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Congrats!! If you've never had a puppy before, my #1 recommendation is to get a trainer who will come to your house and work with you. They are more for you than for the dog. We did that and while it was really expensive, it was a blessing!

One thing our trainer told us is to let the puppy have access to only a little bit of the house at a time. A crate helps with that, but we didn't want it to feel like punishment and we wanted to be able to let him play around just as a dog in a controlled area. So we bought this playpen and zip tied it to the crate. You can also get linoleum to put underneath the playpen area, but make sure it's all one sheet (otherwise he'll chew on the ends). That also helps clean up potty mistakes!

Speaking of potty, we got a little bell to put on the door. We made him nudge it with his nose or paw (basically picked him up) every time we went out. Then when we finally let him explore more, he knew how to let us know he had to go. Of course, he also used it just as an excuse to go outside, so there's that.

You mentioned you're good to go on crates--did you get one that is life stages and lets you adjust how much room is available? Not a huge deal if not, but if you did, make sure you use it. They don't need a whole lot of room in the crate because they'll just pee on one end and sleep on the other.

For grooming, you don't really need a lot for a puppy (at least in our experience, and our older dog grew up to be a HUGE fluffball). You're more likely to hurt him and turn him off. For our grown up guys, we use a pin brush, a rake brush, a de-matting comb, grooming scissors, and dremmel. We also do your normal ear cleaning solution (we get ours from the vet, so I don't remember the brand offhand, it's the same thing as online) and shampoo. This is what we used when they were puppies. Another essential is puppy wipes for pesky danglers and muddy paws.

For a puppy, though, I really wouldn't use all that stuff. We used a little kong brush to get him used to a brush on his fur, but we didn't even use that until his fur was a little longer (but still too short to use the other brushes). The big thing with grooming a puppy is getting him used to you touching him EVERYWHERE. Stick your fingers in his ears and mouth, rub all over his paws, make him lay down on his back in your lap, etc. Definitely start on nails asap--even if you don't actually trim them, just holding the dremmel up to their nails and getting them used to it helps A LOT. Also the ear cleaner is an essential for golden puppies. Our trainer and vet both told us to drop it in their ears, let them shake their heads, then use q-tips in all the nooks and crannies.

Other essential products are LOTS of toys. You'll figure out real quick what your guy likes. Our first dog was more of a casual chewer, so fabric toys worked, but our second dog LOVES to eat fabric so we had to go with hard toys only. I highly recommend toys by West Paw! As you know, golden puppies will chew on LITERALLY EVERYTHING so you need a backup distractor toy at all times to replace the flavor of the minute. Keep in mind that if you give up trying to stop them chewing on something (say, for example, your computer chair), they will think it's ok to chew on that for the rest of their life. :(

We also got a slow-feeder bowl because our guys gobble down their food like it will disappear if they don't. And if your guy is really annoying with the water bowl (i.e., repeatedly knocking it over), don't worry too much--he'll grow out of it. I recommend keeping a towel under it until he learns all he wants to know about water!

Have fun with your little guy!!!! I'll add anything else I can think of later but feel free to ask if there's anything else you're curious about!

You don't want to go too big, enough room that they can turn around and still be comfortable when laying down. I got lucky and was able to borrow a small one from my sister and then once my pup was trained and too big for the small crate I purchased this crate. The good thing about this crate is that it comes with an adjustable divider that you can insert to made the crate space smaller, which is what I did when I first got it and then slowly made it bigger as my pup got bigger and adjusted to the bigger space. So you could probably buy the bigger crate as long as it has a divider. Another thing that I would recommend is paying for training classes. It might seem like a lot of money but it was well worth it. Not only did my puppy learn a lot, I think it helped me out more because I learned how to better train and understand my puppy. I've ended up doing two 7-week classes and learned a lot and will be signing up for another class for sometime in the spring. As far as toys go, I'd recommend anything made by Kong. Especially the crackle stick. My dog has loved this toy from day one and it doesn't make an annoying squeaking noise. I've also found that the Chuck It brand rubber balls have been my puppy's favorite balls. Good luck and have fun! Also know that Puppy teeth are sharp and they don't know any better so be ready with toys that you can shove in their mouth if they try to bite.

