New puppy checklist
Two lists in one: the shopping, and the things that only work if they happen in the first fortnight. The second half matters more and gets skipped more often.
39 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Before they come home
- Ask the breeder what food, and buy that food
- Crate or bed, in the room the family actually sits in
- Puppy-proof: cables, plants, shoes, cleaning products
- Fence and gate checked at ground level
- Agree the house rules with everyoneSofa or not. Upstairs or not. Decide before, not after week three.
- Vet appointment booked for the first week
- Insurance arranged
- Kit
- Food and water bowls
- Collar with an ID tag, and a lead
- Harness
- Crate, bed and a washable blanket
- Chew toys×3
- Puppy pads
- Enzymatic cleanerOrdinary cleaner leaves a smell the puppy reads as a toilet.
- Brush and nail clippers
- Poo bags
- Training treats
- Admin
- Microchip registered to you, not the breeder
- Vaccination record collected
- Registered with a vet
- Insurance active from day one
- Licence or registration, where local rules require it
- First week
- Same food, same times
- Toilet outside every hour, and after every sleep and meal
- Name used constantly, and only for good things
- Short handling sessions: paws, ears, mouth
- Alone time for five minutes, then tenSeparation is trained from day one or fixed painfully at month six.
- Vet visit
- First months
- Puppy class booked
- Get them used to traffic, hoovers, umbrellas, other dogs
- Second and third vaccinations
- Worming and flea treatment on a schedule
- Neutering discussed with the vet
- Recall practised somewhere safe, daily
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- What should be ready before the puppy arrives?
- A crate or a bed, food the breeder was already using, and the house puppy-proofed. Changing food on day one causes an upset stomach on day two.
- When should the vet be booked?
- Before the puppy arrives, for the first week. Vaccinations, microchip check and a weight are the baseline, and the appointment book fills up.