If you've just purchased a Tibetan Terrier Puppy and are wondering what you should have on hand when your new bundle of joy comes home here is the list I recommend to new puppy buyers.

Food

We use Royal Canin Medium Breed Puppy Food,  Purina One Lamb and Rice Adult dried kibble and Purina Pro Plan Lamb and Rice Shredded. These  can usually be found at a Petsmart and the Purina One Lamb and Rice can be purchased at either grocery stores or pet stores. I've also found puppies usually really like the Purina puppy food.  Over the years we've tried Eukanuba, Iams and Science Diet but the dogs never liked them so we don't use those brands.

8" -12" Growth Collar  

Your adult dog will probably need a 14" collar (see below in leashes if your keeping your dog in a long coat) but the growth collars will help you until they are ready for their final collar.  These adjust from 8", which is what they will more than likely need at first, all the way to 12".  Very important - make sure to check these on a regular basis. Puppies grow quickly and a collar that is too small can do real damage.

Crates  

Either a vari kennel type airline crate or a wire crate will do. If you can afford both I would recommend you get both. I like the wire at home and at shows when the weather is very hot.  The airline crate is much safer for travel in a vehicle and some dogs prefer them as they make them feel safe. After all, dogs descend from den animals and the airline crates more closely resemble the den environment.  Vari kennel sizes I recommend for Tibetan Terriers are: 200 or 300 for final adult female and 300 for final adult male. In wire crates I use the 20" x 30" for puppies and females and the 24" x 36" for males. 

Dishes

I use stainless steel bowls.  I get the one quart size and find this to be just the right size.  They will last indefinitely too.  I also have larger crock style bowls to be more aesthetically pleasing in my kitchen area. I don't recommend the plastic type as many dogs will chew these up and they become very difficult to clean thoroughly when they have gashes from teeth marks in them.

Grooming tools

 Although your new puppy won't really need to be formally groomed until the age of 6-9 months (with the exception of ears and nails which should be done from the time you bring your pup home) you may want to have these items on hand.  Please refer to our grooming page for grooming items and grooming tips.

Gates and Expens

Although you probably have plans of getting a crate, if your going to be gone a lot of the time, having an area other than the crate to confine your puppy, but still give it more room than a crate will afford it is more humane than crating a puppy for many hours on end.  If your home has a small enough area that a gate will work with great.  There are many good gates out there.  Follow the link below to see pictures of my personal favorite.  We have them all through the house to manage puppies and adults.

If you don't have a small enough room you can confine the puppy in using a gate you may want to get an expen.  This can be set up with an inexpensive piece of vinyl from Lowes or Home Depost under it so you can use it anywhere, if you have carpet. The link below has pictures of how we use expens for puppies.

Treats

We give "Roarhide" nylabones to puppies and adults. The white regular nylabones have never gotten much use although the flexible flavored nylabones do seem to appeal to both pups and older dogs. Other treats we use are the chew sticks available at Walmart or Target & Dr. Dentley's rawhide chips, available at Petsmart. We use hotdogs, pieces of cheddar cheese and/or rolled foods like Red Barn for training treats.  These are soft and work very well.  We start using these during housetraining to let the dogs know they are going in the right place and keep using them all through their training.  Recipes for our doggie trail mix is in the food section. 

Leashes

If you are going to be taking your puppy to classes they will more than likely require you to have a 6' lead.  I would buy the thinner of the 2 sizes available in nylon. You may also want a Flex-lead.  A flexi lead is what I use most often for day to day use with my dogs. They love walks on flexi-leads as it allows them to explore a little more during our walks.  If you've never used one, practice with it in a safe place before going out into a public area or anyplace that may have vehicles nearby. Also if you'll be letting a child use it with the dog make sure they understand how the brakes work before they get in a situation that could be dangerous to them or the dog.

 If you keep your dog in a long coat an English style combination collar and lead, more correctly called a slip lead, will be much easier on the coat than an individual collar and lead.  I find these online.  J&J Dog Supplies carries a very nice thin leather one I love and Petedge and many of the other online dog supply outlets have a nice woven one.  Get the smaller diameter one in a 6' length.  The woven one is easier on the coat.

Toys

We  give the  dogs stuffed doggie toys with squeakers, Tennis balls which can be purchased in small size for puppies and braided rope toys. If your puppy likes to attack the squeaker and tears a toy apart in under 5 minutes you may want to just use socks with a squeaker.  We buy the squeakers in large bags and just reuse a sock again and again. The dogs love it and it's less expensive over time.

Everything on this page can be found by clicking here.

Good luck with your new friend and remember to have fun!