what did you buy ?

[shmrkdncr]

We are expecting our baby in about 3 weeks. boy are we excited! and we want to start getting our supplies and such before he come's home , but i wanted to know what things(toy's,crates,products) you couldn't live without . I'm wondering what kind of crate everybody prefers . Wire or a plastic ? is everyone who feeds wellness happy with it? and do you supplement ? I've read on here that alot of you give apples and other fruits as treats and I thought that was pretty interesting . Any input is greatly appreciated ! thanx to everyone.
Jessica

 

[Cami]

I would opt for a wire crate. If you don't want to replace it before the year is up buy a large enough one that they can grow into. You will have to get one with a divider to make it smaller at first or develop another system in it to cut down on the size.

Kongs are a must for keeping puppy busy, lots of info on BW reguarding kong stuffers. Lots of toys as well as chew items. They must have enough to chew on that is apropriate or you might lose a few pairs of shoes! Start with a pretty inexpensive nylon snap collar, you will go through a few collars pretty fast due to growth.

We feed Wellness canned for evening meals mixed w/Eagle Pack holistic select kibble. Kibble only for breakfast. I feed Wellness to my cat as well. Does very well here at our house, but not all food is for every dog so this may be something that you will need to adjust but sounds like a great starting point.

We decided first thing to not offer any people food unless it was from the food bowl and it was healthy. Yogurt, apples, carrots, celery, bananas, etc....Cami loves anything healthy! Shehas never had any junk....except Peter Pan peanut butter, she eats way better than I do. I also give vitamin C daily as well as a product called 3V caps, which is all of the Omega oils.

You will need a great brush, there are many to chose from, we tried 3 or 4 different ones before we found what worked best for us, it's a slicker brush.

A great vet is the #1 recomendation.

I went to the library and got every Boxer specific book that was available and what wasn't I purchased. Also, any puppy book will also help. Start investigating puppy classes in your area, you will need those soon.

Take a deep breath, be prepared for a little less sleep but you will be repaid with lots of BOXER LOVE!!

Congrats and good-luck!

 

[Boxer_21]

I did a forum search and was able to find this thread which covers this topic and offers some good suggestions. There are more theads similar to this one that you can pull up by doing a search of your own.

As far as crates go, both of my boys grew up using a metal crate. I personally prefer these over the plastic because they can see more of what's going on around them. I've also read/heard that the air flow is better in the metal ones. There have also been some threads about the dogs being able to chew holes through the plastic ones. Whichever route you decide to take, just remember to never put your puppy in the crate while it's wearing a collar. There have been some stories in the past about puppies strangling themselves because their collar got caught on a part of the crate.

I can't offer you any advice on feeding Wellness because both of my boys started out on Nutro Natural. Last year I switched them both to BARF (a raw based natural diet) and haven't looked back. You can do a forum search or browse the Nutrition Forums to get more info on the brands of kibble that are currently available.

Good luck and congrats on the new addition...
- Mandy

PS. You might be interested in taking a look at this page which goes into detail about the phases that your puppy will go through in it's first year.

 

[shmrkdncr]

thanx

Thank you Mandy and Cami ! Well I'm already used to no sleep i have a 7 1/2 going on 16 year old girl , almost 6 year old boy and a 5 month old girl . I haven't slept in years LOL! At least i'll be busy waiting for the puppy to come . Finally decided on a name for the lil' gentleman which is one thing off my neverending list . Thank you for the advice on toys and all the other stuff .
Thanx Again-
Jessica

 

[busters mum]

Some of the things we bought were, lots of full fat natural yoghurt, cheese and cottage cheese, apples are good too. old kiddies cuddly toys are good as are kongs with peanut butter and other things to encourage positive chewing i.e not the coffee table.
start collecting news papers and old towels and cloths for accidents.
dont forget a nice fitting collar and tag.
nail clippers, puppy shampoo, baby wipes, comfortable brush are all a good idea too. good luck.

 

[lost1700]

I feed the Wellness super 5 puppy mix and everything is fine so far. I use a metal crate. I Have numerous chew toys and stuffed animals that squeak and make noise, ropes and tugs, balls, bad cuz. Pretty much anything to keep him happy, and from chewing on my stuff. He like carrots, bananas, apples, yogurt, pumpkin, cottage cheese, egg, cheese, broccoli probably anything I will give him, only healthy stuff though. No table scraps or cooked meat or anthing like that. Good luck.

 

[pinkpuppy]

:D - we did the same thing: went on shopping sprees before the puppy; it helped with the 9 week wait. I bought A LOT of stuff. I retrospect not everything was what I needed - but I'm glad I bought before hand... it's all a learning experience.

Chloe, 13 weeks, is on Wellness; she doesn't love it - but eats it up. I do give her cheese, bananas and apples as treats; just for my own satisfaction. She takes half a vitamin a day - Visorbits; those can only be purchased at your vets. The vet actually recommended against Visorbits - said that they are not necessary; but our breeder recommended them: so - Chloe has a five generation champion pedigree - and I trust the breeder; so she takes Visorbits :D – she absolutely loves them too.

For squeaky toys - I found that Chloe likes the softer rubber ones best - because she can actually squeeze and make noise herself; makes her happy. She's got stuffed animals too - and again she prefers the ones that make a sound.

Nylabone - puppy and durable ones - she did not like. She's actually teething right now - and still will not chew on them. I bought an edible one - I won't be buying any more - because I don't like the ingredients - but she loved it.

Tooth paste - poultry flavored; loves it.

We bought a Vari-kennel (plastic: but better quality - more durable) - lets say she's impartial to it.

Bed – we bought 2; she really likes her beds. Make sure you get a better quality one because Chloe for example likes to “dig” in the middle of it. One of the beds is a donut shape – the other is a large pillow. When she sleeps on the pillow one – she always ends up on the floor – so I guess the donut one works better for her; it holds her in.

We also bought XL stainless steel bowls; and after the puppy came, I had to buy a medium size one; the XL was so big that she would step into it

Kong - puppy kong - she likes it (oh, she loves peanut butter) but she doesn't know how to hold it herself.

The only other thing that I found useful is blankets; we have lots - and i still feel like I do the laundry all the time. She doesn't soil her crate - but she spills the water, combine that with dirty feet and peanut butter kong - the blankets have a 2 hour life span . She did piddle in the crate initially too: so it was good to have them handy.

Lastly - Treats: I over-bought... That's something that I would have done differently... Her favorite treat is her old kibble (her Breeder fed her "Performance" - but it's not available where we live). I bought all kinds of treats - and as a result I have a little treat snob. Buy one kind - a small pack; and see how your puppy does with it. Chloe for example does not like the Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard puppy treats (chicken flavored small bone shaped cookies) nor milk bones...

Good luck & have fun! (you won't have time later )