The new puppy checklist: what to buy, book and do first

The kit. A bed somewhere quiet, food and water bowls, the same food the breeder or rescue used (switch gradually over a week or two), a flat collar with an ID tag showing your name and address, a lead, and a few age-appropriate chew toys. If you plan to crate train, set the crate up before day one so it's part of the furniture, not a surprise.

The home. Check the garden for gaps a small puppy could squeeze through, move toxic plants, chemicals and trailing cables out of reach, and decide where the puppy will sleep and toilet. Consistency from the first night makes house training far faster.

The booking. Choose your vet practice now, not when something's wrong. Ask the breeder or rescue which practice has seen the litter, and book a new-puppy health check for the first week home.

Vet health check. Even a bouncing, healthy puppy should be seen within the first few days. Your vet checks heart, eyes, ears, teeth and joints, confirms the microchip is readable and registered to you, and sets out the vaccination and worming schedule in writing.

Insurance. Take out cover early. Most policies have a waiting period (often 14 days for illness), and any condition noted before cover starts can be excluded as pre-existing. Many breeders provide a few weeks of free introductory insurance — check the paperwork and make sure continuous cover follows it.

Routine. Same feeding times, same toilet spot, same bedtime. Puppies learn fast when the day is predictable.

Timings vary by vaccine brand and practice, but a typical UK course looks like this:

• 6–8 weeks: first vaccination (usually DHP plus leptospirosis) — often done by the breeder before collection.
• 10–12 weeks: second vaccination, 2–4 weeks after the first.
• ~1–2 weeks later: full protection; walks in public areas are usually fine from here — confirm with your vet.
• Ongoing: worming monthly until six months old, and flea treatment on the schedule your vet recommends for the product you use.
• 12 months: first booster, which sets the adult cycle going.

Socialisation can't wait for full protection — carry your puppy out to see traffic, people and other dogs, and invite vaccinated dogs you trust to visit at home.

Microchip. Every dog in the UK must be microchipped and registered on an approved database by eight weeks old — usually the breeder's job before sale, but it's your responsibility to transfer the registration to your name and address. Keep the chip number and database login somewhere safe.

ID tag. In public, your dog must wear a collar with your name and address on it or on a tag. A phone number is sensible too.

New owners are starting from a blank page — which is exactly why it's the best moment to get organised. Boarding kennels will ask for vaccination dates, insurers for vet history, and travel paperwork for the microchip number and rabies record. The owners who struggle are the ones hunting for a card two days before a kennel drop-off.

Pawfile keeps a passport-style profile per pet: vaccination card, microchip number, treatment dates, insurance and vet documents, with reminders before anything falls due. Your first pet is free, and unlimited pets start at £4.99 a month — so the records you start today are still organised when the boosters, kennels and holidays arrive.