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New Puppy Checklist: Everything You Actually Need
By PawPicks Research · Updated
Quick answer
You need eight things before the puppy walks in: a crate, the exact food the breeder or shelter was feeding, a collar with an ID tag, a leash, food and water bowls, a few chew toys, puppy pads or a firm plan for outdoor-only potty breaks, and a vet appointment booked for the first week. Everything else can wait. Pet stores will happily sell you three carts of gear, but half of it ends up unused because puppies outgrow, chew, or ignore it.
Most puppy checklists are 40 items long because they're written to sell 40 items. This one is split by when you actually need each thing: before pickup day, during the first week, and during the first month. There's also a section on what to skip, because the money you don't spend on a designer bed is money you'll want for vet visits.
Prices below aren't listed on purpose. They move around, and the right version of each item depends on your puppy's breed and expected adult size. Where a Chewy search helps, there's a link; where the right answer is your vet or your breeder, the checklist says so.
Before pickup day
These six things should be in the house before the puppy is. Day one is chaotic enough without a hardware-store run.
Crate with a divider
Buy the crate sized for your puppy's expected adult weight and use the divider to shrink it while they're small. A right-sized crate speeds up house training because dogs avoid soiling where they sleep.
Shop on ChewyFood and water bowls
Stainless steel is the practical pick: it survives chewing, goes in the dishwasher, and doesn't harbor bacteria the way scratched plastic does.
Shop on ChewyThe food they're already eating
Ask the breeder or shelter exactly what they feed and buy the same bag. Keep the puppy on it for at least two weeks. Switching food on top of the stress of a new home is the fastest route to a week of diarrhea.
Flat collar
A simple adjustable flat collar is all a puppy needs. Check the fit weekly, because puppies can outgrow a collar setting in days.
Shop on ChewyID tag
Put your phone number on the puppy before the first trip outside. New puppies bolt through open doors, and a tag works faster than a microchip scan.
Shop on Chewy6-foot leash
A plain 6-foot leash teaches better walking habits than a retractable one, which rewards pulling and can burn your hands. Save the long line for recall training later.
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First week
Once the puppy has slept a night or two at home, these earn their keep fast.
Training treats
You'll use hundreds per week during house training and name training. Get pea-sized soft treats so a heavy training day doesn't add up to a second dinner.
Shop on ChewyChew toys in a few textures
Teething starts early and your furniture is the default target. Three or four toys with different textures beat ten of the same kind, because you don't yet know what your puppy likes.
Shop on ChewyOne enrichment toy
A snuffle mat or a food-dispensing toy tires a puppy's brain, and a mentally tired puppy naps instead of shredding things. Start with one; you can build the collection later.
Shop on ChewyPuppy pads, or a firm no-pads plan
Pick one system and stick to it. Pads make sense in apartments and for very young puppies; if you can go straight to outdoor-only breaks, do that instead. Mixing both confuses the puppy and stretches out house training.
Shop on ChewyEnzyme cleaner
Accidents are guaranteed. Regular household cleaner masks the smell for you but not for the dog, and leftover scent marks the spot as a toilet. Enzyme cleaners break the odor down instead.
Shop on ChewySoft brush and nail clippers
Not because the coat needs it yet, but because a puppy that gets used to being brushed and having paws handled becomes an adult dog that tolerates grooming and vet exams.
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First month
These decisions matter, but they don't belong in the day-one shopping cart.
Flea, tick, and heartworm prevention
This is a vet conversation, not a shopping decision. The right product depends on your puppy's weight, age, and region, and the effective options are mostly prescription. Bring it up at the first visit.
Harness for walks
Once real walks start, a Y-front harness takes pressure off the throat, which matters for a puppy that hasn't learned leash manners yet. Buy it now rather than before pickup, because the fit depends on how they've grown.
Shop on ChewyYour long-term food decision
After two settled weeks on the old food, pick the puppy food you'll feed until adulthood and transition over 7 to 10 days. Large breeds need a large-breed puppy formula; this is the one label claim that genuinely matters.
Skip for now
Things every checklist includes and most owners regret buying in month one.
An expensive bed
Puppies chew beds and pee on beds, sometimes in the same afternoon. A stack of old towels or a cheap washable mat does the job until the adult teeth are in and house training is done.
A shelf of grooming products
Puppies rarely need baths, and frequent washing dries their skin. One small bottle of mild dog shampoo covers the first year for most breeds.
Clothing
Outside of thin-coated breeds in genuinely cold climates, puppy clothes are for the owner, not the dog. Most puppies fight them, and they outgrow each size in weeks.
An automatic feeder
Puppies eat three to four supervised meals a day, and hand-fed meals double as training sessions. Automating that away costs you the easiest bonding and training tool you have. Revisit it when the dog is grown, if ever.
How much to feed a puppy
Puppies eat three to four meals a day until about six months old, then move to two. The amounts come from the feeding chart on your food's bag, matched to your puppy's expected adult weight, not their current one. Charts differ between brands because calorie density differs, so a scoop of one food is not a scoop of another.
Treat the chart as a starting point and adjust by body condition: you should feel ribs easily but not see them. When you're ready to choose the food you'll feed long term, our best puppy food guide walks through the picks by breed size.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need for a new puppy?
On day one: a crate with a divider, the same food the breeder or shelter fed, a flat collar with an ID tag, a 6-foot leash, stainless steel bowls, a few chew toys, puppy pads or a plan for outdoor-only potty breaks, and a vet appointment booked for the first week. Training treats, an enzyme cleaner, and grooming basics follow in the first week; a harness and parasite prevention come in the first month.
How much does a new puppy cost in the first year?
Plan for roughly $1,500 to $3,500 or more in the first year, and treat that as an estimate. The vaccine series, spay or neuter surgery, parasite prevention, food, and gear add up quickly, and costs vary a lot by region, breed size, and whether anything goes wrong. The single best money move is budgeting for vet care before budgeting for gear.
When should a puppy first see the vet?
Within the first week of coming home, even if the puppy seems healthy. The vet confirms overall health, sets up the vaccine schedule, which runs as a series of visits every few weeks until around 16 weeks of age, and talks you through flea, tick, and heartworm prevention for your area.
What should I feed my new puppy?
For the first two weeks, exactly what they were eating before you got them. A new home is stressful enough without a diet change, and sudden switches cause stomach upsets. After that, pick a quality puppy formula matched to your dog's expected adult size and transition to it gradually over 7 to 10 days.
How do I puppy-proof my home?
Get on the floor and look at the room from puppy height. Move electrical cords out of reach or cover them, put trash behind a door or in a locking can, move houseplants up since several common ones are toxic to dogs, and clear shoes, socks, and anything swallowable from floor level. Baby gates that limit the puppy to one or two easy-to-clean rooms make the first months far easier.