Ultimate RESCUE DOG Checklist Dog MUST-HAVES

Okay guys, okay, okay. All right, let's get started. Oh my God. Hi everyone and welcome back. Today we are talking about the things that you need if you're bringing home a new rescue dog. I'm making a whole entire checklist. You guys can check this off if you're gonna be bringing your dog home soon. I have Boomer and Demi here with me today. Both of them are rescue dogs. They are my dogs. We have Boomer over there, the brown one, and Demi over here, the shepherd. So we found both of them. They were wandering around on the streets. Boomer was eight months old and Demi was eight weeks old. Not at the same time, it was two separate times, but both of them had been abandoned by their original families and we brought them in and we've been taking care of them ever since. Before we get started, make sure that you subscribe to this channel and also like this video so that more people can see it and we can save more dogs. Okay, I think you guys are gonna need to be banished for this video. Okay, sorry, that's just the reality of filming with dogs. They're cute sometimes and they're just nightmares other times. Now, I'm not an expert on every single brand that's out there, but in the description of this video, I'm gonna be putting brands that I have used with my dogs or with the dogs that I've worked with and that I have found to really like. So I'm gonna be putting those there. You can go and check those out. First of all, bowls. This may seem obvious, I know, but this is gonna be what your dog is eating out of. So typically, a dog will need two, one for water and one for food. And keep in mind that if you're getting a puppy, your puppy is going to grow. So you might need to change the size of the bowls as your dog gets older. There are types of bowls that you can get that have obstacles that will actually slow your dog down when they're eating. My dog, Boomer, is a very fast eater. So he has to have one of these bowls. Even with these bowls, he's pretty fast, but this slows him down. I have it here with me so you can see. So as you can see, it has these things here. So we just put the food in there and he's gotta kinda root around to be able to get it out. So that helps to slow him down. You can get those at most pet stores. Food. Obviously, we need to be feeding our dog nutritious and healthy food. Now, I will fully admit to not being an expert on dog food. And there's a lot of stuff on the internet, so I highly recommend that you talk to your vet about this as opposed to just searching on the internet and trying to find the best thing because the internet is not always right. So definitely find a nutritionist or talk to your vet. Those are gonna be the people that you can trust the most to give you an honest opinion about dog food. Treats. This is a big one. So when you bring your dog home, he or she might be afraid. They don't really understand the routine or who you are or who your family is or where they are. It can be a really scary situation for them. So we wanna start associating your home and your family with lovely things. And how we do that is with a lot of praise and a lot of treats. Because then they're gonna start realizing, oh, when I'm in this place and with these people, good things happen to me. So therefore, these people and this place are good. That's what we want them to see. So every dog has different taste preferences, of course. There's different types of protein. There's tons of different flavors. You might not necessarily know what your dog likes. So before your dog arrives, I recommend getting a bunch of different flavors, a bunch of different brands, and just kind of seeing what your dog is into. Treat pouch. This is exactly as it sounds. It's a pouch for your treats. Of course, a treat pouch you don't have to use. I just find them very, very convenient, especially when you're traveling or going different places. I think my favorite treat pouch that I ever used was just a regular fanny pack. And the reason being is that it had a zipper around the top. So if you have a dog that's like mine, who's very nosy and tries to get into the treat pouch often, this zipper was just a lifesaver. Make sure you're getting some things to chew on. So bones and toys and different types of brain games. I recommend in the beginning, getting a ton of different types of toys, because again, you don't necessarily know what your dog is gonna like. Like, are they gonna like balls? Are they gonna like tug of war type toys or stuffies that they can destroy? Like you don't necessarily know what they're gonna like yet. So just get a bunch of different types of toys so that you can kind of figure out their style of play and what they like. So when I say brain games, what is it that I actually mean? Well, I mean any kind of toy that occupies your dog's mind and their body at the same time. So something that makes them think in order to play with it. I have an example here. It's probably one of my absolute favorite things to give my dogs. It's a treat ball. So as you can see, there's a hole in here and you just put treats or kibble, if that's what you wanna use, in there. And then your dog is gonna have to push this around in order to get the kibble to fall out of it. A lot of dogs absolutely love playing this game. I know my dogs can play it for hours, which is great if I have work that I need to be doing and they need to be distracted for a while. Again, if you have a dog who is a very fast eater, you can use this treat ball and put their breakfast in there and they have to work for their breakfast. So it's going to tire them out and also give them their meal. Also make sure that you pick up some bones for your dog to chew on. I do not recommend getting any kind of bone that is cooked and the reason being is these splinter really easily, which can destroy your dog's teeth and it can also get lodged in your dog's throat and cause them to choke. So the best types of bones to get are frozen raw bones. You can usually get those in the freezer section at most pet shops. Again, if you're