I don't think Golden Retrievers have any specific nutrient requirements that are different from other dogs, so general dog advice should suffice here. One thing I would point out though is I don't think there are any vegan dry kibble puppy foods — although I believe most foods are advertised as complete for all life stages. If you had a puppy, you may want to identify how the nutrient profile in puppy food differs from normal food and add supplements. If you were using a food mix like Vegedog you might be able to modify it more easily, but I don't have experience with that.

I have three dogs that have been on a vegan diet for most of their lives: a German Shepherd/Chow mix that is around 9 (on the vegan food for 7-8 years) and two Husky/Malamutes that are 13 1/2 (on the vegan food for 10-11 years). They haven't had any health issues attributable to diet and in general have been quite healthy (full disclosure: one of the Husky/Malamutes recently got SARDS, but that isn't known to be affected by diet).

I've fed my dogs mostly Evolution as a staple supplementing with other foods for variety — V-Dog, AmiDog, Natural Balance, etc. I also supplement, and I'd consider it advisable to do so. I add about 1g each of taurine, l-carnitine and canine digestive enzymes (this is what I use) to their food.

So there's the personal anecdote. As for very solid evidence, there's a fair amount of research on how digestible various vegetable-derived ingredients like CGM (corn gluten meal) are since many commercial foods use it. Vegan/vegetarian dogs aren't exactly mainstream and there isn't a lot of demand for research on that topic, so you aren't going to find anything like a nationwide study with millions of dogs.

Here are some links you might find helpful. (Not intended to be exhaustive, and you certainly could find some more information combing the web if you were so inclined.)

Extracted from another post, so may be slightly redundant:

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1. http://oldortovet.bioetica.info.ro/mesaje/Dog_Health_Survey.pdf — Survey of 300 vegetarian/vegan dogs (done by PETA).
   
   
2. http://www.une.edu.au/staff/wbrown/brown-huskies-bjn-2009.pdf — Study of a meat free diet for sprint racing sled dogs.
   
   
3. http://www.vegepets.info/diets/veg_canine.html — General compilation of information on vegan canine diets from Andrew Knight. His credentials: DipECAWBM (WSEL), PhD, MRCVS, FOCAE, European Veterinary Specialist in Welfare Science, Ethics and Law, Fellow, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.
   
   There is of course also considerable anecdotal evidence from the people that have vegan pets. I don't think I've heard many stories about people who had an issue — most of it has been positive. Note: Could be confirmation bias.
   
   Furthermore, canine nutritional needs are pretty well understood as is how digestible various substances are. I'll point out that many commercial non-vegan dog foods derive most of their energy from plant-based ingredients.
   
   There are vegan/vegetarian dog foods that meet AAFCO standards — AAFCO is the organization that designs animal feed guidelines in the US. Those foods are nutritionally complete based on AAFCO standards.
   
   There are also veterinary prescription vegetarian/vegan foods that are used for dogs that cannot tolerate meat for whatever reason: it's unlikely those foods would exist if they were severely nutritionally deficient.
   
   ***
   
   I'd definitely recommend at least trialing the food, with monitoring and health checkups it can be done with minimal risk. You could likely reduce the risk still further by waiting until the dog is fully mature.
   
   Even though I don't find it very palatable, I think it is justified to take at least some risk: the alternative is to sacrifice the life of a creature that likely is just as significant as a dog's. For the pig/cow/chicken/whatever that would be killed to make dog food, their death is a fact: not a risk.

I'm in the same boat you are, just 6 months in. Never had a dog before, always a cat person. Here's what I've learned (so far).

