New Puppy Checklist: 15 Things You Must Do

If you have new puppies at home, you must learn to take care of them to become safe and comfortable.

It would be better if you will prepare a checklist for your new puppy to make you comfortable taking care of them.

Of course, if you know the proper things and procedures for taking care of them, you will not feel so much stress with your new pets.ย 

This article will provide you with some important things to do and various items that would help you welcome your newly adopted puppy.

This new puppy checklist below was based on the experts and dog owners.

According to them, these top 15 things are the most important factors and aspects that you should not overlook before bringing your new puppy to your home.

1. Find a Veterinarian in your Locality.

blue-eyes-australian-cattle-dog

Your trusted veterinarian in your locality will play an important role in taking care of your puppies.

According to the experts, this is the first consideration you need to take as dog owners.

Make sure that thereโ€™s an available veterinarian nearby so that you can easily consult your vetโ€™s service once needed.

You can visit your vetโ€™s clinic so that you may know their offers, including the best products and available services for your pets.ย 

In finding veterinarians in your locality, you can ask your friends who have dogs in their house.

They might know some reliable veterinarians who can help you with your concern if some issues arise.

You may also read some reviews online about the veterinarian clinics in your locality.

Narrow down your options when picking a veterinarian in your place.

At least, in this way, you can already have a prospective doctor who will check the health status of your puppies once you take them home.ย 

2. Read More about the Dog Breed.

12-things-ive-learned-from-being-a-dog-owner

Either you will buy a purebred puppy or adopt a crossbreed from any reputable dog breeder, you must first know what specific type of dog you will choose.

You need to investigate or explore a dog breed in your locality and choose the right one for you.

Choosing an ideal dog breed for you is a must so that you can appropriately prepare the other next steps for your pets. Y

ou can choose a dog breed depending on its size, trainability, adaptability, sociability, and exercise requirements.

You also need to know their common medical concerns to anticipate possible problems during their growth and development.ย 

READ -ย  Bringing Home Your New Puppy

3. Buy the Basic Supplies for Your Puppies.

You can do your research when buying the best fundamental supplies for your dogs.

Just purchase essential supplies needed by your pets once they are already at your home.

It is recommendable to prepare the basic materials and supplies like stainless steel water and food bowl, a bag of good quality food for your puppies that would also match their previous diet, perfect size of their collar, leash, harness and some sorts of freezable and durable chew toys to discharge teething, and different types of grooming materials.ย 

These grooming materials like shampoos, ear wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, brush, and others are very much needed for your puppies since you will start to maintain their grooming procedures as early as possible.

You may also consider some optional supplies like dog crates and small training treats that are healthy and with those with low-calorie, cate pad or dog bed for the kennel and even pet gate to secure some non-crated puppies or hinder your stairways.ย 

4. Purchase Monthly Preventatives.

miniature-pekingese-dog

To ensure your petsโ€™ good health status for the long-term, you must prepare for monthly preventatives.

These things will serve as protection against ticks, fleas, worms, and heartworms.

You may consult your veterinarian about these products to recommend the best one for your pets.

You need to regularly check your petsโ€™ weight since this can also influence the types of preventatives you will choose.ย 

5. Provide Them with an Identification Tag.

It is also recommended to put an โ€œID tagโ€ for your new puppies. You can customize these tags and include your name as their owner, phone number, and address.

Then, attach this tag to the collar of your puppies once you pick them up.

If youโ€™re looking for some sort of identification tags for your new puppies, then you may visit some pet stores and purchase the items from the stores.

You can also customize this tag based on your preferred design.

You can visit some online sites for ideas about the customization of identification tags for your puppies.ย 

6. Consider Buying a Car Harness, Travel Crate, or Booster Seat.

pomeranian-dog-colors

It is important to protect your pets in moving vehicles. You can choose a car harness with set belt clips if you will not place them in the crate when traveling by car.

If you want to have these materials, then you can opt to buy secure crates, booster seats, or car harnesses from some pet stores online.

These things are designed for your travel with your dogs.

You can choose any of these things; however, many experts recommend considering car harnesses since they are already proven and tested by them as the safest way of car restraint.

Furthermore, it is also essential to review testing data for crash safety before purchase any of these from the market.ย 

7. Get Bags for Pooping.

It is a must to provide your dogs with an eco-friendly, biodegradable type of poop bags.

There are many types and brands out there; however, the most recommended type is poop bags handled for more convenience.

READ -ย  Where Can I Get Free Puppies?

These products are eco-friendly and are easy to tie. You may also opt to purchase some specific types of bags, even without handles or bags with scented fragrance.