giving your dog anything to chew on, whether it's a stuffy or a bone or a toy, you wanna make sure that you're in the room so that they don't choke. If you're planning on crate training your dog, then you are going to need to get a crate. Usually the workers in a pet shop will be able to instruct you on a specific size that you're going to need. But you need to make sure that your dog is able to fully stand up, fully lie down and fully turn around in the crate. That's how you know when the crate is the right size. Keep in mind that your dog may not be finished growing as well. So you may need to get multiple different sizes of crates or you can get a crate that is too big and then get a divider put into it so when your dog is small, it will be on the one side and then you can take the divider out and the dog can have the full range of the whole entire crate. Personally, I like metal or wire crates and then I like to just put a little blanket over the top so it can seem like a really nice, comfortable place for them to stay. You also wanna put something on the bottom of the crate for them to sit or lie on. So whether it's like a foam mat or just something comfortable for them to lie down on. Also, keep in mind that you can't buy a crate and then expect the dog to understand what the crate is. If your dog has no experience being in a crate before, you cannot just shove them in from day one and expect them to be okay with that. You do need to crate train them so that they become used to it and they can start to see it as a nice place that is completely their own as opposed to a punishment. Baby gates and play pens. This is probably one of the absolute most important things on this list. Baby gates and play pens have literally saved me so many times. If you let your dog have free range of your whole entire house right from the very start, there's a very good chance that they're going to get into trouble by going into a room that they're not supposed to and doing things that you do not want them to do. We don't want them to start developing any kinds of habits so right from the very start, we need to show them how things are done in our home. So baby gates will help you to kind of, you know, separate certain areas so that your dog doesn't necessarily go into every room in the house. Eventually, you can open it up to your dog but not right from the very beginning. A bed. This one seems super obvious but even if your dog is going to be sleeping in bed with you at night, you should still be getting your dog a bed because then that can be a special place that is just for them, that humans don't sit. It's nice for anyone to feel like they have their own specific place. It's kind of like children with their own bedroom. Dog tags. So when you bring your new rescue dog home, they don't necessarily know that your house is home yet. So if they happen to get out of your backyard or sneak out the front door or anything like that, they might not know how to get back to your house and it doesn't mean that they don't like you. They just don't understand yet. Every dog needs a collar. This is where you put your dog's tags. This is what you attach the leash to. It also can be used if your dog is ever in a sticky situation and you need to pull them away. Every dog needs a collar. There are so many different types of collars so it really depends on what you want. There's buckle type collars. There's collars that are kind of like a clasp. It really depends on what you want. If your dog is a massive puller on leash, then a buckle one is gonna be less likely to accidentally unsnap. So that might be a safer bet for you. In terms of the fit of a collar, it shouldn't be too tight because obviously your dog can choke and it shouldn't be too loose because then your dog can slip out of the collar and escape. So a good judge of this is putting two fingers in between your dog's neck and the collar. If you can fit your fingers in there, that's good. Then it's not too tight. But if there's any space in between, it's probably a bit too loose. A leash, this one is obvious. We need a leash to walk our dogs. Walking equipment. Again, this is super, super important. Probably the second most important thing on this entire list. There are so many different types of equipment when it comes to walking dogs. So I'm gonna get into those right now. The ideal is to be able to walk your dog with just a collar and just a leash. This is the absolute ideal but it's not always an option for every single dog. Some dogs, you need to work with them over time to be able to get them to that point. You need to train them. It is a journey for everybody. My own dog wears a harness because he's just not there yet. And then Demi just has a collar and a leash. So every dog is different depending on how stimulated they get out on walks. And if they've ever had any experience before walking on leash. So the first thing that I wanna mention is a harness. Like I said, this is what my dog Boomer uses. I have an example here. So this is a harness that goes around his body. So his head goes in here, his leg is here and his full body is here and it attaches at the front of his chest. If you're using a harness, I highly, highly recommend getting one that attaches at the front. The reason being is that when your dog pulls it's going to slightly push the front legs together which is going to throw them slightly off balance and make it nearly impossible to pull. Whereas if you get a harness that attaches at the back it's actually going to promote pulling because then it feels more like, you know think of a sled dog, it's more exciting and they have 100% all of the power. It's going to be a lot harder on you. Also a harness is really good if you have a small dog because it's not going to strain the neck as much. Smaller dogs do have weaker necks. So it's not gonna pull on their neck if they are a big puller. So my favorite to use is the harness. I've used it for Boomer. I used it for my older dog, Django. We used a harness for both of them until they got to the point of being able to walk