New Pet Recommended Shopping List

New Pet Shopping List

Must have items for your new dog or puppy. Tried & tested by HUNDREDS of happy dogs at Pawsitive Restorations Animal Rescue!

Click on any image below to be taken directly to Amazon where you can stock up on everything you’ll need for your new dog. 💜

THE BASICS...

Pet Food...

Feeding a quality food is imperative your pet’s health. Don’t skimp here! We primarily feed Diamond Naturals or Purina Pro Plan brand dry food, and Purina Pro Plan wet food for puppies. Choose the food your pet is currently on. If Amazon is out of stock, you can find Diamond Naturals locally by clicking this link and searching for a retailer near you: https://www.diamondpet.com/where-to-buy/

The Only Kitten/Cat Foods We Will Feed

Crates, Pens, and Potty Pads... Oh My!

Pay special attention to the setup for your new pup. If you were instructed to build a “condo with a yard” which is our ideal containment setup for a new puppy when no one is home to supervise, you’ll need to get a wire crate AND a puppy pen to attach to it. Be sure to purchase a crate large enough for your pet to stand up and turn around in at their expected adult size.

A Soft Place To Lay Their Heads

A dog bed is important for a dog’s day-to-day life, health, and comfort. A good bed can help with sleep quality: Dogs sleep 12–14 hours a day, and a good night’s sleep helps with their memory, brain development, and immune system. A good night’s sleep can also help dogs learn new commands and repeat them better. At PRAR, we prefer the calming donut bed. We’ve never met a dog who didn’t LOVE these beds! There are multiple size and color options.

Training Treats & Chewies

NO RAWHIDES! Never give your dogs rawhide, it can’t be digested and is an expensive surgery waiting to happen! Instead, opt for freeze-dried/dehydrated, all-natural treats for your special baby. For training treats, opt for tiny treats that can make training sessions last longer. Remember to introduce ONE treat at a time over the course of 10-14 days to see if your pet has a reaction/allergy to that protein. These are the treats we allow in our rescue.

ENRICHMENT & MENTAL WELLBEING

Did you know that puppies will have larger brains and be more emotionally stable if they are raised in an enriched environment? At Pawsitive Restorations Animal Rescue we are intimately familiar with this, and it’s why we work REALLY hard to offer lots of varying enrichment toys, tools, and activities for our young pups! Proper brain development is often overlooked because many folks simply don’t realize the importance of proper enrichment. Below, you’ll find some of the toys, tools, and equipment that have in rescue for our doggos enrichment. We hope you’ll continue to give them the same. 💜

Find the enrichment items we currently use below!

Puppies raised in enriching environments, and who get proper socialization have been shown to have:

•Larger brains

•More new brain cells and neural connections

•Better brain cell survival

The result of these physical changes in brain structure result in the following intellectual and emotional benefits:

•Improved ability to learn and remember

•More emotional stability

•Better resiliency to stress

The optimal enriched environment for ALL dogs will offer the following three things:

1. Stimulating living area – for example, toys, visual objects, different types of footing, different sounds, and social interaction.

2. Exercise – Including adequate space to move as much as the puppies wish to, “jungle gym” type challenges such as climbing and outdoor exercise, when possible.

3. Problem solving and learning – “Active” training challenges, where the puppy is presented with a problem or training task, and then asked to solve that problem for a reward. Interestingly, it appears that the task has to be motivated by positive reinforcement for neural benefits to take place. Apparently, the hormonal effect (cortisol release) caused by negative corrections inhibits the growth and survival of brain cells. SO DON’T USE NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT ON YOUR DOGS!

Level 1, Easy

MENTALLY STIMULATE YOUR DOG: These dog food & dog treat dispensing toys keep dogs mentally and physically stimulated while they play.

Dog Snuffle Mat Encourages Natural Foraging Skills and Stress Relief for Small/Medium/Large Dogs

15 minutes of scent work on a snuffle mat is equivalent to a 1 hour walk. This tool is FABULOUS for puppies and adults alike. Get those foraging skills perfected with this easy to use enrichment tool!

These also work great as “Slow Feeders”

Level 2, Intermediate

Level 3, Advanced

GROSS MOTOR DEVELOPMENT / AGILITY

THE HOLY GRAIL OF ENRICHMENT: THE BALL PIT!

Fill the ball pit with LOTS of balls or you can even turn it into your dog’s “Toy Box” They LOVE to jump in and play. Throw kibble or training treats into the ball pit for additional enrichment: Scent work and foraging!

Foam Climbing Blocks, Soft Climbing Toys

These soft climbing blocks are ideal for helping with gross motor skills, problem solving, and offers varied footing textures. This makes for a great addition to your puppies enriched area.

The swimming pool/ball pit is wonderful for scent work! Toss some treats into the pit and let your puppy forage through lightweight balls for treats! This is WONDERFUL mental stimulation and exercise all wrapped up in a fun little gym!

OUR FAVORITE INTERACTIVE DOG TOYS

TRIED AND TRUE DOG TOY FAVORITES

Dog toys are more than just fun. They are important to a dog’s overall well-being. Dog toys offer enrichment and help satisfy instinctual needs. They provide mental and physical stimulation, helping to combat boredom. Keep PLENTY of toys in your home, and rotate the toys in their toy box often so that your dog never gets bored. The toys listed below are mainstays in our toybox because the dogs LOVE them!