Puppy Supply Wishlists

I’ve not been writing, but I have been preparing.

Nym isn’t my first dog, by any means, but will be the first after I move out. This means that I’m actually starting from scratch: everything will need to be purchased.

I’m a tad fickle, especially with ordering online. It’s important for me to gauge item quality, but unfortunately, the nearest pet store to where I live is actually 30+ minutes away. (There are actually closer ones, but one is very high priced, and the other two are very… shady. The most I’ve ever bought from either is feeder mice for my ball python (RIP, lil guy).)

This means that I will be doing a fair amount of ordering online for supplies, especially to coordinate gear.

My first step was to take advantage of the ability to add several wish lists to Amazon. I’ve organized them as follows:

• Nym Necessities: Absolutely necessary care items. This list includes clippers, dishes, and nail trimmers.
• Nym Agility: Agility training items. While I plan to build some items, there are others that are simply better to purchase… such as weave poles. (And books!)
• Nym Toys: Toys I know I want to get for Nym. These will mostly be for travelling or mental stimulation. (I only created this list because I saw something I knew would be amazing for an intelligent puppy.)
• Nym Considerations: Items I’m considering at the moment, mostly on a price or quality basis.

My next step has been to patrol various websites such as pet stores and Etsy for items such as collars, leashes, and customizable must-haves.

Some of the items I’ve chosen so far are based on personal preference and experience. My chow and my brother’s beagle had a pair of very nice plain metal food bowls with a rubber rims. They were impossible to flip. (Trust me, the beagle tried.) This was the first thing I found for Nym. I, a clutz, could never use ceramic. I also personally find metal bowls easier to clean.

Some of the items I’ve chosen have been purely off reviews or aesthetic. Grooming and training tools fall into this category.

And some of the items, I honestly can’t buy until I know more information. Nym’s harness is one of them, as are collars. Crates are temporarily falling into this category.

A leash is something I want to purchase right before I go get her. I have decided against the extendible kind, since I personally found that those are the number one way to get road rash on your face, as your dog can get a head start and pull you over when they hit the end of the leash at an all-out run. I’m tiny, so even a smaller dog can do this to me. (The beagle is extremely fond of attempting to do so.) The ID tag also goes in this group.

Finally, I want to make sure I have a bag of her chosen food before I pick her up. Obviously, this is something I want to pick up very close to getting her, but it’s still something I need to research…

Bath Time Training

Puppies make messes… that’s a given. But not teaching a dog a bath is fun from the start also has its issues.

One of my goals with Nym will be to make this interesting and not scary, right from the start. I’m going to start with “fun baths”, literally baths where it’s just water and toys. After this is okay, shampoo and grooming will be added on, so there isn’t a fear regarding being wet, and should end the fear of baths before it starts.

Doing this, I should be able to make bath time a pleasant experience for both of us. In the long run, this should pay for itself.

Poodles were bred to be water retrieving dogs, so I don’t expect this to take long at all.

Puppy Supply List

I’m certain this is bound to change over time, but it’s never too early to start thinking about everything I’m going to need.

First, we have the basics:

• Collar with ID tags
• Leash-4 ft/1.2m
• Food-Sample of current food, and new food.
• Food/Water bowls
• Crate
• Bed

Then we have the travel items, some of which are only really needed to bring Nym home:

• Travel Crate (For use until housetraining is complete)
• Travel harness and seat belt hook (For use after housetraining.)
• Travel food/water bowls
• Item from home/the breeder (The scent will help to comfort her.)

Then we have the miscellaneous extras, not entirely necessary to get beforehand:

• Toys (training, learning, chew and mental stimulation)
• Taste deterrent (Mainly to protect my precious laptop charger and tablet, but also for discouraging unwanted chewing.)