with a collar and a leash. There's also what is called a halty which is basically a little thing that goes around their snout. And then underneath it has something where you, that's where you attach the leash and then it hooks in off the top of their head. So what this does is it's meant to simulate a mother dog when she is picking a puppy up from the scruff. So it's that same kind of feeling that kind of checks them in. And also it takes all of their strength away because it's attached to their head really. The one issue that I have with this is if you use it incorrectly, it can be very painful for your dog. It can cause a lot of issues. So if this is the route that you want to take and this is usually just used for very severe pullers, definitely contact a trainer and they can help to show you how you can do this. If you use it properly, it does not hurt the dog whatsoever. So if you're gonna use it, just contact a trainer to make sure that you're doing it right. Now, there are also pinch collars, prong collars and choke chains, all of which I do not use at all and I don't recommend using them. The reason being is that if you use them incorrectly, it can have very, very serious consequences and most people use them incorrectly. You're more than welcome to go and do your research on it for sure. I'm just being completely honest and saying that I do not use these and I don't recommend anyone use them. Veterinary contact info. So you're gonna be developing a very close relationship with your vet. You're gonna be going there at least once a year for the entirety of your dog's life. So you wanna make sure that you get in at a good veterinary clinic and that you have a good relationship with them. You can actually start this process before you bring your new rescue dog home. So start researching, read some Google reviews. You can even go and interview, talk to some of the vets. Just go and check out the vibes of the place. You can start this process before you actually bring your new dog home. If you actually don't wanna schedule your first appointment until one or two weeks after your dog has been in your home, that gives them enough time to kind of shake off that anxiety that they had at the shelter. So definitely don't book in an appointment for one or two weeks, but if you set up that relationship before your dog comes home, you have someone to ask if you need any kind of guidance in that one to two weeks. Your vet is going to be giving you some information about flea and tick medication and things like that. So I'm not gonna go into too much detail about that because I'm not a vet, but that is something that you're also gonna be discussing with your veterinarian. Since we're on the topic of pet care professionals, you might wanna start looking into dog sitters, dog walkers, dog daycares, anyone that can help you with your dog. You can do this, like I said, before you actually bring your dog home. Even if you plan on staying home with your dog, most of the time, you're gonna wanna have someone that you know and that you trust that you can call on if and when you need it. Grooming tools and nail clippers. So we all know that some dogs need to be groomed. All dogs need to have their nails clipped. So you can do these types of things at home or you can pay an organization to do it. A toothbrush and toothpaste. It is so important to keep your dog's teeth clean. Not only will it help their overall health, but it's gonna save you money in the future because you won't have to pay these ridiculous dental fees. If you're adopting a dog, I do not recommend trying to brush your dog's teeth until you've developed a really strong relationship because a lot of rescue dogs don't like relative strangers putting their fingers in their mouth, which I totally get. So you wanna make sure that you develop a bond with your dog before you try to brush their teeth. Going along that theme, we have a dog first aid kit, which is really great if you're planning on going on adventures with your dog. A lot of the things in a dog first aid kit are gonna be similar to a human first aid kit, but then there's gonna be some things also that are very dog focused. I did make a video on this a few years ago, which I'm gonna link here. It's a little bit old and outdated, but all of the things that I mention in it are still really good. So I definitely recommend going to check that out if you wanna know what I put in my dog first aid kit. Personally, I just keep the dog first aid kit in the glove compartment of my car because that way when we go on hiking adventures and things like that, I can just pull it out of the glove compartment and take it with me and I just have it there with me at all times. Essential oils, particularly lavender. So this may seem kind of hippy dippy and that's totally fine if that's your feelings on it, but I personally love essential oils and I love using it with my dogs. I think it makes such a big difference, not only for my own rescue dogs, but also for rescue dogs that I've worked with in shelters before as well. Lavender essential oil just makes such a big difference and there are so many calming, healing properties to it. So what I do is I just have an essential oils diffuser. I just put a couple of drops of the lavender oil and I let it just spread throughout the room and it just acts as a kind of calming agent inside of my house. That is my checklist for if you are bringing home a new rescue dog. Remember, I am gonna be putting some more resources in the description section of this video if you guys wanted to go check that out. And if you think of anything that you think that I missed that was really helpful for you with your rescue dog or something that you're wondering about, then please put that in the comment section and I'd be happy to answer it. Thank you guys for watching this video. Make sure you subscribe. If you haven't, I have a playlist all about adopting a dog. If that's something that you're interested in, you can go and check that out and like this video, of course, and I'll see you guys in the next video.