SUPPLIES FOR YOUR NEW BEAGLE PUPPY Before you bring your new beagle puppy home, there are some suggested supplies that are good to have on hand to welcome the new arrival. 1) A crate is essential. Although the initial cost may be somewhat expensive, a crate will save you lots of money down the road! (Picture your house with chewed shoes, soiled carpet, torn drapes, rummaged garbage, etc., not to mention vet bills if your puppy gets hurt!) Crate training is not cruel, in face, dogs usually learn to treat it as their own little "room" and will rest in it when tired. The molded plastic type is best and the "200" size, or medium is perfect for a beagle, even when full-grown. Pad the bottom of the crate with a small rug or towel 2) Stain and odor removal Puppies are bound to have accidents so always have stain and odor remover on hand. 3) I feed Nutro dog food, but any high quality dog food will do such as Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, or Pro Plan. I don’t feed puppy food past 6 months of age as research has suggested it is too "hot" and may interfere with growth rate and skeletal development of puppies after that age. Beagles easily switch foods as a general rule. 4) The health and hygiene of your beagle puppy is very important. You will want to use a gentle shampoo, bathing only when your little bundle develops too much of a "doggie" odor. Trimming puppies’ nails will be much easier with a quality nail trimmer. Hopefully you will never make your puppy’s nails bleed by cutting too close, but just in case a styptic powder will come in handy. Make sure your puppy gets used to a toothbrush and toothpaste early on so they will accept getting a brushing later on. As has already been mentioned, Vitamin C is a necessary daily supplement and another good one is Missing Link with Glucosamine and Chrondroitin. Most of these supplies can be purchased at stores such as PetsMart. Ester C Vitamin C is available at Walmart. It is also important to keep your dog’s ears clean. Walmart has ear "wipes" and your vet can supply you with medication for ear mites (which plague beagles) and other ear medications. 5) I strongly suggest you use a good baby gate to keep your puppy confined to areas of the house where he can be closely supervised until his housebreaking is completed. 6) A pooper scooper is useful in picking up the yard. Carry-along waste bags are a must so you can be a good citizen when taking your puppy for a walk. 7) A pet door is a great aid in housebreaking your puppy if you have a secure yard and a door where it can be installed that leads to that yard. 8) Every puppy needs food and water bowls. I like the heavy stoneware bowls that are sold at Petsmart because they are heavy and don’t slide all over the floor as the puppy eats like the metal bowls do. But the stoneware is breakable, so you have to be careful with them. 9) Consider buying your puppy a bed. We keep our doggie bed in the family room close by where we watch TV. The dog’s crate we keep in our office room which is more isolated from the family. You need to decide early on whether you will allow your dog on the furniture and make this rule stick from the beginning. Some are very OK with it and some people aren’t. There’s no "right" answer—just your answer. 10) Chew deterrent sprays such as Bitter Apple may be helpful in keeping your puppy from chewing on furniture and other things that are "no-nos." A brush is another necessity. The kind with two sides is good. You will also need a collar, leash and ID tag. Consider purchasing a adjustable nylon collar which will give room for growth. Also consider having your vet microchip your puppy with the chip that can be registered with AKC in their animal recovery program. A brochure about this is included in your packet. 11) Another necessity for walking your dog is a Flexi-lead, an extendable leash which will allow your puppy to roam up to 26 feet away from you, but he can be "reeled" in if necessary to keep him safe. 12) Last, but certainly not least, for a beagle are toys and chewing items. Instead of punishing your puppy for playing with or chewing forbidden items, distract him with what he is allowed to have. Some recommended toys are tope tugs, plush squeaking toys, and balls. Beagles are the greatest natural retrievers and you should be easily able to teach your beagle to play fetch. Good exercise for an energetic little puppy! The toys that drop treats when rolled are great because the encourage exercise, stimulate the brain, and reduce boredom all at the same time! Always keep treats on hand to teach tricks and reward for good behavior. (But remember the beagle’s propensity to become overweight—use the little biscuits and don’t overtreat) I don’t recommend chew hooves or pig’s ears—the latter in particular can cause intestinal blockage. Get real bones from your butcher—big ones that the dog can’t choke on.