new puppy checklist

Congratulations on your new puppy! The best way to set you and your puppy up for success is to gather the supplies you need before your puppy comes home. If your puppy is already home, these items will help guide your puppy’s path back in the right direction.

You can also find most of these items at your local pet store (or click the link to purchase online!). I chose each item based on my professional experience with them, and I like to use these items with my own dog too!

I do use affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you Amazon pays me a little bit for my product referral. 

• Crate: You’ll need a size-appropriate crate for your puppy while you work on housetraining and creating a home routine. Crates provide dogs with a “den-like” space that belongs just to them, providing safety and structure for your pup. Add a bed inside for comfort! Make sure you put the crate inside an exercise pen to start with so the puppy has room to move about without being confined in the crate until you’ve gotten them comfortable with the crate. 
• Collar: It’s important to get your puppy used to everything they will need to do when they grow up, including wearing a collar. Look for a size appropriate flat collar for your puppy to wear (avoid collars that change in size while your pup is wearing it like slip/chain collars).
• Harness: Adult dogs should be walked on harnesses for their own safety. Harnesses are more secure than most collars and eliminate neck strain if your dog pulls at all on leash in the future. This is another item that your puppy should get used to putting on now so they are ready to go as they grow!
• 6-foot regular leash: Avoid retractable leashes since they interfere with proper leash walking skills and have been known to cause serious injuries to dogs and humans.
• ID tag: A tag is important for identification as your puppy grows, so let’s get your puppy used to the feel of the tag now! I recommend a silicone tag to keep your pup’s ears happy and prevent fearful responses to things the tag might jingle against.
• Dog Beds: You’ll want to get a few beds made especially for your puppy, so you can put them in the most used parts of your house. Even if you let them on the furniture in some rooms, there may be areas like the kitchen or office that don’t have “dog friendly” furniture.
• Water and food dishes: Plan for at least two water bowls set up around the house, and at least one food dish. We recommend leaving water dishes down at all times to prevent dehydration.
• High-quality food: You’ll want to continue the diet the puppy was on at the previous home, but you can start mixing in new food with the old diet to transition your puppy if needed. Look at the ingredients in dog foods to determine if the food focuses on natural ingredients like meat and veggies which will be much more healthy for your puppy. Avoid overprocessed foods that start off with filler ingredients like corn meal and have corn syrup or MSG in them.
• Treats: You’ll need treats for training, and you can start training your puppy as soon as you bring them home!
• Chews: Your pup needs things to chew on, make sure to provide the right things so your pup doesn’t look for your shoes and furniture legs.
• Poop Bags: Necessary for leash walks, but also helpful for cleaning up your yard after your pup eliminates.
• Insurance: Getting insurance right away is a good call. We use Pets Best for our pups, and have had wonderful experiences with them!