As a future puppy owner you are likely wondering what you will need to have when your new baby comes home. There are so many puppy things being marketed out there. Which ones will my puppy like? What is necessary and what isn’t? Where is the best place to get what I need? Who has the best prices?

We have tried to answer these questions below. The answers are written with the Havanese in mind but are really applicable to any breed of dog one gets.

Here is a list of the items we recommend for new puppy owners as well as helpful links to the items so you can see what they look like and purchase them if you decide to buy online. Be sure to scroll to the end to find out how to get the best price on everything you need.

• Puppy Food – There are a lot of good dog foods out there but the one we recommend is Castor and Pollux Organix Puppy food. This is the food we feed our puppies. Organix has top quality nutritious ingredients and does a good job at eliminating the artificial preservatives, flavors, and colors that are so commonly found in dry dog foods which can negatively effect your dogs health in the long term. Another thing we like about this food is that the pieces are small enough that puppies can easily eat it dry without needing to wet it down to soften it while their molars are coming in.

You can find it here:

Castor & Pollux Organix Healthy Grains Organic Puppy Recipe Dry Dog Food, 10-lb bag

• Collar/Harness and Leash – If you plan on taking your puppy out and about this is a must have. Havanese are very good about listening and coming when called but there are a lot of places and settings where the safest thing to do is to have your baby on a leash. The options here are almost limitless. Some people prefer a harness over a collar as it puts less pressure on your puppies neck. Almost any small collar will do for a puppy. Here are a couple links to the type of leash and harness we like:

Leash:

Flexi Comfort Nylon Tape Retractable Dog Leash, Grey, X-Small: 10-ft long

Harness:

Li’l Pals Comfort Wrap Step In Back Clip Dog Harness, Neon Pink, 8 to 14-in chest

• Dog Bed/ Crate – Dogs are den animals. They like having a small cozy personal space they can curl up in and sleep at night or retreat to rest in during the day. A wire crate with a pillow liner is a great option. When choosing a crate size it’s important to keep your house training as well as the eventual adult size of the puppy in mind. If the interior space in a crate is too large a new puppy might decide that one half of it is OK to use as a rest room. A good size for a crate is one which the puppy can stand up, turn around, and lay down in comfortably. A good crate hack for a growing puppy is to get a crate large enough for an adult dog with a removable wire divider to adjust the interior space as your puppy grows. If your crate you have doesn’t have a divider you can always put a paint can or something else that the puppy isn’t able to chew in the back of the crate to lessen the space while it is still small.

Here is a great crate option that comes with a liner and divider:

Frisco Fold & Carry Single Door Collapsible Wire Dog Crate, 24 inch & Frisco Quilted Dog Crate Mat, Ivory, 24-in

• Dog Treats – Havanese can have sensitive stomachs and some dog treats as well as table scraps may cause vomiting or loose stools. We like using Redbarn Naturals Dog Food Rolls in place of traditional dog treats. Havanese LOVE them and they’re easy on the stomach. Redbarn has good ingredients, including liver, which is very good for your dog. Just don’t go too overboard giving your puppy huge amounts at once. Its important to note that Redbarn makes actual dog treats as well but from our experience your puppy will like the roll just as much as the treats and you can get 4 lbs of roll for roughly the same price as 9 oz of treats.

You can find it here:

Redbarn Naturals Beef Recipe Dog Food Roll, 4-lb roll

• Chew Toys – Havanese are not chewers but all puppies of all dog breeds chew while they are teething. As far as I know there are no exceptions. Human babies do the same thing for that matter. The best thing to do is to have some dedicated chew toys or bones that are theirs for the chewing while you puppy is growing. These help your puppies teeth development as well as help them keep their teeth clean and off of the things you DON’T want them to chew on.

Here are a few options:

Chew toys for puppies

• Brush – Yes, you will need a brush. If you keep your puppy in a short coat a brushing usually takes less than 5 minutes. If you decided to keep your Havanese in full coat you will spend a little bit longer We recommend brushing out as needed (usually about once per week).

Here is a good brush to use:

Safari Wire Pin Brush for Dogs, Large

• Other Things – If you want to go completely ham when getting set up here are some potentially useful and fun suggestions!

Doggy gates can be helpful when you want to keep your puppy in a certain area. Here is one example:

Regalo Easy Step Extra Wide Dog Gate, 49-in, Black

Puppy shirts and sweaters can be cute and downright handy in the cold when you want to be outside:

Puppy clothes, shirts, and sweaters

A good Havanese Book can be helpful in getting familiar with the breed and with basic care. This is a good one sold on Amazon that features one of our family’s dogs.

Click here to see the book we recommend

So how do I get the best price on what I need?

HERE’S THE “TRICK:” Chewy.com has a deal where you get 30% off your first autoship order plus Free 1-3 Day Shipping on orders over $49.

Chewy’s prices are already very competitive compared to other stores like Amazon and Petsmart but when you add this 30% discount on top of an already good price it gives you an unbeatable deal! We recommend that you place everything in your autoship cart, place your 1st autoship order getting 30% off everything you need, then cancelling your autoship online or by phone. You can also keep it going if you chose with just the items you will regularly need like your puppy food and dog treats. There you have it. New puppy owner life hack!

Click the link below for the discount:

Save 30% on your first Autoship Order with Chewy!