My household has 2 doggos, and it’s truly one of the most rewarding experiences to have them in our lives. To have a healthy and happy furry companion will mean you have to put in a little effort beyond the basics. So whether you’re a first-time dog owner or a seasoned pet parent, ensuring that you have the right essentials can make your pup’s life—and yours—much more comfortable and enjoyable.
If you’re a first-time dog owner, check out my post on what to get and why. If you’re just trying to keep up with what’s good quality or cool — here are the 10 must-have essentials every dog owner should have.
Leash, Collar, and ID Tag
If you plan on ever leaving your home with your dog, you probably need a leash. (That is unless you have a well-trained dog in France). My preference is for rope leashes. They are durable, strong, easy to clean, don’t get knotted up, and look good. Plus if your dog likes to pull, they are less likely to burn your hand. Here are a few of my favorites:
Made to Roam Premium Everyday Leash | Amazon
Rope Leash | The Foggy Dog
There are obviously budget choices for collars, but if you’re looking for something a bit more stylish, check out The Foggy Dog’s dreamy prints.
Dog Collar in Figs and Berries Print | The Foggy Dog
For your ID tag, I’m a big fan of Boomerang Tags. They’re a small business, made in the USA, and have great service. You get a few options, but if you want a fancy tag, I suggest you google for those.
If you are also on the hunt for a harness, both of our doggos have these black tactical-looking harnesses. They are nearly identical but the Chai’s Choice version is marketed slightly differently than the Rabbitgoo. Regardless they are the same and the Rabbitgoo one tends to cost less and has hundreds of thousands of positive reviews.
Chai’s Choice Quick Release Dog Harness | Amazon
Rabbitgoo No Pull Dog Harness | Amazon
Food and Water Bowls
We have bowls throughout our home and outside so that the dogs always have a place to find water. We love the look of the lifted bowl in the kitchen so that there’s a dedicated spot for it always. We put this on top of a silicone mat to contain spills.
Raised Pet Bowl | Amazon
We also love the look of Jonathan Adler’s ceramic bowls (his stuff is always lovely!). So if you’re design-inclined, stock up on these pretty bowls.
Now House for Pets by Jonathan Adler Terrazzo Bowl | Amazon
Finally, for the outdoors, we need something durable. We consistently turn to Yeti for their quality products and love the quality of this bowl, look, and the weight is nice as well!
Yeti Boomer 8 Dog Bowl | Amazon
High-Quality Dog Food & Treats
If your dogs are like your children, then making sure they get high-quality food is important. There are a lot of different options out there, but we’ve found most pet store dog foods are not of the standard we want for our dogs. If this is important to you, check Dog Food Advisor when buying in stores.
Our pick is Ollie’s Fresh Pet Food. It’s high quality and our dogs are obsessed with it. The downside it that it IS pricey and it requires freezer space. Something that gets tough when you have 2 doggos who eat it.
Fresh Dog Food | Ollie
We’ve also loved The Farmer’s Dog in the past, but I quickly got tired of their portioning and packaging and had to move on (For our 15lb schnauzer, I was supposed to serve 1/4 of a package a day, meaning 1/8 a package a meal… portioning this out in a squeezable package was just plain irritating). If you have a larger dog, this may work well for you!
Of pet store brands, I would only recommend Ziwi Peak. It’s a brand from New Zealand, which has higher quality standards for dog foods. Just note that not all dogs love it because of their texture.
Ziwi Peak Freeze-Dried Dog Food | Amazon
For treats, we generally are between the soft treats from Bocce’s Bakery and the training treats from Pupford. Our dogs aren’t the most picky, but I wanted to make sure they had something high quality that they can’t wait to eat. We like both of these treats because they don’t smell bad (unlike a lot of meaty treats) and are either breakable into smaller pieces (Bocce’s) or each piece is low in calories.
Mint Cookie Crunch Soft & Chewy Treats | Bocce’s Bakery
Pupford Training Treats | Amazon
Comfortable Bed
Like our water bowls, we have dog beds throughout our home because the dogs need a cozy space to call their own. I wanted to choose beds based on aesthetic, but at the end of the day, we chose what would be most comfortable for our dogs. For our 15-lb schnauzer, Dita, we buy the large cuddle cube (which is meant for a much much larger dog), but she loves it. Our 30-lb cavapoo , Manchego, also loves it, but Dita makes sure that it’s her spot.
K&H Pets Cuddle Cube | Amazon
Barkbox Memory Foam Dog Bed | Amazon
Best Friends by Sheri OrthoComfort Deep Dish Cuddler | Amazon
Grooming Supplies
Whether to choose to take your dog to a groomer or groom at home, you’ll still need some basic grooming supplies. Most dog coats require regular brushing to prevent matting or help with shedding. If you’re lucky like us and have 2 non-shedding doggos, then you probably won’t have to brush as much.
Wahl 4-in-1 Dog Shampoo | Amazon
Because our dogs don’t shed, we really only need small brushes to get through their coats. I tend to run a tear comb all over the body, not just under their eyes.
Tear Combs | Amazon
Dog Toothbrush | Amazon & Dog Toothpaste | Amazon
I take advantage of the visits to the vet or groomer to trim our dog’s nails, but every once in awhile, you might need to take care of a pesky long nail, so having an inexpensive dog nail clipper around is useful.
Nail Clipper | Amazon
Toys and Enrichment
If you’re not the most outdoor active and have relatively active dogs, you’ll need to find ways to entertain them throughout the day since dogs need mental and physical stimulation.
We have a variety of toys dependent on the dogs. Super chewers for Manchego, cuddly toys with a lot of limbs for Dita. We also have enrichment toys to keep them occupied when we need a moment during their active zoomies moments.
Dita loves stuffed animals with the duck noise squeaker. The high-pitched squeaker works well too, but something about the low squeaker is great. We found Patchwork Pets has great toys with this type of squeaker.
Patchwork Pet Dog | Amazon
Manchego loves carrying around his tiny hedgehogs. We’ll throw them and he loves chasing and cuddling with them.
Hedgehogs | Amazon
To keep them busy, the Bob-A-Lot toy is perfect. We have the big and little (since we have a “big” and “little” dog). We put the Pupford Training Treats in this.
Starmark Bob-A-Lot Interactive Dog Toy | Amazon
Snuffle mat | Amazon
Poop Bags and Cleanup Supplies
The last key essential group of items is clean-up supplies.
For walks, we have 2 types of poop bags. One for grabbing one before the walk (we live in an apartment building, so I actually use it to open the front door).
Earth Rated Dog Poop Bag Roll | Amazon
Earth Rated Dog Poop Bags for the Yard | Amazon
We keep around a wet vac and pet-specific cleaning spray for any accidents (rare, but they happen).
Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner Wet Vacuum | Amazon
Nature’s Miracle Pet Odor Eliminator, 3-In-1 Odor Destroyer Spray | Amazon
Remember, as each dog is unique, so adapt these essentials to your pet’s specific needs.
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