Do you have friends or family members who’ve recently adopted a new dog or puppy?
You’d like to give a gift for their new family member, but you don’t know what to choose!
I asked dog lovers and pet professionals from around the world for their suggestions.
Necessities
George Guba (Virginia) A crate, sized for the dog as an adult. Most puppies can be destructive when left to their own devices. This isn’t a breed-specific thing, it’s just the nature of puppies. A crate gives them a safe space. You don’t have to worry about them chewing on power cords, destroying your property, getting into chemicals, etc. Crates also help to speed housebreaking. (But remember, a puppy still has to go out regularly, and more often than an adult dog.) When you travel, a crate is a safe place in the car. It limits the chance of injury for both the dog and for you in case of an unexpected fast stop or accident. It also gives the dog a safe place when you are visiting a friend or relative. The reason for getting a crate that is big enough to suit them when they are an adult is that it serves the purpose for their entire life. At the vet, crate training keeps some dogs calmer because it gives them more comfort, being a familiar confinement in what can be a confusing and scary environment.
Steven Cogswell (Colorado) A set of baby gates. I think the biggest mistake new dog owners make is giving their dog too much freedom too soon. It’s important to give a dog decompression time as they adapt to a new home. Before actual training starts, I think managing their environment so they can’t get in too much trouble during the transition time is a great start. As they get used to a small area, and confident they know what’s expected of them, their area of freedom can be increased.
Julie Ellingson (California) First-grooming gift certificate, of course, or the appropriate brush, comb, etc. The obvious one for me [a groomer]—it would come with instructions.
Photo by Denise O’Moore
Enrichment
Jill Gibbs (Montana) KONGs are great first-time toys. They can be filled with yogurt or peanut butter and treats. KONGs keep a busy puppy or adult dog occupied and out of trouble. You can place a filled KONG in their crate to teach them that crates are a good place.
Trish Ryan (South Carolina) Snuffle mat, KONG, Buster Cube, clicker! “Think outside the bowl,” foraging, mental exercise, and fun for your pup. I put together baskets or tricky tray auctions and include these items, along with a training session, depending on the value of the prize. I like the food puzzles. Grand-doggies get these goodies every Christmas.
Misty Mills (Texas) I would give a variety of food puzzles. First of all, watching puppies play with these toys is fun for everyone. It’s adorable. As a trainer, I also know dogs fed from puzzles and toys are generally easier to train and more well behaved.
Amy Suggars (Ohio) I give a gift box with a puppy KONG, puppy Nylabone, a fleece squeak toy, and a latex squeak toy. This gives the puppy different mouth “feels”!
Beth Fabel (Washington) A bunch of KONGs and instructions on how to stuff and freeze them. It’s so helpful to have a stash of ready-to-go KONGs in the freezer for distraction and quiet time when you are busy! It’s worth buying extras.
Carol McPherson (Wyoming) I would give a size-appropriate KONG. I always think of a KONG as the gateway toy, addicting dogs to appropriate chewing and other enrichment toys.
Donna Furneaux (Ontario) As many chew toys as it takes to get the pup to chew on them and not on your hand or furniture or shoes or boots. He/she will glom onto at least one [as a favorite] and then you are set for life.
Laurie Schlossnagle (Utah) Snuffle mat! A snuffle mat is made of fleece or a deep-pile rug and you put treats/kibble on it for dogs to forage through and find. I give it because foraging is a natural dog behavior that uses multiple senses, and it helps with a lot of new puppy/dog woes by using up brain energy.
Education
Ronald Schumann (Ohio) Gift certificate for a reputable beginner/puppy obedience class. Help them learn how to train their new dog to be the companion they want. Most beginners lack knowledge of how to train a new dog or puppy properly. They may yell at the puppy for not coming when called, for example . . . which only makes the pup afraid to come when called. They may rub the pup’s nose in poop after a house-training mistake . . . which only makes the pup think the owners are crazy. A good trainer will help avoid such common mistakes.
Kat Camplin (California) Gift certificate toward training classes or private instruction.
Anna Abney (South Carolina) A gift certificate for beginner manners-training classes with a reputable trainer who uses up-to-date methods! First-time dog owners are easily overwhelmed, and a good trainer can help guide them through so much during those first months, including basic manners, house training, handling skills, husbandry. A good trainer also likely has relationships with groomers, dog walkers, boarding facilities, pet sitters, and veterinarians in the area so they can help the new owner find all the services she needs.
Online
Michel Berner (Wisconsin) Gift a streaming membership to Tawzer dog videos for training videos. Tawzer is a dog-training video rental/streaming. (Netflix for dog geeks.) Everything in their library is science-based learning featuring the world’s top trainers, educators, researchers. They offer a video-on-demand service and a DVD rental service.
Tawzer Dog
Sarah Adams (Oregon) Free book! It’s a variety of articles from different authors about puppy socialization, training, and management. It’s marketed for sport puppies, but pet puppies need these things, too. It’s good solid advice from trainers I trust.
Growing Up FDSA (free ebook)
https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/self-study/growing-up-fdsa-free-ebook?
Abigail Witthauer (Alabama) If there are children, I would give a gift certificate to Family Paws Parent Education to teach kids and parents how to set up a safe and fun relationship with their dogs. It’s a webinar.
Family Paws Parent Education
Alice Loder (United Kingdom) A “dogs’ body language” course and a first-aid training course.
Books
Jo Trent (California) The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell, PhD—it’s a great book for all ages, not just puppies!
Lynn Honeckman DVM (Florida) Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training for the Companion Dog by Kenneth M. Martin and Debbie Martin.
Carol McPherson (Wyoming) The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson—it has a lot of valuable insight for a first-time dog parent.
Donna Hill (British Columbia) Reaching Animal Minds by Karen Pryor. Shows what is possible for training and that it can be R+. Highly inspiring book! Inspire first, teach later.
Pamela Gunderson (Oregon) A good book about the breed so they can learn what the breed was developed for; Don’t Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor, to learn about positive motivational training.
Abigail Witthauer (Alabama) Raising The Worst Dog Ever: A Survival Guide by Dale M. Ward. It’s my favorite for new dog owners.
Alicia Graybill (Nebraska) A public library card and a list of great dog books.
However big or small your budget, there are many choices of great gifts for dogs!
