What Your Puppy Will Need

When you bring your puppy home, they will need the following:

Large kennel or Wire Crate - Put a soft bedding pad toward the back (and maybe a couple plush chew toys in there, too.) This will be your Shiba's "room" at your home. A Shiba Inu needs a place to call their own, somewhere they can go and unwind. Put the crate wherever you want your puppy to feel at home, that will be their space. NEVER use the crate as punishment EVER! Keep food and water (and a potty pad) in the crate with your puppy for the first few weeks. There are wire crates online that are fairly inexpensive.
Puppy/Dog Food - Your puppy will come with a complimentary packet of organic grain free dog food that should last a couple days, but you'll need to find a good consistent source of canine food. Natural dog food with no grains in it is very important for all dogs no matter the size. I recommend that you check your dog food stores ahead of time so you are prepared for when you get your puppy. Ace Hardware carries a great line of All Natural grain free and Organic dog foods for a great price. I feed my Emma Natural Balance and Blue Wilderness dry and canned, and Newman's Organic, as well as raw meats daily. (Please see my videos on why you should feed your dog raw meets.)
Drinking Water - Bottled or filtered water is best; water with chlorine or fluoride can cause health problems later on.
Food & Water Dishes - Get your puppy their own dishes and keep fresh water down at all times. You should select a place as your puppy's designated eating/drinking area. If their wire crate is large enough, you can even set up an area toward the front for food and water.
Puppy Pads – Even though our pups come potty trained your puppy needs to get used to their new home and learn their potty routine, you'll need to have some puppy pads available still, one package of these should be all you'll need.
Chew Toys - Shiba pups love to chew on soft plush toys or even rubber chew toys and they love to play with tennis balls when they get big enough. Shibas in general love squeaky toys and love to play ball. You can get a bunch of these at your local Dollar Store, along with a tub or basket to keep them in. My Emma loves the $2.00 dollar balls that I buy at Walmart. Raw bones from the Natural Grocers in Coeur d' Alene are excellent because it keeps their teeth clean and in great shape.
Potty Area - From the time there eyes open and they are big enough to walk around, Shiba pups are trained by their mother to go potty outside the whelping box. Shibas generally are easy to potty train and it shouldn't take too long. Designate a yard or area where you want them to go and show it to your puppy as soon as you get them home. If they go right away, that's a great start. Praise them and reward them. If not, just let them sniff around for a while, and then show them their crate, feeding area and the rest of their new environment. When they show signs of needing to go, quickly take them outside to their potty area and praise them when they go. They will figure it out in short order.

Here are photos of the dog food I buy Emma, just to make it easy for you!