The Years · New Puppy
New puppy checklist: what to buy and do before day one
Your next chapter
Everything is enormous, nothing is house-trained, and this part is short.
Homecoming. A very small animal has just lost its mother, its littermates and every smell it knew, and has landed in your kitchen. The jobs of this stage are sleep, toileting, a crate that reads as safe, the first vet visit, and a socialisation period that is open right now, when new things are easiest to file as ordinary. Almost everything that feels like a disaster this month is a puppy who has not slept.
Approximate. AAHA gives no fixed ages: it defines life stages by development, not by birthdays, and publishes no inclusive ages at all for mature adult or senior. These windows are ours, built so you can find the right page. A dog a month either side of a line is the same dog.
Start with these
The three things we would buy first for the new puppy stage, from the needs below. Researched, not tested; prices move, so check before you buy.
Puppy Crates
MidWest iCrate Double DoorWe link: 42-Inch · 71-90 lbs
The one crate you buy at eight weeks and still use at eight years — the included divider grows with the dog
$84.99 Owner rating 4.7 out of 5 · 70,262Teething & Chew Toys
Nylabone Puppy Teething ChewWe link: Medium
A small, gentle chewer, under supervision — and only after you've read the vet caution below
$6.69 Owner rating 4.3 out of 5 · 16,579Playpens & Gates
Regalo Easy Step GateWe link: 29"-38.5"
A wide doorway at the bottom of the stairs — it spans 29 to 38.5 inches and stands 30 inches tall
$44.98 Owner rating 4.4 out of 5 · 175,093
Start here
Start with these three
The first three steps of this stage's plan, in the order they usually happen.
- Decide where the crate goes: next to your bed
- Write the toilet rota on the fridge
- Schedule the naps rather than waiting for them
Nothing here is a test, and none of it has a deadline attached. A flexible plan for the first week has the rest of it, and the questions worth asking your vet are further down the page.
New puppy checklist
Everything this page recommends, on one list: what to have in the house before the puppy arrives, what to add once you know the puppy you actually have, and the jobs that cost nothing. It is built from the six needs and the first-week plan further down, so the two never disagree. You do not need all of it on day one — most of the second and third lists is "only if".
Before the puppy comes home
The short list. Have these ready on day one.
- The food they came home on · NourishChange one thing at a time. Puppy FoodOur pickBlue Buffalo Puppy ChickenWe link: Blue · 30 lb$65.48Buy on Amazon
- Shallow, tip-resistant bowls · NourishA puppy who stands in the water bowl is not being naughty. Slow Feeders & Bowls
- The crate, divided down to puppy size · RestJust enough room to stand, turn and lie flat. Puppy CratesOur pickMidWest iCrate Double DoorWe link: 42-Inch · 71-90 lbs$84.99Buy on Amazon
- Two washable crate mats · RestTwo, so one is always in the machine. Puppy CratesOur pickMolly Mutt Waterproof LinerWe link: 22"x27"x4.75"$20.00Buy on Amazon
- A soft step-in puppy harness · MoveStep-in rather than over-the-head — most puppies object less. Puppy Harness & Leash
- A light six-foot leash · MoveLight enough that the puppy is not dragging a weight around while they learn what a leash is. Puppy Harness & Leash
- Two hollow stuffable toys · ThinkTwo, so one is always in the freezer. Teething & Chew ToysOur pickNylabone Puppy Teething ChewWe link: Medium$6.69Buy on Amazon
- A one-handed treat pouch, worn all day · TrainWorn, not on a shelf. Training ToolsOur pickOllyDog Goodie Treat Bag$19.95Buy on Amazon
- Enzymatic cleaner · TrainEnzymatic specifically. Potty Training
- Gates on the stairs and the kitchen · ProtectNever pressure-mounted at the top of stairs. Playpens & GatesOur pickRegalo Easy Step GateWe link: 29"-38.5"$44.98Buy on Amazon
- Vet-recommended parasite prevention · ProtectAge and weight dependent, and different by region. Flea & Tick
In the first weeks
Add once you know the puppy you actually have.
