New puppy checklist: your first week

The first week with a new puppy sets the tone for everything that follows. It is tempting to buy out the pet shop and plan every detail, but a settled puppy needs far less than the internet suggests. What they need most is a safe space, a steady routine, and calm people around them. Here is how to be ready, without the overwhelm.

What to buy before day one

You do not need everything at once, but a short list of essentials makes the first day much calmer. Have these ready before the puppy arrives:

• Collar, lead and an ID tag. By law in the UK a dog in a public place must wear a tag with the owner's name and address. A soft, adjustable collar is fine to start.
• Food and water bowls, and the same food the breeder or rescue was using. Keeping the food identical for the first week or two avoids an upset stomach on top of a big change.
• A crate or a bed, placed somewhere quiet. A crate, introduced gently, becomes a den a puppy chooses for themselves.
• A few safe toys, including something to chew. Chewing soothes puppies, especially during teething.
• Puppy pads or newspaper, and plenty of poo bags, for the toilet-training weeks ahead.
• Grooming basics: a brush suited to the coat, and puppy-safe shampoo for the inevitable muddy day.

Have the collar, bowls, bed, food and ID tag ready for day one. The rest can wait until you know your puppy.

Puppy-proof the house and garden

Puppies explore with their mouths, and they are quick. Before they arrive, get down to their level and look at each room the way they will. The things to deal with first:

• Tuck away trailing cables and phone chargers.
• Pick up small objects that could be swallowed, and move shoes and remotes out of reach.
• Check for toxic houseplants and move cleaning products and medicines into closed cupboards.
• Use a stair gate to keep the puppy to one or two rooms at first. A smaller world is easier to settle in and easier to toilet-train.
• Walk the garden and look for gaps in the fence, and check for poisonous plants before letting the puppy out.

The first day

Keep day one quiet. The journey home and a new house are a lot for a small puppy, and a calm arrival helps enormously.

• Go straight to the toilet spot when you arrive, and give plenty of praise if anything happens there.
• Let them explore one or two rooms at their own pace, rather than the whole house at once.
• Show them where their bed, water and toilet spot are, and let them rest whenever they want. Young puppies sleep a great deal, and that sleep is when they grow.
• Keep visitors to a minimum for the first day or two. There is plenty of time for introductions once the puppy feels safe.

Start the routine straight away

Routine is the single most powerful tool you have. Puppies feel safe when the day is predictable, and a steady rhythm makes toilet training, sleeping and settling far easier. From day one, build the day around a simple loop:

• Toilet trips after every sleep, meal, drink and play session, and last thing at night. This is the backbone of house-training.
• Regular meals at set times, four a day for a young puppy, which also makes toilet timing predictable.
• Short bursts of play and gentle exploring, followed by plenty of rest.
• A calm, consistent bedtime in the same spot each night.

If a partner or family member is helping, agree the routine together so everyone does it the same way. A puppy learns fastest when the whole household is consistent.

Register with a vet and sort the health basics

In the first few days, register with a local vet and book an early check-up. The vet will confirm the vaccination and worming plan, check the microchip details are up to date, and answer the questions every new owner has. Having a trusted number to call is a real comfort in the early weeks. If you would like to see the typical timeline first, our puppy vaccination schedule lays it out simply.

The first weeks: what comes next

Once the puppy is settling, a few things move to the top of the list. Toilet training gets easier with a log and a bit of patience, socialisation becomes important during the key early window, and regular weigh-ins let you see that growth is on track. Our guides on toilet training and the puppy weight chart pick up exactly where this one leaves off.

What is normal, and when to call the vet

A few accidents, some broken sleep and a puppy who is a little unsettled are all completely normal in the first week. Some things are worth an early call to your vet rather than waiting: refusing food for more than a day, repeated vomiting or diarrhoea, lethargy that does not lift after rest, or anything that simply does not feel right. You know your puppy better each day, and trusting that instinct is exactly the right thing to do.