Congratulations on the imminent arrival of your new Barrett puppy! This article will go over just about every little detail. Those who relish in the shopping experience, print this article and knock yourself out. For the rest of you, Amazon Prime may be your new best friend.
The Must-Have List:
Dog food. With so much dog food on the market, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to feed your new Weimaraner puppy. Luckily, your decision should be easy: Buy the same food that your puppy is currently being raised on. 🙂 There’s also an article here about dog food [click here to read more].
Flea/Tick and Heartworm Prevention. Barrett puppies are not treated with flea, tick or heartworm preventative medication before they go home. Please check with your veterinarian if you are unsure whether or not fleas, ticks, and heartworm are prevalent in your area and preventatively treat as needed. Seresto Collars are great for flea and tick prevention, and Heartgard (available with a prescription from your veterinarian) works well for heartworm prevention. Please do not use Comfortis or Trifexis (spinosad) or Bravecto, Nexgard, Credelio (lotilaner), or Simparica (isoxazoline) as a flea and tick preventative as that has been linked to neurological disorders (including tremors and seizures) in dogs related to Barrett Weimaraners.
Training Treats. Young puppies are happy to get pieces of kibble out of their regular food supply as treats, but at some point you may want to keep a bag of training treats handy. The best ones are small and bendable, and easy for you to stretch their wear by breaking the bites into smaller pieces. I like the ones made by Wellness. Where to Buy: Amazon, Chewy, Petco, Petsmart, Tractor Supply.
Food and Water Bowls. There are hundreds of different food and water bowls you can buy for your dog. Chewy has 204 options, to be specific. Don’t go crazy; the best bowl is a simple stainless steel bowl. Bonus points for one with a rubber bottom so it doesn’t skid. Glass or ceramic will break, plastic gets chewed up, and anything else just isn’t necessary. But hey, if you want to spend $50 on a Yeti dog bowl, go for it! Where to Buy: Amazon, Chewy, Home Goods, Target, Walmart… any place that has a pet section.
Dog Beds. Decide how many rooms in your house your dog might be spending a good amount of time in, and buy a dog bed for each of those rooms. We have dog beds in the living room, in the loft, and in the office. Where to Buy: Costco or the pet sections at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross. A decent dog bed will cost $19.99 to $29.99 and will last the average dog a few months. The same dog bed from Petsmart or Petco will go for about $49.99.
Plastic Dog Crates. The benefit of plastic dog crates is that they’re SAFE. This is what our dogs travel in when we’re hauling them around. We also have these in the house. (The XL size is great for a large male Weimaraner, the L size is suitable for the average Weimaraner, and the Intermediate size is good for a smaller Weimaraner). An 8-10 week old puppy should be confined in a small, or 24″ size kennel. Adult should have 36″ size kennels. If you choose to buy a puppy sized crate now and an adult sized crate later, I’m happy to buy the puppy crate off of you when you don’t need it anymore. (I can always use puppy crates!) Where to Buy: The Ruff Land Kennels are expensive (you can buy them from an authorized retailer like Gun Dog Supply, Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops, or Orvis) so you certainly don’t have to go that route. Amazon sells many different brands and models at various price points. Alternatively, you may certainly choose to use a wire crate instead of a plastic crate. (With wire crates I worry about puppies chewing on the bars and getting their teeth caught (it happens more than I like to admit). Puppies are usually able to free themselves after a few seconds, but it’s still a frightening experience for everyone involved.) And finally, here’s an article from Just Weimaraners about different types of crates. 8/2020 Update: Let me know if you might be interested in buying a Ruff Land crate; I have a friend who is an authorized reseller and if you buy from her, she’ll waive the shipping charge: Beth Worrell of Sporting Dogs B&B. Beth’s phone number is 619-997-6277 and her email is sportingdogsbeth [at] verizon [dot] net.
Fleece Blankets. Barrett puppies are accustomed to sleeping on folded fleece blankets in their crates. We like them because they are inexpensive and come in a myriad of patterns and colors to suit your personal style. Our routine is to switch out the blanket on Sunday afternoons. For crate padding, this works much better than “crate beds” that can run $25-$50 per bed, and aren’t as easy to launder. Where to Buy: We buy fleece fabric two yards at a time from JoAnn’s Fabrics and keep a stack handy. You can also order them from Amazon or any other major online retailer.
Poop Bags. Don’t be shy. Buy these in bulk, and put them everywhere. We have a few rolls stored in each vehicle, a few folded bags tucked into our wallets and handbags, more in the junk drawer in the kitchen, some tied onto our leashes, and some in a box in the backyard. Where to Buy: Amazon, Chewy, or the pet sections at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross.
Collars and Leashes. There are four million different types of collars and leashes you can buy for your dog. Barrett dogs wear neoprene collars with brass name plates riveted directly onto the collar so that tags don’t jingle or fall off. For safety reasons, we also put our cell phone numbers on our dog’s name plates, along with a note that says “REWARD FOR RETURN” but we don’t list their call names. (It’s much harder to find and decide you’re going to keep “Little Joey” when you don’t really know his real name.) Where to Buy: We sell them. Independent/small businesses like Gun Dog Supply or Dogs Unlimited also have a nice selection of collars and leashes. Note: Your puppy will also be going home with a biothane collar that should fit until your puppy is about 12 weeks old.
Epi-Otic Ear Solution. Puppies love to play in the dirt. In climates of higher humidity, this can quickly lead to dirty and/or yeasty ears. We keep a bottle of this in the first aid kit and apply it on the dogs as needed. Where to Buy: This item can be purchased through any pet store (I’ve even seen Target sell them) or online retailers, like Amazon or Chewy.
Sulfodene Hot Spot and Itch Relief Dog Spray. Dogs have a knack for getting scraped by bushes, bit by insects, reacting to pollen, etc. We keep a bottle of this in the first aid kit and spritz it on the dogs as needed. Vetricyn Would Care. Similarly, our dogs also get cuts, abrasions and wounds every now and again. We typically flush them out and spray on some Vetricyn spray to stave off infections. Where to Buy: Both items can be purchased online or any local pet store.
Millers Forge Nail Clippers. Proper nail care is essential. Barrett dogs are clipped on a weekly basis (usually on Sunday afternoons). One of the better brands of nail clippers is the Millers Forge. We have a few scattered throughout the house, and also in our training bags and overnight travel bags. Where to Buy: Amazon or Chewy.
Other things you will need: Miscellaneous rope, fetch, puzzle toys and chews (bully sticks, nylabones), Kongs. Puppy or baby shampoo. Cleaning supplies like Nature’s Miracle and Resolve.
The Optional List:
Poop Scooper. We have too many dogs to efficiently pick-up waste with a baggie everyday, and have found that for us, having a scooper makes the process much faster and easier. Everything goes into the trash can (see next item), and we spray out the scooper with a hose to keep it clean. Where to Buy: Chewy.
Trash Can. We keep a 5-gallon galvanized trash can with a lid outside to collect dog poop. The can is lined with a heavy duty trash bag. For us, and because we have a large backyard and a gaggle of dogs, it’s much more efficient than walking across the yard and into the garage to dispose of dog poop every single time. Where to Buy: Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Tractor Supply.
Last updated: May 2021
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