- Soft, pea-sized training treats · NourishCount them into the day's food. Training ToolsOur pickWellness Soft Puppy BitesWe link: 8 oz$9.99Buy on Amazon
- A crate cover or a blanket over three sides · RestDark and den-like settles most puppies faster than an open wire box does. Puppy Crates
- A second bed by the sofa · RestSo there is somewhere to be near you that is not on you. Puppy CratesOur pickKSIIA Washable Crate BedWe link: 35"x23" · Gray$19.99Buy on Amazon
- A crate or carrier for the car · MoveShort, pleasant journeys that end somewhere good, before the only journeys are veterinary ones. Car Travel
- A snuffle mat or scatter-feeding mat · ThinkSniffing tires a puppy out more reliably than running does, and it can be done indoors before vaccinations are finished. Enrichment & Puzzles
- Three different chew textures · ThinkRubber, rope, something with give. Teething & Chew ToysOur pick: Nylabone Puppy Teething Chew (above)
- Washable potty pads, if you are in an apartment · TrainOnly if you genuinely cannot get outside fast enough. Potty Training
- A real grass patch, if outside is a lift ride away · TrainReal grass keeps the surface the same as the one you will eventually move to, which is the step pads get wrong. Potty TrainingOur pickFresh Patch Real Grass PatchWe link: Small · 16 Inches x 24 Inches$34.95Buy on Amazon
- A clicker or an agreed marker word · TrainSame word, same tone, every person in the house. Training ToolsOur pickHoAoOo Training Clicker, 2-Pack$4.99Buy on Amazon
- A folding playpen · ProtectThe single most useful object for a household that also has to eat, work and shower. Playpens & GatesOur pickMidWest 30-Inch Exercise PenWe link: 30-Inch$58.17Buy on Amazon
- A soft brush and nail clippers or a grinder · ProtectNot because the nails need it yet. Grooming & Nails
Only if you need them
Situational. Several are a vet conversation first.
- A large-breed puppy formula, if your dog will be big · NourishAsk your vet before you switch. Puppy FoodOur pickRoyal Canin Large PuppyWe link: Large · 30 lb$109.99Buy on Amazon
- A calming aid, on your vet's advice · RestPheromone diffusers and supplements are sold hard at this stage. Calming Aids
- A waterproof rear seat cover · MoveBuy it now while it is a precaution rather than a response to something. Car Travel
- An entry-level puzzle feeder · ThinkThe easiest level only. Enrichment & Puzzles
- A door bell or button for asking to go out · TrainSome dogs take to this immediately and it removes all the guesswork. Potty TrainingOur pickBLUETREE Dog DoorbellsWe link: Large$6.99Buy on Amazon
- A GPS collar tracker · ProtectMost useful with an unfenced garden or a dog who has already found one gap. GPS Trackers
Jobs, not purchases
From a flexible plan for the first week, in order.
- Decide where the crate goes: next to your bed
- Write the toilet rota on the fridge
- Schedule the naps rather than waiting for them
- Keep them on the food they arrived on
- Set up the containment before the puppy is in it
- Start the exposure at a distance
- Two short training sessions a day, and no more than three things
- Later if needed: something to chew as the crate door closes
- Later if needed: a harness, and peace with the car
- The first vet visit, and the questions to take to it
One click, then you check it on Amazon
Add this stage’s starter kit to your Amazon cart
The starter pick for each need above that we can link to a live listing. Untick anything you already own. Flea, tick and joint products are left out on purpose — those depend on your dog’s weight and your vet.
