I know this topic has been visited before but I was looking for a little information on what people put in the puppy packs that they send with the pups to their new homes.

I want to give each pup a piece of blanket with its mum's smell but don't know where to get some (as I would rather not cut up mum's bed!). Ideally as each pup will be colour coded for identification purposes I would like each one to have a blanket in that colour, but I only want little bits (about 12"x12") and I don't want to spend a fortune! Would off cuts from a fabric store be ok or should I be looking for a dog/pet specific product?

I also will have KC registration for each pup, 5 gen pedigree, worming/vaccination record, info sheet and some web sites I have found useful, a puppy contract with my details so new owners can come back to me for any help, and hopefully a colour coordinated toy too but I am having trouble finding that as well. Oh and I will have packs from the company that I use for food and hopefully PetPlan stuff too but I am waiting for my membership to come through.

Any tips about how to source blankets and toys would be helpful. As I said i dont want to spend a fortune on these things as I expect the new owners to spoil their puppies!

Thanks

Why only little pieces of blanket? I think people would be likely to just bin a small piece of fabric. You can usually get large single bed size fleece blankets in a variety of shops for £2 or £3 each at most. IKEA does great ones for £1.60! B&M does them in packs of 2 for £3.99. Giving a full size blanket the puppy can travel home on it. The blanket doesn't have to be used and smelly, it's enough to just rub it over mum and pups as dogs can scent things so easily.

With my last litter , other than the paperwork, they went with a blanket, a couple of tug toys (again can be bought for about £1 each in cheaper shops like Wilkinsons, and indeed even supermarkets have them at not too high a price -plus check poundshops), a filled bone (ditto), again suitable for the journey, and a tennisball. With this breed I don't give grooming equipment as they are shortcoated and all the owners will already be experienced and have everything like brushes, but for my toybreed and kittens I also give a set of brushes and combs (can find cheap brand new ones on Ebay, look out for joblots under wholesale). Again for this most recent litter I had a puppy pack from the commercial food manufacturer but it was a bit pathetic, just samples really, so I sent each pup off with a 15 kg sack of the complete food, as well as with 6 blocks of frozen raw mince, 1 lb each in weight. None of the buyers are intending to carry on with raw so hence I only sent enough for a few days.

Then in addition to what you have already said, of course the pups are microchipped as well.

I probably spent about £30 for each pup which really is nothing considering what we charge for them, and personally I think it is a nice gesture. I bought a very expensive animal once, four figures, and got NOTHING but the paperwork, not even food samples.

I didn't feel it was necessary to give them more than a little piece of scented blanket, after all when I got my girl I wanted to choose all that stuff myself, just want to make sure that they all have a little piece of mum till they settle in new homes. Equally if new owners want to bring me a blanket or similar beforehand I will make sure it goes in with the pups and mum before they go home.

When I have a litter I get children's toys from bootsale and charity shops and send them home with a couple of those which the litter has just had. I get tons of them so they get lots of variety and can be washed with the bedding. The puppy I kept is always running around with the large monkey they had so I know they are popular. Some people bring a piece of blanket in advance which I put with the puppies before they go.
Last time I had lots of offcuts of vet bedding which I tied in a knot  in the middle and proved popular so some had those.
I give a 2K bag of food as my company Arden Grange supply a good little book and a voucher for the owner off their next bag.
All of this is a shed load more than I got when I got my first puppy which was a portion of green tripe from the abbatoir!!! and a handwritten pedigree.
I'm an Assured breeder so obviously they get loads of paperwork and advice from me. I spend a good 2 to 3 hours before they leave on the day going through everything.
I supply 3 copies of the pedigree. A straightforward pedigree and a circular pedigree included. Keep mine on Breeders Assistant as I have done for years and can just update the new sire.
Insurance for first 4 weeks is with the Kennel Club's Agria cover.
( if someone came unprepared as they did last time suitable for the journey - they had a cat carrier with nothing in it, I would of course supply what they needed to make the first journey comfortable ) Everyone else came armed with new toys and blankets I could see they had done the required visit to Pets AT Home!!!!

ok, thanks but have to ask what is a circular pedigree?

