New puppy checklist

What’s on the checklist

• What to buy before pickup: a crate, a bed, bowls, the food the puppy already eats, a collar or harness, a leash, an ID tag, gates, chew toys, treats, grooming tools and poop bags.
• How to puppy-proof your home, room by room and at puppy height, plus the yard and the fence.
• Pickup day and the first weeks: the drive home, toilet training from day one, a steady routine and calm introductions to people and other pets.
• The first vet visit: choosing a clinic, booking the check-up, the papers to bring and the topics to ask about.
• Documents and records, house rules the whole family agrees on and a “who does what” table.
• US Letter and A4, with fields you can fill in on screen and a tick box for every item.

How to use it

1. Print it a week or two before pickup and start with the shopping list and the home check.
2. Ask the breeder or shelter which food the puppy eats and which papers you will get, and write their phone number at the top.
3. Agree on the house rules before the puppy arrives, so everyone uses the same words and the same routine from day one.
4. Fill in “who does what”: feeding, walks, training and vet visits.
5. Keep the sheet on the fridge and tick items off as you go. Take page 2 to the first vet visit.

What the checklist leaves to your vet

You won’t find a vaccine schedule, deworming dates or doses here. They depend on your puppy’s age, health and where you live, and your vet sets them at the first check-up. The checklist gets you there prepared: the breeder’s or shelter’s papers in hand and your questions written down.

Where the items come from

We built the list from advice published by the American Kennel Club, the ASPCA, Humane World for Animals, the RSPCA and AAHA, the American Animal Hospital Association. Each source is linked below.