Amazon shows every item on a confirmation page before anything reaches your cart. Sizes are the ones we link — change them there if your dog needs another. Prices move; Amazon’s is the one that counts. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
You are here if…
- There is a puppy in your house and you have not slept properly since it arrived
- You are outside in the dark, in your coat, waiting for something to happen on the grass
- The puppy sleeps in wild bursts and then bites everything for twenty minutes
- You have been told to socialise the puppy and also not to put it on the ground yet
- Something has been chewed that you cannot replace
- You are quietly wondering whether you have ruined your life, which is a normal thing to wonder in week two
The numbers to know
Rules of thumb, not diagnoses — your vet knows your dog.
What is changing
Almost everything, very fast.
The body. A puppy this age is growing daily and sleeping through most of it. Long stretches of sleep are not laziness; they are when the growing happens. Bladder capacity is tiny and the muscle that holds it is not finished, so accidents are a plumbing fact, not a training failure. The gut is new to your water and your food, and it will tell you.
The brain. This is the part that is cheapest now and dearer later. During the socialisation period, new things are filed as ordinary rather than frightening with very little effort from you, and that period is winding down during exactly the weeks your vet is still working through the vaccine series. It is a window of best value, not a door that slams: dogs go on learning that new things are safe for the rest of their lives, and a puppy who missed some of it is a puppy who needs more patience and often a good trainer, not a lost cause. That tension is real and it has a real answer: carry the puppy, use your arms and a blanket, invite calm vaccinated adult dogs to your house, and let the puppy watch the world from a safe distance rather than walk through it. Ask your vet where they draw the line, because it varies by area and by what is circulating.
The behaviour. Mouthing is communication, not aggression. Crying in a crate is a social animal saying it has been left. Overtired puppies get worse, not sleepier. Most of this month is managed by a schedule, not by technique.
The six needs, this stage
What changes, and the one thing worth getting for it.
Nourish
Soft, pea-sized training treats
Count them into the day's food. A puppy trained on top of full meals gets round quickly.
Why nourish changes now +Why nourish changes now −
Small meals, often — most puppies this age eat three or four times a day rather than twice, because a stomach this size cannot hold a day's calories in two goes. Keep them on the food they arrived on for at least the first week or two, then change gradually over seven to ten days if you are changing at all. Fresh water always available, and washed daily. Free-feeding makes house-training much harder because you lose the one thing that makes toileting predictable: food going in on a schedule means it comes out on a schedule.
Rest
A second bed by the sofa
So there is somewhere to be near you that is not on you. Settling on a mat is a skill, and it starts now.
Why rest changes now +Why rest changes now −
Sleep is the whole stage. Puppies this age sleep enormous amounts across the day, and a puppy who has not had it becomes bitey, frantic and impossible — the same way a toddler does. Build naps into the schedule rather than waiting for the puppy to opt in, because most of them will not. The crate goes next to your bed for the first weeks, so night crying is answered by a hand through the bars rather than by a trip downstairs. Feeding meals inside the crate and closing the door for two minutes at a time does more for crate training than any amount of coaxing.
Move
A crate or carrier for the car
No verified pick yet — here’s what to look for
$40-120 · Car Travel
Short, pleasant journeys that end somewhere good, before the only journeys are veterinary ones.
Why move changes now +Why move changes now −
Less than you think. A puppy this age does not need walks for exercise; they need short, frequent outings that are mostly about toileting and about seeing things. Growth plates are open, so repetitive forced exercise, long jogs and stairs up and down all day are worth avoiding — your vet can tell you what is reasonable for your dog's size. What they do need is to get comfortable wearing a harness and being carried, and to make peace with the car before the car only ever means the vet.
Think
Three different chew textures
Rubber, rope, something with give. You are finding out what this particular mouth prefers before the teething months arrive.
Why think changes now +Why think changes now −
The world is the enrichment right now. Novelty in tiny, controlled doses — a cardboard box, a new floor surface, an umbrella opening across the room, the washing machine running — does more than any toy. Where toys earn their place is in teaching a puppy to be content alone: a stuffed and frozen rubber toy given as you close the crate turns being shut in from a punishment into the thing that comes with dinner. Keep sessions short. A puppy who has had enough will bite, and biting is usually the message that the session ended five minutes ago.
