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Filling your dog's water bowl can feel like a never-ending task, especially when the weather is hot. This automatic waterer has a one-gallon, BPA-free tank feeding into a stainless steel bowl that can ensure your dog has a constant supply of fresh water available. Features a non-skid base with rubber feet.

Many opt for the slow feeder to encourage dogs to eat slowly and know when their belly gets full. A slow feeder can also encourage better digestion and reduce risk of bloat. Filled with healthy, moist food options rather than kibble, this slow feeder functions more like a lick mat and can be a fun way for puppies and young dogs to expend mental energy.

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When dogs are left alone for an extended time, or are otherwise in need of mental stimulation, a lick mat is an ideal option. It was only after our adult dogs chewed the edges and ruined multiple (cheaper) plastic mats that we discovered the stainless steel alternative.

Use a rubber spatula and spread the lick at with peanut butter, yogurt, cream cheese, or other healthy spreadables. Freeze if you have time and inclination. Then leave it with your dog for an extended treat that offers mental stimulation, enjoyable distraction, and reduction in anxiety.

We initially used non-skid bowls with waterproof trays underneath for our puppies' food and water. However, the constant cleanup involved with this set-up prompted us to transition to "kennel bowls" mounted on the side of their puppy play yard. The elevated food and water have been a game-changer for our more playful puppies! 

While we do not personally use this model of food and water dish, it is what I would use if I were bringing one of our puppies home! 

Note: this comes with a slow-feeder option as well.

Probios is our preferred puppy probiotic, mixed with kibble whenever needed (after vaxxes are given, concurrent with dietary changes, or if there are any stool issues noted). A Probios sample goes home in our puppy gift bags.

With a house full of 12 dogs, it's inevitable that there's grumpiness, occasional squabbles, and at least one dog with a little higher level of anxiety because of the dominant/"alpha" dogs. We've started using this pheromone diffuser in conjunction with the Zesty Paws Calming Bites in hopes of better regulating overall dog moods. We have noticed an overall improvement in our day-to-day doggy dynamics. These types of supplements are generally recommended if you have an overactive puppy or one prone to separation anxiety.

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We've started giving these daily to a handful of our adult dogs.  With a house full of 12 dogs, it's inevitable that there's grumpiness, occasional squabbles, and at least one dog with a little higher level of anxiety because of the dominant/"alpha" dogs. We give these chews to the dominant dogs in hopes of regulating them better, and to the one or two who tend to be more "anxious," in hopes of calming them a bit. Given daily, and used in conjunction with the Zenidog pheromone gel diffuser, we have noticed an overall improvement in our day-to-day doggy dynamics. These types of supplements are generally recommended if you have an overactive puppy or one prone to separation anxiety.

Pumpkin powder is a go-to when puppies experience digestive upset and loose stool due to environmental changes/anxiety, dietary changes, etc. While a bit more expensive compared to the generally recommended pumpkin puree, it is much more versatile, shelf-stable, and can be properly portioned without waste. We usually add pumpkin powder as-needed into our puppies' everyday ration of kibble. We also include some in our puppy go-home gift bag.

These treats are designed to fill puppy Kongs, but make a good fill for some other brands/styles of treat toys as well.

These are a favorite training reward or occaional treat. Made from high quality ingredients, this is a good non-chicken treat alternative. Since some Doodles are known to have sensitivities to chicken proteins, we love this option!

These pop-in treats come in handy for filling a variety of active and mental stimulation toys. Our puppies love the Nylabone puppy chew toy with one of these tucked into it, but we use these treats with other brands of toys as well.

If you are a Sam's Club member, the Member's Mark brand is cheaper in-store, but if not, these are available on Amazon. About 1/4-1/2 of a treat is recommended for puppies. These are much-loved in our puppy room! They are human-grade treats (all real food ingredients), and truth be told, I have caught our 6-year-old eating them when he's supposed to be treating the puppies!

Minties Fresh Bites help with the occasional "puppy breath" and promote dental health. Minties come in several sizes, but the Fresh Bites are perfect for puppies. In our experience, Minties brand is usually a better value than Greenies, for a similar product.

Our spoiled puppies do get occasional treats. While we have several "healthier" options, original Milk Bones stay on our shelf as a go-to. We have the larger sizes for our adult dogs, but like the little "Maro" treats. They're a perfect puppy size!

This is a perfect chew, snuggle, OR tug toy.

