Your puppy's first week at home

A new puppy fills your home with life, and with questions. The first week is the best time to start the routine it will live by, so keep it calm and predictable.

Before your puppy arrives

• A bed or crate in a quiet corner.
• Food and water bowls.
• The food it already eats. Ask the seller or rescue which brand and how much.
• A collar, leash and ID tag with your phone number.
• Safe chew toys, so shoes and cables don't become the toys.
• Puppy pads and a cleaner for accidents, ideally an enzyme cleaner.

Puppy-proof your home

• Lift cables, chargers and shoes off the floor.
• Lock away cleaning products, medicines and insecticides.
• Close off balconies and stairs, or use a gate.
• Use a bin with a lid.

Day one and the first night

• Let it explore one or two rooms at first.
• Take it to its toilet spot as soon as it arrives, and praise it when it goes.
• At night, put its bed or crate next to your bed. Crying for the first few nights is normal; having you close helps.
• Young puppies usually need one toilet trip during the night.

Routine and training

• Fixed times for meals, sleep and play.
• Take it out after waking, after meals and after play. See house-training a puppy.
• If it bites your hand in play, stop and give it a toy to chew instead.
• Introduce household sounds, people and traffic gradually and calmly.

Vet and vaccines

• Book a check-up in the first week. The vet will plan vaccines and deworming; puppies usually need several doses a few weeks apart.
• Ask your vet when it's safe to walk outside and meet other dogs. Until the vaccines are done, diseases are a bigger risk.
• See how to choose a vet.

A licence from 3 months

The law requires a licence for every dog, and rabies vaccination from 3 months of age. Get your papers ready early: see how to license your dog, and if it's a conditional breed, banned and conditional breeds.