Dog Essentials

Whether you're bringing home a new dog or just taking stock of what you have, the core essentials cover four areas: walks, feeding, hygiene and comfort.
For walks, a well-fitted collar, lead and harness are the foundations. Every item in a good dog essentials kit is designed for comfort, safety and style, from leads and collars to harnesses and more, perfect for all breeds and sizes. By law, dogs need to wear a collar with an identity tag in public places, you can face fines if your dog isn't wearing one. A poo bag holder that clips to your lead means you're never caught out and good quality poop bags designed to be thick, strong and reliable make clean-up quick and hygienic.
For feeding, you'll need a bowl at home and ideally something portable for walks and trips. Collapsible silicone bowls made for resistance and easy cleaning work in high and low temperatures, easy to collapse and grab on the go. If your dog eats quickly, a slow feeder bowl is worth considering, research shows that most standard slow feeder bowls are ineffective at actually slowing dogs down, so it's worth choosing one designed to genuinely increase the challenge.
Beyond that, a comfortable dog bed, some toys for mental stimulation and basic grooming products round out the essentials.

A solid home grooming kit doesn't need to be complicated, but having the right tools makes a real difference to your dog's coat, skin, and overall hygiene between professional grooms.
A good brush is the starting point for most dogs. A soft bamboo dog brush is designed and proven to maintain a healthy coat by removing dead hair and encouraging blood flow and it's a more sustainable option than plastic alternatives. For dogs with longer or curlier coats, a detangling comb or dematting tool is also worth having. A dematting tool helps you easily break through knots and tangles and prevent shaves, a must-have for doodles, retrievers and similar breeds.
For bathing, a dog-specific shampoo is important, human products aren't formulated for a dog's skin pH. A good dog shampoo should gently cleanse and condition without stripping the coat, and shampoo dispensing brushes make bath time easier by combining lathering and washing in one step. After bathing, a microfibre or bamboo towel speeds up drying significantly, super soft, highly absorbent quick-drying bamboo towels with built-in drying pockets are ideal for medium to large breeds.
Nail care and dental hygiene are often overlooked but are just as important. A nail clipper and dremel duo gives you everything needed to trim your dog's nails safely at home, with education videos to help you do it correctly. And between baths, multi-purpose grooming wipes covering paws, bums, faces, ears and all body cleaning keep things fresh day to day without the need for a full wash every time.