Caring for a puppy is similar to caring for small kids and you have to take it seriously. An important part of taking good care of dogs are the dogs’ accessories that the dog needs. There are so many pet accessories on the market that you can buy, but some of them are indispensable for the arrival of your dog and should be bought even before the dog makes its first steps into the house. That being said, let’s take a look at the necessary accessories that will help your dog settle into its new life.
Bowls
Quality dog bowls are some of the first things you need to buy for your new pet. Puppies, in general, have a huge appetite while growing up. They are also not very keen on sharing a bowl with other pets in the house. For this reason, it’s important that your dog has its very own dog bowl that he will use every day for his meals. Every dog has to have two bowls - one food bowl and another for water. Make sure that the bowls are of appropriate size because if they are too large, your puppy will have difficulty in reaching all the food. Select the size of the bowl according to your dog’s height, nose size, length of ears, the way he eats, whether he has a deep chest in relation to the waist, etc. When it comes to the material bowls are made from, they can be ceramic dog bowls or stainless steel bowls.
It’s important to clean dog bowls on a daily basis and to ensure that he always has fresh water available. When it comes to food and meals, you should feed him puppy food (until he’s older than 1 year) and strive to create a habit of eating two times a day.
Dog Bed
Dogs need to have a bed which they’ll call their own - a spot where they can go and rest without being bothered, just like humans. This is also practical for you as a dog owner as well, if you don’t want your dog to rest on your couch or bed. There is a diverse range of pets accessories of this type, and they usually differ in design, material, shape, size, etc. Your choice of dog bed should be based on the size and shape that supports your dog no matter which way it turns. Also, you should choose according to what material your dog likes and finds comfortable. Some of the possible options for materials are faux fur, fleece, canvas nylon, etc.
It’s important that you properly maintain and clean pet accessories . However, after a while, this bed may become a bit shabby. So that you don’t buy a completely new dog bed, there are replacement covers that you can buy. It’s good to have such an additional cover on hand for when one is in the wash as well. As you can separately buy covers, so you can separately buy the insert, whenever there is a need to change it.
Travel Bed
Dogs are hairy pets, so in order to keep your car nice and clean when travelling with your dog, you need to have a travel bed. These beds are specially designed for travelling, and they’re designed to fit most wagons and 4wds. The mat insert of these beds is removable and reversible. Usually, they have a woolly side for a snuggler ride and a super-tough, water-resistant 600 denier ripstop side for sandy trips to the beach and muddy walks. The mat and the outer covers are usually fully washable.
Grooming Supplies
You know that your puppy will need to be groomed and for that purpose, you will need grooming tools. For instance, for bathing him, you will need a suitable shampoo for dogs, a dry mitt, and a blow dryer. Then, you also have to have a bristle brush, a comb, and ear cleaning solutions. Additionally, if your dog’s nails get too long, he may get uncomfortable, which means that you will have to cut his nails and for that, you will need nail trimmers. All these supplies are essential if you have a dog living in the house.
To ensure the safety and security of your pet, you need a leash and collar. These two dog accessories enable you to take your dog on daily walks to keep him in shape and train him to avoid any unwanted behaviour. The collar is also good for attaching the dog tag. You can put your contact information on it and he should wear it at all times, so if he ever gets lost, he would have a way back home thanks to the information on the tag.
As for the leash, at first, it should be long so that your dog can get used to it. Typically, the most common length for dog leashes which is ideal for walking is 3 metres.
Is it better to walk a dog with a harness or collar? - is a common question when talking about dogs. During walks on a leash, it’s better to use a harness instead of a neck collar as it is much more comfortable for the dog, meaning it isn’t strangling him when you pull too much on the leash.