New Puppy Starter Kit

Bringing a puppy home is the busiest week you will ever have with them. This is the list we give people who walk into our Lekki store and ask “what do I actually need?” — put together by the team who groom, board and treat dogs here every day.

Everything on it is in stock. Buy the lot, or work down it at your own pace.

Feeding

Puppy kibble. Puppy food is not smaller adult food — it carries the protein, fat and calcium a growing dog needs, and a puppy raised on adult food grows badly. Pick one bag and stay on it. Switching brands is the fastest way to upset a puppy's stomach, and it is the most common mistake we see.

Wet food. Mixed into the kibble for the first few weeks, it makes the move off their mother's milk far easier.

Stainless steel bowl. Not plastic. Plastic scratches, the scratches hold bacteria, and that is what causes the chin acne people bring dogs in for.

Toilet training

Training pads and training spray. The spray marks the pad as the right place to go. Expect three to six weeks, and expect accidents. Clean them without scolding — a puppy that is frightened of you learns to hide it, not to stop.

Training

Treats and a clicker. You cannot train a puppy on affection alone. The click marks the exact half-second they got it right, which is the difference between a dog that sits and a dog that sits every time. Keep the treats small; you will be giving out a lot of them.

Sleeping and travelling

A bed of their own. Somewhere that is theirs, away from the door and out of the draught.

A hard crate. A crate is not a cage — it becomes the puppy's den, and a dog raised with one settles faster and travels calmly. It is also the only carrier an airline will accept, and it turns a vet visit from a wrestling match into a five-minute trip. If you buy one thing on this list that you did not expect to, make it this.

Walking

Collar and lead. You should be able to slide two fingers between the collar and the neck. Check that fit every fortnight — puppies outgrow collars far faster than people expect, and a collar left too long becomes a real injury.

Keeping them clean

Dog shampoo. Dog shampoo only. Human shampoo strips the oils out of a coat and leaves the skin raw. Wait until eight weeks for the first bath.

Wipes. For paws after Lagos rain, and for everything in between baths.

Poop bags. One on every walk, every time.

Toys

A rubber chew toy. A teething puppy is going to chew something. Give them something that is theirs, or they will pick your shoes and you will not win that argument.

What we would leave off

Not clothing, not a harness yet, and not a dewormer off the shelf. Deworming a puppy properly depends on their age and weight, and the first one belongs with the first vaccinations.

One thing to know before you come in

We register every pet before we vaccinate. Registration and your Exotic Pet Café Pet Passport are issued in the same visit as the first jab — it is not a separate errand and not an optional extra. The passport is the record of what your dog has had and when the next dose is due, and you will need it for boarding, for travel, and for any vet who sees them after us.