Train
A real grass patch, if outside is a lift ride away
Real grass keeps the surface the same as the one you will eventually move to, which is the step pads get wrong. It is a consumable: a delivery every couple of weeks, not a purchase.
Why train changes now +Why train changes now −
Three things and no more: toileting, the crate, and a name that means good things are coming. Everything is rewarded, nothing is punished — a puppy who is told off for an accident learns to hide, not to hold. Take them out on waking, after eating, after play, and roughly every hour in between; go with them, reward outside within two seconds, and never after you come back in. Sessions run two minutes, several times a day. Start handling paws, ears and mouth now, gently and with food, so that grooming and vet exams are never a fight.
Protect
A folding playpen
The single most useful object for a household that also has to eat, work and shower.
Why protect changes now +Why protect changes now −
The vaccine series is running and is not finished, so where the puppy can safely go is a live question with a local answer — ask your vet rather than the internet. Parasite prevention starts young and the products are age and weight dependent, which is another vet conversation rather than a shelf decision. At home, the containment you set up before arrival now earns its keep: gates and a pen let you stop watching for ten minutes without a disaster. Get the microchip registered to your own phone number in week one, and check the fence properly, because puppies fit through gaps you cannot see.
Training Tools, 6 picks side by side
The everyday training treat — small, soft and low enough in calories to reward fifty times in a session
- Size
- 16 oz pouch
- Material
- Not stated
- Colour
- Not stated
- Dimensions (H × W × D)
- Not stated
- Weight
- Not stated
- Skip if
- Your dog needs a limited-ingredient diet, or you want a treat that keeps for months once opened.
The first months of training — soft enough for baby teeth, with lamb and salmon and added DHA for a developing brain
- Size
- 8 oz bag
- Material
- Not stated
- Colour
- Not stated
- Dimensions (H × W × D)
- Not stated
- Weight
- Not stated
- Skip if
- You need the cheapest bulk treat. An 8 oz bag disappears quickly at puppy training frequency.
Getting a reward out in under a second, which is the only thing a treat pouch is actually for
- Size
- 4 1/4" x 5 1/4" x 3"
- Material
- Not stated
- Colour
- Not stated
- Dimensions (H × W × D)
- 5.25 in × 4.25 in × 4.25 in
- Weight
- 0.22 lb
- Skip if
- You need it to hold a day's food, or it will be thrown into a bag mouth-down.
- Long line
Lynxking 30 ft Check Cord Long Line
$14.99 Owner rating 4.6 out of 5 · 2,235 ratingsbest rated
Recall practice in open space, where a six-foot leash makes the dog's choice for them and off-leash makes a wrong choice unrecoverable
- Size
- rope3/8"x30'
- Material
- Not stated
- Colour
- Orange
- Dimensions (H × W × D)
- 0.38 in × 0.38 in × 360.0 in
- Weight
- Not stated
- Skip if
- You want it for ordinary walks — thirty feet of line on a pavement is a hazard to your dog and to strangers.
Turning a whole meal into work — the large chamber holds up to three cups, with adjustable difficulty at both openings
- Size
- Not stated
- Material
- BPA-Free Plastic
- Colour
- Not stated
- Dimensions (H × W × D)
- Not stated
- Weight
- Not stated
- Skip if
- Your dog is a serious chewer. It is not chew-proof and owners report it failing under real chewing.
- Marker clicker
HoAoOo Training Clicker, 2-Pack
$4.99lowest here Owner rating 4.3 out of 5 · 40,814 ratings
The marker itself — a sound a dog can learn in one session, at a price that means losing one does not matter
- Size
- Not stated
- Material
- Not stated
- Colour
- Not stated
- Dimensions (H × W × D)
- 1.97 in × 1.97 in × 5.91 in
- Weight
- 0.09 lb
- Skip if
- A sharp click startles your dog, or you already mark reliably with a spoken word.
