Puppy Must Have Accessories for Home & Travel; Go Ahead and Break that Piggy Bank!
- belindaodell
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
We did it! We have a new baby, puppy that is! Jack at 1.6 pounds and 10 weeks of age, brought a bright light to our family after the loss of Lili, our 15-year-old chihuahua. Prior to picking up Jack, our wonderful breeder provided us with a list of accessories to ease our new pup's transition and of course, we added more items once we started browsing new puppy accessories. From car seats to puzzles, the abundance of puppy accessories have grown much like the plethora of accessories available for new babies, making me wonder how my children and previous pets ever made it through infancy.
One of the recommendations was a stuffed dog with a battery-operated beating heart to help our puppy feel like its mother was close by. Wanting to be good puppy parents, we promptly ordered it after placing the deposit on our puppy. Imagine our surprise when it arrived and was 5 times the size of our puppy. We decided to keep it, after all, we didn't want our pup deprived of having a make believe mother or father. We decided to name it Ray Hickey after my husband, Doug's imaginary childhood friend since both were make believe members of the family. (The story has been told that Ray Hickey encouraged my Doug to ride shotgun with him in Doug's Dad's car as Ray Hickey knocked it out of gear. Fortunately, Ray Hickey also told Doug to jump out, so Doug watched safely as his Dad's car rolled down the hill and into a ditch.)
Along with this beautiful heart beating dog, we also purchased a chihuahua crate. Poor Jack spent 2 nights squeezed under Ray Hickey's ear with no room to even turn around before we decided to remove the beating heart, wrap it in a blanket, and let Ray Hickey sleep outside the crate. Jack and Ray Hickey were relieved. Crate training was on the way now and improved drastically when we put the crate in the bed with us at night. After just a few nights, Jack was sleeping like a baby and his parents, who are actually grandparents , couldn't be more thrilled.
Along with a crate, beating heart stuffed dog, and puppy car seat, came regular packages from Amazon with more must needed accessories for our furry new baby.
Now, we can't leave the house without Jack's puppy bag, or as Doug likes to call it, Jack's diaper bag. This is a must have for tiny puppies. It has allowed us to eat a many restaurants and makes shopping a breeze. Just tuck him in with his food, water, and a few toys and our puppy is ready for any adventure!
We found out quickly puppies require toys for chewing and tugging, treats for training good behavior, and a good harness/leash set.
Since Jack was a little guy, we cut some holes in a sock because all puppy sweaters were too big! We also found that Jack enjoyed riding inside our zip sweatshirts, especially if it was cold outside. If you have a tiny puppy, you will find that a few zip sweatshirts are a great investment for those times when you have guests and want to keep your pup safe from kiddos and people stepping on him, but want him to be around people. However, it is beneficial for your pup to have all fours on the ground to meet people and other dogs, but only when it is in a safe environment.
The use of tiny treats was beneficial for training Jack to follow basic commands (come when his name is called, sit, lay down, high five, dance, and stay.). As a former speech/language pathologist, I utilized my training and began training Jack to press a prerecorded button. Initially Jack used the button to request a treat, but he quickly learned to press the button to request to go outside. I just placed the treat on the button, then under the button. He began using his paw to try and retrieve it. Every time he pressed it, he heard the recording of treat and was rewarded with a tiny crumb of a treat. Once he mastered this skill, we placed the button beside the door and took him outside after giving him the treat. Forty-eight hours later, we stopped giving him a treat and took him outside when he pressed the button. He stopped pressing it continuously, as he had once done for treats, and began pressing it only when he wanted to go outside.
By the time Jack was 15 weeks old, we decided our little pup was really smart and added puzzles to his toy box. Yes, your puppy likes and needs stimulating toys. I think he thought he was a teenager by 15 weeks old and was ready to have something in addition to chew toys, so we added puzzles and he loves them!
Jack loves this puppy playpen; we call it his ‘house’. We put a thick rug in it to hide treats in so he has a safe, fun, place to stay while we run errands. Just place it in a small room with a pee pad ( which is the only time Jack is allowed to use a pee pad).
Every puppy should be evaluated by a veterinarian and microchipped. Follow your vet's advice on feeding schedules and chew toys. Our vet recommended a feeding schedule of three times a day and also suggested a touch of Karo syrup if he appeared to be sluggish since tiny dogs often have difficulty with blood sugar. He also recommended Nylon bones to keep Jack from ingesting anything that he could not digest.
You may click on the links below pictures of our favorite puppy accessories to purchase through Amazon. We may earn a small commission from purchases.
Below are some additional items we have purchased through Amazon and found to be useful for our puppy at home and while traveling.
Please leave a comment and let us know your favorite puppy accessories (traditional and nontraditional)
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