As a breeder, many items may seem all too obvious to even mention to your customers on Gotcha Day. However, putting together a thoughtful puppy pack is not only going to help your new puppy parents adjust to their new routine and lifestyle that much easier, it’ll also show your dedication and care. In this guide, we’re going to take a look at some of the most common items that many reputable breeders include in their puppy kits, some absolute must-have items to include, as well as optional items in a puppy kit that might bring a smile to your buyers’ faces.
Table of Contents
- What To Include In A Puppy Go-Home Kit: Intro
- Why Should You Send Your Puppies Home With Puppy Packs On Gotcha Day?
- What Do You Put In A Puppy Kit? Must-Have Items In Your Puppy Packs
- What To Include In A Puppy Pack: FAQs
- What To Include In A Puppy Pack: Final Thoughts
What To Include In A Puppy Go-Home Kit: Intro
Ah, the long-awaited Gotcha Day is almost here! It’s a beautiful, yet sad day for many breeders. Of course, there’s nothing better than seeing the smile on your customers’ faces when they’re picking up their long-awaited furry companions. But saying goodbye to those sweet little creatures is not easy by any means.
As a breeder, you can make Gotcha Day go by as smoothly as possible with a well put together puppy pack. Many of those items might seem obvious to you at first, but might not be on top of your clients’ minds before and on Gotcha Day.
For this reason, we decided to dedicate a full article to this very topic. We’re going to discuss the importance of putting together a puppy kit for your new puppy owners, so you’ll learn exactly what items you should absolutely include, what you can include, and why that’s important for all parties involved.
Why Should You Send Your Puppies Home With Puppy Packs On Gotcha Day?
A puppy pack might be sometimes an overlooked part in the breeding business, especially when dealing with irresponsible breeders and puppy mills. But when it comes to reputable breeders, including a puppy pack is a non-negotiable.
For starters, who wouldn’t love opening a gift back when bringing home their very own tiny little pup?! It’ll just make your clients’ day even more joyous. But it’s also going to help your clients out big time, as the first days with a new puppy can be very stressful.
The goal of your puppy kit is to include all the essential items that your new puppy owners will need over the upcoming days and weeks. Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t discuss those daily necessities with your clients before Gotcha Day. After all, anyone who’s adopting a puppy should be well prepared well in advance.
Still, sending your pups to their forever homes with thoughtful puppy packs is a great way to make the transition easier for your new clients, their new puppies, and for yourself, too! There’s nothing more memorable for your customers than knowing how much effort and love you’re putting into your breeding program, even once the puppies leave your home and settle in at theirs.
What Do You Put In A Puppy Kit? Must-Have Items In Your Puppy Packs
A puppy kit isn’t something that’s required by the law, but it’s an excellent way to show your dedication to your puppies and your clients. And it doesn’t have to be over the top, either! By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly what items to include in your puppy packs, and it’s going to be the easiest part of your breeding business, for sure.
So, what do you put in a puppy kit? Let’s go over everything in detail…
A-Z Paperwork
The most important thing to include in your puppy kits is the paperwork. This includes everything from the purchase documents to health records, and everything in between.
Your sale, a.k.a adoption contract should always come in written format and it should outline the rights and responsibilities of both parties, i.e. yours and your clients’. You should also provide a genetic and congenital health guarantee that also comes in written format. These types of health warranties usually cover the first two to four years from adoption, give or take.
Moreover, don’t forget to include information about the puppy’s pedigree and photos of the sire and dam. If you’re a registered breeder with any organizations, such as the AKC, CKC, GANA, ALAA, or some other establishment, make sure to provide all of the registration details as well.
You should also include health and DNA testing results in your puppy kit so that your customers can have assurance about their new puppy’s heritage. Reputable breeders generally test their breeding dogs for numerous genetic conditions, such as hip and elbow dysplasia, eyes, heart, and any other tests that are considered necessary for the breed or crossbreed.
