No. Starting young puppies on a harness teaches them to pull, which becomes a difficult habit to break. Begin all leash training on a collar, and revisit a harness only after your puppy has solid leash manners as they mature.
At a glance
Length
10 min
Channel
McCann Dog Training
Video from
Oct 2024
Rating
⭐⭐ Great video · 2/2
Best for
New puppy owners preparing for an 8-week-old's arrival home
What this video answers
Do I need a harness right away?
Can I use a flexi lead with my new puppy?
Should I put a bed inside the crate?
What treats should I buy for a new puppy?
What Kong size is safe for my puppy?
Reads the guide aloud in your browser — free, no account.
Essential Puppy Gear Before Bringing Your New Dog Home
Instructor Meg from McCann Dog Training walks through the non-negotiable items every new puppy owner should have ready before their 8-week-old arrives. Rather than listing every possible product, she focuses on what genuinely matters for safety, training, and the puppy's comfort—and explains why fancy alternatives often miss the mark. The video covers collar and leash choices, chew toys, feeding equipment, crates, bedding, treats, and two bonus items designed specifically for puppy training.
The core message is practical simplicity: your puppy doesn't need premium or multi-functional gear at first. A well-fitted collar, a 6-foot leather leash, safe chew options, a basic metal bowl, and a properly-sized crate form the foundation. Meg emphasizes that many common puppy products—flexi leads, fancy beds, hard chew toys, complex Kong variations—either encourage bad habits or create unnecessary expense when simpler alternatives work better.
Key Moments
Key Items Your Puppy Needs Before Arrival
Properly fitted collar with a buckle: Must be small enough to prevent escape and adjustable as the puppy grows; skip Martingale collars and fancy patterns.
6-foot leather leash: Provides control and safety; flexi leads are not recommended for young puppies since they teach loose-leash walking habits from the start.
Safe chew toys for solo play: Soft puppy nylon bones and appropriately-sized Kongs are safe for unsupervised crate time; avoid hard nylon bones designed for adult dogs.
Interactive toys for supervised play: Tugs and noise-making toys build bonding and engagement; these are not for leaving unattended.
Basic metal feeding bowl: No special features needed; rubber-bottomed bowls resist slipping in the crate during meals.
Correctly-sized crate: Small enough to discourage bathroom accidents; wire crates with dividers grow with your puppy, whereas plastic crates may require replacement as they enlarge.
Why Preparation and Simplicity Set Your Puppy Up for Success
Having the right gear before your puppy arrives eliminates last-minute scrambling and prevents impulse purchases of items that confuse training or pose safety risks. A harness on a young puppy, for example, teaches pulling from day one—something Meg cautions against. Similarly, a bed in the crate often encourages bathroom accidents rather than preventing them. By understanding *why* each item matters and *when* to use it, you avoid common pitfalls that delay housetraining and leash manners. The puppy house line and long line mentioned as bonuses are purpose-built tools that give you control while allowing your pup freedom to explore safely, turning everyday interactions into training opportunities.
Common Questions About Starting Out With a New Puppy
Do I need a harness right away?
No. Starting young puppies on a harness teaches them to pull, which becomes a difficult habit to break. Begin all leash training on a collar, and revisit a harness only after your puppy has solid leash manners as they mature.
Can I use a flexi lead with my new puppy?
Flexi leads are not recommended for puppies. They don't provide the control you need to keep a young dog safe and close to you. Stick with a standard 6-foot leash until your puppy is older and has better walking skills.
Should I put a bed inside the crate?
Not when they're very young. Soft bedding often encourages puppies to have accidents in their crate rather than holding it. Use a simple bath mat or nothing at all inside the crate; save plushy beds for when your puppy is older, housetrained, and reliable.
What treats should I buy for a new puppy?
Start with single-ingredient treats like dried chicken or dried liver to minimize the risk of upset stomachs. Choose soft treats you can break into tiny pieces (roughly the size of a pencil eraser) so training stays fast and your puppy doesn't spend time crunching. Avoid hard biscuits that can't be broken down.
What Kong size is safe for my puppy?
Always match the Kong size to your puppy's breed and size. A Kong that's too small is a choking hazard. If you have a large-breed puppy, buy a larger Kong; for a small breed, a smaller one is appropriate. When in doubt, choose the larger option.
This video cuts through the noise of puppy product marketing and gives you permission to keep things simple. Meg's trainer perspective means she explains the *why* behind each recommendation, not just the *what*, which helps you make smart decisions even when new situations come up.
