Congratulations on adding a new furry member to your family! Goldendoodles make wonderful pets, and you’re going to love your new little one. We’ve created this goldendoodle puppy shopping list to help you prepare. You’ll learn what size collar, what size crate, recommended chew items for teething puppies, etc. We’ll also give you a few special discount codes for some of our favorite products!
Food & Water Bowls
Look to purchase stainless or ceramic bowls, as they are healthier for your puppy and easier to clean than plastic. It’s a good idea to purchase an extra water bowl, as an extra will allow you to regularly throw your puppy’s water bowl in the dishwasher.
Fun Food activities that Build on the Foraging Instinct
Dogs are natural foragers, and sometimes, eating out of a bowl can be a little…. boring. Have a few more entertaining feeding options available for your pup such as a snuffle bowl, slow feeder bowl, and wobble feeder. These types of interactive food games take mental energy and problem solving, which helps a puppy use that puppy energy in a productive, fun way.
Collar and Identification tag
Your mini puppy will likely need a 14”-16″ collar when full-grown (the collar will probably adjust from 13″-19″ like this medium one) but may benefit from a smaller collar at first. She has been wearing a collar that is adjusted to about 9″-11″ during her last few weeks with us. Even though your puppy will go home with a microchip, it’s always a good idea to have a tag on her collar to make it easy to identify her (without a microchip reader!). Alternatively, you may choose to purchase a collar with your phone number embroidered on the collar. Abria has a cute polkadot collar we found on Etsy!
Scent Item
You may opt to bring a piece of material to hold the familiar, comforting scent of littermates (i.e. a wash cloth), but an even better option is a Snuggle Puppy. We have families tell us that their dog continues to sleep with Snuggle Puppy friend even as an adult dog. Snuggle Puppies are specially designed for puppies: the tag is hidden away inside the pocket and there aren’t any eyes or noses that can be chewed off and swallowed. Additionally, there isn’t any stuffing in the ears or tail to prevent your pup from accidentally ingesting the white fluffy stuffing usually found in stuffed animals.
We like to use normal human toenail clippers for trimming puppy nails. As puppies get older, we switch to a cordless dremel. Either nail clipper or a cordless dremel will work for trimming your puppy’s toenails – it’s a matter of which you prefer. Your puppy will have had it’s nails trimmed prior to going home and your vet & groomer will likely offer to trim her nails when you take her in for appointments, but it’s still important for you to trim her nails at home. It’s also a good idea to have styptic powder on hand just in case you trim your puppy’s nail a little too short.