SWEETDREAM CAVALIERS, Puppy Shopping List
Your puppy will be coming home with you soon. So now is the time to get supplies ready.
1) Buy the book:
How to housebreak your dog in 7 days.
Barnes & Noble & others have this fast read soft covered book ? it will make potty training very easy!! I HIGHLY Recommend this for a 10 week old pup up to a 10 year old dog! THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU IN SETTING UP YOUR HOUSE FOR THE PUPPY AND HELP YOU DECIDE WHAT TYPE OF POTTY TRAINING YOU WANT TO DO! A MUST READ.
2) You will be getting from us Fantastic literature on how to care for and train your puppy.
3) TWO SMALL "NON-TIP" Stainless Steel bowls, for food and fresh water daily. (Puppy size 2 8 oz. bowls, larger when your pup gets larger.
4) Crate: You must have a small plastic crate and a small mat, blanket or towels to fit the crate when you pick up your new puppy. This is strictly for the safety of your puppy. It is required before any puppy can go to a new home. Consider this as important as having a car seat for a newborn baby. You can purchase a PLASTIC airline-style flight kennel, usually the 18" x 24" x 19-20" for night-time sleeping by your bed, traveling in the car, and crate training. They are light weight, easy to clean and have a handle for easy carrying.
You can also use a metal wire crate for every day home use. Size for an adult Cavalier in a metal crate is 30" x 19" x 21", we buy ours from Chewy.com (free shipping). In the Metal crate, some come with a divider and will make the crate half size for the baby puppy. If you get a metal crate, place a towel over it at nap time and bed time. It is hard to find the right crate size, because each company makes their crate different sizes!
I like the Chewy.com Plastic crate that has a TOP and Front Opening, get the BIGGER of the 2 sizes available, they run very small. It comes in Light Blue and Pink. This is great for traveling, & sleeping!!
Remember, dogs are den animals and like a snug dark place to sleep. A small crate will help with potty training.
5) Start with clean old towels for the bottom of the crate, you can throw them in the washer if the pup has an accident in the beginning. Later you can buy nice fluffy inserts to fit in.
6) A small THIN (3/8") Adjustable collar (10"-14") and the next size up collar too. I get mine from Petedge.com or Chewy.com Get a collar that closes with the Plastic (or metal) CLIP only.
6A) We also suggest getting either a "Walk-In" or "Step-In" Harness Size SMALL. The company we love the best is LupinePet.com Their collars, harnesses and leashes are very sturdy, Very well sewn, have a life time guarantee! They all come in the most Beautiful colors & Patterns you have ever seen and have the same patterns for collars, leashes & harness. They also have a video and charts to help you Size the collar or Harness properly. It's a great company - you will love the quality and appearance!
Do NOT get the harnesses you see with MESH on the chest - they are Not good - they pull on the dog in the wrong spots of the body.
**Remember, always take off the collar or harness when puppy or dog is in a crate, for safety**
7) A "THIN" (less than 1 inch wide) leash, 4 foot AND 6 foot in length (4 foot for TRAINING & for kids).
8) We use "Fromm Classic Puppy Dry Food" in a Pink Bag and when they hit 6 months of age, you can purchase RAWZ Meal Free Dry Dog Food Chicken if you like, or stick with Fromm and get the ADULT FOOD in the PINK Bag. They have amazing ingredient in it and does NOT contain Pea Protein or LEGUMES which are being studied to have a link with DCM (Dialated Cardiomyopathy) which is a poorly contracting heart muscle in dogs. Not ALL dogs will be effected by PEA Protein/LEGUMES (Grain Free Dog Foods), but we are not taking any chances so we are staying away from those products that do contain them. Read the ingredients on the dog food you are interested in, if it doesn't have chicken or beef as the first ingredient, don't get it. Don't buy super cheap dog food loaded with corn, or other fillers - it does not provide nutrition just unwanted weight on your dog.
The better we feed our dogs, the longer they will live.
9) SUPPLEMENTS to Purchase
Visit the website: Revivalanimal.com. or Call them at 1 - 800 - 786 - 4751 If you Call your order in, please give them our Customer # 275281 YOU will get $ 5 OFF your Order if you use our customer #. We do A lot of business with them, and my dogs only get their vitamins & supplements from this company. Over the years we have tried a lot of vitamins - but this company has the best and the dog like the taste too!!
