Missouri Doodles

Recommended Supplies

We are frequently asked what supplies a family needs to have before taking their puppy home -- and then what kinds of things to buy as their puppy grows up.  So we've pulled together a basic list of items with explanations of options and our thoughts about the items.

We highly recommend purchasing your supplies online rather than locally if you are concerned about price.  One of the least expensive places we've found is JB Pet.  The links below will take you directly to the item recommended.

First, you will need a crate.  We believe that puppies will do best in their new homes when they have their own den -- their crate.  All of our puppies are already crate trained when they go home.  We've found a crate that we really like because the door folds in and up rather than swinging out.  Many of our puppies figure out how to open regular crate doors, but they are not able to open this crate!  In addition, you don't have to worry about walking into the open door or making sure that there is enough room for the door to open all the way.  There is no reason to purchase multiple sizes of crates -- you can get the size that your puppy will need as an adult and put a partition in the crate to make it smaller if necessary.  The only place to get this particular crate is JB Pet.  Go with the #30 size JB Pet Premier Folding Crate. 

Second, its important to keep your puppy safe when riding in your car.  We recommend that your puppy has her own car seat!  The one at the left actually clips into the seatbelt receiver.  The type you can get at a local retailer wraps around your car seatbelt, which is then clipped in.  Our dogs feel much safer and secure when seat belted in -- plus both our dogs and we are safe in the event of an unexpected stop.  Go with the medium car harness - it will usually be small enough for when your pup goes home and will grow with her. 

Okay, now to talk about shampoo and conditioner.  Its important to condition your pup's coat every time he's shampooed.  The best conditioner we've found is Lambert Kay's Fresh 'n Clean Creme Rinse.  If your pup has a cream colored coat or has a black coat on its way to silver, you may want to use a whitening shampoo like Lambert Kay's Snowy Coat Shampoo.  If your puppy has a chocolate coat or a golden color that you'd like to keep golden (rather than lightening to a cream), you may want to use Bio-Groom Bronze Luster Shampoo.  To keep black a deep, shiny color use Bio-Groom Ultra Black Shampoo.

The best toy you can get your puppy is a Nylabone!  They absolutely ADORE them, it is a great toy to give your pup to chew on instead of furniture, and they help keep her teeth clean.  There are many different sizes, shapes, and flavors.

Our puppies also LOVE to work for their dinner!  We place their dinner into a Buster Cube and let them figure out how to get the food out.  There is a maze inside, so the pup has to turn the cube around and around to get the food to roll out.  The mental activity really help stimulate the puppy mind and relieves boredom.  It also helps provide the puppy with some exercise.