Basic essentials

Hoping to move into my new house within the next 2mnths. Just me,the wife & the cat. However I would like to rescue a dog once I am there & as I am new to this was just wondering what the basic essential will be that I need. Money is tight so just need to know what I will need to be able to bring a dog home & look after him properly.
Getting excited now it is getting close

If money is tight you'd probably be best off waiting for a few months to make entirely sure your finances can cope with the stress of owning a dog. It's a bigger drain on your resources than you think!

We plunged into getting a dog at first opportunity after taking on our first mortgage last year and whilst I would never ever look back on it as a mistake I will say that money was and still is a touchy issue for us!

The bare essentials are:
Food
Bedding
Bowls
Collar and Lead
'Donation money' (most rescues ask for a donation to go towards the cost of housing and neutering the dog whilst it's in rescue)
Vet Fund (at least £100+ as an emergency fund)
Insurance (a MUST in these times)
Secure garden (preferably a high fence and lockable gate)
ID tags
Toys
A lot of free time on your hands.

Insurance or an amount put aside for veterinary costs is the most important.
If you`re in an area affected by sandfly or other parasites you`ll need to prevent infection with treatments or special collars.
You`ll need to have an enclosed area for your dog, so you might need to put up fencing. If he`s going to spend a lot of time outside, make sure he has shelter from the sun and the cold.
He`ll need somewhere to sleep, which can be a mat or a fancy bed - the dog won`t mind which.
I wouldn`t buy dogfood in large quantities to start with as what you buy may not suit him.
Fresh water is an essential so a water bowl - and toys can be as expensive or cheap as you like. A bouncy ball, a length of hose or rope will do as well as anything. What he`ll want to play with most is you......have fun!

Thanks, the emergency vet fund sounds a good idea especially if him & the cat don't get on but as we will both be home all the time hopefully he will play with me.
The amount of stuff in the pet shops confuses me. Leads or harnesses etc. but I guess it will be trial & error. The garden is fenced but I will have to check that there are no holes etc.
I am thinking of getting a 2-5yrs dog so that he has settled down a bit & may be easier to handle.
Thanks again.

Years ago on another site, I was asked for a list of what somebody getting a puppy needed. I put together a list and have refined it some since. I have posted it here several times, including in http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=115037 The needs of a slightly older dog are going to be much the same. Yes, there are those that disagree with me.

Definitely agree about getting a medical fund together! I rescued my dog roughly 2 months ago and she has cost me quite a lot in vets bills already! It does depend on what the rescue has done medical wise for them already but so far I've had to pay for my dog to have an initial check over, her 2nd vaccs, 2 lots of antibiotics for kennel cough, a set of pre-opp bloods, to be spayed, 2 lots of anti-inflammatories, flea & worm treatments & to have one of her dew claws removed. Quite a lot of what I've had to pay for is just bad luck but it is a good idea to err on the side of caution!

As for essentials, I got my dog before we brought her home:
toys
food & water bowls
food
bedding & a bed
treats
doggy bags
a harness, a collar & a lead

Labman is right. Some of us will disagree with his suggestions.

A crate is not a bad idea. I wouldn't put wire mesh on the bottom. The idea behind crating is NOT to let the dog mess in there. Dogs don't WANT to mess in their den, so it should be big enough for the pup to stand up and turn around, nothing more. If you want a bigger crate for as he grows, get one with a divider.

If you're not getting a puppy, a crate may not be necessary. We adopted an adult dog and she's had free reign of the house since we got her. She curls up on the couch when we're gone.

A flat collar and a leash, yes. Never switch to choke chains. It can damage a dog's wind pipe at any age and is entirely unnecessary.

Also have a tag ready with your info on it. We had one made before we picked up our dog and put it on her as soon as we got her, just in case she should run off during the first trip home.

I would avoid plastic bowls. Some dogs have issues with them (noses can actually change colour or get scabby). I would get a couple good metal bowls, ones with rubber on the bottom so they don't slide around.

A bed. I like to get one big enough for my dog to stretch out on, so even though she's only 50 lbs, I got her one for dogs 75-100 lbs.

Toys...you can ask the foster home or the breeder what toys the pup does or might enjoy. Or you could buy a variety to experiment with. We bought several toys (a Kong, a frisbee, some tennis balls, a plush squeaky toy, a tug toy) and discovered after a month or so that our dog REALLY loved the plush squeaky toys. Now she has a whole slew of them.

