New Puppy Checklist | PDF

New Puppy Checklist 1

Oh boy! You’re getting a puppy! A puppy is like a new member of the family, and that means that the added joy in your home also comes with new responsibility. A New Puppy Checklist will help cue you in on what you need to do as a “pet parent” to keep the newest member of you home happy and well taken care of for all the years to come.

The very first thing you’ll need, of course, is food for your newest best friend. For reasons all too well known, avoid the Chinese brands like the plague, and make sure you choose dog food that is appropriate for your pup’s age.

The next thing to do is to get a dog license. The rules vary from municipality to municipality. If you’ve done the right thing and obtained your dog from the local shelter, they’ll have all the details, and, more than likely, you can take care of it right then and there.

The next items on the New Puppy Checklist are a leash and collar. You’ll also want to get your pet a crate and a washable dog bed. Dogs in the wild live in dens, so although it may seem somewhat cruel to the inexperienced, chances are you new pal will take right to it, especially when crate training starts from earliest puppyhood.

The next item on your list, and probably the most important item of all, is finding a veterinarian for your puppy. Actually, under the vet’s direction, this item had many subsections. Your puppy will need to have a checkup, and will immediately need the appropriate vaccinations. And, now is the time to start thinking about spaying or neutering, as the age of six months is generally thought of as the best time for a dog of either gender to undergo either of these procedures.

Also high on the New Puppy Checklist are house training and obedience training. House training is obvious, and must begin immediately, before the puppy comes to hold your living room in the same regard as your backyard. You can likely afford to wait a bit longer with obedience training, especially with less aggressive breeds, but the earlier you start, the easier it will be for both of you.

You will certainly want to keep you puppy well groomed, so dog shampoo and a brush that’s appropriate to its breed and fur should be chosen. As any vet can tell you, they are increasingly seeing pets with very bad oral hygiene that often requires tooth extraction. For that reason, the purchase of a specialized canine toothbrush and toothpaste are musts on your New Puppy Checklist.