And lastly, you should send all of your puppies home with their health records. This document should include everything from vaccinations, dewormings, and vet check-up details. As you’ll be working closely with an experienced veterinarian and have them conduct the final check-up before Gotcha Day, they will provide you with all the up-to-date information that you can include in the puppy kit. This is crucial for your new puppy owners, as they’ll be able to give these records over to their own vet who can then appropriately continue with the vaccination and deworming protocol.
Bonus Tip: Pet Insurance
Many reputable breeders also provide a complimentary 30-day pet insurance plan for each of their puppies. If you do so, please remind your puppy parents to either renew their subscription after the 30 days has passed, or choose another provider. This is one of the best ways for your clients to be prepared for any unexpected vet bills!
Information About The Breed & Guidelines For The First Days
Needless to say, as a responsible breeder you already know all about the breed you’re specializing in. And you’d like to think that your clients have also chosen a specific breed after extensive research. Nonetheless, if your clients are first-time puppy owners, or if it’s their first time with a specific breed, it would be helpful to provide them with in-depth information about the breed.
The information should cover all the basics – the breed’s temperament and personality, activity levels and exercise requirements, potential illnesses they’re prone to, grooming needs, size and growth patterns, and so forth. If you conduct temperament testing on your puppies, then you should also include the results in your puppy kit.
What’s more, we also recommend you discuss with your clients about any and all supplies they’ll need to purchase before Gotcha Day, and how to prepare their home for the puppy’s arrival. This way, you can rest assured knowing that your clients are well prepared to welcome their new pup home. This can include anything from puppy proofing the home, preparing the crate, and what supplies they’ll need. Our New Puppy Shopping List And Things To Do Before Your Puppy Comes Home guide covers everything in detail.
Furthermore, you can walk your clients through some of the things they can do before and on Gotcha Day to make the process as smooth as possible for both them and their new pup. You can even include a list of safe and poisonous plants for dogs so that your clients can keep their new four-legged best pals safe.
Related Content:
- New Puppy Shopping List And Things To Do Before Your Puppy Comes Home
- Gotcha Day: Tips For Bringing Home A New Puppy
- First 48 Hours With A New Puppy: What To Expect
Training And Socialization Information
Information about training and socialization goes hand in hand with the information about the breed in general and how your clients can best prepare for their puppy’s arrival. However, information about training and socialization should be more in-depth so that your clients understand the importance of it.
First of all, make sure to include information about the puppy’s daily routine, including their mealtimes and bedtime, what type of training and socialization they’ve started on, and so on.
For example, if you’ve already started potty training the puppies in your facility, make sure you have information about it included in the puppy kit along with tips on how to continue at home. You should also include information about socialization and emphasize the importance of your clients continuing it safely at home. The same goes for obedience training and crate training.
Many breeders actually provide either a complimentary or discounted online training program, such as the Online Puppy School by Baxter & Bella, that their clients can start using at home straight away.
Coat Care And Grooming Guide
As we mentioned before, your puppy pack should also include information about the pup’s grooming requirements. If you’re a Doodle breeder, you already know that these dogs need to be groomed often. But, if some of your clients have never had a Doodle before, they’ll likely need some guidance on this topic.
As it can be difficult and time-consuming to teach your customers about all the ins and outs of grooming a Doodle, including a dedicated book in your puppy pack is the perfect way to ensure that your puppies will go on to live their best, fluffiest, most gorgeous lives with their forever families.
For this reason, we wrote a book called Coat Care Secrets For Poodle Mixes. Including this book in your puppy starter kit will surely set you apart from other breeders, as it’s truly such a comprehensive resource on everything related to grooming a Doodle. It’ll also save you so much time and energy not having to explain the details in-depth with each of your customers. Instead, you can educate your clients with this helpful book.
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Puppy Food And Supplies
Yummy treats and a small bag of dog food are oftentimes included in a puppy kit. A helpful tip is to only include puppy food that you’ve been feeding your pups whilst they’re in your care. This helps prevent any digestive issues, since switching out puppy formula too quickly often causes issues. Make sure to educate your clients on this, too! Generally, it’s a good guideline to include about a week’s worth of puppy food in your puppy kit.