1. All they want is to be with you. If she's not with you, she probably into something.
   
2. They're smart. So smart that you'll realize you're not as smart as you thought you were. I bought ours this, filled it with treats, then anxiously awaited as he tried to solve the puzzle. He just picked the whole thing up and flipped it over so that all of the treat covers fell out. "Problem" solved.
   
3. It took ours a couple months to get the "retriever" part down, but once he did.. man he brings us everything.
   
4. Give him lots of toys that he can "work" at. Kong toys with treats in them, maze balls, etc. I'm thinking of picking up something like this for ours next.
   
5. Be ready to walk. Cold, hot, doesn't matter. Golden's need exercise and love to run. On that note...
   
6. Get him out to a dog park or visit with other dog-having friends as much as you can! Not only is it great for socializing the dog, but she'll be tired out from all of the playing.
   
7. Try to curb jumping up as soon as possible. we didn't do this, and now we're kicking ourselves.
   
8. Get some training books and start as soon as you feel your pup is ready. Ours looooves being engaged and figuring out what he's supposed to do.
   
9. When she picks up something she's not supposed to, don't chase after her. Again, this is our boys favorite game now. "Oh, daddy is trying to work? I'm just going to grab this pillow and run!"
   
10. Remember that it's always your fault. Any bad behavior is the result of the dog not being told what is allowed. Positive reinforcement is always the better option!

how old is she?

leashes/collars:

our puppy was cleared to go home at 7.5 weeks and 9 pounds. we went to target and got a boots and barkley size XS collar. it was $4. we only spent $4 because within a month she was in a M collar. she's going to need a large collar in the next few months.

we had a lighter leash from our other dog (cocker spaniel) that we used until we switched collars, then we got a heavier duty 6' nylon leash off of amazon. 6' is a good length for training because you can do come and stay with 6'.

it's really tempting to spend a lot on cute collars and leashes when you get them, but they grow so quickly that it really is kind of a waste of money...

toys:

a puppy kong would be good (believe this is the baby blue one). she'll be learning to mouth. we also got some softer plush toys for her, smaller, because she can't get her mouth around the bigger ones. samus REALLY liked small flat toys and there isn't stuffing for them to rip out of with their razor sharp puppy teeth. the stuffing can make them sick if they ingest it. also, some of the flat ones have a crinkly paper sound and not a squeaker, which can also be better.

https://www.jefferspet.com/products/flat-farm-toys

goldens are REALLY smart so you have to keep them busy. there are a lot of 'puzzle toys' out there but samus always figured them out within 10 minutes. even as a 2-3 month old puppy the ones that say 6 months + were way too easy (she is just turning 4.5 months).

my husband found this toy on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-Interactive-Treat-Colors/dp/B003ARUKTG

it is our LIFE SAVER. it is the ONLY toy that keeps samus interested for HOURS. it has to roll on carpet though, so if you dont have carpet it might not be a good choice. we tried other ball/puzzle toys and she would figure them out. we put a handful of her food or some treats and her food in the ball and she is so busy. the kicker with this toy is that the inner platform has an adjustable hole to make it more difficult for the food to fall out of, and then it falls into the ball and has to fall out of the second (outer) hole. so, out of everything we have ever purchased, this was the best $8 we have spent.

bowls:

we used a small 2 cup pyrex like dish for the first couple of months and now she is in a Kong slow feed bowl from PetSmart.

https://www.petsmart.com/dog/supplies-and-training/bowls-and-feeders/food-and-water-bowls/kong-slow-feed-puzzle-dog-bowl-5231739.html?gclid=CJTgksmI9dECFY62wAodQoEK5A&lsft=utm_source%3Agoogle%2Cutm_term%3A5231739%2Cutm_medium%3APLA%2Cutm_content%3AGSC%20-%20PLA%20-%20Hardgoods%20%7C%20Dog%20-%20Supplies%20

food:

we do natural balance limited ingredient lamb and brown rice puppy food. puppy food is important because they're growing. our vet told us large breed isn't necessary because large breed is more for your dane sized puppies. whatever you feed her, make sure you are starting with an 80% breeder provided food/20% your food, next day do 70/30, 60/40, etc...slow moving or it will upset their bellies and you'll be sad because they can't hold their liquid poops in since they are puppies. ask the breeder for a weeks worth of food for the transition.

misc:

• clickers to do clicker training.
  