I didn't feel it was necessary to give them more than a little piece of scented blanket, after all when I got my girl I wanted to choose all that stuff myself, just want to make sure that they all have a little piece of mum till they settle in new homes

Yes but it's the JOURNEY home the new blanket will be important for, and also the first night. The hardest part of leaving for the pup. For those early few hours it's invaluable, and then a full sized blanket is so much better than a little offcut as the pup can snuggle into it. After all, what's £2 extra?! After settling in, of course the new owners can use what they want -but  you can never have too much bedding for your dogs as it needs frequent washing and may be chewed etc, so a spare blanket certainly won't be seen as a problem.

Mine always go with a 20 x 30 inch piece of vet bedding (1/4 of the large 60 x 40 sheets).  My favourite is from Profleece.

I used to give the ones the dogs were currently using and buy new, but since my 10 year old and some of the younger ones took to chewing holes in some I get brand new for the pups and simply wash it and rub it on the dogs, and the pup will travel home on it so it will smell familiar, as it's what we use for the pups and dogs anyway.

I colour code my pups and it just so happened my latest litter of six had the same colours as the 6 pack of Wilkinson Pet Tennis balls, so each got one of those, as well as chews, small tuggy etc.

Mine all go with braid half check collars made by Dajan for me, that will last until adulthood (in fact two of my adults still wear theirs), and a lead (I keep a selection for owners to choose from)

Of course I send them off with enough food for several weeks, andvarious of other bits and pieces..

I loved putting the puppy pack together. In my heart, it made giving my little bundle of fluff away (only 2 pups in litter and I kept one). Atleast I had peace of mind that he had everything to help him settle and the owners went away happy knowing that we cared well beyond finding him a family. Its up to them if they continue to use any of it of course :)

I do the same as Barbara with the vet bed, buy new large pieces and cut into four, I paid £22 per large piece the last time I bought some. I feed Arden Grange so get the puppy packs from them and supply 2kg of food to go home with.I also feed Natures Diet and they send out a box of 18 trays to each of my buyers.

Each pup has it's registration Documents, Kennel Club 5 Generation pedigree, Pet Plan Insurance, microchip, comprehensive puppy pack that includes my contract, endorsement information and worming certificate, a dinner dish and a loofah toy that they had all been playing with so it smelt of Mum and other pups.

I also give out a shopping list to the new owners when they visit for the first time (this is at 4 weeks old) so they have plenty of time to buy things in.

> for my toybreed and kittens I also give a set of brushes and combs (can find cheap brand new ones on Ebay, look out for joblots under wholesale)

Hi Goldmali,

I'm in the process of helping a friend put some puppy packs together, so I'm interested to know what types of brushes and combs do you include in your packs, and what do you type in the search on Ebay? I've tried to look for some wholesale deals on Ebay but don't seem to be having much luck. I'd really appreciate your help.

Thanks in advance :)

Well the type of brushes and combs depends on what the breed needs. :) I tend to include a slicker brush, a moulting comb, a normal comb and for cats also a flea comb -not for fleas, but it is useful to groom faces of Persians with, especially around the eyes. I search Ebay in either Home and Garden ->pet supplies (some sell cheaply even when individual items) or wholesale & job lots ->home & garden ->pet supplies. (You will have to find the complete category listing  to get there.) I once bought a bag of 80 brand new combs in wrappers for £20, but of course what is available will vary all the time.

Thanks, I'll have a search around on Ebay - 80 combs for £20 is a bargain!!

> I would like each one to have a blanket in that colour, but I only want little bits (about 12"x12") and I don't want to spend a fortune!

My lad arrived home here with a piece of Vetbed 18" x 10". That was 7 years ago now and he still has it. It has been washed many times and although it has a 'hole' chewed in the centre of it, it is still in remarkably good condition. The point I wanted to make was that he loves this piece of Vetbed :) He folds it up and carries it around, he plays with it and to me the most important things is that, after he has had a seizure (he has epilepsy) he will seek it out if it is not near by (or I will find it for him) and he clearly takes great comfort from it.

I would say that with this in mind, buy the best you can. It may last a dogs life time and be a source of comfort to them long after their mothers 'smell' has gone.

I don't give blankets as I said above but I do know that owners have reported back even after a few years that they still have the toy or toys they were given when they left here. To be honest I've never thought about or felt a great need to give a blanket. Perhaps I might another time. The key is that the pup has something or things with the smell of the litter/Mum and I have always done that.