Being a first time dog mom meant rapidly learning that there were certain things a dog owner needed and can’t live without. We quickly discovered that not every shop would sell the things you wanted. Here I’ve put together a list of dog mom essentials, tried and tested favourites and absolute must haves!
1. Biodegradable Poo Bags!!
They’re my no.1 and should be on every dog owners list! Every pocket of every item of clothing I own has a poo bag in it somewhere. No one likes to get poop all over their new trainers or drag it all around their house when they get home, so being a responsible dog owner means scooping that poop and putting it in the bin! No matter how gross it is, and believe me I have SEEN THINGS.
Also.. it’s 2018 guys and the world is melting and our oceans are filling with plastic.. let’s actively try to help the planet we live on and reduce our plastic waste yes? Biodegradable bags are available everywhere these days so there is no excuse!! If you can’t find them then please follow the link below and buy yourself some poo bags that don’t harm mother nature.
2. A Dog Bed
When we adopted Mila we were told she had didn’t have a dog bed suitable enough for us to take home and that was when I first panicked. I worried that she would come home with us and not have anything familiar to her for comfort. So, the next day I went to The Range and bought her this giant pillow style bed for roughly £35.
For the first few weeks she never really used it and ended up choosing to sleep with Harley all snuggled up like a lil ying yang sign, but eventually she ended up wanting her own space.. or Harley would want space as she commandeered his bed, and would go and stretch out on the pillow. It is now a solid favourite of theirs and I’m pretty glad I made the investment.
Fun Fact: I originally bought two of these pillows. One in a light brown and the other a silver/white colour.. to match their fur. Harleys pillow got chewed and ripped up not long after.. its a sore subject.
3. A Durable yet Stylish Collar
Again, when we picked up Mila she was wearing this (in my opinion) hideous baby pink studded collar with a matching harness to boot. It was also old and battered and torn and I felt like she needed a make over!
This is the best one we found. Its thick enough not to choke her, has a buckle so that it wont snap open, is strong enough to endure her rough play with Harley and more than anything.. no studs!!!! Huzzah!
4. A Dog Lead
This has been the trickiest job of all. Finding a lead that Mila will walk on without pulling, gives me control and will also let her roam and sniff and do the dog things when we’re out on fields. I’ve tried so many different types and I now switch between two different leads depending on the walk.
5. Doggy Shampoo!
As I have mentioned in previous posts, dogs smell pretty bad sometimes. They can’t help that its just their natural musk. But there are times when your dog will need a bath and a real good scrub after they’ve ran off and jumped in a lake or trodden though muddy fields.
Some dogs can be really sensitive to certain chemicals in shampoos, so be careful when you switch to a new brand or notice something unusual with your dogs fur/skin.
We all need a regular wash so make sure you doggo is happy, healthy and clean!!
6. Dog Treats
This for many would be way higher on the list but if I’m completely honest the only time I use treats is when I’m training Mila. They get the occasional scraps from our plates, and regular dental sticks, but as for proper dog treats they’re definitely a rarity in our house! Sometimes I buy cooked chicken, sometimes I’ll head down to the corner shop and see what kind of dog treats they sell. Both mila and Harley are partial to some paté in a kong (I’ll mention this later) but as far as treats go my dogs will eat ANYTHING. They’re not fussy!!
7.Dog Toys
Oh the number of dog toys we’ve gone through before finding some durable chew proof toys is unbelievable. Mila didn’t have any when we adopted her, and Harley has only ever had a kong, or a rope to play tug of war. All the other toys we have bought have been chewed up and spat out all over our house, resulting in yet more money down the drain.
Staffys are pretty heavy chewers so whatever they have just gets destroyed within minutes! The BEST investment was this bone from The Range. Its super tough and made out of rubber. Harley has been chewing his for MONTHS and still hasn’t managed to destroy it completely.
I bought a ball made of the same material for Mila which has also been pretty good at holding itself together for more than 5 minutes. The kong I generally don’t leave lying around but this is also something that has withstood the jaws of both our dogs and has yet to have a dent in it. They love chewing their kongs especially when they’re stuffed with peanut butter or paté, and keep them both occupied for a good half hour at least!
8. Flee Treatment & Worming Tablets
Something I didn’t even think about was the cost of flee treatment and worming tablets. They are actually super important for keeping healthy, happy dogs. I always know it’s time for more worming tablets when I catch Harley dragging his butt hole across my carpets!! It can be really uncomfortable for them if they do get a bad case of worms and a simple tablet can prevent it so making sure you get the best stuff is important.
I would recommend the Frontline brand as I’ve personally used it and found it to be well worth the money. They ARE expensive but can you really put a price on a happy and healthy doggy? Please make sure you buy the right box based on the weight of your dog. Mila is 18kg so I buy the box suitable for medium dogs between 10kg – 20kg.
There are so many other things I could have put on this list, but these are the top 8 things I find to be super important and can’t live without! They do their job at keeping my hounds happy and make life a whole lot easier when you’re thrown into the world of being a dog mom!
If anyone has any robust dog toy suggestions or has any advice or questions for me, please feel free to comment and leave a message below!!