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When you take your puppy home there are a few things you will need for the trip and then to help your puppy transition to its new home. These are some of our favorite items.
Getting Started
Before you pick up your puppy I would recommend that you get and read the book, The Forever Dog, by Dr. Karen Becker. Your puppy will come weaned and eating Open Farm Ancient Grains Kibble for Puppies for your convenience. Open Farm uses human grade, non-gmo ingredients and is on Dr. Judy Morgan's list of approved dog foods. Once your puppy is home with you then you can implement what Dr. Karen Becker recommends based on what makes sense for your lifestyle. If you want to learn more about dog nutrition and giving your canine companion the best products follow websites like DogFoodAdvisor.com and truthaboutpetfood.com, join the Facebook group Saving Pets One Pet At A Time, and follow @RachelFusaro on Instagram to learn about dog food. Rachel posts great content and pet feeding hacks.
Traveling
Heartbeat Puppy - I thought that a heartbeat puppy was bougie and a little ridiculous when I first found it on Amazon, but I decided to give it a try and I am so glad that I did! When I brought Bentley home she loved snuggling it on road trips and at night. When I tried to pass it on to Bryn, Bentley stole it from her repeatedly lol.
Doggy Suitcase - I LOVE my doggy suitcase! It holds everything I need when I travel with my dogs! It comes with collapsible food dishes and food storage containers plus it has pockets for everything from water bottle, to poo bags, leash, harness, wipes, first aid kit and anything else that you might need when you travel with your dog.
Portable Water Bottle - we never leave home without this water bottle. Whether we are running errands around town or going to a summer festival or going on a hike, this is our number one item that we take with us to make sure that we can always give our dogs a drink when they get thirsty. Short snout breeds can overheat quickly so it is imperative that you make sure that they are taken care of and comfortable.
Collar and/or Harness - You can train your dog to walk with just a leash and a collar but harnesses can also be nice to have. Just buy affordable ones when they are little because they will grow quickly. Once they are adults you cannot beat the Wonder Walker Dog Harness, it is only sold on their website, they are made in the USA in Seattle and they are seriously the best because of their simple design.
If you don't like the sound of your dog's tags clinking then there are sleek slider options or these tags with glow in the dark silencers that are nice as well.
I hate getting dog hair our of my vehicle so I invested in this cargo liner for my SUV. I put the dog crate on top of this liner in my trunk along with any thing else that I might need for our dogs when we travel.
Crates, Beds, & Pens
Crate -- You will want to crate train your puppy so that it knows where its safe place is when it wants to rest and also so that it has a safe place to be when you are at work etc. You can use a simple crate like this one or you can get a crate that doubles as furniture and even has a USB charger built in like this one. You can simply drape a towel or blanket over your dog's crate or you might want a more fitted look that a crate cover gives you like this or there are other crate cover options that might match your decor. This is the cover that we have.
Crate Pad - Puppies will go through a teething period so we do not recommend leaving them in their crate with a regular dog bed because at some point they will destroy it when you aren't looking. We recommend either bath mats or a crate pad like this one. You can layer a bath mat on top of the crate pad to make the crate more comfortable for your dog.
In the summer months your dog might benefit from a cooling mat.
Dog Bed - Our dogs like to be where ever we are so we have dogs beds in different rooms for them so that they can be comfortable where ever we are in the house. We love this dog "sofa", this dog bed fits behind our sofa nicely and our dogs enjoy napping on it when they want to be close to us when we are working on the computer. There is also an option that is not raised here. We also have dog beds outside because our dogs love to sunbath, I like this one because it is great for taking with you on road trips.
We use this playpen so much! When we travel we use this to give our puppy room to play while also keeping it safe and contained. Super handy when we visit other people's homes and we don't want our puppy to get lost, stepped on, or chew up something. We also use the washable pee pad and pen cover. Boston Terriers are athletic and eventually it will be able to jump out so the cover keeps them in.
