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In this post, I’ll share all the things that have simplified having a puppy and helped us save a little money along the way. Some of them are must-haves, and some are nice-to-haves, but each are making life easier for us. (Some of these we purchased for our former foster, Winston, but Lucy is using them all, too!)
First, Let’s Save Some Money
If you’re a big online shopper, I highly recommend a Rakuten account, which will give you cash back on your online purchases. Right now they’ve been giving 15% back on PetSmart purchases, which is amazing. I’ve been making my purchases online and then picking them up in-store. Super-convenient and a huge savings, especially as we seem to be making a lot of PetSmart runs to stock up on puppy supplies. No tricks. No gimmicks. Just cash back in your account. (I’ve gotten nearly $800 back in my PayPal account since I first signed up. Not sure what that says about my shopping levels, but whatevs.)
Sign up today using my link, and start saving immediately!
Toys and Fun
- This two-level puzzle/slow feeder. Not only can a good puzzle feeder exercise a dog’s brain and satisfy its curiosity, but this puzzle can dispense a pup’s entire meal … slowly. Lucy loves it, and quickly figured it out.
- This Kong Wobble Toy to keep her curiosity focused and another slow-feed option
- Treat dispensing puzzle toy (We got this for our puppy fosters. It’s been doing the trick now but we’ll need a bigger size for when she gets bigger. Can’t recommend this enough for puppies!)
- A Kong for when she goes in her crate
- A tug toy
- A Kong football
- Training treats to encourage good manners
Exercise
- A good leash is a must have, and we have several. But I saw this hands-free leash option on TikTok, and I was immediately intrigued With cold weather moving in, I liked the idea of being able to use this hands-free (either cross-body or around my waist) so my hands can stay in my pockets. The dual handles are great, and the included pouch is perfect for training treats and waste bags. Win, win, win!
- While the leash above is awesome, it won’t be our go-to-leash for training (we’re going with just a regular leather leash for that). So we’re going to need a treat pouch, aren’t we? I loved this treat bag from Amazon — lots of different colors, and it’s big enough to store more than treats and waste bags. It can also be worn three ways — cross-body, waist, and clip.
- A harness to make walks easier and a dual-clasp connector to attach the harness to the collar.
- We also love our double-handle leash that we’ve had for years. They’re great for maintaining better control when she sees a squirrel.
Naptime
- We started working with a trainer this week to address some separation anxiety, and he encouraged us to get a daytime crate for Lucy. We were skeptical to how much she’d like it, but just one day in, and I’m shocked at how much time she’s spending in it for naptime. We started off the day with a smaller-sized crate — one for 30- to 50-pound dogs (Lucy is 40). Our trainer recommended we go up a size — so we ordered through PetSmart (using Rakuten) and picked it up curbside. (While the crate was cheaper initially on Amazon, with the current 15% cash back Rakuten was offering, it made the price about the same.) While this isn’t the greatest picture, it shows just how cozy she is!
Four Birds 