There’s also training items:

• Training leash-20 ft/6m
• Training aids (Clicker)

Grooming items:

• Brushes
• Dog-safe shampoo
• Nail clippers
• Grooming table
• Coat clippers

And emergency items:

• Dog first-aid kit
• Dog-safe medications (For my current area, primarily allergy/bee sting.)

 

Some of these items can be purchased later on, but some will be needed from the start. Some, like the crate, can actually be found in garage sales for cheap if I stake them out beforehand, or bought off Craigslist for a fraction of the price of buying the item new. In fact, both the crate and the grooming table will almost certainly be gotten this way if possible. Some of the other items, like the bowls and grooming supplies, must be bought new for sanitary reasons.

This is the current list. I expect it to change over time, and I know some of it can’t be bought until after Nym is home, such as food and ID tags. (Though I may buy the tag and have it engraved before picking her up.) Some of it will need buying prior to pick-up, or loaning if I can’t afford to buy it. I know of people who may be willing to loan me a travel crate for the first few days, so I can pick her up and take her to her first vet appointment.

Other items will be needed with time. I fully expect to have to buy more than one collar as she grows; however, part of the fun of getting a poodle is accessorizing them with a few nice collars or bandannas.

There’s one more important item I will need, and that will be her harness, but more on that as time draws nearer.

http://free.timeanddate.com/countdown/i52bt9lb/n179/cf12/cm0/cu4/ct0/cs0/ca0/cr0/ss0/cac000/cpc000/pcfff/tc66c/fs100/szw320/szh135/tatCountdown%20until%20Nym's%20Adoption/tac000/tptTime%20Since%20Nym's%20Adoption/tpc000/matWe%20are%20waiting!/mac000/mptGo%20Nym!/mpc000/iso2017-01-31T00:00:00

First Call to Breeder

Yesterday marked my first phone call with the chosen breeder.

Some backstory: I started with three desirable traits that I wanted in a dog, and a timeline. In the end, I picked the Standard Poodle. My goal is to be ready for an early 2017 litter. My plans for the dog include Agility and Obedience, but I have no desire to breed-show or breed, so I’m opting for limited registration.

Yesterday, I actually got to speak with the breeder I had chosen for the first time. We discussed the basics, including the adoption and payment process, what I valued in a dog, and preferences (I have a gender preference, female, but any color other than white is fine.).

After mentioning my goals, the breeder actually informed me that they have a set of parents with AKC titles in Agility, and offered me a pup from a litter. This completely changed some things. Initially, I was hoping to do agility for fun. I enjoy watching agility and flyball competitions on YouTube. But now, I’m actually looking at a professional agility-bred puppy and… I can’t believe it. Twelve year old me would have wet themselves in excitement. This is a dream come true.

One of my other conditions, which I didn’t mention to them, is that I want to come out to the farm and pick the puppy up personally to take it home. Shipping is already ridiculous for animals, and I am close enough for this to be a day trip. Thankfully, this breeder is open to visits, so I am certain this will be possible. (If it isn’t, I really should re-think things and go with someone else….)

It may be eleven months out, but knowing now is the best part. It gives me a reason to be excited and something to work towards.

On top of this is the knowledge that the only reason I even gave Standard Poodles a chance is because I was unable to get in contact with any Old English Sheepdog breeders. The OES was my top choice by far, and I only have the opportunity I do because I simply could not get in touch with someone who knew the breed, and turned to my second choice.

We’ll find out later on how this works out for me. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Timeline So Far

This is a timeline of the events that have occurred prior to blog creation.

• January 18: Started search.
• January 23: Initial Poodle breeder contact made via email.
• January 28: Shiba breeder contact made via phone.
• February 5: First call to a poodle breeder.
• February 6: Final breed decision made.
• February 9: First call to chosen breeder.

This is everything that has happened so far. I am planning to adopt in January 2017. My chosen breed is the Standard Poodle.

I’ve already picked a name, gender, and two possible registered names. This blog will document all further advances in my quest to get Nym, and our life together afterwards.