I will be collecting my absolutely beautiful girl on Saturday 13th, and as a first time owner need to know what I have forgotten, so here is a list of everything I have bought so far:

1 large crate (for house)
1 smaller crate (for travel)
1 x dog guard
2 x vet beds
2 x blankets
1 x faux fur blanket (to put with a heat pad under while she is still ittle so it will feel like mummy/litter mates)
1 x large dog bed
2 x spare dog bed covers
2 x slicker brushes (one puppy slicker, one adult)
2 x shedding combs
1 x comb
1 x heat pad
4 x lint/pet hair rollers
4 x nylabones
Royal Canin feed (the feed the breeder uses)
Burns puppy food (my chosen feed, which I will introduce over three weeks once the puppy has been here with me for a few weeks)
1 x bumper pack puppy training pads
Johnson's 'Dog Dioderant' (for poo smells!)
1 x bottle white vinegar (speaking of idding my house of poo poo and wee wee smells...)
1 x box biological washing powder (again, those pesky poo and wee smells!)
2 x grannicks bitter apple spray
1 x giant tennis ball
1 x fleece lamb soft toy
1 x housebreaking spray
2 x food scoops
2 x kongs (one puppy kong, one adult)
4 x vanilla flavoured chew rings
4 x vanilla flavoured bone chews
2 x raggers
1 x rope and ball
1 x large tennis ball
1 x paddle pool (she already loves water, being the pup who decides to sleep in the water bowl!!!)
1 x nylon collar
1 x nylon lead
1 x extending lead
1 x tag (ID)
1 x barrel (ID)
1 x puppy shampoo (actually a Lush baby shampoo which requires very little rinsing and which I checked with my vet)
1 x ceramic food bowl
1 x metal water bowl
2 x wipe clean feed mats
1 x close the gate/dog sign
5 x bags of various treats to see what she takes to.
The breeder is going to provide a puppy pack, as well as some soft toys that smell of mummy and litter mates.

Suffice to say all this has cost a fortune, but is all worth it to make sure she has a good home and everything she needs.
I am going to pick up a few more toys at the weekend, and I am going to order a dog first aid kit this evening from an online store. Also, my partner is going to make a little ramp for her, as our decking (built by the previous owners who obviously needed some help with DIY..) is about a foot off the ground, with only one step, and I don't want her risking her joints, so we are going to make a ramp for her until she is older. I have booked her vets appointment, and have got a training class lined up for her, I just have to confirm her place once her vaccination scedule is sorted out.

Now, what I need to know from experienced puppy/dog owners, is what have I forgotten???!

I forgot to add, I also have two dog gates!

WOW!! You are VERY organised...well done you!! :D :D It sounds like you have everything there that you will need, and more! ;-) What breed are you getting? I bet you are SO excited!!! Hope to see LOADS of pics when your new baby arrives!!!

Oh.... make sure you have a good stock of kitchen roll!!! ;-)

That is one impressive list, and I really do hate to add anything, but...POO BAGS (nappy bags from the supermarket)...you'll need plenty!
Enjoy your baby.

That is going to be one spoilt puppy! :D

WOW when we bought leo home we had 1 dogbed, 1 plush toy and some old socks and 1 food and 1 water bowl!!

To be fair we were only given a couple of days notice that we might be getting him and we werent sure before we went that we would be definitely getting him

Forgot to add to the list - I have 250 poop bags, a poop scoop and 12 rolls of kitchen roll!

Remember your sense of humour :D You will probably need it with a new pup :)

Good luck and let us know how it goes :)

Mackleback, she is a long coat german shepherd. At the moment she is a grey sable, but when she was born she was grey black and cream, so who knows what colour she will end up!

I visited her at 3 and a half weeks and again earlier this week. I will be bringing her home at 7 weeks, and she is already a really great weight - 11 pounds and 6 ounzes at the last weigh in, so she may be tipping a stone by the time I bring her home!

I am very excited to say the least!

Looks like your ready for your baby then. Get some sleep now,,pup's seem to want to play at 2am, then 5am, lol

Only 12 kitchen rolls - is that for the first day then? LOL!!!  I'd also recomend a box of latex gloves so you can clean up able to keep one hand out of the wee - I bought a box at the end of week one as I'd got an upset tummy and I put it down to being a new dog owner and picking up things I'd rather not!!! (And yes, I was washing my hands!!!)

Jeeezzzz :-D don't forget the dog ;-)

When we got our older dog from Battersea we had got nothing beforehand :D We bought him a lead and collar and a bed at the Battersea shop (they gave us a bag of the food that he was on) and we bought anything else the next day :D :D :D 

To add - we didn't know for certain that we would be coming home with a dog that day and we didn't know what sort of dog or what size :D The children loved it  - such a surprise :D

Daisy

Buffy wants to come live with you!!! WOW! Though saying that we are collecting rather a lot of stuff now!!

I wish you all the fun in the world.... I remeber how excitied I was when we got Buff, I couldn't sleep... and I had a big grin over my faces for weeks before and weeks after, and now if ever I feel sad or down she still makes me smile!!

I hope it all goes well,  and that you have as much fun, interupted nights and worrying that your little pooch is ok as we did!!

xxxx

Wow, you are organised!!! I wouldn't worry about too many more toys at this stage though...our pup gets far more fun out of an empty cereal box or shredding up a newspaper than she does out most of her toys.