This is smaller than I expected when I ordered our first Hedgie, but I've gotten several others because ALL the puppies love it. There's something about all that "fluff," plus the squeaker, and it's a perfect "mouthing" size. It's also quite durable.

This is a great active toy that works well with a small-sized kibble for fill. Unlike some rolling toys, the dispenser hole is not adjustable, but it is much more durable than some we have had.

This is a consistent favorite to hold attention and promote activity in the puppy room.

This is another puppy favorite! Don't forget to stock up on the pop-in treats.

We use the Nylabone pop-in treats with this bone and the puppies love it!  It won't hold up to an older dog (we have to keep these away from the Mamas!!), but is perfect for the puppy stage.

This is a durable chew that tends to keep puppies' attention.

Somehow puppies are just fascinated by chewing on these octopus tentacles! The squeaker is a bonus. Makes a great tug toy with another dog or human companion.

Our professional grade astro-turf makes this complete potty system well worth the investment.

The tray, absorbent under pads, and turf are approximately 36″ x 24″ in size, large enough for even a mini adult dog.

Our system includes one tray, two under pads, two Astroturfs, and bonus scrapers and a roll of eco-friendly, compostable bags to easily scrape solid waste from the turf and dispose of it with less mess. The set also includes instructions for use and care.

This astroturf potty system is currently only available as a value-add when you adopt a Carrier Family Doodles puppy. You will receive it along with your gift bag on go-home day.

Please note, the astroturf you receive is reclaimed and will have signs of use. However, it is properly sized, cleaned, high-quality, and ready for continued use. We cycle through multiple astroturfs each day, with regular bleaching and sun-drying, and have used the same turfs for years. We were replacing the Amazon turfs every few months due to degradation. Also, (in our experience), this turf is also thicker/fuller, and much more like real grass than the Amazon alternatives.

We recommend separately purchasing plastic clamps with an approx. opening of 2", or extra-large binder clips, to hold the Astroturf down at the corners of the tray.

Once your puppy discovers a preferred potty spot in a place you don't prefer, it can be hard to break them from returning again to the same area. One of the biggest drivers is the lingering odor that they may pick up, even if you don't notice it. Nature's Miracle is our recommended go-to for stain and odor removal on carpets, upholstery, or mattresses.

Carrier Family Doodles uses our own Astroturf potty system with our puppies. It features long-lasting, professional-grade, re-claimed football field astroturf. You can buy our system, which we feel is a much higher quality for the price, or you can opt for a slightly lower-cost version on Amazon. Either one can be used as a fail-safe during early housebreaking, for convenience while traveling, as a toileting alternative when gating your puppy indoors, or as an option even into your puppy's adulthood! (We have adult dogs that hate going outside to potty in the rain...yeah, we know...and we put a potty system out for them on those occassions as well. Our 20-30 lb dogs have no problem using it).

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We recommend 6" plastic clamps (with approx. 2" opening) to secure Astroturf to the tray.

Our professional grade astro-turf makes this complete potty system well worth the investment.

The tray, absorbent under pads, and turf are approximately 36″ x 24″ in size, large enough for even a mini adult dog.

Our system includes one tray, two under pads, two Astroturfs, and bonus scrapers and a roll of eco-friendly, compostable bags to easily scrape solid waste from the turf and dispose of it with less mess. The set also includes instructions for use and care.

This astroturf potty system is currently only available as a value-add when you adopt a Carrier Family Doodles puppy. You will receive it along with your gift bag on go-home day.

Please note, the astroturf you receive is reclaimed and will have signs of use. However, it is properly sized, cleaned, high-quality, and ready for continued use. We cycle through multiple astroturfs each day, with regular bleaching and sun-drying, and have used the same turfs for years. We were replacing the Amazon turfs every few months due to degradation. Also, (in our experience), this turf is also thicker/fuller, and much more like real grass than the Amazon alternatives.

We recommend separately purchasing plastic clamps with an approx. opening of 2", or extra-large binder clips, to hold the Astroturf down at the corners of the tray

There are slightly cheaper crates than Midwest, but we prefer this brand for durability and rust-resistance.  This is an ideal size for our "larger" mini puppies that are expected to be 20-40 lbs. (currently, Foxy, Hazel, Phoenix, Afya, Trixi, and Breeze's puppies). This comes with a divider so you can make the sleep area smaller, as-needed.