I especially appreciated her honesty about gear that looks good but actually trains puppies badly—like harnesses early on—and her emphasis on soft, breakable treats over hard biscuits for faster training. If you're about to bring a puppy home, this is exactly the kind of practical, no-frills guidance that will save you money and headaches.
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A Nighttime Puppy Schedule - https://youtu.be/jx8c1fB4exI
New Puppy Playbook - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7BBgLulherlYHrFquuTLCbtJZ05n1-O7
Get personalized help with your puppy training that's specific to YOU and YOUR puppy!: https://www.McCannDogs.Link/PuppyEssentials
Are you looking for a more personalized training plan for your dog? We now have a Life Skills program for dogs over 5 months old. The Life Skills program is fully supported by a McCann Dogs trainer for YOU. Check out: https://mccanndogs.link/LifeSkills
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CHAPTERS:
00:22 - Properly Fit Puppy Collar
01:06 - 6ft Leather Dog Leash
02:05 - Reliable Chew Dog Toy
02:48 - KongDog Toy
03:43 - Interactive Toys That Involve You!
04:43 - Keep It Simple With A Bowl
05:23 - A Properly Sized Crate
06:12 - Your Dog BedDoesnt Need To Be Fancy
07:21 - Picking The Best Puppy Treats
08:22 - BONUS Items
Thanks for watching,
Happy Training! ~Ken
Video transcript for “The Only Things You NEED When You Get A Puppy” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
today I've been given the challenge of coming up with the top four things that you need for your puppy guess what I can't do it there are so many things you need for a new puppy coming home but I'm going to try to make your life easier today giving you that list and walking you through exactly what you need for
your puppy before they come home I'm instructor mag let's go the first thing you need with a new puppy is a Wellfit collar so when I get a new puppy I'm going to make sure that I have a collar that's small enough there is no chance they're going to be slipping out of that collar I want to
find something that you can adjust and personally I like to have a collar that's going to have a buckle on it ideally because that's going to be the safest what you don't need for a collar is anything that has any other functions cuz realistically you're just looking for something that's a well fit so we
don't need any of these fancy Martingale type collars you really don't even need to have a collar with fancy patterns because they're going to be outgoing it so quickly of course if you find something that fits them and suits your uh your needs in terms of what it looks like go for
it the next thing you need is of course a leash to attach to that collar so you can take your puppy outside we're going to start with what you don't need you don't need one of these flexi leads you want something that is going to help you control your puppy and keep them nice and close to you and keep them
safe so we are going to recommend that you're always starting with a 6ot leash we prefer leather leashes we find they've got great grip you're not going to have your hands sliding through that and that's going to be the absolute safest leash for you and your puppy another thing I want to mention is that
many new families are interested in getting their puppies onto a harness right away we really don't want to use a harness with a baby puppy because that teaches them how to pull from a very young age so we start all of their learning and all of their training on that regular collar this is something
that you might revisit as they get a little bit older and have really good leash man manners but not something you need to worry about right away the next thing I want to get for my young puppy when they come home is something to keep them occupied I love to give my dogs something to chew
something that's going to be safe for them even when they're unsupervised in their crate is something like these Nyla bones you don't want to go with a hard nylon bone that you would give to an adult dog you want to give something softer they specifically make uh puppy nylon bones in various shapes and sizes
that's going to be your best option some of them even have some nice flavors which are really great for encouraging new puppies that aren't sure about chewing to get really into chewing this is a fabulous way to keep your puppy occupied at times where you can't be interacting with them this is something
that I would feel safe giving to my puppy and leaving them alone in their crate there's only one other product that I personally give my puppies in the crate and it's right over here I really love Kong products they make some really great products that are great for giving to your puppy um the
great thing about a Kong is that you can stuff it with really healthy items uh you can even freeze those Kongs and it keeps your puppy occupied again when you can't be there to supervise or maybe when you are just relaxing and chilling out with them at home you know what need to make sure that you buy a Kong that is
an appropriate size for your dog so this might be appropriate for a very small dog you want to make sure that if you have a large breed puppy I would be getting a bigger Kong uh unfortunately Kongs can be dangerous if you buy one that's too small uh because a dog could swallow that so you do want to make sure
you get one that is large enough for the breed of dog that you have chosen Kong has lots of other products that are really fun and interactive I don't personally think any of these are necessary right off the bat with a baby puppy I would stick to the basics right now uh the Kong that I showed you
already I also love to have toys that my puppy can play with with me we call these interactive toys in fact we sell a really fabulous puppy tug that I use with all of my puppies from the moment they get home these are not toys though that I would leave with my puppy unsupervised but toys that you can tug
on interact with have fun if they make noise that's a bonus I think for a lot of puppies this is something that I do uh get for my puppies so that I have this ready to go when they come home being able to play and tug and interact with your puppies are it's such a fun way to engage with them and that's