Exercise Pen - This is the exercise pen that we use. We like to set it up outside for our puppy when we are doing yard work so that she is safe and she can enjoy being outside as well. This is the cover that we have for it. It is great if you are going to an event, RVing, camping or any other type of adventure where you would want to set up a safe place for your dog.
Toys
Do not buy antlers from the pet store, they are harder than your dog's teeth which means that you dog can crack a tooth and a tooth extraction is not cheap. We unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way.
Do not buy rawhide chews, they are treated with chemicals and are a choking / obstruction hazard.
Do not buy toys with stuffing as Boston's have very strong jaws and will destroy them. The stuffing then becomes a choking / obstruction hazard.
Rope - there are tons of great rope toys at stores like Dollar Tree and 5 Below that are affordable.
Kong toys are fabulous! Stuff them with treats and freeze them for great mental stimulation for your dog. You can size up your Kong toy to add a little more food and I recommend getting more than one so that you can have a rotation of one that is frozen and ready to go and one that is being cleaned in the dishwasher. We have found that it is cheaper in the long run to invest in quality Kong toys like this one then buy a bunch of cheap toys that our dogs will destroy in less than 5 minutes. We have several different Kong toys and we have been happy with all of them.
Balls - I know that some Bostons love playing fetch and chasing balls but ours just like to chew them into little pieces so we quit buying them. Who knows maybe yours will love fetch, experiment and see what your puppy enjoys.
String on a Stick - my husband ties military cord to a stick and our dogs go CRAZY for it! It is by far their favorite toy! He says "stick" or "want your stick" and it's game on! Bostons are terriers and were used for ratting when people lived more agrarian lifestyles, the string reminds them of a tail and they can't get enough of chasing it.
Water hose - when our dogs here the outside faucet creaking they come running to chase the water from the garden hose lol
Teething
Puppies need chew toys as chewing releases serotonin and helps them feel calm and happy as they need mental stimulation and something to chew on that is theirs that will not get them into trouble.
Cow hooves are a fantastic choice.
There are also these teething rings that our dogs enjoyed when they were teething when they got tired of cow hooves as they like to chew on different items throughout the day.
Odor free Bully Sticks or "pizzle" (aka bull penis)
Frozen rag or rope
Have a spray bottle of vinegar to spray things that you do not want your puppy to chew such as chair legs, shoes, decorative baskets, rugs etc. Do NOT spray your dog or its face. They do not like the smell or taste of vinegar. It will evaporate and leave no odor or residue so you will need to reapply. It also absorbs odors so it is a great product to have on hand.
Food & Water Dishes
Your puppy will probably gulp its food down ravenously if you don't help it slow down. Slow feeders like this one are great, I recommend getting more than one style for variety and also so that one can be being washed in the dishwasher and then you still have another one available.
Lick Mats are also a great way to feed your dog, you just smear their food on and then they get to enjoy the sensation of licking it off. Licking is also an activity that is relaxing to your dog and provides them with stimulation.
Snuffle Mats are another great way to feed your dog! Dogs enjoy having to work for their meals so whenever you can make feeding time more challenging they love it! Hide their food in the crevices of this toy and watch them have fun "hunting" their meal! There are all kinds of fun dog puzzles that will make meal time much more enjoyable for your puppy rather than just giving them a bowl of kibble.
There all kinds of food puzzles for dogs, have fun with your dog and its food, it is very bonding and rewarding for both of you!
Additionally reserving a bit of their meal and using it as rewards for training is another feeding activity that dogs love and is a bonding act for the two of you as well. This training pouch makes it easy to put some training treats or some kibble in. This one is sleek and discreet, there are other types that have more pouches if you prefer.
If you have one dog a matching food and water dish is perfect but if you have multiple dogs this water station is great. It saves us time and space, we fill it up every few days instead of everyday (make sure you check it daily to make sure that the water is clean and there is no algae etc).
Grooming & First Aid
It is very important to take care of your dog's teeth and nails! You can either do it yourself or take your dog to a groomer. Either choice is fine but it is important to your dog's health that you do not neglect their teeth, gums, and nails.
