FREE Ultimate Puppy Checklist + 9 Must-Haves to RV with Dogs
Are you getting ready to welcome a new puppy home or planning to RV with dogs?
Whether you’re considering a new puppy or your dog has been a member of the family for a while – you don’t want to miss our Ultimate Puppy Checklist and our 9 Favorite Must-Have Items – especially for those who RV with dogs!
If you’ve been following us for a while, you may know that we recently brought home a new addition to our family. We are so excited to welcome our Siberian Husky puppy – Aska Maple, to our tiny home! Along with Aska we also have an 11-year-old Yorkie named Pita, who we adopted when he was just 1 year old.
Whether you’re considering a new puppy or your dog has been a member of the family for a while – you don’t want to miss our Ultimate Puppy Checklist and our 9 Favorite Must-Have Items – especially for those who RV with dogs!
We live in an RV full-time, and welcomed a new puppy
If you’ve been following us for a while, you may know that we recently brought home a new addition to our family. We are so excited to welcome our Siberian Husky puppy – Aska Maple, to our tiny home! Along with Aska we also have an 11-year-old Yorkie named Pita, who we adopted when he was just 1 year old.
This means it has been a good 10 years since we’ve had a new dog in the house - much less a puppy! It also means we went into full-blown new parent mode and started to read and watch and buy all.the.things.
Plus, we had never even tried to RV with dogs, and now we would be living it!
Now that it’s been 2 months with Aska in our home, we can say that we have bought (and she has chewed on), almost every possible item out there.
OK - I mean at least a good percentage of every possible item out here - according to what our bank account says.
The Ultimate Puppy Checklist (that we wish we had to start)
Today, we’re sharing 9 of our Favorite Must Have Items - AND, you will also want to download our Puppy Checklist Printable with all the essential items you’ll want to have on hand when you bring your new four legged friend home. Also, as a bonus, you don’t want to miss our #1 item + your chance to get a free collar band. (We promise, it’s worth the scroll!)
Get your FREE Puppy Essentials Checklist!
9 FAVORITE MUST HAVES FOR YOUR NEW PUPPY OR DOG
9. Chill Bone for teething puppies
Chill Bone: Give your puppy some much needed relief from teething pain with this canvas covered sponge that soaks up water to be frozen for a chilly sensation on their teeth.
Honest hour: We bought two of these so we can keep one frozen at all times. Aska has really loved these and they keep her engaged and chewing on them instead of us.
These have mixed reviews, but check them out and make the best decision for you! We’ve also cut up an old towel, tied it into knots and soaked and froze them and they work great as well! Link
#8: Baby Gate to keep dogs safe in an RV
Baby Gate: Depending on the footprint of your home, you will likely need either a baby gate, kennel fencing or at least a crate to help keep your puppy safe.
While we have crate trained Aska, a Baby Gate makes this list for us because it’s been essential in our tiny home. With our RV having one door in and out - we wanted to limit Aska’s temptation to run by installing a baby gate in the hallway to prevent direct access.
This has been such a lifesaver for us - especially since Huskies are known to be escape artists. Link
#7: Potty Training Bells to teach puppies how to alert you
Training Bells: Potty training is probably the most frustrating part of bringing home a new puppy.
You want the pup to potty outside - and your pup wants to make you happy by pottying outside. We won’t get into the do’s and don’ts of potty training because that would be an entirely long blog post on its own, but what I will say is that we do recommend Training Bells.
Giving your puppy an outlet to alert you when they need to relieve themselves is a key component in training.
Hanging them near the door helps your puppy associate them with going out to go potty - and let’s be real, you won’t miss that cue! Link
#6: Tick Removal Kit - absolute must have to RV with dogs
Tick Removal Kit: Is anyone else completely repulsed by ticks, or is it just me? We just had to add this to our Ultimate Puppy Checklist.
If you RV with dogs, if you take your dog on any sort of hiking, or if you live in an area that is susceptible to tick populations, it is always a good idea to keep a Tick Removal Kit on hand.
We love this kit that includes different options for removal devices, but also includes first aid, and a capsule to keep the tick contained for further identification.
Of course, this kit is great in a pinch but you will also want to make sure you talk to your vet about the best tick (and flea!) prevention for your pup too. Link
#5: Yeti Dog Dish (or a good dish to reduce spills)
Yeti Dog Dish: OK, so maybe it doesn’t have to be Yeti - but let me tell you why we love ours ... it’s beefy.
Not something we had to worry about with our Yorkie, but our Husky wasted no time in showing off her unique skill of picking her dish up by her teeth and dumping the water all over the floor. Which, in an RV means that most of your house is now covered in dog-slobbered water.
