New Puppy Checklist: Everything You Need for the First Week Home

By Wagopedia · Published November 4, 2026

The first week with a new puppy goes better when the boring work is done before pickup day. This checklist covers what to buy, how to set up your home, the veterinary visit that should happen in the first few days, and a simple daily rhythm for week one. It is organized in the order you will actually need things: before pickup, the first day, and the rest of the week.

Before pickup day: the supply list

Food — start with what the puppy already eats

Ask the breeder, shelter, or rescue exactly what food the puppy has been eating, and buy a bag of the same food. An abrupt food change is a common cause of an upset stomach in the first week. If you plan to switch foods, do it gradually over about a week, mixing increasing amounts of the new food into the old — the transition approach the American Kennel Club (AKC) recommends for puppies. You will also need food and water bowls (stainless steel or ceramic are easiest to keep clean) and a supply of small training treats.

A crate sized for now, not for someday

The AKC's sizing rule is simple: the crate should be big enough for the puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably — and not much bigger, because puppies avoid soiling their sleeping area and a too-large crate gives them a bathroom corner. For a puppy who will grow, choose an adult-size crate with a divider panel and move the divider as the puppy grows. Add washable bedding you will not mind laundering often.

The rest of the essentials

• Collar and ID tag with your phone number, fitted so you can slip two fingers underneath; plus a standard leash for toilet trips and early walks.
• Enzyme-based cleaner for accidents — regular cleaners leave scent traces that invite a repeat performance in the same spot.
• Chew toys sized for puppies, so the legal chewing option is always within reach.
• A baby gate or exercise pen to limit the puppy's territory while housetraining.
• Poop bags, and a notebook or phone note for tracking meals, toilet trips, and sleep — the log makes week-one patterns obvious.

Identification: tag plus microchip

An ID tag works the moment your puppy slips a collar, but tags get lost. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recommends microchipping as permanent identification, with your contact details kept current in the chip registry — a chip only works if the registration is up to date. If your puppy is not already chipped, put it on the agenda for the first veterinary visit.

Before pickup day: puppy-proof one room

Start your puppy in one small, easy-clean area — usually a kitchen or laundry room — rather than the whole house. Get down to puppy height and remove or secure: electrical cords, cleaning chemicals, medications, small objects that fit in a mouth, and shoes you care about. Decide where the outdoor toilet spot will be; you will be visiting it many times a day, including at night.

Book the first veterinary visit before you bring the puppy home

New puppies should see a veterinarian within the first few days at home, even if the breeder or shelter provided initial care. Bring whatever health records you received. At that visit the veterinarian will examine the puppy, review vaccination and deworming status, and set the schedule for the rest of the puppy series.

Why the schedule matters: the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) vaccination guidelines are built around booster visits every few weeks through the first months of life, because the immunity puppies get from their mother fades at an unpredictable rate and young puppies need a series of vaccinations to build their own protection. Expect repeat visits roughly every three to four weeks until your puppy is about four months old, with exact timing set by your veterinarian for your puppy. This is also the visit to discuss parasite prevention, microchipping, spay/neuter timing, and whether pet insurance makes sense for your budget — a decision that is easiest before anything has been diagnosed.

Day one: keep it small and calm

• Go straight to the toilet spot when you arrive home, and praise calmly when the puppy uses it. That spot, and that praise, is the foundation of housetraining.
• Offer water, then a small meal of the familiar food at the usual time.
• Let the puppy explore the one prepared room at their own pace. Resist the parade of visitors for the first day or two; rest is a developmental need, and young puppies sleep most of the day.
• First night: many puppies settle best with the crate near your bed at first, so they can hear and smell you. Expect to be woken for a toilet trip — that is normal in week one.

The rest of week one: a simple rhythm

Puppies thrive on predictability. A workable first-week rhythm looks like this:

• Meals at set times — young puppies are typically fed three to four times a day; your veterinarian will confirm the right cadence and amount for your puppy's age and expected size.
• Toilet trips after waking, after meals, after play, and before bed — plus whenever you see circling or sniffing. When in doubt, go out.
• Short play and training moments woven into the day: name recognition, coming when called, sitting for a treat. Keep sessions to a few minutes.
• Early socialization: the AKC and AAHA both note that the first months of life are the key window when puppies most readily learn that new people, sounds, and surfaces are safe. In week one, keep it gentle and home-based — household sounds, different floor surfaces, calm handling of paws and ears — and ask your veterinarian how to balance socialization with disease precautions until vaccinations are complete.
• Sleep, and lots of it. If the puppy crashes mid-play, let them sleep. Overtired puppies bite and fuss more, not less.

Paperwork to finish in week one

• Register the microchip in your name and confirm the registry has your current phone number.
• File vaccination and health records somewhere you will find them in three years.
• Note the dates of upcoming booster appointments in your calendar now.
• Decide on pet insurance while the puppy has a clean health record — see our guide to whether puppy insurance is worth it for the math.
• Check your local licensing requirements for dogs.

Week one is not about a trained puppy; it is about a puppy who eats, sleeps, toilets outside more often than inside, and learns that your home is predictable and safe. Get the rhythm right and the rest of puppyhood — crate training, biting, walking on leash, everything in our Puppy Care section — gets much easier.