Puppy Essentials

We have tried many products and programs and these are products that we have used or that our other puppy parents have liked. We recommend getting your supplies early so you have them when puppy comes home!

​When you use our links provided, we may receive a small commission. 

Training:

We offer several training options or may be able to give good local referrals! If you are interested in participating in our Puppy Foundations Course, or other training options, please Contact Us!
Training your own dogs and starting early with your puppies will give you the best success. We also work with Baxter and Bella, who have put together a great online training program with a simple, positive approach. They also offer LIVE help from professional trainers! You really can't beat the value that these guys offer. 

​Use our code OPENSTAR at checkout to save 25%. Totally worth the investment!

Food and Nutrition

Feeding your dog a high quality dog food is one of the most important things you can do for them. Unfortunately, there is a lot of dog food on the market that isn't so good. Do your research and select only the best for your dogs. 

We use Victor's and Farmina Ancient Grains at our home. We find Victor's on Amazon or at our local ranch stores. If you do not plan on using these foods, here is another great resource for you to begin your research to find the food that's best for you. The most important thing you can do to keep your dog healthy and save money at the vet is to choose a high quality food. www.dogfoodadvisor.com

Our Recommended Products

These are products that we use in our program and love. We may receive a commission on these products, but would never recommend products that we haven't used and loved ourselves. To best support you, we continue updating our recommended products.

Feeding

Stainless steel bowls don't harbor bacteria after washing. These are a must with the non-slip bottom. 
We feed our dogs Victor's with raw toppers. We find that the professional line (which is an all- life stages food) keeps our dogs at optimal weight and energy for an active lifestyle. You can usually find this food at your local farm store or on Amazon at our link below.
These are hands down our favorite treat. Single ingredient, non greasy, don't easily crumble into pieces and our dogs will do anything for them. On occasion we find them in bulk at Costco, but not as often as we need them. 
If you have a Golden Retriever, you NEED one of these. We had damage to our flooring from all of the slobber and messy drinking before we finally gave in and got one of these.  We wish we did years sooner! No more stepping in water all over the floor. This completely solved the issue and it slows down the dogs while drinking, keeping the risk for any related issues low. These are 100% worth the money!
Your pup is likely going to have a stomach ache or two throughout their life. This probiotic is the best that we have found, aside from it's "pro" version. Just add it to their food any time they have soft stools!

Training

The crate is hands down the number one training tool we recommend. This helps with potty training, boundaries and gives the dog a safe and comfortable space. Reach out for crate training help if needed. Our adult goldens use 42" crates. This crate comes with a divider panel to use as the puppy grows so you do not need to buy multiple crates. 
Accidents happen. It's better to be prepared with your puppy. We like this on the carpet. We have never had any discoloration issues or strong smells after it is dried like with some other options on the market. 
This treat pouch is an essential! The silicone pouch is so easy to clean and doesn't get gross from the oils or crumbles of most dog treats! We have gone through so many cloth pouches because the oils just don't come out! The clip makes it easy to take it on and off or transfer to another person in the house without having to adjust any straps. These are best used for daily at home and out and about training. They do tend to fall off when running, so not the best for agility practice. 

Grooming

This machine is the secret to tangle- free, lower shedding, good smelling dogs. The forced air dryer gets out all of that extra hair. We use it weekly on our dogs!
This is our go-to shampoo when we are in a hurry and don't want to take the time to condition. We love the Tropiclean brand because it gets out more dirt than most professional brands we have used and people always tell us how soft our dog's coat is!
Golden Retrievers have floppy ears and sometimes will need their ears cleaned. You just open the spout, pour it in, then massage the ear flap over the ear and let them shake it out on both sides. You then wipe out any excess with a cotton ball. Very simple and easy way to keep ears healthy! Just keep an eye on your dog's ears. If you see or smell anything in there, use some of this and try to keep those ears dry! See below for video directions.
Our next best secret to keeping that hair under control and the grinch toes trimmed is this machine! It is quiet and has great sucking power so grooming and brushing is zero mess!
You do not need to pay for your dog to get their nails clipped! You can do this at home. See the video below for a tutorial! Once you start, it will get easier each time. We recommend a small trim during their weekly baths for healthy nails!
Our go-to deshedding shampoo and conditioner, especially in the seasonal coat change time. This leaves the dogs silky smooth and we do notice the difference when using this set!
This is in case you accidentally cut too short on the nail. Don't panic. Nails can seem like they bleed a lot. Just put a dab of this on the nail to help it clot. 

How to trim your dog's nails at home

How to clean your dog's ears
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