1. Dog or Puppy Food.

   See my previous article on dog food for what kind to get.

2. Bowls for Food and Water.
   
3. Collar.

   If you are not sure of the size, wait until you get your dog. I got my dog’s collar at the Humane Society when I picked her up, to make sure it would fit.

4. Leash.

   I like the retractable kind of leash. It is great for taking walks and letting your dog explore. You can push a button to make the leash stop and be shorter, but then you can let it out again when you want to. Some people prefer the 6-foot firm (not retractable) leash, saying that it is better for training your dog to heel.

5. Dog Crate.

   Especially if your dog is a puppy, you will need a crate for potty training. Even for an older dog, a crate is good for keeping the dog in while you are out of the house, since you don’t know if the new dog is destructive or a chewer. See my previous article on dog crates for more information.

   I ended up getting a metal crate for my puppy to stay in while I am at work. I also got one of those hard plastic, airline type crates for the minivan. She is such a chewer that I did not want her chewing up the upholstery while I am in a store. I let her ride loose in the van so she can look out the window and just put her in the crate when I have to run into the store. (Note: Don’t leave a dog in a vehicle in hot weather.) If she was older, I would probably not need a crate for the van.

   The car crate has come in handy, though, when we visited a friend with a dog, and my puppy bugged the older dog so much that we brought the crate into my friend’s house and put my dog in it for a while, so his dog could rest.

6. Baby Gate.

   If you don’t want to get a crate, you could use a baby gate to keep your dog in one area, such as the kitchen, while you are gone. Get the kind with wire mesh if your dog is a chewer. They can chew through the plastic kind. Also, some dogs can jump right over the gate.

7. Brush or Comb.

   You will this to brush or comb your dog’s fur. This is especially important for long-haired dogs. They need to get brushed often, especially when they are shedding their coat – twice a year, but you have to do it regularly all year long.

8. Scissors.

   For cutting matts and burrs out of the fur. Sometimes they are too tangled up to brush them out. You can use any scissors you have around, as long as they are sharp. I like to keep a pair of smaller but sharp scissors, just for the dog.

9. Nail Clippers (and that special powder in case you cut too short).

   Dogs’ nails have to get trimmed regularly. If you don’t know how to do this, your vet can show you. I always keep some of that powder around that stops the bleeding, in case I make a mistake. I must admit, though, my dog is too squirrelly for me to cut her nails. I plan on taking her to the groomer to have it done (and I will have to do it soon – it is almost time).

10. Dog Shampoo.

    This is for giving the dog a bath. People shampoo is not good for dogs. They need dog shampoo. I would keep some around even if you plan on the groomer giving the dog a bath. You never know when the dog will get into something really messy and you have no time to go to the groomer.

11. Dog Toys.

    This is very important, especially for a puppy. You don’t want your dog to get bored and start getting destructive. Puppies, especially, need things to chew on. For puppies that chew a lot, get lots of toys, and make sure they are hard rubber (indestructible) or something strong. They love toys that squeak.

    Kongs are really good too. These are the kind that you can put bits of dog treats into, and the dog has fun trying to get the treats out. Nyla-Bones are good too.

12. Rawhides.

    Speaking of chewing, rawhides will also help satisfy your dog’s chewing instinct. They also help clean the teeth. I give my puppy one small rawhide bone per day. Rawhide comes in different forms, like bones, squares, etc. Get whatever works best for your dog. Don’t give too much in one day.

13. Dog Treats.

    Various kinds of dog treats are indispensable. I crumble a soft treat on my dog’s food to make it more fun. I give her hard treats once in a while just for fun. And small treats are good for training purposes.

14. Plastic Bags.

    These are for picking up the poop when you go on walks. You can use the free bags you get at the grocery store, but I usually splurge and get small scented garbage bags. It makes a disagreeable chore much more pleasant.

15. Tie-out Cable.

    If you don’t have a fenced in yard, a tie-out cable is great for when you are outside and you want your dog out with you. Then you don’t have to hang on to the leash all the time. You can tie the cable to a deck post or something, or get a stake for it to put in the ground.

    They also have something called a “dog run” which you string overhead between two objects, like the house and a tree, and a cable hangs down from this line, to which you attach the dog. The dog can then run back and forth and you don’t get tangled in the tie-out cord, because the line runs above your head.

Well, I think that’s about it, unless I have forgotten something. At least, those are the necessities. I also got a dog-shaped cookie jar to keep the dog treats in, and a couple of fleece throws to cover the couch and easy chair in case my doggie got on them with dirty paws. There are a lot more things you could get, like some cute dog clothes, a dog bed, and much more. But I don’t want you to go broke right away! Wait until you see what you really will need.

Homemade Dog Shampoo — Natural and Healthy!

By Jeremy Wong

Keeping your dog clean and healthy is very important. Your dog needs to be groomed regularly, regardless of hair length. This keeps his coat clean and you can check for burrs, ticks, parasite or any matting. A long-haired dog should be groomed and brushed every day to distribute the oils that accumulate in their skin right down to the ends of their hair.

Frequent bathing is not necessary for most dogs. If a dog has a skin irritation, bathing too often can make it worse. Dogs can suffer from sunburn, mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and grass pollen allergy so sometimes a cool bath might alleviate the suffering. Heat, temperature changes and chemically treated sidewalks and roads can also bother a dog.

You can easily purchase dog shampoo from a veterinarian or from a pet store. Alternatively you can make it yourself. If you choose to use homemade shampoo on your dog, you will know exactly what it is in it and that it does not contain anything harsh or artificial.

