New Puppy Checklist: The 6 Things You Actually Need

The first week with a puppy is mostly about three things: keeping them safe, giving them somewhere to sleep, and giving those tiny teeth something better to chew than your table legs. Everything on this list does one of those jobs. Food, bowls and a collar with an ID tag you probably have covered already, so we left them out.

1. A safe space they cannot escape

A puppy that can wander the whole house will find cables, shoes and the one rug you care about. A playpen gives them a room of their own: big enough to play, small enough that you always know where they are. It also makes house training easier, because puppies avoid soiling the area where they sleep.

Wire pens are the classic choice because they fold flat and work indoors and in the yard. Check the height against the breed: a pen that holds a beagle puppy will not hold a young shepherd for long.

2. One tough chew toy

Puppies chew because their teeth hurt and because they are bored. A stuffable rubber toy solves both. Fill it with part of their breakfast, freeze it, and you have twenty quiet minutes while you shower. Trainers recommend this before any other toy, and for good reason. For more ideas, see our guide to dog toys for boredom.

3. A harness that makes walks easier

A collar is for the ID tag. For walks, a harness spreads the pressure across the chest instead of the throat, which matters for small necks that pull. A front-clip harness also turns a lunging puppy back toward you, which makes leash training less of a fight. Measure the chest before ordering, and expect to size up as they grow. Our no-pull dog harnesses guide compares five options.

4. A bed you can wash

Accidents happen, so the bed needs a cover that comes off and goes in the machine. You do not need an expensive orthopedic bed for a puppy that will outgrow it, but real foam beats a pile of stuffing that goes flat in a month. A flat mattress also fits inside a pen or crate.

5. A brush, used early

Brushing a puppy for two minutes a day is less about the coat and more about teaching them that being handled is normal. That pays off at the vet, at the groomer and the first time you need to check a paw. A slicker brush works for most medium and long coats. Short-coated breeds can use a rubber brush instead.

6. A carrier for the first vet trips

Small puppies ride safer in a carrier than loose on a lap, and the first months include several vet visits. A hard carrier with a top door makes it easy to lift a sleepy puppy in and out. Leave it open at home with a blanket inside, so it becomes a den instead of the box that means needles.

What you can skip for now

• Fancy bowls and feeding stations. A heavy steel bowl does the job.
• A big toy collection. Two or three toys you rotate keep a puppy more interested than twenty on the floor.
• An expensive adult bed. Wait until you know their adult size.
• Puppy clothes, unless you live somewhere properly cold.

Every product above comes from our guides, where we compare what independent testers, vets and trainers recommend. If you are unsure about anything health related, like vaccines or how much to feed, your vet is the right person to ask.

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