1. Purchase the "Doc Roys Brand of Daily Care Extra Canine Vitamins" they are round vitamin Tabs that can be easily broken in half for a puppy - they Love the taste and can be used as a treat!
2. This is a MUST Have "DOG PROBIOTIC PLUS" from www.GoBunnyTreats.com, this is what we use for our Pups and our Dogs as well, for the LIFE of the dog. It is 3 products blended into 1 easy to use powder that you spinkle over your dogs food daily. It has loads of Natural Digestive Enzyme in it that Pulls all the nutrition out of the dry dog food and keeps it IN the pup. It also has Pre & Probiotic POWDER formulas in it, containing BgMOS®, a unique ingredient to support the growth of good bacteria and help remove bad bacteria from the GI tract. Recommended to minimize the potential for diarrhea and strengthen the dog's immune system. It also contains high quality Pumpkin Powder that is considered a superfood and excellent for digestion & overall health. Please purchase this great product and others listerd below from www.GoBunnyTreatys.com They sell bunny & small pet products that we love!
3. These products are Dog Safe and are amazing as Super Health Dog Treats, also from www.GoBunnyTreats.com, all the products are Dehydrated or Freeze Dried and have a shelf life of a year. They are packed in beautiful, resealable Pouches for easy use. These treats contain no sugar, fillers, chemicals, etc., so they are a MUCH better option than most dog treats you can buy in the store!
They are: Perfect Pumpkin Pieces, Green Beans, 5 Star Veggie Crunch, Crazy Carrot Crunch, Freezed Dried Blueberries, Dehydrated Blueberries (soft), No Sugar Banana Slices, Fuji Apple Dices, Mixed Freeze Dried Berries and Banana Slices, Freeze Dried Cranberries, Papaya Chunks. They ship all over the place!
10) A doggie tooth brush (a small one) or finger cot tooth brush, and doggie ENZYME tooth paste (beef or chicken flavor). He won't know what is, but use it on him so he gets used to it . Dental health equals cardiac health. Brush dogs teeth daily.
11) An Assortment of VERY SMALL NYLON nylabones and other HARD rubber toys and balls for the pup to teeth on: Balls, nubby surface, DO NOT BUY - Ropes or anything Rubber or Plastic toy you can bend or squeeze with your hand . - a soft rubber/plastic toys, the pup will bit off a piece and choke on it. Buy the "small size" in the toys! Cavaliers have small mouths. If your pup is not interested in a toy, put a drop of human peanut butter on it and mush it around. The dog will love this! Only do this is NO ONE is allergic to peanuts in your house or visiting your house.
12) NO GREENIES, NO BODA Bones, nothing that dissolves as they chew on it! This is a choking hazard.
13) ONE BIG - 10-12", Doggie SAFE stuffed animal to sleep with to mimic sleeping with his siblings.
14) At least 2 small stuffed toy to be the pups little friend to carry around the house with him. The puppies love the "unstuffed" furry animals from jeffers.com, petedge.com, chewy.com or from any pet store.
15) A soft cat brush for daily brushing. Pups don't need to be brushed a lot, BUT he/she should get used to the feel of the brush and continued being touched all over: tail, paws, ears, tummy, mouth, so he doesn't develop any sensitive areas. When your pup gets it's longer full coat in, get a "Shedding Comb" (I found it better than a pin brush) to manage the areas under the armpits, on the backside, and the ears, to make sure no knots develop.
16) A Puppy Corral called an X-Pen (Exercise Pen). This will provide instant safety for your pup IN your home, and a place to stay on the occasion you are out of the house for more than 2 hours at a time. Chewy.com have the best prices - get one 4 feet tall. Buy the one WITH THE FULL SIZED ENTRY DOOR so YOU can get in & out easily. NOT the one with the SMALL doggy door entrance or NO door. I use the X-pen as an EASY POTTY AREA OUSIDE my back door! It makes Potty Training a Breeze!! I let them out, close the cage and watch them from inside. They can take their time to run around in it, to stimulate their intestines to move, sniff around for the perfect spot (lol) & then go potty. Make sure you instantly reward them with praise after they go potty. It can also be used INSIDE the house as a safe play area for your puppy with toys, blanket, OPENED door crate on a tile floor when you are busy. If you go out for more than 2 hours, add food & water & newspapers on the tile floor. (NEVER use wee-wee pads. Pups & dogs love to "play" with anything that's around and the wee-wee pads are like diapers and if swallowed by a dog, will expand in the throat/stomach/intestine and Choke the dog to death).