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There are slightly cheaper crates than Midwest, but we prefer this brand for durability and rust-resistance. It's also slightly larger in width and height than many of the 24" alternatives. This is an ideal size for our smaller mini puppies that are expected to be up to 20 lbs (currently, Daisy, Midge, and probably Belle's puppies). Size up for all other puppies. This comes with a divider so you can make the sleep area smaller, as-needed.

We bit the bullet and got an original Chris Christensen Big G back when the prices were much higher. They're come down to a much more manageable range since then. Even so, we never regretted this purchase! Our original Big G lasted through 4-5 knockoffs. We groom a dozen adult dogs and brush lots of puppies, and this brush is absolutely essential.

Carrier Family Doodles has placed our puppies in 25+ states across the US, with many of them flying to their furever homes! If you're looking for an airline-approved carrier for your puppy's go-home day, this is what you want. There are two sizes listed; we've always used the smaller size and find that it fits well under the seat and accommodates our puppies comfortably at 8-10 weeks.

This is a basic and economical, in-ground, adjustable-mode invisible fence option for up to 1/3 acre of free roaming for your dog. There is also a "stubborn dog" version available.

We found the PetSafe wireless "fence" an excellent option for containing our adult male parent dog when he needed to be temporarily separated from our females. This is an ideal solution for your puppy if you don't have a fenced yard but want them to be able to safely enjoy a small outdoor space. It cam be used as a permanent option, or as a portable alternative in public or non-home locations. Note that if you are only using it occasionally, it does take some training for your dog to learn and respond to the boundary signals.

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This link is for the original, 1/2 acre PetSafe fence. We opted for the "Stubborn Dog," 3/4 acre model for our 50-lb adult Bernedoodle.

Odo Ban is an essential cleaner in our puppy and dog areas! We use it on all non-porous surfaces and for spot-cleaning toys and other dog items. The Eucalyptus scent is our personal favorite, but it also comes in Fresh Linen and Lavender. The link is for the Eucalyptus all-purpose cleaner, but Odo-Ban also offers a neutral PH, no-rinse floor cleaning option and a carpet cleaner.

These clamps are what we use to secure the four corners of the Astroturf into the tray of our Astroturf potty system.

We use this 36" x 36" non-slip, waterproof pad in the puppy play yard until we're sure it's safe not to use it. This is ideal for using in the play yard or for covering surfaces as-needed during the puppy housebreaking period.

This playpen is foldable and portable, perfect for creating an indoor play yard when you'll be gone too long to comfortably crate your puppy, or for use in setting boundaries outdoors.  Coupled with our Astroturf potty system, a play yard can be a great alterntive for your puppy when left alone for longer periods of time. Some of our puppies are fine with a 24" height, but others learn to climb over before they leave us. The 30" height is typically sufficient for any of our mini puppies.

Our puppies partially chewed through 3 recliner power cords before I found this cord protector. It works great to protect cords that you can't put up to puppy-proof, or that you forget to unplug before it's too late.

Some of our parent dogs came to us at an older age, and there's a saying about it because it's true: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." It has been hard to train/condition our older dogs with things like barking and (in particular) jumping up for attention and counter-surfing. This hand-held correction device has been indispensable in the training process. It is easy-to-use and relies on an ultrasonic sound that does little more than get a dog's attention and stop and undesirable behavior for long enough for you to 1) issue a related command and 2) offer follow-up positive reinforcement for the momentary cessation in undesirable behavior.

This is NOT a vibration or shock device. It does not require use of a collar. it is useful in re-directing many types of undesirable behavior for a dog that is within range of the device.

With twelve adult dogs, we have tried MANY bark collars! It has been difficult to find a model that does not rely on "smart technology" but rather, responds to a dog's own vocal cord vibrations. We have found this absolutely necessary with a number of dogs, so that correction does not occur randomly with any outside sound input (such as other dogs barking or doors slamming, people noise, etc.). We also wanted an effective, non-shock option. Of course, an economical option has also been preferred. So far, the Pet Safe collar has been our go-to.

This model is designed for small dogs and should work from puppyhood right into adulthood. This model has a rechargeable battery. (PetSafe also offers a lower-priced version that is battery-operated).

Our puppies go home with a basic collar and leash set. However, first-time leash use can bring out some of the recognized Bernese "stubbornness" in initial stages of leash training. Even our adult dogs who were/are a bit resistant to a traditional collar and leash combo have responded VERY well to a harness and leash. This is a basic, economical set that comes in a variety of colors and sizes.