There are so many dog products out there. It’s hard to know what you really need and what you could do without. I have compiled a list of products that I love and would recommend to anyone who is bringing a puppy home. The products that I feel are essential when adopting a puppy have an asterisk next to them. The rest of these doggy products I have tried and I recommend them, but they are not essential to your success as a dog owner. Hope this list is helpful!
**First, and very importantly, is the dog crate. I am a big fan of crate training your puppy. It aids in potty training, keeping your house safe from puppy havoc, and gives your dog a safe space they can call theirs. I prefer these wire crates over the solid, plastic crates. I feel like the wire crates are easier to keep clean and look nicer in your home. Because these crates fold up, they are easier to store and transport as well. If your new pup is having anxiety, you can place a blanket over the crate and create a nice cozy den. I like the “two door” feature because it allows you to have a little more freedom where you place the crate to fit just right in your home. You also want to look for a crate that comes with a divider, so you can keep the crate the correct size while your growing puppy is being potty trained. When you place a deposit for one of my puppies, I will let you know the best crate size to buy for your future puppy.
I recommend getting a dog bed that fits inside your puppy’s crate ONCE your puppy is crate trained. A dog’s instinct is to pee and poop on a surface that will absorb their mess. So if you put a bed in the crate before they are crate/potty trained, they will use it as a bathroom. My dog trainer always reassures me that the puppy will be OK sleeping on a hard surface until they have earned the crate bed by routinely putting their poops and pees outside. Once you are ready to purchase the bed for the crate, I recommend purchasing one that has a removable, machine washable, waterproof cover. This will help you keep your dog, their bed and their crate clean.
This puppy pen can be a great tool to help manage your puppy while you are potty training. Please watch the videos on this Instagram post to learn how I use this puppy pen as a helpful tool when I potty train a puppy! Crate and Puppy Pen Instructions
**Your little pup needs a good collar. There are so many fun options for collars, so have fun finding the collar that is just right for your puppy! When your puppy goes home, the puppy will need a size small collar. Please anticipate the puppy will grow out of the collar quickly tho. They grow so fast the first 6 months!
**Your puppy will need an ID tag that you attach to the collar. Include the puppy’s name and your phone number. It is also a good idea to microchip your puppy. That can be done at the vet’s office with vaccinations or when they are getting spayed/neutered.
**When it comes to dog leashes my dog trainer and I like the simple, 1 inch by 6 foot, nylon leash. No need to get anything fancy.
These dog poop bags are a must when walking your dog. They come with a dispenser you can attach to their leash so you never forget them.
This is a fancier dog poop bag dispenser that I like.
You will need to get dog bowls for water and food. This set up is more expensive, but it prevents the water and food from spilling on the ground. It is worth the investment!
**We have tried MANY brands of dog food in our quest to find a great dog food. Victor, Kirkland, Life’s Abundance, Hill’s Science Diet, Purina, and Pedigree are a few. I like Purina Pro Plan the best! My dogs seem to enjoy it more and my vet prefers Purina Pro Plan. Our puppies go home on the Purina Pro Plan Puppy, Lamb and Rice Formula. You can order this food on Chewy.com, Amazon and certain pet stores carry it. Other dog food brands that my vets recommend are Hill’s Science Diet, Royal Canin and Iams. I will send your puppy home with a small bag of Purina Pro Plan Puppy Food. Your puppy should stay on a puppy formula of dog food until they are 1 year old. Once our dogs are 1 year old, we switch them over to the shredded beef formula of Purina Pro Plan.
**We have tried MANY brands of dog food in our quest to find a great dog food. Victor, Kirkland, Life’s Abundance, Hill’s Science Diet, Purina, and Pedigree are a few. I like Purina Pro Plan the best! My dogs seem to enjoy it more and my vet prefers Purina Pro Plan. Our puppies go home on the Purina Pro Plan Puppy, Lamb and Rice Formula. You can order this food on Chewy.com, Amazon and certain pet stores carry it. Other dog food brands that my vets recommend are Hill’s Science Diet, Royal Canin and Iams. I will send your puppy home with a small bag of Purina Pro Plan Puppy Food. Your puppy should stay on a puppy formula of dog food until they are 1 year old. Once our dogs are 1 year old, we switch them over to the shredded beef formula of Purina Pro Plan.