Specs come from manufacturer listings; ratings are Amazon's aggregate rating and count. Prices checked October 8, 2026. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
How we mark winners
A ✓ in the table (a “best of these” tag on the phone cards) marks the lowest price, the highest owner rating, the largest stated weight capacity and the longest warranty. Size, dimensions, weight, material and the editorial rows never win — more is not better there. A blank is unknown, never a loss, and nothing wins without at least two known, differing values. Methodology
A flexible plan for the first week
Not a timetable. A puppy who has just lost everything familiar does not read one, and a plan that runs to the minute mostly produces guilt. What follows is the order things usually need doing in, split into what is worth having ready before the puppy arrives and what can wait until you know this particular dog. Move any of it that does not fit.
- Costs nothingPrepare now
Decide where the crate goes: next to your bed
For the first weeks the crate goes beside where you sleep, so night crying is answered with a hand through the bars rather than a trip downstairs. This costs nothing and it is the single decision that changes the first week most.
- Costs nothingPrepare now
Write the toilet rota on the fridge
Out on waking, after eating, after play, and roughly every hour in between. Go with them, reward outside within two seconds, and never after you come back in. Bladder capacity is tiny and the muscle that holds it is not finished, so accidents are a plumbing fact rather than a training failure.
- Costs nothingPrepare now
Schedule the naps rather than waiting for them
Sleep is the whole stage, and a puppy who has not had it becomes bitey, frantic and impossible - the same way a toddler does. Most puppies will not opt into a nap, so the naps go in the plan. Most of what feels like a disaster this month is a puppy who has not slept.
- Worth buyingPrepare now
Keep them on the food they arrived on
Small meals, three or four times a day rather than twice. Stay on whatever they were eating for at least the first week or two, then change gradually if you are changing at all. Food going in on a schedule is what makes toileting predictable, which is why free-feeding makes house-training harder.
- Worth buyingPrepare now
Set up the containment before the puppy is in it
Gates and a pen are what let you stop watching for ten minutes without a disaster. This is the one piece of equipment that is genuinely easier to have on day one than to improvise on day three.
- Costs nothingPrepare now
Start the exposure at a distance
The socialisation period is winding down during exactly the weeks the vaccine series is still running, and the answer to that tension is a safe distance rather than a delay. Carry the puppy, use your arms and a blanket, invite calm vaccinated adult dogs to your house, and let the puppy watch the world from somewhere safe. A cardboard box, a new floor surface, an umbrella opening across the room.
- Costs nothingPrepare now
Two short training sessions a day, and no more than three things
Toileting, the crate, and a name that means good things are coming. Sessions run two minutes, several times a day. Everything is rewarded and nothing is punished - a puppy who is told off for an accident learns to hide rather than to hold. Start handling paws, ears and mouth now, gently and with food.
- Worth buyingLater if needed
Later if needed: something to chew as the crate door closes
A stuffed and frozen rubber toy given as you shut the crate turns being shut in from a punishment into the thing that comes with dinner. Worth having by the end of the first week; not worth buying five of before you know what this puppy likes.
- Worth buyingLater if needed
Later if needed: a harness, and peace with the car
A puppy this age does not need walks for exercise. What they do need is to get comfortable wearing a harness and being carried, and to make peace with the car before the car only ever means the vet. Fit it to the dog you have, not the dog they will be.
- Ask your vet
The first vet visit, and the questions to take to it
Book it in the first days rather than the first month, and get the microchip registered to a phone number you actually answer.
Ask your vet what the vaccine schedule looks like and when the puppy can go where, whether the parasite prevention suits their current weight, and how often it changes while they are growing. Ask the same day about diarrhoea or vomiting that goes past one episode, or a puppy who has stopped eating or drinking - puppies dehydrate much faster than adult dogs.
If a day goes badly, the fix is almost always more sleep and fewer new things, not more training.