Treats...again, check with the foster home if it's coming from that situation or the breeder. Or try a variety. My dog LOVES bully sticks.

Food...once more, check with the foster home or breeder to see what they're eating. You'll want to do a change gradually as some dogs can have issues with change. Research what you think is the best food for the dog if you don't like what they're feeding and change over gradually. I always recommend a bit of variety. My dog eats a base kibble but gets half a can mixed in. She gets a huge variety of canned food.

Doggy poop bags are always good!

Some sort of enzymatic cleaner in case the dog has an accident in the house.

I would absolutely recommend AGAINST the Monks of New Skete's book. It's too based on aversives (they actually say in the book "How hard do you hit the dog? A good general rule is that if you did not get a response, a yelp or other sign, after the first hit, it wasn't hard enough.") AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!

I would, instead, go with something like Pat Miller's The Power of Positive Training. Maybe read Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash (which is not a training book, but is definitely very helpful!).

If you get a puppy Ian Dunar's books Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy are excellent. Google them. You can find them for free on his website.

An appointment at the vet. Even if the dog has recently been vetted you want YOUR vet to see the dog, just to have a base to compare future exams too.

Set aside emergency vet funds.

Puppy proof your house!

Think about how you want the dog to travel in your vehicle. Travel crate? Seat harness? Pet barrier so he/she can't get into the front seat?

Think about obedience training. Check out places near you ahead of time. See who is positive and not based on aversive training methods utilizing choke chains, prong collars, or shock collars. Find someplace that is about building the relationship with your dog and using positive rewards-based training. This is especially important if you have a puppy as puppy classes also focus on socialization!

I feel like I'm missing something but those are what come to mind!

Good luck when you get your new dog, and I hope that everything goes smoothly for you.

I say this (and I am not trying to scare you here, just warn you of the possibilities when taking on any dog especially a rescue) because of my own first hand experiences of bringing home a rescue dog.

I won't go into the financial details of our last dog......that would be too frightening for words but we have had our new chap for just over three months now and additional expenses over and above all the basics as mentioned by others are so far as follows:

Several hundred pounds investigating and treating excessive drinking; skin problems, and bad ears. None of which were covered by insurance because they were pre-existing conditions. (Not the fault of Dog's Trust, they do a good job and cannot closely monitor every single dog).
The skin problems will be an ongoing expense in the form of regular antibiotics, and also creams. None of these troubles were immediately obvious until we got him home.

Over a thousand on raising the height of one small area of walling........the rest is already 6', so the lower bit is where the wretched cat gets in and out; we were terrified that one day he would follow the cat over this, and indeed one night he did even though to look at him, and the wall, you would never imagine that he could!

Also, extra money spent on special food; a crate due to separation problems; a dog grill for the back of the car.

All I am trying to do is warn you that it is almost impossible to budget for a dog's expenses because you never know what may be round the corner, and my advice would be to put away whatever you can afford each month to help cope with the unexpected.

Having said all that........with luck your new dog will never cause a moment's worry. Have fun.

Oh my goodness, now I am scared stiff!! I think maybe you are right & I should wait until I have a good emergency fund set up.
The last thing I want to do is take a dog in & then not be able to look after it properly.
Everyone over here in Turkey says oh dogs don't cost anything to keep but thats probably because they just leave them in the garden & feed them scraps but I do want the dog to feel part of the family.
I shall think long & hard & get saving.

Thanks for all your help

Excellent post Crysania unfortunately Labman insists on repeatedly posting his cruel and outdated methods of raising puppies which the majority of people here disagree with. I think it is important to mention this rather than to let new dog owners think this kind of treatment is the norm.
I note Imbat is in Turkey which can get very hot. Anyone following the advice of Labman and crating a dog in the mistaken belief that when a dog is in a crate its body slows down reducing the need for water could soon end up with a dehydrated or dead dog.
Hi Imbat and welcome . As many here will tell you the biggest expense with owning a dog is the unexpected vet bills, some dogs of course are very healthy and have little need of a vet but it is wise to be prepared in case the unexpected happens.
I guess you have pet insurance in Turkey, I would check that out too.