Bringing a New Puppy Home: Your First Week Guide

The first week with a new puppy sets the tone for everything that follows. The aim is simple: keep things calm, predictable and low-key while your puppy learns that this new home is safe. Resist the urge to invite everyone round or pack the days with outings. A quiet first week pays off for years.

Use this as a checklist to get the essentials in place and the early days off to a steady start.

Before they arrive: the shopping list

Get everything ready before pick-up day so you are not scrambling. The essentials:

• A bed in a quiet spot, plus optionally a crate set up as a cosy den
• Food (ideally the same brand the breeder used, to avoid tummy upset), bowls and fresh water
• A collar, harness, lead and an ID tag
• Puppy-safe chews and a couple of toys
• Puppy pads for those early toilet-training accidents
• Cleaning supplies for the inevitable mishaps

For the sleeping setup, a snug, washable bed is ideal. Browse our puppy beds for sizes that suit a growing pup, and consider a dog crate used kindly as a den rather than a cage. Our guide on the best puppy beds for settling helps you choose.

Day one: a gentle arrival

The first day is about first impressions, so keep it boring in the best way.

• Bring them straight home, with a calm car journey and a toilet stop on arrival
• Let them explore one or two rooms slowly, in their own time
• Show them where their bed, water and toilet area are
• Keep visitors away for now, and let children be calm and quiet
• Start a feeding routine using the breeder's food and timings

Do not overwhelm them with attention or toys. A tired, anxious puppy needs space to decompress more than a welcome party.

The first night

The first night is often the hardest, so plan for it. Expect some crying, and know it almost always settles within a few nights.

• Have your puppy sleep near you, ideally in your bedroom to start
• Pop a worn jumper in the bed so it smells of safety
• Take them out for a final wee right before bed, calmly
• Respond quietly to distress rather than ignoring it, and take them out if they genuinely need the toilet

For the full method, see our guide on settling a puppy at night. A calming, enclosing bed helps enormously here; many owners find a donut or covered style helps a pup burrow and settle.

Toilet training from day one

Start as you mean to go on. Puppies have tiny bladders and need frequent, predictable opportunities.

• Take them out first thing, after every meal, after every nap and after play
• Go to the same spot, wait, and reward calmly the moment they go
• Expect accidents, clean them without fuss, and never punish
• Use puppy pads as a backup, especially overnight, while you build the routine

Consistency is everything. Within a couple of weeks most puppies start to grasp the pattern.

Routine, rest and not overdoing it

A predictable rhythm helps a puppy feel secure, and rest is more important than people expect.

• Set regular times for meals, toilet trips, short play and naps
• Protect their sleep. Puppies need a great deal of it, and an overtired puppy gets nippy and unsettled
• Introduce being briefly alone in tiny doses from early on, to head off separation issues
• Begin gentle, positive handling so vet visits and grooming are easy later

Remember that until their vaccinations are complete, your puppy should not walk in public areas where unvaccinated dogs may have been, so do socialisation safely by carrying them out and about and inviting calm, vaccinated dogs to visit.

The first vet visit and health

Book a vet check within the first few days. It is the moment to:

• Confirm vaccinations, worming and flea treatment are on track
• Discuss microchipping, which is a legal requirement for dogs in the UK
• Talk through neutering timing and diet
• Get peace of mind that your puppy is healthy

If your puppy is not eating, has persistent diarrhoea or vomiting, or seems lethargic, call the vet sooner rather than waiting.

That is the first week. Keep it calm, keep it consistent, and enjoy it, because the tiny puppy phase is over in a blink. For the bigger picture, see our new puppy hub and browse everything you need in the dog shop.