This stage is done when
New Puppy milestones
- First vet visit done, and you asked what the vaccine schedule looks like and when the puppy can go where
- Microchip registered in your name with a phone number you actually answer
- The puppy sleeps in the crate with the door shut, next to your bed, most of the night
- Ten or more days in a row with the puppy toileting outside more often than in
- The puppy eats a meal calmly inside the crate with the door closed
- Twenty different ordinary things met safely: surfaces, sounds, hats, umbrellas, a vacuum, a calm adult dog
- Paws, ears and mouth handled daily without a struggle
- The puppy has spent short periods alone, awake, without panic
- You have found a positive-reinforcement puppy class and know when the next one starts
- Everyone in the house is using the same words for the same things
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Untick this for a blank sheet to put on the fridge, whatever is ticked on screen.
Download the printable checklist (PDF) — milestones, vet questions and what to have ready, on two pages.
Take these to the vet
Questions to ask
- Ask your vet the same day if a puppy has diarrhoea or vomiting that goes past one episode, or has stopped eating or drinking. Puppies dehydrate much faster than adult dogs and the margin is small.
- Ask your vet before you take an unfinished-vaccination puppy to a park, a pet shop floor or a dog beach, because where the line sits depends on what is circulating where you live.
- Ask your vet whether your puppy's parasite prevention is right for their current weight, and how often it needs to change while they are growing.
- Ask your vet if your puppy seems suddenly weak, wobbly or cold after missing a meal, particularly with a very small breed, because low blood sugar in tiny puppies moves fast.
- Ask your vet, or a qualified behaviour professional, if your puppy freezes, hides or shrieks at ordinary household things rather than recovering within a minute or two. Fear responses at this age are worth addressing early, not waiting out.
We research; we are not your vet and we do not examine your dog. Anything here that touches health is a question to ask, not an answer to act on. Take it with you — a written list is easier than remembering in the room.
Train at home, this stage
- Your First Week With a New Puppy: A Day-by-Day PlanA day one to seven plan for a new puppy: the first night, toilet and crate routines, the first vet visit, gentle handling and safe socialisation.
- Crate Training a Puppy: A Stage-by-Stage PlanFeed in it, sleep beside it, never use it as a punishment. Stages, not a schedule: what earns the closed door, and how to get through the nights.
- Puppy Potty Training Schedule by AgeA puppy potty schedule built on real triggers: waking, meals, play and hourly trips, plus how long a puppy can hold it at each age. Reward-based only.
- How to Teach Recall at Home, Step by StepBuild recall indoors, then use a long line outdoors. Reward returning, avoid repeating an ineffective cue, and make failed attempts easier next time.
Learn more
- Puppy Sleep Schedule by Age: How Much Puppies SleepHow much puppies sleep at each age, from 18 to 20 hours a day at eight weeks down to 12 to 14 after six months, when they sleep through the night, and why.
- The Puppy Socialization Window, and What to DoThe first three months are the most important socialization period. AVSAB calls socializing before full vaccination the standard of care.
- Puppy Proofing Your Home, Room by RoomAn hour of work before the puppy arrives. The AVMA's household hazard list, turned into a room-by-room pass you can actually finish.
Is one of these your evening?
Tools for this stage
- Puppy Schedule Planner
Plan the first days hour by hour: naps, potty breaks and meals for your puppy's age.
- Puppy Potty Schedule Maker
A puppy potty training schedule from your own meal times and work hours, with the night trips marked.
- Puppy Vaccine Schedule Planner
Dates to ask your vet about each vaccine, worked out from your puppy's birth date.
- Crate Size Calculator
Measure the puppy and read the maker's chart, divider included.
- Puppy Feeding Calculator
Cups a day and meals a day from the calories printed on your puppy's food bag.
- Harness Fit Sizer
Girth and neck in, a harness size out, for the first walks.
- Dog Name Generator
Still deciding what to call him? A shortlist of puppy names with meanings, and a check for names that sound like a cue.
