New Puppy Shopping List
www.sugabear.net
Well, you just decided on a puppy and now you're faced with the daunting task of shopping for that puppy. After all, what will it eat? Where will it sleep? What does it play with? This article is here to answer those questions.
The first thing you can do is purchase a crate and find an old blanket that smells like you. You do this so that before you pick up your new puppy you can bring or mail them to us. That way your puppy will be able to take his or her own crate (their bedroom) to their new home, which they already know the smell of thanks to the blanket you brought. This just helps with the shock of moving into a new world with no more brothers and sisters. Alright, lets get shopping!
Crates
These are common types of crates used for dogs and puppies 
The plastic crates are normally used for traveling (Car rides mainly, to the vet for example) and are great for small puppies when you're first crate training them as the smaller space helps enforce the den mentality (Puppies will try not to go potty where they sleep, so it helps them hold it overnight). Since you'd only really use this in their puppy and teen stages you can look for one for a 10-15 lb dog.
The wire crate is the kind commonly used for crating dogs in the house. These are often foldable so they store easily and are less bulky then the plastic crates. These are great for crate trained dogs and a medium size is perfect for an adult cockapoo. You can also buy with a movable divider, giving you the ability to let it grow with your puppy.
For bedding you can use either blankets or towels, easily washable ones preferably during those first few nights. When they're a little more dependable you can purchase a fleece dog crate liner (this type is washable too) or any dog bed that will fit inside your crate.
Toys
To let you in on a secret, there is no perfect dog toy. You can buy whatever toys you want but let them see another dogs toy and suddenly theirs pales in comparison. Oh well, we try anyway. With toys basically have fun walking through the toy isles. It's like paradise! Favorites seem to be Squeaky Balls, Ropes, Stuffed Animals, Plastic Chew Toys, and anything else that seems interesting. You might as well go purchase a toy box now.
One toy/training tool we recommend is a Kong. They're a really hard plastic toy with a small hollow inside. This hollow can be filled with Peanut Butter (then frozen if you have the time) and given to your puppy before he goes in his crate or just to get him distracted. If he gets one each time before he goes in his crate you might find him running and hopping in as soon as the kong comes out.
n Puppy Pens, Pads, and Pad Holders
What happens if you have to leave your puppy for more than 2-3 hours during the day? You do not want to leave the puppy loose in the house but what if he wakes up in his crate and really needs to go? Well, an easy solution to create a Puppy Playpen. This can be done by buying a metal play pen like this one or a plastic variety and setting it up in a tiled area. Place in it your puppy's bed or crate (open of course), food and water if desired, a pad, a few toys, and you now you can leave without worrying quite as much about your puppy while you are gone.
If you are going to be using puppy pads for your puppy then we recommend using a pad holder. Why? Because puppies love to grab those loose pads and play with them, rip them, or just crumple them in a corner.
n Food and Bowls
Your puppy has been eating one dog food for his whole life (so far!) and should be kept on it for at least the first 2-3 weeks you have him. This is to avoid stressing out his young digestive system at a time when he is still adjusting to his new home. If you do want to switch his dog food do so slowly by adding 25% new food the first day, then the next day 50%, then 75%, etc. Spreading it out over 4-5 days gives him longer to adjust and hopefully will prevent diarrhea, something we all would like to avoid.
Commonly advertised brands such as Pedigree, Iams, Science Diet, and Purina often don't have the best ingredients. As a guideline the first three ingredients should contain at least one non-byproduct meat such as Beef, Chicken, or Lamb Meal, preferably two or more. Avoid Soybeans, Corn, and any foods having the first three ingredients being grains. (Dogs aren't vegetarians after all!).
