Shopping List

If you among the lucky families bringing home a puppy in a few weeks, here are a few things to shop for that might make to transition a bit easier:

Your puppy will be wearing a safety collar when you pick him up. This means that the collar breaks free when pressure is applied. We recommend bringing a regular buckle collar and a leash to pick up. A collar that fits neck size 10-16 inches should fit.

The puppies will be weaned from their mother, Holi, on to Purina Pro Plan Puppy: Chicken and Rice. We recommend continuing with this food until the puppies are a year old. It is available in Petco stores or Amazon Prime will ship it for free. Don't forget food and water dishes- stainless steel is usually a good choice as they are shatterproof and easily washable.

Purina Fortiflora probiotics are a must have for any tummy trouble your puppy may have. This product is available through veterinarians but we prefer to order on Amazon so that we have it on hand immediately when we need it. Each package has 30 packets and new puppies only need 1/4 to 1/2 a packet at a time.

We highly recommend crate training for all puppies. Using a crate allows to puppy to be comfortable in a safe place for times their families need to be away from them, for travel, and needed veterinary care. A 42 inch crate is usually a good size for a full grown Golden and it allows puppies to have space for a bed and litter box in the crate for the early days when they aren't old enough to last long without a bathroom. Wire crates are usually well tolerated by dogs and puppies because they don't feel as confining as solid crates. For dogs that enjoy the confined feeling, a crate cover can be very effective.

Crate pads are great for a bed inside the crate. Be sure to choose a 'washable' style so that clean up of any messes is as easy as tossing the pad in the washing machine. For the first few weeks we recommend choosing a pad that only covers half the crate so that the litter box can be in the other half.

And don't forget plenty of toys! Having items that the puppy is allowed to chew and play with available will make it less likely that your pup will choose in appropriate objects to investigate.

And now a cute puppy picture because they are just too sweet!