Sounds like you have everything under control :)

Crikey - what a lucky pup! Can I ask you where you got your paddling pool. I have a half an old shell sandpit which I fill with water for my GSD, but she barely fits :D)

A new one would be great, but I've had trouble finding a rigid plastic one

RELAX (while you still can) and ENJOY (when you cant relax anymore :D)

Kat

Well, actually the paddle pool is a very large and very cheap one from Ebay, but it came with a repair kit for punctures (I had little puppy teeth in mind..) It is a nice rigid plastic, and was only £1.99, so if it only lasts her five minutes, at least she has had 5 minutes of fun!

I am actually really relieved no one has thought of anything really essential that I have forgotten. I wanted to have everything ready for her so she would have my full attention, and i wouldn't have to panic and rush about buying after (but that is just my personality, I am a bit of an organiser!)

Thanks to all of you, and I will be sure to let you all know how she is doing ( I will probably be on her for advice a lot!)

xxx

Things that i think are uneeded..

smaller crate
vet beds
faux fur blankets
nylabones (raw bones and chews are much more affordable and healthy)
puppy training pads (debatable , i would not teach a dog to deliberately pee in the house and tell him it is the RIGHT thing to do, if you decide to let them pee on the floor go with newspaper, same difference)
bitter apple spray (only get if nipping becomes a big hassle)
extending lead (can be dangerous, only use on smaller breeds)
wipe clean feed mats (kibble can be easily removed with your hands off the floor!)
food scoops (i use a small measuring cup , easier to control feeding)

Really i would only get the necissary things for the time being , anything else you will need can be added in while you are with your dog and toys should be added in slowly so they don't get bored all at once. No hurry :p

Manny.

What a fantastic list:)
Can I be your puppy please :)

MannyG, you are very right, but I have waited 10 years to be in a position where I could have a dog, and I had a special bank account set up for her 2 years ago, where I saved so I could afford everything necessary. My partner keeps telling me I have gone a bit mad with my shopping, and I know that, but it has been so much fun preparing for her, I just wanted it to be very special, and I think it has unleashed the child in me!

Wow, I agree, I want to be your puppy!! I went out every week and bought something new when we got ours, and even now I usually go to the shop for food or poobags and come back with another toy!!

I have something you have forgotten - nail clippers .........  Its good to start getting them used to it early and they will probably need trimming as a youngster because they dont wear them down  :)

Ah! Nail clippers! There was bound to be something!!!

I wish i had a saved dog account , gosh i would spend all of it on GREENIES!!

Having read the ingredients of greenies, I wouldn't let them anywhere near my lot! :D

Yeah i wouldn't recommend them everyday , i usually give my boys greenies mondays wednesdays and saturdays , that's 15 dollars worth of greenies a week. Anywhere i can get them cheap!!

Sorry, have to ask...Greenies???

greenies --> http://www.canvasbackpets.com/ShopSite/media/GreeniesBig.jpg

Thanks Manny :)

When I was at Crufts I saw people walking about with bags that said Greenie's on them, but I didn't find the stall selling them, so I don't know what they are either. Viv

I see the picture, but still don't know what they are - some sort of chew treat?

....and I expect the poo comes out looking roughly the same....... :o:

Nannyogg - forget the pup, you can pick me up THIS saturday!

Learn more about greenies at http://www.greenies.com/html/index.html

I've read it - they sound awful, and I'm never, ever giving one to my dogs!

Yikes think my dogs will be experiencing life without Greenies too...

Can i ask why greenies are bad? I tried to look at the website but i can get on to some part for some reason.

sarah xxxx

I don't think greenies are bad , they can be unhealthy if you feed your dog more then one a day , i give them every other day and sometimes every two days.

So they're a chew treat that cleans the teeth, like Denta Stix?

Yes yes. Never heard of denta stix though, don't think they are a canadian thing!

Greenies are probably more expensive as well , i buy the jumbo sized ones that can go for almost 3 bucks each and only last about 20 minutes!!

Hi NannyOgg

Have you got a toothbrush and paste for her? it doesn't appear to be on the list. Best to get her used to you brushing her teeth when she is a pup or else it'll be quite the task when she's older :)

I also agree that house training pads aren't a good idea either.

But 10/10 for enthusiasm and being so prepared - absolutely brilliant :)

x mc

Sounds like you've got it covered!!

My husband built a ramp from the garden to the back door as our back step is steep.  He used decking planks for the extra grip and it worked a treat, Poppy took to it straight away.

I made up a bag for in the car containing a towel, a small fleece blanket, plastic water bowl, kitchen roll, muddy paw wipes, some small plastic bags, wet wipes and poo bags.  When we picked Poppy up from the breeder, she hadn't long had her breakfast (scrambled egg), she was fine on the motorway, but once we got onto the side roads, she was sick (all of her breakfast) so the kitchen towel, wet wipes and plastic bags for used kitchen towel came in handy!!

That is worth remembering! I will pack some gloves and wipes and kitchen twoel for the car journey.

Can you tell me what your husband made the ramp out of? We are going to build one this week, as there are two quite steep steps down from our decking onto the grass (decking was badly fitted by the previous owners) so I would rather she uses a ramp until she is bigger.