New Puppy Checklist: Collars, Bowls, Chew Toys, and More

Quick answer

Buy the puppy essentials in this order: a properly fitted collar or harness, two bowls (one for water, one for food), and two or three chew toys that match your puppy's current chewing style. Then add training and enrichment gear as your puppy grows. Skip anything sized for an adult dog, and re-check collar fit every two weeks because puppies grow fast.

A new puppy does not need a full pet-store aisle. Most of what you buy in the first month should be sized for the puppy in front of you right now, not the dog you expect in six months. That means a collar that fits today with room to adjust, bowls your puppy can reach without stepping in them, and chew toys tough enough to survive teething without being so hard they damage baby teeth.

This checklist walks through the puppy starter kit in priority order. For each category you get a decision rule, a trade-off to accept, and a note on when to size up. The goal is fewer, better purchases and fewer mid-month replacements.

Start with the collar, not the accessories

Your first puppy collar purchase should be a lightweight adjustable collar with a buckle or quick-release clasp, sized to your puppy's current neck measurement plus about two fingers of slack. Measure the neck at its widest point, then check the fit every two weeks. A collar that fit at eight weeks will be too tight by twelve weeks, and a loose collar can slip over the head during a startle.

If your puppy pulls hard or has a narrow head, a harness may be the safer early choice. For heavy-duty collar hardware and links, the trade-off is weight: stainless hardware lasts longer and resists rust, but it adds grams a small puppy may notice. Start with lighter gear and move to heavy-duty hardware once your puppy is closer to adult size.

• Rule: if you can fit more than two fingers under the collar, it is too loose; if you cannot fit one, it is too tight.
• Do not buy an adult-sized collar and punch extra holes. Buy the size that fits now.

Bowls: two bowls, one decision

You need one water bowl and one food bowl. The real decision is whether your puppy inhales food. If your puppy finishes a meal in under a minute, or gulps and then coughs, choose a slow feeder or enrichment bowl instead of a plain bowl. If your puppy eats at a normal pace and seems relaxed, a standard bowl is fine and easier to clean.

Slow feeders trade convenience for effort. They are harder to wash, and some puppies get frustrated at first. Introduce one at a single meal, not all of them, and watch whether your puppy keeps eating or gives up. For water, keep a plain bowl so hydration stays easy.

• Rule: fast eater or gulper, choose a slow feeder; normal eater, choose a standard bowl.
• Pick bowls with a wide, stable base. Puppies step in bowls and tip them.

Chew toys: match the toy to the chewing style

Puppy chew toys do two jobs: redirect teething away from furniture, and keep your puppy busy when you cannot supervise. Buy two or three toys, not ten. One durable rubber toy for power chewing, one treat-dispensing toy for enrichment, and one tug or fetch toy for interactive play covers most of the first few months.

The trade-off is durability versus softness. Very hard toys can be too much for baby teeth, while soft toys get destroyed in minutes by a determined chewer. Rotate toys every few days so they feel new, and inspect them weekly for cracks or missing pieces. A toy that is too small to fit comfortably in your puppy's mouth is a choking risk, not a chew toy.

• Rule: if your puppy destroys a toy within a day, move up in durability, not down in size.
• Rule: if a toy shows deep cracks or loose pieces, retire it immediately.

Training and containment gear: buy last, buy once

Training collars, wireless fence systems, and other containment tools are not first-week purchases for most puppies. Wait until your puppy has basic name recognition and a few weeks of age-appropriate training. When you do buy, buy for your puppy's adult weight range so the gear still fits at maturity, and confirm compatibility between receivers and transmitters before you order.

The trade-off here is cost versus flexibility. Modular systems that accept extra links or replacement parts usually cost more upfront but save money as your puppy grows. If you are unsure about sizing, choose the system with the most adjustable fit rather than the cheapest fixed-size option.

• Rule: do not buy containment gear until your puppy is at least a few months old and has started basic training.
• Rule: if a system does not offer replacement links or parts, treat it as a short-term purchase.

Decision rules for your puppy starter kit

• Collar fit: Measure your puppy's neck, add two fingers of slack, and re-check every two weeks. If the collar leaves marks or slips over the head, resize it. Buy adjustable now; buy heavy-duty once your puppy is near adult size.
• Bowl choice: Time one meal. Under one minute or gulping means a slow feeder; a relaxed pace means a standard bowl. Introduce a slow feeder at one meal first, not all of them.
• Chew toy durability: If a toy is destroyed in a day, move up in durability. If it cracks or sheds pieces, retire it. Two or three toys, rotated weekly, beat a basket of ten.
• Training and containment gear: Wait until your puppy has started basic training, then buy adjustable systems with replacement parts. Buy for adult size so the gear still fits in six months.

Products that fit this checklist

• NEW! Wave Bowl Enrichment Slow Feeder Bowl: The Wave Bowl uses a segmented design that is more difficult than other slow feeder bowls and promotes slower eating. If your puppy gulps meals, this is the bowl to buy first; if your puppy eats slowly already, a standard bowl is simpler to clean.
• NEW! Golf Ball Treat Dispenser & Toy: The Golf Ball rubber treat dispenser is designed for fetch, power chewing, and long-lasting enrichment, and dispenses treats like kibble. This covers both the enrichment and power-chewing slots in a starter kit, so you can buy one toy instead of two.
• Herm Sprenger NeckTech Sport Black Stainless Links (2): Each extra link adds 1.25 inches (3 cm) to the total length of a Neck-Tech collar, and the links are stainless steel to prevent rust or corrosion. If you buy a Neck-Tech collar for a growing puppy, extra links let you resize the collar instead of replacing it.

Who this checklist fits

Best for

• First-time puppy owners building a starter kit from scratch
• Owners of fast-eating or heavy-chewing puppies who need gear that lasts past the first month
• Households that want a short, prioritized buying list instead of a full pet-store haul

Not for

• Owners of adult dogs who already have fitted collars and established routines
• Puppies under eight weeks who have not yet come home and cannot be measured
• Buyers looking for a single bundled kit; this checklist is meant to be bought in stages

Buy the collar, bowls, and two or three chew toys first, then add training and containment gear once your puppy has started basic training. Re-check collar fit every two weeks, and let your puppy's eating and chewing habits decide the rest.