Overwhelmed-First Dog

[lizard1131]

Our daughter is getting a service dog in August.  This is also our first dog.  I am feeling overwhelmed.  Obviously, training will not be an issue.  It will be a lab.  What kind of bed do we need?  Toys?  Pet insurance?  The organization recommends grain free/organic food.  Are there any brands that are better?  Where can you get the best prices?  Anything else we might need?

[dearprudence]

Take a deep breath. There's very little you "need" but a lot that is nice to have.
1) Bed - what would YOU like the dog to have? We had dogs that were happy with a blanket on the ground, dogs that slept in crates with towels, and my current dog loves just about any kind of soft dog-bed. Nothing is necessary, but something comforting is nice for them to have and it can be as elaborate or simple as you wish.

2) Toys - probably a good idea unless you don't like your shoes/furniture very much. But it's going to be dog dependent/trial and error. My mom's dog loves soft plush toys, my dog rips those to shreds. My dog like orbee bones/balls/nylabones, my mom's dog isn't interested. If you see a toy you like, try it out and see how it goes over. I'd caution to stay away from rawhide though, they tend to be very disruptive to stomachs.

3) Pet insurance - I don't know if there's a clear answer for this. My husband did the research and chose the ASPCA insurance, but I think they all have their pros and cons. If you don't get a lot of response to this post, try posting asking just about pet insurance and people can tell you what they have and what they like/dislike about it.

4)Food - we vacillate between Orijen and Acana. Acana is cheaper, but they're from the same company. In terms of grain free, most are pretty good, the difference is going to be cost and whether they agree with your dog's stomach (trial and error). I know Orijen tends to be richer. Shop around on prices, we get ours from a local store that sells it cheaper than a lot of other places in our area.

[caz1221]

I don't have experience with service dogs in particular, but as for what type of bed and toys, different dogs have different preferences. You might want to buy a few different types of toys (for example, a chew toy like a Kong or Nylabone, a stuffed toy, a rope toy, and a tennis ball) and see which one(s) your pup prefers. Then you can buy more toys of that type. For the bed, I would pick up a relatively inexpensive one, and once you figure out how your dog likes to sleep (curled up in a donut bed vs. sprawled out in a more couch-like bed), you can buy a nicer one. As for other supplies, you'll definitely need food and water bowls, a leash and collar, a crate if you plan to crate train, and a grooming tool of some sort (I love the Furminator for heavily shedding dogs).

For food, there are many good grain-free options on the market. I personally feed Wellness Core, but there are several other great options. You can look at the foods rated 4 stars or higher on this website to get an idea: www.dogfoodanalysis.com/. I order dog food online, shop around for the best price each time I buy, and sign up for the sites' emails so I get good coupons/discounts. I've ordered from PetFoodDirect, Wag.com, Amazon, and Petco.

I don't have experience with pet insurance - we have an emergency fund in case we have any unexpected vet bills arise (we've been lucky and have had very healthy dogs so very few vet visits other than annual check-ups). HTH!

[lizard1131]

Thank you!  This helps a lot....just needed some ideas of where to even get started.  HAHAHA!

[lolanjoe]

I would also contact the organization you're getting the service dog from and ask. I'm sure they have a ton of info for people getting their first service dog.

[momof2boys]

Is it possible to find out from whoever has the dog now favorite types of toys etc? Also find out what kind of food it is eating, even if you decide to switch to a different food you should do it slowly or the dog could get an upset stomach.

Find out what the vets in your office offer for service dogs, a lot of them will give discounts. Depending on what sort of discounts you get you can then decide if you want to get pet insurance. If you go on petinsurancereview.com you can compare a bunch of different plans. Some people who choose not to get pet insurance just make sure they have an emergency fund set aside for their pets.