Here are the puppy treats I use to train my pups. I love these treats because they are yummy, soft and inexpensive. Since they are soft, it is easy for the dog to quickly eat and then continue with their training lesson. If you give a dog a hard treat, they get a little distracted from what you are trying to teach them
while they are chewing it. I also like that they are soft enough to break into smaller treats. While dogs love these treats, nutritionally, they are like candy so you don’t want to give them too many.
while they are chewing it. I also like that they are soft enough to break into smaller treats. While dogs love these treats, nutritionally, they are like candy so you don’t want to give them too many.
I have cleaned up a lot of puppy accidents in my day…This is my favorite cleaner because I like the smell of it and I feel like it does a good job eliminating residual puppy pee odor. That is very important to keep your house smelling nice and to prevent the puppy from returning to that same pee spot and going to the bathroom. When dogs smell their urine, it triggers an instinct to go to the bathroom. That is not an instinct you want triggered in your house! For puppy accidents on hard floors or in their crate, I recommend cleaning it with a mixture of 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water. Cleaning up after you puppy is very important to encourage your puppy to go potty outside, not in your beautiful house!
In my very biased opinion, Goldendoodle puppies are perfect…except that they are CHEWERS! Especially when they are teething. So do yourself and your furniture a favor by buying this awesome spray. I have never had a problem with this spray staining or damaging objects I spray it on. And I spray it on everything that the puppy’s cute, little, razor sharp teeth can get at. With the help of this spray your little pup should grow out of their destructive chewing phase with minimal damage to your home and belongings.
I love Potty Bells. It is so easy to train your puppy to use them and they are a great way for your dog to communicate that he needs to go outside without barking or scratching at the door. I can hear the bells throughout my house and we humans are trained to open the door whenever we hear them. Definitely a potty training must! Here is a link to an Instagram post that goes over how we potty train our dogs using the potty bells. Potty Bell Tutorial
Dog Grooming Resources:
This is my go to shampoo. It works amazingly well and smells great! It gets my white dogs coats so clean they look pure white. And the shampoo’s smell lasts so your pet will still smell good days after you bathe them. Doodles tend to have more sensitive skin when it comes to shampoos and I have never had a problem with this shampoo causing skin irritation.
If you would like a dog shampoo you can quickly order on Amazon I also really like this one.
I use this Tropical Bliss Spritz in between baths to keep my dogs smelling great. It smells like the Capri Blue Volcano candle scent. I just love it!
I use my pet dryer all the time to keep my dogs looking great in between grooms. Before I spray the Tropical Bliss Spritz, I use this pet dryer to blow dry all the dust out of my doodles fur. It is like a dry bath and you will be amazed how much dust your doodle’s cute, fluffy fur collects. I also use the dryer after I bathe my dogs to quickly get them warm, dry and fluffy. The dryer really helps you keep your doodle looking fluffy and makes their coat more manageable.
**Brushing your doodle in between grooms is very important if you want to avoid matting and keep them cute and fluffy. The longer you want your dog’s fur, the more you will be brushing them. I would ask your groomer what brushing routine they recommend for your puppy and the look you are going for with your puppy’s coat. This brush was recommended to me by my groomer. It is on the more expensive end of slicker brushes but the time it saves me is worth it!
**This metal dog comb is the tool you will use after you brush your Goldendoodle with the slicker brush. It combs the fur that is next to the skin that the slicker brush cannot reach. This will prevent your dog’s hair from matting next to the skin.
**This de-matting brush is great to cut through tangles and mats without hurting your dog. And unfortunately, tangles and mats are part of doodle life!