You can also include items like a collar and a leash, and food and water bowls in your puppy gift bag. Or why not, even a pack of poop bags – these always come in handy! Although these items aren’t exactly essential to include in your puppy kit, they sure give a sweet touch to it.
We also love the Ultimate Puppy Starter Kit from PawTree, which includes healthy kibble, tasty treats, probiotics, dental sticks, urine eliminator, a superfood seasoning, and a poop bag dispenser. By the way, they’ve got options for both small breeds and large breeds!
A Towel Or Blanket With The Mother’s Scent
Although technically not an essential item, we do have to say that every breeder should include a blanky that smells like the pups’ mother and littermates in their puppy pack. You can also include a plush toy with the mother’s and littermates’ scent.
The very first hours and days, even weeks at their new home can be very stressful. Everything and everyone they’ve known so far isn’t there, everything smells different, and everyone looks new. So, to help soothe the puppies’ distress and make the transition period as easy as possible for them, having a toy or blanket that smells like their mother is going to soothe them and make them feel more secure in their new home.
Toys
As we’re on the topic of toys, it’s always a good idea to add some fun goodies into your puppy kits! You probably already know which toys are your puppies’ favorites, so you can pack each of theirs with their puppy packs. You can also include some other fun toys like chew toys, interactive toys, food dispensing toys, or a Snuggle Puppy. In fact, we’ve got some excellent recommendations lined up in this guide.
To go one step further, the puppies’ teething phase isn’t far away, either. So, if you’d like to already set your pups and their new owners up for success, you can also opt for teething toys that are specially made for puppies.
A Personalized Letter
And finally, to make your puppy kits complete, give them a finishing touch with a personalized letter or card. We recommend you write a personalized note for each new puppy owner, encouraging them on this new journey and briefly talking about their new family member.
You can also include cute photos of the pups throughout their first few weeks in your care, even their mother and father, and maybe even some cute pics of them with their littermates. Your clients will treasure these memories for a lifetime.
What To Include In A Puppy Pack: FAQs
Before the puppy arrives home, it should be properly puppy proofed and prepared with all the beds, crates, food and water bowls, and so on. Try to keep the environment as calm and quiet as possible as to not disturb the puppy when they’ve just arrived and only just getting used to their new home. You should introduce the puppy to their dedicated potty spot, food and water bowls, and get them adjusted to their schedule – this includes bedtime, mealtimes, and nap times. Our in-depth guides Gotcha Day: Tips For Bringing Home A New Puppy and First 48 Hours With A New Puppy: What To Expect have some very helpful tips outlined.
Puppy starter food is a type of dog food that’s specially formulated for puppies. It’s important we note that puppies shouldn’t be fed adult formulas, as they have different nutritional requirements than adult dogs. So, make sure to opt for a formula that considers their delicate, growing bodies in this life stage, such as the ones we’ve reviewed here.
A crate is the best thing to bring a puppy home in, as it protects the puppy during the car ride. You can make it more comfortable with some nice blankets and plush toys, and place a few tasty treats inside to keep them preoccupied. We’d also like to add that it’s best if two people could bring the puppy back home – one of them driving and the other sitting in the back seat next to the pup to comfort them. You can also play some calming music and keep the volume down to further soothe your new puppy. However, it’s not uncommon for messy accidents to happen whilst traveling by car, so you can add an absorbing pad below the bedding inside the crate.
What To Include In A Puppy Pack: Final Thoughts
And there you have it! You’re now all set to create the most delightful puppy packs that will have the new puppy parents grinning from ear to ear. Remember, the perfect puppy pack doesn’t just contain essentials, it’s a box full of love, care, and a little bit of home that the pup can carry along to their new den. So, tuck in that adorable blanket smelling of mamma, slip in those favorite chew toys, drop in a week’s supply of puppy food, and don’t forget that personalized, paw-sitively heartwarming note. Here’s to making your puppies’ transition to their new forever homes as smooth and cuddly as possible.
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