But make sure to buy recyclable poop bags since these are environmentally friendly.ย 

8. Get Necessary Clothing for Your Puppies.

small-guard-dogs-dachshund

Most of the dogs donโ€™t need any type of clothing. However, if your pets have some skin conditions, canโ€™t control their body temperature, have a low weight of the body, or have a short and thin coat, you can prefer to purchase a coat or a sweater to maintain the temperature of their body.

You need to choose a type of clothing that would fit on your puppies and based on the environment.

There are some sorts of clothing online that are good for your puppies. You can choose any of those types at an affordable price online.ย 

9. Research Some Puppy Classes and Trainers in Your Locality.

It would be better to start training your pets at an early stage. You may prefer to enroll them in any puppy class, or you can hire some local trainers for your dogs.

Training your pets at an early stage would provide you an opportunity to have a great bonding with them.

There are several options that you can find for your puppy classes. Give your precious time to finding local trainers for your pets and know their methods of training as well.

Then, you can select a specific class that will be the best choice for them.

10. Find an Emergency Veterinarian Nearby.ย 

how-to-find-the-best-dog-breed-for-you

On your first checklist, you have already considered finding a veterinarian in your locality for a regular check-up.

However, it is also essential to select an emergency veterinarian for unexpected problems that may arise.

These emergency veterinarians are different from your veterinary clinic in your locality.

Since it is common for puppies to have some problems and issues with their health, you must have a back-up vet who will check your puppies during emergencies.

Once your puppies experienced some issues, then you can run to your emergency vet to treat your puppies immediately.

You can ask for some referrals or recommendations from your friends so that you can find an emergency vet nearby.

If you want, you may also use a Google site for an โ€œemergency veterinarian near meโ€ option and find anyone who can help you with your concern.ย 

11. Talk to the Members of Your family About Your New Puppy.

It is always a good idea to inform every member of your family that you will have a new puppy at home.

Thus, it is expected that they will also know their responsibilities in taking care of the puppy.

Ensure that your family agrees on the things they need to do to ensure your petsโ€™ safety.

As much as possible, orient them on how to feed the puppies properly, properly give baths to your pets, and provide all the needs of your puppies to maintain their good health stability.ย 

12. Research Some Pet Insurance Online.

new-puppy-checklist

Perhaps pet insurance is not your priority when adopting a new puppy. However, this is also important, especially if your puppies get older.

READ -ย  6 Mistakes to Avoid When Adopting a Shelter Dog

There are many companies and various plans that would be suitable for your pets; so, you can choose the best one among those options.

You can read some reviews about pet insurance and learn the different insurance policies from different companies.

You may also compare plans over others to end up choosing the right for your pets.ย 

Moreover, you can ask for some pieces of advice and recommendations from your family and friends if they know a pet insurance company that provides the best deals and offers.

If you think you donโ€™t need insurance for your pets, you may opt to utilize a savings account.

13. Learn Some Training Aids for Your Puppies.

These trainings aids for your dogs are optional. However, you may want to consider these materials if you want to train your puppies at the early stages.

You may use various training aids that are beneficial for accomplishing the task faster and easier.

These are mainly based on your approach on how to train your puppy.

Perhaps you may need a doorbell or potty chimes, pee pads, clickers, or an extended long-run leash.

Itโ€™s up to you to decide which items will be more useful for you during your training with your puppies.ย 

14. Choose a Name for Your Pets.

how-to-find-the-best-dog-breed-for-you

Your pets must also have a name, just like your family members. Since your puppies will be considered as your new family members, it is important to think of a better name than your dogs will carry until they get older.

If you provide your pets with a specific name, make sure to train your dogs to respond as soon as they heard their names.

This is also a part of their training routines. So, as soon as you bring them home, you need to start mentioning their names so that they will know that you are referring to them.ย 

15. Create a Specific Plan or Schedule for Their Exercises.

Exercise must be a part of your dogโ€™s daily routine. It plays an important role in making sure that your pets will have healthy growth and developmentโ€“mentally and physically.

As much as possible, plan or make a list of schedules for their routines or exercises so that they will always be active and playful.

The types of exercise you will prefer for your pets must be suitable depending on your dog breeds.

You need to consider their overall health condition, mood, age, and any aspect that would affect their way of doing exercise routines.ย 

If itโ€™s your first time to adopt or get new puppies at home, it is recommended to prepare a new puppy checklist that would serve as your guide in taking care of them.

In this way, you can provide for all their needs. You will also guarantee that your dogs will live according to your expectations and have a good or stable health status.

With these 15 checklists mentioned above, you can now know what to do before having a new puppy at home and taking care of them once you bring them home.ย 

Leave a Comment