**You will need to purchase some dog nail clippers to keep your dog’s nails a healthy length. I like this model because they are easy to position and it has a safety guard on the back so you do not slip and cut the nail too short. You should expect to trim your dogs nails every 2-3 weeks. The groomer should trim them as part of the groom package as well.
Another option to manage your dog’s nails is using a dog nail grinder. If you want to grind your dogs nails instead of trim them, I would recommend starting at a young age so your puppy gets used to the feel of the grinder.
**Goldendoodles are more prone to getting ear infections, especially if they swim. This is due to how furry and floppy their ears are. Whenever your dog swims or has a bath, I would recommend squirting this ear solution into their ears and then cleaning/drying the inside of their ears out with cotton rounds. My vet recommended this ear wash for Goldendoodles and it has worked great for my dogs.
**We have been rubbing your little puppy’s gums everyday to prepare them to have success with this toothbrushing tool! I have found it is the best way to get in there and do a good job brushing your dog’s teeth. This and giving them hard chew toys will help keep your dog’s teeth clean.
**Use a small amount of this dog toothpaste.
This comb is a great tool to remove the dog’s “eye boogers”.
I use these Andis Dog Clippers when I groom my dog myself. I have used them for 4 years and they have held up well. Well worth the investment if you plan to groom your dog yourself.
You will need to periodically replace the blade on your Andis Clippers. This is the size of blade you need.
These are the guards you will use with your Andis Clippers.
These are great scissors to purchase if you are grooming your dog yourself.
Dog Training Resources:
This is my all time favorite dog training book. The first few chapters are for breeders, so skip through those parts unless you want to read about all the hard work good breeders are up to!
I found this online puppy training program during Covid times, and it’s still my favorite place to send families who are looking for a great puppy training resource. Baxter and Bella is a comprehensive, lifetime training course for your pup that you and your family can follow in the comfort of your home. I love that the course has easy to follow daily checklists, the option to chat with a trainer when your puppy needs extra direction, and the course involves kids too. The founder of Baxter and Bella, Amy Jensen, is a professional dog trainer with years of experience and a handful of dog training certifications. If you use our code, ThePuppyFamily, the lifetime course is only $191. Worth every penny! Visit their website to check it out. Baxter and Bella Website
If you want to train your dog to go to their “place” one of the two beds I’ve listed below are a great tool.
This cot frame comes apart and you can wash the fabric portion. The dogs seem to enjoy being off the ground.
This orthopedic bed has a removable, waterproof, washable cover.
Durable Dog Toys:
Goldendoodles love playing fetch! These tennis balls will last longer if you plan to let the puppy chew on them.
If you plan to use the ball only to play fetch, a plain old tennis ball will do just fine.
Goldendoodles love chewing on hard, bone shaped toys. The plastic is usually flavored and/or scented like meat and is very durable. Chewing on these hard toys also cleans the dogs teeth.
My dogs LOVE these Kong chew toys. I have tried several of the dupe brands for Kong and have never found a brand of chew toy that is as durable against heavy chewers as Kong. Pro Tip: put peanut butter or the Kong Treat Fillers inside the Kong and put it in the freezer overnight. Then you can place it in the crate with your puppy during the day. It is a great treat to help you create a positive association with the crate. 
There are several different flavors of Kong Filler your dog will love!
This is a fun interactive toy for Goldendoodles. There are a couple durable layers of fabric for them to chew through.
The fabric used for this stuffed animal is durable, but eventually a Goldendoodle would chew it up. It will last much longer than a regular stuffed animal tho.
I provide all my puppy’s with one of these heartbeat stuffed animals when they go to their new homes. I put the heartbeat stuffed animal with the puppies at night. It has a synthetic heartbeat that the puppies become used to hearing at night. Once the puppies go to their new homes these heart beat stuffed animals help to reduce the puppy’s stress and anxiety from being separated from his/her litter mates. It smells like their first home and gives them something familiar to snuggle up too. Many of my clients say their puppy made it through their first night without crying. I feel this anxiety reducing toy helps achieve that great first night and helps reduce the puppy’s overall anxiety of being in a new place. It is my present to all my darling pups!