17) Buy human white vinegar. Use a 50% water & 50% white vinegar solution and fill the dogs ear canal one at a time when bathing the pup (every month or so). While gentle holding the outer base of the dogs ear, gently mush the liquid in the ear for about a minute. Then do the other ear. Be careful not to get it into the eyes. Your dog will now smell like a salad. So NOW bath your dog and the smell will go away. Do not get water into the ear canals. The dog will naturally shake his head to remove excess product. You can use a makeup cotton pad to wipe the dogs ear to remove any wax or dirt. This prevents yeast infections & other potential ear problems. I use this method preventatively at each bathing and the pup ears stay looking great! I also use Pantene Hair Conditioner after bathing the dog with a no-tear child or dog shampoo. It makes their coats look great and they smell great! You can use any No Tear Dog Shampoo & Conditioner you choose.
18) Frontline Plus for SMALL dogs, and a Heartworm medication. These can be purchased in vet offices, chain stores and online. Search for the best pricing! Also get a "pet urine odor remover spray" for those accidents in the beginning (like Nature's Miracle). Sold at all pet stores, Walmart & on line.
19) If you want to protect your carpets from potential "accidents", you can buy a king-sized waterproof mattress pad. I use this with the pups when they are very young in my living room over the carpet. I bought it at Target or Walmart for about $22. It is washable too.
20) Doggie or baby No-Tear shampoo and conditioner . Only bath the dog when he smells like a dog or if it gets dirty. Usually not more than once per month. If a pup gets the paws dirty, just use some soap and wash and rinse in the sink (spot cleaning ).
21) AFTER the pup is potty trained, you can buy the pup a nice cushy bed. If you get the bed BEFORE the pup is trained, there is a good chance he will urinate in the bed.
22) You may want to wipe your pups paws and nose off with Sensitive baby wipes after he goes outside on the street in a public area. Especially now with Covid. Let's keep the germs, etc. outside not bring them inside your home. It's like taking your shoes off when you enter your home. You can use BABY Unscented Wipes which are a lot cheaper and the same as "Puppy Wipes".
23) You may want to consider purchasing Pet Insurance. There are a few companies that people have told me about and they are happy with their plans: PetPlan, Truepanion, AKC Pet Insurance. You vet may suggest a pet insurance plan as well. Each company has a few plans, read the fine print as to what is really covered.
I think these are all the basics. If you have any questions, please email me.
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A SAMPLE Puppy's Daily schedule:
AM Wakes up: PICK HIM UP and out of his crate, in the beginning, and bring him to his poop-pee area (outside or a wee- wee pad) he will urinate right away. Feed him 1/3-1/2 cup of dry food at each meal with water at each meal.
Let him run around and in 10-20 minutes, take him out again to go potty, he will poop 1-2 times. Then he will play for about an hour (in an ex-pen, closed off area or being watch and played with in any room of your house.
He is a baby, they get tired and Sleep A LOT. Place him into his crate and close it, put a towel over it to make it darker for him in a quiet spot of your home. He will settle down and sleep for about 2 hours.
For lunch (around noon time) and dinner time (around 6 pm) do the same routine:
Wake him up preferably (so he won't urinate in the crate), bring him to his poop-pee area, (the x-pen is a great way to potty train right outside your door!) give him time to do his business, a pup/dog may urinate and poop a few times in one outing. Then feed/water, etc.
Before the last person goes to sleep, the pup should be walked again. He should sleep in his crate all night long in a quiet location in your home, with a towel over it to make it dark, if needed.
Give water with food at each meal. If the pup is panting - he is hot. He will need more water during the day and on hot days of course. Try not to give water after 6 pm or he will pee in his crate.
Cavaliers will morph to a time schedule that will work for you! Whatever you choose, just be persistent and CONSISTENT with it so potty training will work quickly.
Puppies will play and entertain themselves with the toys you give them. They will also want to follow you around the house and spend time with you. Place the pups COLLAR and LEASH ON " IN THE HOUSE " , hold the collar on your wrist or loop it on your pants, to easily follow you around and to get used to his New "indoor" space. This will also TRAIN him to FOLLOW You around the house easily, and it's an easy way to keep an eye on a puppy. Sitting at your computer? Step on the leash so the pup learns to stay with you - he will probably take a nap.