The recipe for a homemade dog shampoo is as follows. There are several slight variants of this recipe around but they are pretty much the same. You should mix together a pint of liquid dishwashing soap (Ivory, Dawn or Dove are gentle enough), a pint of water, a pint of apple cider vinegar and 4 ounces of glycerine. You can buy glycerine at the pharmacy. Combine the ingredients until everything is mixed together well. Keep it in an airtight, easy to pour container and clearly label it. You can use one of your old shampoo bottles if you like.

If you want to make more at once or if you have several large dogs, you can make two or three times the amount at once, to save time. This recipe is very cheap. Soap, vinegar and glycerine should only cost a couple of dollars, if that, and water is free! Not only is this recipe easy to make and cheap, but you are using natural ingredients and not adding any chemicals which might cause skin reactions on your pet.

Many shop-bought dog shampoos contain harsh detergents such as SLS or SLA and artificial fragrances which might result in skin irritation. Shake the homemade dog shampoo before use to ensure the glycerine is mixed thoroughly. When your dog is in the tub, you should start washing the dog from the rear and move towards its head. If you start on the head, the dog will begin shaking and you (and the bathroom) will end up drenched before you have even started! Get the dog wet all over. Apply the homemade dog shampoo, lather it and rub in thoroughly making sure you don’t miss out any creases or rolls.

Do not apply your homemade shampoo or any shampoo in the ears! In fact, never poke anything into a dog’s ear. Make sure you rinse him thoroughly after the bath because any leftover residue might cause skin irritation. Also, a well rinsed coat will be shinier. The dog should then be towel dried. No matter how well you towel dry him, he will still insist on shaking water all over the place so you might want to keep him in the bathroom for a few minutes!

These dog cards are made of rawhide printed with edibile ink. You can even mail them.

They are made by Crunchkins. They also have Christmas cards and cards for cats.

See all the cards here at Amazon.com.

Run Fetch Play On Your Special Day	Happy Birthday To One Spoiled Rotten Dog
Just Bepaws I Love You	For All You Do A Chew For You

I think I’m going to run out and mail these to all my favorite dogs right now!

Since I don’t know a lot about them, here is an article by Byron Pappageorge which explains the concept:

Dog Doors: Giving Your Pet Freedom to Come and Go as They Please Helps Solve Behavior Problems

When we think of dog doors, we think of flaps that allow dogs to trot on through. What a great convenience this can be for you and your pet. Allowing your pet this extra freedom can be exciting and it saves you the time of getting up and opening the door six times a day! But, we live in a modern world with great inventions. One such invention involves our dog door! Pet owners can now choose a dog door that is electronic!

Back in the day, a dog door was a simple flap. Often flimsy and thin, so the animal could pass through, it made keeping a home warm in the winter a tad harder. Or, it helped the air conditioning seep right out into the backyard. Kind of reminds you of that saying your mother used to use. “Were you born in a barn? Close the door!” But, through the passage of time and inventions, we have found that our dog door can be electronic. The process is simple.

For a dog door to work, all it needs is an electronic frequency that tells the door to open. Somewhat like the automatic doors at the local mall, electronic dog doors open for the animal. But, there’s a difference. To help limit which animals can come into your home, an electric dog door requires a communication between the dog door and the dog, more precisely the dog’s collar. When the animal gets close enough, it will open.

Adding a dog door to your home can seem like a difficult task. It doesn’t have to be. It also doesn’t have to be costly to your heating bills. By choosing an electric dog door you can allow your dog the freedom to enter and exit as it wishes and give yourself a sense of security as well. Deciding to purchase a dog door for your animal is ultimately the decision of the pet owner and homeowner, but what pooch wouldn’t be happy with a dog door to call his own?

They certainly seem like a better idea than the old-fashioned kind of dog door.

The book Puppyknits, by Jil Eaton, will be a delight to anyone who loves dogs and crafts.

It has instructions for knitting twelve adorable projects for your dog. Most of them are various darling sweaters, but there is also a cute hat and an ugly “collar cuff”. The collar cuff was the only one of the twelve projects that I did not like. But maybe it was just the dog it was modeled on. All the other projects looked really sweet on the dogs.

If you don’t know how to knit, the book does have some basic instructions. What I really liked was that the book tells you how to measure your dog, and it gives different numbers of stitches based on the measurements of your dog.

I think it would be easy to take these basic designs and come up with your own variations too.

Previously, I have shown you that you can dress up your dog like a bee.

I have also shown you some pretty normal Halloween costumes for dogs. Cute, but normal.

But this is something I would call abnormal! Dogs dressed up as hot dogs! You have to look at this site. Although, I hope you will not be this cruel to your dog!

Here are the top 10 dog costumes from BuyCostumes.com:

 

For 1000′s more, visit BuyCostumes.com.

From the hit movie MIIB™ Men In Black II. Does your pet have a bit of the dark side in him? Now man’s best friend can leap tall buildings in a single bound! Perfect for your pretty princess. I want to suck your blood! Even your pet can be the Amazing Spiderman! It may not be a "Z", but he’ll leave his mark! "My mom dresses me funny, but I kinda like it!" Now your wonder dog can be Wonder Woman! Let the punishment fit the crime.

Wouldn’t your dog look adorable in one of these beds? Maybe then your dog would stay off of your bed! (Click on the image to see a larger picture.)

See more dog beds…