New puppy checklist: what to buy and do first

A little planning before pickup day makes the first weeks with your puppy much calmer. Here is a simple checklist, sorted by how many weeks you have left. Tick off a few things each week.

6 or more weeks to go

• Find a local vet. Book a check-up for the first few days after your puppy comes home. Vets suggest a new puppy sees a vet as soon as possible.
• Decide where your puppy will sleep. For the first few nights, the best place is in your bedroom, close to you.

5 weeks to go

• Buy a crate, a soft washable bed and a water bowl. Your puppy should be able to stand, turn around and stretch out in the crate. Fabric crates aren’t suitable for puppies who chew.
• Ask what food your puppy eats now, and buy the same one. Plan to keep it the same for at least the first 2 weeks.

4 weeks to go

• Puppy-proof the room your puppy will stay in. Get down to puppy height and look for anything they could chew, swallow or pull over.
• Buy a collar, a lead and an ID tag with your phone number on it.
• Check that your puppy is microchipped, and find out how to move the microchip details into your name. Ask your local council about registering your dog.

3 weeks to go

• Stock up on an enzyme cleaner for accidents. Avoid ammonia-based cleaners. To a puppy they can smell like wee, which draws them back to the same spot.
• Puppy pads are optional. They can help at the start, and then you phase them out.
• Buy two or three safe chew toys, including a sturdy toy you can fill with food and freeze. Soft chew toys made for teething puppies are a good choice. Avoid hard bones and sticks, which can damage growing teeth.

2 weeks to go

• Clear your calendar for the week your puppy comes home, if you can.
• Ask for your puppy’s vaccination and worming records, and what, when and how much they eat. Read any care notes you are given.

The final week

• Do a final puppy-proof check. Put chocolate, grapes, raisins and other dangerous foods up high.
• Move medicines, rat and snail bait, and cleaning products well out of reach.
• Tidy away power cords, shoes, socks and small things your puppy could swallow.
• Pack a towel for the car ride home, in case of accidents.