Preparing a home for a new puppy takes planning. Most of us buy the essential items: food bowl, water bowl, bed/ crate, collar and leash. Please consider substituting a  harness for the collar, for safety's sake .Almost all of the puppy training books teach us to housebreak our puppies by taking them for scheduled walks, which is good information, but seldom do the authors warn of the dangers which a collar poses to small necks. There is a basic physical reason why a harness, in either vest form, or one which looks like a collar with a few extra straps which fasten around the puppy or dog's chest, is safer for our tiny fur babies. Puppies and small breed dogs have extremely small and fragile necks, and when they are wearing collars, any traction we place on their leash pulls directly on their spinal cord, trachea and other vital structures. A properly sized harness, on the other hand, distributes the tension of an opposing force on the dog to its larger chest and shoulder muscles. Obviously, no dog should be dragged or otherwise abused in any way, but there may come a time when immediate and firm control of your leashed dog will be vital to its survival. Sudden pulling or jerking on the dog's neck in an emergency moment on leash can have tragic results.

I know from tragic first-hand experience that collars can be deadly to toy breed dogs. A friend and I were walking his tiny Yorkies with their collars and leashes one day when one of the teacup Yorkies was in extreme danger from a stray dog bounding towards her. My friend, who was a 6 foot 4 inch well muscled man, pulled his Yorkie back to prevent the large dog from attacking her. He was trying to save her from harm. In so doing, he snapped her neck, and she died instantly. He was a doctor, but there was nothing that could be done.He and I  learned the hard way that day that collars are best left to larger dogs. There are endless designs and types of harnesses for sale on eBay. Some buckle on, some are made especially for toy breed dogs and fasten with Velcro. Our new Maltese male puppy has a beatiful light blue leather harness with tons of BLING- just like the designer collars do. I bought it this week from an eBay seller, along with the rhinestone charms to personalize his harness for him, a couple of rhinestone charms to clip on and off for more bling and the matching leather leash. Last week, I bought him a sporty plaid cloth vest style harness with matching leash AND sun visor from an eBay seller. 
There are also reflective harnesses for those who walk their dogs at night. The selection on eBay is great.

Please consider the purchase of a harness for your precious tiny puppy, no matter how large he or she will grow to be, and especially for your toy or miniature breed dog. Do it for Life.  Thank you for reading, and may all your days be happy, healthy  " dog days".