• soft treats for when you start name recognition
  
  if you have a petco near you, ask them for the puppy coupon book. it'll come with a lot of 50% off coupons for treats that you can use with price matching and manufacturer coupons.
  
  I took these 50% one bag of 12oz tricky trainer treats, looked on their website, got a price match (it's usually a ton cheaper on their website) and then got the 50% off of that price match.
  
  I ended up with 3 bags of treats for about $4
  

I strongly recommend reading this book. It was extremely helpful for learning about all of the developmental stages my Golden would be going through and having an idea about what to expect.

Make sure your home is VERY clean and is set up for the puppy before you bring him home. Goldens are adorable, but when they're little they will chew and eat anything that fits in their mouth, which can be extremely dangerous. Make sure you have a crate and an exercise pen set up and ready for him before he comes home.

Also, just curious, is there a reason you can't meet the dog before March 10? Our breeder was encouraging all of the puppy buyers to come play with the puppies as much as possible as soon as they turned 3 weeks old (good for their socialization and everyone had fun interacting with the puppies. We visited every other week from when he was born until he came home at 8 weeks old).

Household must: Bitter spray; pepto bismol tablets (100% get pepto tablets) they will save your sleep; couch/furniture cover (I’m talking termites, my pups chewed on any wooden chair leg they could find)

Snacks: depending on the age cow hooves (for chewing) and cod fish-skin snacks are a favorite, grain free snacks for training (would suggest you focus on adjusting them to their food before giving snacks).

Food: it varies but I use Victor canned dog food (beef or lamb) when I feel like spoiling them, Costco grainfree on the reg, they also liked Lucy pet (salmon) for a good while.

Toys: a rope, a ball, a tire that attached to rope* that seems slightly too big for them (my Golden’s like to test their strength by carrying large things), a tough stuffed animal/a throw pillow you can let them stuff in their mouth if they are getting excited or zoomies (good coping mechanism for them),



Two Golden’s and a shepherd lab mix.

Leash

Coupler

I love my leash, but it was pricey. It has buckle on the handle that I use for quickly attaching them to things. It also adjusts from about 4'-6'. Then the coupler adjusts too, so one dog has more slack. Which is nice because my good old dog doesn't get dragged around by the rambunctious puppy so much.

It's a fantastic setup for when we're casually walking. We seldom get tangled up. Definitely don't skimp on individual leash training for the new pup though.

There's also this leash. Which is $10 cheaper and lacks a padded handle and doesn't adjust in the front.

Hey! It's a Halti harness, and I have it paired with the leash.

I can't recommend it enough. It's super easy to put on and take off. Also, he gets excited when squirrels run by. I had a harness like this before, which he was easily able to pull with. With this harness, I can control him from the chest and back, which makes it really easy to keep him under control.

Here’s the link. Great book! Highly recommend it for anyone getting a Golden pup.

We have stopped using our furminator because we feel like it's too rough on his skin. A combination of a paddle, thin bristled brush with a rake-like brush has worked wonders! Trying to stay on top of the hair this year as he sheds his winter coat.

https://www.amazon.com/Coastal-Pet-Undercoat-Designed-Undercoats/dp/B0083TSC64/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1519734351&sr=8-9&keywords=rake+brush

https://www.amazon.com/Rotatable-Footprint-Paddle-Grooming-Suitable/dp/B01FCTG7TQ/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1519734368&sr=8-8&keywords=paddle+dog+brush