- Dog Age Calculator
Where your puppy's age sits, by three published methods.
Questions people ask
- How do I prepare for a new puppy?
- To prepare for a new puppy, plan the arrival for a stretch when someone has time to socialise and house-train, puppy-proof the house so cords are out of reach, set up the crate and gates, and book a vet exam for the first days. The AVMA considers eight to ten weeks an ideal age for a puppy to move to a new home, and asks you to bring any vaccination and deworming records to that first visit.
- How do I get through the first night with a new puppy?
- Put the crate in your bedroom for the first night, take the puppy out to toilet just before bed, and expect some crying. The AKC says some puppies sleep through from the start, others cry for a few nights, and many need a night-time toilet trip until about four to five months. When the puppy whines, carry it out for a quick, boring break and put it straight back. A blanket that smells of its mother can help.
- How do I introduce a new puppy to my dog?
- Introduce a new puppy to your dog on neutral ground, ideally on a side-by-side walk with one handler per dog, once the puppy's vet has confirmed its vaccines are up to date. At home, the AKC's advice is to give each dog a safe space, keep interactions short and supervised, never leave them alone together at first, feed them separately, put toys away, and keep the older dog's usual routine and one-to-one time.
- What are the signs an older dog is accepting a new puppy?
- The signs an older dog is accepting a new puppy are balanced play, loose and wiggly body language from both dogs, play bows and frequent pauses, and sometimes a bigger dog lying down to make itself the puppy's size, according to the AKC. Warning signs include growling, snapping and lunging, but also quieter avoidance: the older dog turning away or leaving whenever the puppy approaches. If unsure, a trainer or behaviourist can help.
- How do I teach a new puppy its name?
- Teach a new puppy its name by pairing it with something good. The AKC's method: in a quiet room, wait until the puppy is not looking at you, say the name once in a happy tone, then mark the moment it turns with a click or a word like yes and give a small soft treat. Repeat through the day, then add distance and distractions. Never use the name to scold.
Sources
- AAHA 2019 Canine Life Stage Guidelines - definitions — That the puppy stage runs from birth to the end of rapid growth, and that developmental periods phase in gradually rather than switching over.
- AVSAB Position Statement on Puppy Socialization — The tension between the socialisation window and an unfinished vaccine series, and why controlled early exposure is recommended by veterinary behaviour specialists.
- Preventive Vet - Socialization Checklist: 100 Things in 100 Days — The structure of a completable socialisation checklist, and the range of ordinary things worth introducing.
- PetMD - New Puppy Checklist: Essential Supplies and What To Do First — First-week priorities: establishing a vet relationship, puppy-proofing, identification and microchipping, and establishing a routine.
- AKC - How Much Do Puppies Sleep? — Puppies usually sleep eighteen to twenty hours a day.
- AVMA - Selecting a pet dog — Eight to ten weeks is considered an ideal age for a puppy to move to a new home; plan the arrival when there is time to socialise and house-train; pet-proof cords; book a vet exam as soon as possible and bring vaccination and deworming history.
- AKC - Your First Day at Home With a New Puppy — Crate in the bedroom on the first night; some puppies sleep through, others cry for a few nights; night-time toilet trips usually end by four to five months; quick, boring night potty breaks; a blanket or toy that smells of the mother.
- AKC - Introducing Puppies to Senior Dogs — Neutral-ground side-by-side walk with one handler per dog; puppy vaccines up to date; safe spaces, short supervised interactions, separate feeding, keeping the older dog's routine; signs of getting along (balanced play, loose body language, play bows, pauses) and warning signs including avoidance.
- AKC - How to Teach a Dog Their Name — The name game: say the name once in a happy tone when the dog is not looking, mark the turn, treat; add distance and distractions later; do not pair the name with corrections.
We are not your vet, and this site does not diagnose anything. Everything medical here ends with the question to ask at your next appointment, because the person who has examined your dog knows things a website cannot. If something has changed suddenly, call them rather than reading on.