Brands we recommend are: Blue Buffalo, Canidae, Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul, Innova EVO, Innova, Instinct, Orijen, Solid Gold, Taste of the Wild, and Wellness. To find many of these brands you may have to visit their websites, they normally all have dealer locators to help you find where their food is sold
We personally like to use any dog bowl that isn't flimsy or easily tipped, especially for the water. Ceramic bowls are normally heavy, and plastic or metal bowls with rubber bottoms can also work. While at the store just try pushing it a little bit to see how easily you can get it to flip over.
Collars and Leashes
With collars your puppy should do well with a simple nylon collar. They grow fast though so try getting one that at its smallest size fits your puppy. It fits right if you can just get two fingers between the collar and their neck. Halters can teach your puppy it's OK to pull so be careful about purchasing one. For adult dogs we don't recommend choke collars as they can damage the windpipe when a dog pulls against them and haven't proven very effective for training. For a severe puller (adult of course) we would use either a Gentle Leader or a Prong Collar. Both do a good job of not letting the dog pull too hard, a bad habit that can makes the walk less fun for you and ultimately the dog too when you don't want to go as far due to their constant pulling.
For leashes we like using a simple 4-5 feet long leash. These can be purchased at Walmart for $3 if you cringe at the $12+ at Petsmart. These are also the best type for using at obedience classes. Flexi leashes are handy for walks where you want them to have more freedom, but watch out if you're walking by anyone else as they can easily cause leash burns.
Brushes, Combs, and Shampoo
Your puppy will need maintenance grooming in between their professional grooming visits if you leave them long at all. Even if your young puppy might not have any mats yet (little knots in the fur that can develop into large tangles that are painful to remove) you need to get them accustomed to being brushed and bathed while they're still small and easily controlled (well, as easy as a squirmy puppy/eel can get :P). Equipment needed is:
Slicker Brush -- Great for getting that "just-groomed" look instantly. We like the Miller's Forge brand.
Comb -- Needed for the "down to the skin" brushing. This is what will prevent and remove mats.
And a Good shampoo -- We love the Mane 'n Tail brand for adults but any puppy or hypo allergenic shampoo will work for your puppy. They are both specially made for sensitive skin.
Miscellaneous Items
This is where I put all those items that don't quite deserve an entire section :)
Nail Clippers are useful to keep those little claws short in between grooming. Ask your breeder or groomer to show you how to clip them yourself if you're unsure how to do it. We recommend Miller's Forge.
Bitter Apple Spray is a great chewing or biting deterrent as it has a taste that most puppies won't want to sample twice. It can also be a behavior deterrent by telling them No and spraying it in the air near them.
Food Storage is easiest to handle with an airtight plastic bin, as the bags can be hard to close after you open them.
Cow Hooves are natural chew toys that puppies can spend ages working on. Unlike rawhide they won't swell if wet but you still don't want your puppy actually swallowing pieces.
Eggs are wonderful natural treats full of protein. Plus your puppy will think they're really expensive since they taste so good :)
Cottage Cheese is also a great treat that dogs love. Next time you're putting some on a plate give a spoonful to your furry floor cleaner.
If you want to keep your puppies pearly whites white then you'll need to either brush them, use oral gel, or go to your vet for professional teeth cleaning.
Nutrical is a good thing to have handy for young puppies. It gives them a quick calorie boost when they need it. (Also useful to prevent Hypoglycemia in smaller breed puppies)
Decide before you bring your puppy home if they're allowed on the furniture or not, because what they learn as a puppy they will still want to do as adults. If they are allowed on the couch or not though a dog bed always comes in handy. Check out Ross for great deals.
My Smart Puppy is a book that I highly recommend as being a great manual to raise a puppy with. Of course if it doesn't work for you the best thing to do is go check out every puppy book in the library and find the one that does!
If you're interested in learning to groom your new puppy yourself then I highly recommend this book. You can find it on Amazon.com easily and it's well worth the money. And don't worry, it also tells you how to do round feet and faces. Other information it covers is tools, techniques for clipping the paw pads, cleaning the ears, etc. A great place to purchase grooming tools from is www.petedge.com.