Your puppy is moving in | First equipment checklist

Before your puppy moves in, you should already have the essentials such as a comfortable dog bed, a transport box, collar, harness and lead as well as a food and water bowl at home. You can find more information and a practical checklist in this article.

What does a puppy really need?

If you need help choosing and sizing these essentials, we have put together some valuable information and tips on the following pages to help you decide.

1. Collar, harness & leashes

When buying a collar and harness, it is advisable to pay attention to the expandability of the product. The fit plays a decisive role here - both the collar and the harness should fit tightly to provide security, but should not constrict your dog under any circumstances (approx. 2 finger-widths of air).

To start with, it is advisable to use a simple, slightly longer lead, which you can attach to the harness, when walking your dog. This allows your little explorer to sniff around, curiously explore the world and fulfil his natural needs without pulling on the (too short) lead. Always make yourself exciting and attractive to your puppy so that they are happy to follow you and make contact with you. This will strengthen your bond every time you go for a walk.

Make sure that the equipment is tailored to the size and weight of your furball so that he feels comfortable, nothing rubs or chafes and you can be sure that you are travelling safely together.

2. The right bowls

Your new roommate needs two bowls: one for his daily fresh water and one for his favourite food.

Make sure that a portion of food fits in the food bowl (it's best to choose one size larger). The water bowl can be the same size as the food bowl.

The stability of the bowls is also very important. They should have an appropriate weight and, if possible, be fitted with rubber stoppers so that they don't slip on smooth surfaces or your puppy can't push the bowl all over the house.

Our tip: Stainless steel or ceramic bowls are particularly suitable - both materials are lightweight and easy to clean.

You can find out what to consider when feeding your puppy in the following articles:

In our practical puppy packages you will find everything you need to spoil your darling properly.

Go straight to our puppy packages

3. Dog bed & the right sleeping place

As a new member of the family, it is important to integrate your puppy into family life. Of course, this also applies to his sleeping and lying area. It's best to set up a cosy and quiet corner in the living room where he can rest during the day and still keep an eye on what's going on. This way, your puppy can always be part of your life - nothing would be worse than isolating him and locking him away.

The same principle applies at night: sleeping alone is daft! That's why your dog's sleeping place should be close to you, ideally in the bedroom in a crate or dog bed. Especially during the first few nights together, it's important that your puppy can make himself known if he has a nappy and needs to be taken outside.

Both lying areas should be warm, comfortable and draught-free and offer the puppy a safe place to retreat to.

Note: The size of the dog bed or dog crate depends on the size and personal preference of your puppy. Make sure that the basket is big enough for your puppy to fit into it as a full-grown puppy so that it can stretch out and dream the night away. This is twice as good with a cosy blanket. The sleeping area should also be easy to clean so that hair, odours and dirt can be easily removed.

4. Chewing & playing

The range of different toys and chew toys is huge! It's easy to lose track here. When choosing, it is important that your puppy cannot swallow any individual or small parts and that the size of the toy is adapted to its size.

Our tip: Less is more! Feel free to switch between different toys and don't leave them for your puppy to choose from. Take the initiative and encourage him to play and romp around with different toys.

What you should look out for:

Toys made of natural rubber or solid rubber: Both materials are easy to clean and particularly suitable during the teething phase
Toys with nubs promote dental care: Please pay attention to the degree of hardness of the toy (be sure to seek advice from a specialist retailer)
Dummies, food balls or snack bags: They can keep puppies mentally occupied in a playful way from an early age. You can build and strengthen the relationship between you and your puppy through controlled retrieving exercises (simply use part of your puppy's daily food ration to fill them)

5. The right transport box

How to determine the right size of transport box

Step 1: Measure your fur baby from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. Then you only need to measure the leg length. The optimum length is calculated from half the leg length + the total length.

Step 2: To determine the height, measure the standing puppy from the top of the raised head to the floor and add 3 - 5 cm. The width should be at least twice the width of the puppy so that it can easily turn around in the box.

As with the basket in the living room, it is best to choose a few sizes larger so that your puppy will still fit in well when it is fully grown.

Our tip: Some puppies like to sleep in dens that give them protection and security. You can therefore equip the dog crate with a cosy blanket and offer it to your dog to sleep in.

You can find out what you need to consider when picking up your puppy and how to properly acclimatise them to their new home in our article: Your puppy moves in - arrival & settling in.