something that I want to do with them from the moment they come home at 8 weeks of age having all of these puppy Essentials only gets you so far you also need to know how to use all of these things effectively in your dog training this is why we have created a puppy prep guide and our puppy Essentials program
information for both of those programs is in the link below this is going to guide you through the process of training your puppy from the moment they come home of course every puppy needs to have a safe place to eat so we are going to be feeding the puppies out of a very basic Bowl you don't really need all the
bells and whistles when it comes to bowls especially um when they're little I often just go with a metal dish I really like the ones with rubber on the bottom I find that they tend to not slip as much in the crate uh and that's where I personally feed my puppies all of their meals so regular metal Bowl uh as
you find the grow you might go for a bigger one I find that these um really last for a long time and they don't wear very much so this is a fabulous product as I mentioned my puppies eat all of their meals in their crate so I love to have a crate um ready to go from the moment my puppy comes home I like to use
uh two different crates actually I love to have a plastic uh crate I usually put that uh in my bedroom that's going to be where my puppy sleeps at night very important that you buy a crate that's small enough that uh they learn not to pee or poop in their crate most crates these days especially the wire ones come
with a divider you can get that divider uh and put that in so that the crate can grow as your puppy grows uh unfortunately a lot of these plastic crates don't have that function so you may find that you have to buy more than one of these as your puppy grows so that eventually they have one that is the
correct size the wire crates as I mentioned though have that divider so you may uh decide to buy the crate that's going to fit them as an adult dog put that divider in and it's going to grow as your puppy does a lot of the times students ask us about getting beds for their puppies you want to be really
careful about putting a bed in their crate when they're little because often that encourages them to go to the bathroom in their crate on that bedding I often do find it helpful to have a very simple bed uh sometimes even just something like a bath mat uh this is going to help a lot with training this
is something that I will work with my puppy when they're out of the crate when I can supervise them but I'm not going to be putting this in the crate and I'm certainly not going to leave my puppy unsupervised with a big plushy dog bed that they could potentially get bored and then start chewing so something like
this keep it simple when they're little you can always buy a bigger bed when they are reliable not chewing and you know exactly how big they're going to be the last thing I think you need to get before you have your puppy come home is a couple really high quality treats now you want to be very careful with treats
because when you are feeding your young puppy you don't know if they're going to get an upset stomach from a lot of things in fact I try the other thing that you're really going to want to get ahead of time is some great treats for your puppy so come on with me I'm going to show you some of
my [Music] favorites often when you have a young puppy it's important that you start their training with just whatever food they have been given by the breeder this is going to ensure that they have less stomach upset you don't want to start introducing a whole lot of new ingredients uh that the puppy's not used
to that can cause a really upset stomach I also really prefer to have single ingredient treats whenever I can things like dried chicken dried liver um anything like that where I'm not adding a whole lot of things to the puppy's diet I also really like to have soft treats so once you have figured out what
your puppy can tolerate having a treat that you can break up into tiny pieces is a really great idea you're not going to want to use big hard biscuits because that's impossible to break up you want to have something that you can break up to the size of almost like uh the Eraser on the end of a pencil again depending
on your puppy's breed those treats might be bigger or smaller but we really want a soft treat something that's easy for them to chew easy for them to swallow you don't want to slow down your training by having them crunching um for a long period of time on those treats because we're late in the video and I
know some people have left already I want to give those of you that are still here information on two products that we have purpose-built because we couldn't find them anywhere else and they're that important the first item is a puppy house line This is the absolute first thing I put on my puppy every single
time they come out of their crate whenever they are loose in my home and I'm watching them they are going to be dragging around this line this makes it so easy for me to take control stop them from doing anything that I don't want them to and redirect them easily the second item I want to talk about is a
long line I'm going to put this on the puppy every single time they go outside even in my fenc in yard I put on this long line and they can drag it around again allowing me to have fantastic control but with a little bit more length than the house line if there's something that I haven't me mentioned
today I would love to hear about it if there's something you think your puppy really does truly need put it in the comments section I'd love to hear what you think your puppy needs uh coming home at 8 weeks of age now that you know everything that your puppy needs before they come home it's also important that
you have a game plan for how to handle that first night that they come home for that information check out this video right here on that note I'm instructor Meg happy training
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