Shopping for New Puppy Essentials
New Puppy Shopping List
Bringing home a new puppy is exciting—but it can also feel overwhelming. From food and training supplies to grooming tools, toys, crates, and health products, there are thousands of options available. Our goal is to make preparing for your puppy as simple and stress-free as possible.
Over the years, we’ve tested countless products in our own home, nursery, and training program.
The recommendations you’ll find here aren’t based on sponsorships or trends—they’re products we’ve personally used, trusted, and confidently recommend to every CWB family. If it made our shopping list, it’s because it has consistently proven its value through real-world experience.
Whether you’re welcoming a Bernedoodle or Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, these carefully selected essentials will help you start with confidence. From the day your puppy comes home, you’ll have the same products, supplies, and resources that we use to build healthy routines, encourage successful training, and make the transition into your home as smooth as possible.
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More Than a Shopping List
Every CWB family receives access to our comprehensive Adoption Handbook, which doesn’t just recommend products—it explains how and when to use them.
We guide you through everything from crate setup and feeding schedules to grooming, enrichment, training, and everyday puppy care, so you always know you’re making informed decisions.
If you’re currently on our Master Waitlist, we recommend waiting to purchase most items until we walk through your personalized Homecoming plan together.
Every family, home, and puppy is different, and we’ll help you determine exactly what you need (and what you don’t), preventing unnecessary purchases and saving you money.
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Affiliate Disclosure
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them—at no additional cost to you. These commissions help support the educational resources we provide for our puppy families.
We only recommend companies and products that we’ve personally used and genuinely believe in. If a product ever stops meeting our standards, it won’t remain on this list.
Occasionally, products become unavailable, or links change. If you notice something isn’t working, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re always happy to point you toward an equivalent product that we trust.
Our mission has always been to set our families up for success, and this shopping list is simply another way we help make life with your new puppy easier from day one.
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Meet Our Premium Partners
The following products and services are the result of long-standing partnerships that allow us to offer our families exclusive resources and support while working directly with brands we confidently stand behind.
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Everyday Essentails from Amazon.com
Our shopping list includes many of the same products we use every day throughout our breeding and puppy-raising program. Every recommendation is chosen with safety, durability, ease of use, and long-term value in mind.
Snuggle Puppy Heartbeat Dog Toy for Puppies
DON'T buy one of these adorable puppy transition aids!!! Every one of our puppies will go home with one to help with the transition!! If you want to have an extra on hand or if yours is loved a little too much and needs to be replaced, here's a link to order a new one later!
Protect - Probiotics for Dogs
EVERYONE SHOULD ORDER THIS!!! This is liquid gold if you have a dog. I keep this on hand always to cure diarrhea FAST. All puppies should remain on a daily probiotics for the first year of life, but especially when on antibiotics or after deworming. Be sure you switch up your probiotics periodically.
FortiFlora Probiotic Powder for Dogs
EVERYONE SHOULD ORDER THIS!!! This is liquid gold if you have a dog. I keep this on hand always to cure diarrhea FAST. All puppies should remain on a daily probiotics for the first year of life, but especially when on antibiotics or after deworming. Be sure you switch up your probiotics periodically.
Nutramax Proviable Probiotics for Dogs, Diarrhea Support Kit
EVERYONE SHOULD ORDER THIS!!! This is liquid gold if you have a dog. I keep this on hand always to cure diarrhea FAST. All puppies should remain on a daily probiotics for the first year of life, but especially when on antibiotics or after deworming. Be sure you switch up your probiotics periodically.
Disposable Potty Pads
*Always be sure to tuck the non-absorbent edges UNDERNEATH the wire shelf
If your puppy will need to be left alone for extended periods during the first few months, a litter box system can be a helpful solution. While it’s not necessary for every family, this is the only setup we recommend. We’ll cover how to introduce and use it successfully in our private Facebook group.
Wire Shelf
If your puppy will need to be left alone for extended periods during the first few months, a litter box system can be a helpful solution. While it’s not necessary for every family, this is the only setup we recommend. We’ll cover how to introduce and use it successfully in our private Facebook group.
Plastic Tray
If your puppy will need to be left alone for extended periods during the first few months, a litter box system can be a helpful solution. While it’s not necessary for every family, this is the only setup we recommend. We’ll cover how to introduce and use it successfully in our private Facebook group.
Dog Playpen for Indoor, Yard, RV Camping
A puppy playpen can make the first few months much easier by providing a safe space for your puppy while keeping them involved in daily family life. We recommend 40-inch panels or taller to discourage climbing and escapes. For the best setup, pair your playpen with large washable pads and a designated potty area rather than disposable puppy pads, which many puppies quickly shred.
KONG Classic Stuffable Dog Toy
I love these toys for filling with peanut butter to make crate training easier. There are different styles, but these are my favorite. Be sure to stock up on peanut butter! I prefer the Aldi brand. It doesn't have any bad additives that can cause diarrhea and I know it's safe from personal use! In our house we have dog peanut butter (Aldi) and human peanut butter (JIF). But get whatever works for you. Don't bother with the small size- order a medium or large!!
Benebone Wishbone Durable Dog Chew Toy
Think about animals in the wild! If your puppy is destroying the “puppy” chews, quickly move on to these more indestructible chews so they’re not ingesting big chunks of the tethers! It's always safest to go TOO BIG, so always order a bigger size than you think- your puppy won't care but it might save their life.
Cordless Small Pet Hair Grooming Trimmer
This helps trim the hair under your pup's paws- so that you can clean it better to avoid yeast build up or to minimize the snowballs that tend to form here in the winter. I use this fairly regularly between haircuts on my poodle and doodles, and periodically on my BMD, or especially if they are chewing on/licking their paws.
Training Harness
We generally do not recommend using a standard harness during early leash training, as it can encourage pulling. Instead, we recommend a training harness or vest when practicing in public. It serves as a visual reminder that your puppy is in training and helps encourage others to ask before interacting. Please use only “In Training” patches and never use Service Dog or Therapy Dog labels unless your dog is legitimately working in those roles.
No-Pull Training Collar
A no-pull training collar is one of our favorite tools for teaching proper leash manners and reducing pulling during walks. We recommend using it only during supervised training sessions or while walking your puppy—not as an everyday collar. With consistent training, most dogs can eventually transition to a standard collar, but this tool can make the learning process significantly easier and more effective.
Reflective Collar
We love these reflective starter collars—‚hey're inexpensive, durable and adjustable! Most puppies fit in a size small first, but some miniatures might need the extra-small. This is one of the reasons that we recommend a very inexpensive option for puppy's first collar—they will outgrow it quickly!
2-Door Dog Crate
We recommend purchasing your puppy’s adult-sized crate from the beginning and using the included divider panel as they grow. We prefer the crate with 2 doors. For Micro Bernedoodles (10–24 lbs), we recommend a 30-inch crate; Mini Bernedoodles (25–49 lbs), a 36-inch crate; Medium Bernedoodles (50–70 lbs), a 42-inch crate; and Standard Bernedoodles (70–90+ lbs) and Bernese Mountain Dogs, a 48-inch crate.