They now offer two sizes so you can choose what works best for you, but we chose the smaller of the two and it still is large enough for our Husky to drink from and not be able to pick up with her teeth to show off that unique skillset. Link
#4: Styptic Powder to help with nail-cutting accidents
Styptic Powder: If you are planning to clip your pup’s nails, Styptic Powder is a must have on hand item. Even the best groomers are prone to accidents, leading to knicks or bleeding nails that can not just be painful to dogs, but can also be susceptible to infection. Styptic Powder is used to help stop the bleeding quickly. This is one of those items that you want to have on hand because you never know when you will need it. In the moment you realize you clipped too short - the last thing you want to have happen is creating a sense of urgency or dread that your dog will associate with the nail clipping activity, which is more likely to happen if you aren’t prepared with a solution in advance. (Not speaking from experience. OK, maybe we are.) Link
#3: Cooling Mat to keep dogs cool while camping
Cooling Mat: I am not a scientist and I do not pretend to understand how this works, but it does. The Amazon listing describes it as using “ice silk material as surface material that you feel pleasantly cool when you touch it”. Works for me. Well, it works for the dogs, which works for me. This is such a great item to keep on hand for days when it’s warm outside or after a nice long walk when the pups want to relax and cool down. We throw this out on the floor or ground outside and the dogs love to pancake themselves out over it to cool down quickly. Link
#2 is for the dogs who stroll in style…
Wolfgang and Beast Collars, Harnesses & More Every pup needs a leash and collar at a minimum, and harnesses are great for those who like to slip out of collars or need the extra safety that a harness brings.
We absolutely love Wolfgang and Beast branded gear for our pups! One look at their products and you will see why. Not only are they really great quality, but they also have some really cool designs. This is also a downside because there are so many to choose from, and I want to buy them all.
Our Yorkie has been sporting the same set for 3-4 years and it makes it hard to justify buying new designs when you know the one you have will stand the test of time. Now that’s our 10 pound Yorkie, but let me tell you that our Husky loves to chew her leash when she’s acting out, but she’s met her match in this one.
Extra cool points because according to their website “Wolfgang was created to celebrate the unique relationship between a dog and his people. We offer American-made leashes and collars for your pup using only the finest American leathers and textiles, plus a distinctive collection of wallets, belts, and t-shirts for you. We build our products domestically, transport them minimally, and they’ll be replaced rarely”. Link
#1: Fi GPS Collar - track your dog anytime, anywhere
Fi GPS Collar: “It feels like it’s out of a James Bond movie”, customer quote on their landing page that we could not have said better. Huskies are especially known to be escape artists, but even our Yorkie has broken out and had us chasing him down the roads.
If you have an escape artist, or if you travel with your pups and they’re in new locations or if you just want to keep an eye on your pup’s location while you’re away - this collar is an absolute must have. Read on to see how you can score a FREE band with your purchase!
Track your dog anytime, anywhere
GPS tracking: Fi uses three constellations of satellites to maximize the tracking speed and accuracy of the Fi Collar. GPS accuracy can get as accurate as 7ft radius in open sky.
LTE-M network: Fi is the first tracking collar to use the LTE-M cellular network to communicate GPS information.
+ Escape Detection! Fi uses proprietary algorithms to detect when your dog escapes from your backyard.
Paired with the Fi app, you will have on-the-spot insight into not just your pup’s location, but how many steps they’re taking, how they stack up to other pups, Instagram integration (for those of you who are extra like us and have pup accounts @hikingwithaska), and the ability to connect with other Fi owners.
You can also set up alerts to notify you if you’re pup left a specified area, and you can grant restricted access to dog walkers and other caregivers - creating a multi-layered approach to keeping your pup safe.
We also love that they advertise their collars as “Chew-proof, water-proof (even the ocean), and generally dog-proof. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled to track your walks and activity, and keep your dog in good shape.” And – there’s a 1 Year Warranty included.
The GPS monitoring costs less than $2 per day, and the peace of mind you get in return is priceless. Link
Try Fi & Grab a FREE Band with your purchase! ($29 value)
By using our referral link we may earn freebies or discounts, but it never costs you more and we don’t have access to any purchase history.
We'd love to hear from you! Do you RV with dogs? Are you expecting a new puppy? And - what would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below!
Pin Ultimate Puppy Checklist for Later
From our Friends: 10 Tips for Raising a Puppy in an RV
Now that you’ve got your essential puppy items and your printable checklist downloaded, we also recommend this great read from our friends at
Adventures with TuckNae:
10 Tips for Raising a Puppy in an RV
Is there a science behind choosing a name for your new puppy? Maybe. But can guess where we got the inspiration for Aska’s name?
We’re Jen + Eric
After falling in love with everywhere we went, we changed our lives and became full-time RVers.
In the past 3 years, we’ve visited over 20 states, remodeled our first RV, hiked miles of trails, and proved that minimalism is in fact
NOT a pre-requisite for RV living.
Stick around, because we’re sharing everything
from how to get started, our learned experiences,
and most important …
how to make RV life a little ✨ EXTRA ✨