputin, but i haven't exactly sold the wife on it yet. will a dog answer to two different names?
@lynnaux - i think we're definitely leaning towards crate training. i like the idea of the dog having a place that he/she can just chill out.
@drchops - yeah, that's kind of what we figured. we're shooting for a medium size dog, but who know what we'll actually end up with.
@packmanv29 - we're working on that part as well! :)
in case anyone is still paying attention, we got a dog!
here's a pic:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20914144?photo_view=1
thanks to all for the help!
@carl669: woohoo! kudos for using Petfinder! Dexter/Rasputin looks like my mom's dog who was a lab & chow mix
p.s. for anyone who loves pets, here are 2 sites that donate food and money to shelters by just clicking everyday
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
http://www.freekibble.com http://www.freekibblekat.com
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