Puppy guide
New puppy checklist
Everything worth having ready before your puppy comes home, grouped by the part of the day it belongs to. Buy the sleeping and toilet-training items first; the rest can follow in the first fortnight.
Sleeping and settling
Puppies sleep 16 to 18 hours a day, so the sleeping setup matters more than anything else you buy. Choose a crate your puppy can stand and turn around in, and put it where the family actually sits.
- Crate sized for adult weight, with a divider for now
- Washable crate pad and one spare cover
- Soft bed for daytime naps in the living room
- Two crate covers or a light blanket for darkening the crate at night
Collar, harness and leads
Get an everyday collar for the ID tag and a padded harness for walks. Puppies grow fast, so measure the chest rather than guessing by breed.
- Flat collar with ID tag
- Step-in or padded harness that adjusts at chest and girth
- 1.5 to 2 metre lead for training walks
- Longer line for recall practice in safe open space
Feeding and toilet training
Keep the food your breeder or shelter used for the first two weeks, then transition slowly. Toilet training runs on routine, not on cleaning products.
- Two bowls, one for water in each area the puppy uses
- Two weeks of the current food, measured with a scoop
- Enzymatic cleaner for accidents
- Printed toilet log so everyone in the house records the same thing
Chewing and enrichment
Most 'bad behaviour' in week one is an under-stimulated puppy. Rotate a small set of toys instead of putting everything out at once.
- Two rubber chew toys that can be frozen
- Snuffle mat or lick mat for calm time
- One tug toy for structured play with people
- Puzzle feeder for part of the daily food ration
Grooming and handling
Handling practice in the first month saves years of struggle at the vet. Five relaxed minutes a day is plenty.
- Soft brush suited to the coat type
- Puppy-safe shampoo
- Nail clippers or a grinder, introduced with treats before use
- Towel kept by the door for wet paws
Travel and vet visits
The first car journey is often the puppy's first time alone. A secure travel setup makes it boring instead of frightening.
- Crash-tested carrier or a secured travel crate
- Collapsible water bowl for the car
- Vaccination record and microchip paperwork in one folder
- Vet appointment booked for the first week
First-week admin
- Register the microchip in your name — breeders often forget this step.
- Book the first vet check and ask which vaccinations are still due.
- Arrange pet insurance before any symptoms appear, not after.
- Agree house rules with everyone: furniture, feeding scraps, who does night toilet trips.
- Write down the puppy's daily routine and stick it on the fridge for the first fortnight.
Prefer it all in one box?
Our new-puppy bundles gather the crate, bedding, lead and enrichment basics from this list, and the printable journals cover the toilet log and routine pages.