Bostons don't need much else in the way of grooming as they have short coats with no undercoat but these wipes are nice to wipe debris off of them before they come inside so they don't get your home or vehicle too messy. Dogs have very sensitive noses so never buy items with artificial fragrance and make sure that whatever you buy does not have ingredients that are toxic to dogs.
They do not need baths very often but when you do bath them these are handy to have along with a cup to rinse off the soap. Take care to not get water in their face or ears as water can cause problems in their ears. Use a quality shampoo like this one that will not dry out their skin. There are fingertip tooth brushes and there are these kinds of tooth brushes. Make sure you use a dog safe toothpaste like this one.
Dogs need their toenails trimmed once a week. You should never hear your dogs toenails click the sidewalk or asphalt when you take them on walks, if you can hear their toenails clicking then their toenails are too long. You definitely need nail clippers in your grooming kit. "Trimming a dog’s nails is a necessary part of good animal husbandry and completes a healthy grooming regimen. Though it may not be fun or easy, keeping your dog’s nails at an appropriate length keeps your dog’s paws healthy and minimizes scratches on your floor. Long nails will affect the shape and conformation of the toes and feet, which can in turn affect a dog’s legs and posture. To help keep dogs’ nails in tip-top shape, the American Kennel Club (AKC®) offers tips for trimming your dog’s nails." - AKC.org (click to read article)
If you accidentally quick your dogs when you are trimming their toenails Kwik Stop stops the bleeding.
The Natural Dog Company is a fun, quality line of supplements and grooming products and they have the best logo ;)
This tic removal kit comes with a tear stain remover kit so these are other items that I like to keep in my dog's travel backpack. If your dog gets tears these wipes clean them nicely with no artificial ingredients.
In addition to the tic removal kit, I keep a first aid kit in my dog's travel backpack just in case we need it at home or when we are away from home. This is a good basic kit but do your research to see if there is a different kit that would be better for you and your dog as there are a lot to choose from.
Cleaning & Dog Odor
At some point your dog will pee, poop, and vomit on your rugs and carpet if you have carpet so you will want to be prepared ahead of time.
Vinegar
Hydrogen Peroxide
Baking Soda
Enzyme Cleaner - I have 4 dogs so I am always looking for cleaning products that remove the source of dog odors and I have been happy with this product. It uses hydrogen peroxide so I have just been using hydrogen peroxide but you might like to try it and see which you prefer. (Here is an article about enzyme cleaners vs hydrogen peroxide.)
Carpet/Upholstery Cleaner We have this Bissell Little Green Pro Upholstery Cleaner we bought the solution that Bissell recommends but we saw that it was mainly hydrogen peroxide so now we just use hydrogen peroxide. When it dies I am going to buy this Shark Cleaner instead because it is better; it is better because there is a pet attachment that contains messes so that the hose doesn't get disgusting.
For bigger jobs like cleaning an entire room or floor we have a large carpet cleaner that we use in between professional carpet cleanings
If hydrogen peroxide doesn't do the trick then Folex is the best stain remover, you just spray and leave it and the stain disappears. For tough stains you might need to treat it more than once.
Air Filter - dust mites create problems not only for your but also for your dog. Freshen up your home with an air filter to suck up dander and allergens... and dog farts lol. We have several air filters throughout our home and it's always satisfying to clean the filters and see how much gunk they cleaned out of our air.
Essential Oils and Diffusers - Boston Terriers are known for their farts so when guests come over I like to run a diffuser with some essential oils to freshen up the air. Only use oils that are non-toxic to dogs. Tip - vacuums and carpet cleaners will eventually blow out sticky air from dog dander so sprinkle a few drops of some of your favorite essential oils like lavender or orange on the filters.
Misc
This is not necessary but it is so much fun! Our dogs love to chase the water hose and jump in this portable pool during the warm months. We also use it to bath them in when it's nice outside. It is fantastic for taking on trips because it folds flat. We also have the kiddie pools that you can buy just about anywhere during the summer. Short-snouted breeds can over heat very quickly so it is important to have ways for them to cool off in the warm months.
Canva Stock Photos
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