International Dog Day 2026: What It Is and How to Celebrate It
International Dog Day falls on 26 August. What the day actually stands for, how UK owners can mark it, and why it…
Read more
Preparation · 9 min read
New Puppy Checklist: 27 Things to Buy Before Day One
Everything you actually need before your puppy comes home, roughly what it costs in the UK, and the things you can safely leave until later.
Most new owners over-buy in one direction and under-buy in another. They arrive home with a bed the size of a small sofa, four squeaky toys and no enzyme cleaner — which they will need within about ninety minutes.
Here’s the list we’d give a friend. It’s split into what you need before the puppy walks through the door, what you’ll want within the first fortnight, and what the pet shop will push that can genuinely wait.
Before day one: the 15 non-negotiables
- Crate (£40–80) — sized for their adult weight, with a divider so you can shrink it while they’re small.
- Crate bedding (£15–30) — washable, and buy two so one is always clean.
- Playpen or stairgates (£30–60) — more useful in week one than almost anything else on this list.
- Food and water bowls (£10–20) — stainless steel, non-tip.
- The food they’re already on (£15–40) — ask the breeder or rescue and buy the same. Change it gradually later, if at all.
- Flat collar with an ID tag (£10–20) — legally required in public in the UK, and the tag must show your name and address.
- Harness (£15–30) — kinder on a growing neck than a collar for lead work.
- Lead (£10–20) — a plain fixed lead. Not a retractable one, not yet.
- Enzyme cleaner (£8–15) — buy the big bottle. Ordinary household cleaner doesn’t break down the smell, so they keep going back to the same spot.
- Puppy pads or a designated outdoor spot (£10–20) — decide your approach before they arrive, not at 2am.
- Poo bags (£5–10) — more than you think.
- Chew toys, two or three (£15–25) — different textures. Teething starts sooner than you expect.
- A soft toy or comforter (£8–15) — ideally something that smells of the litter.
- Grooming brush (£10–20) — matched to their coat type. Start handling them early even if they don’t need it yet.
- Puppy-safe training treats (£5–12) — small, soft, and low value enough to use dozens at a time.
Rough total for the essentials: £220–£420 depending on how much you spend on the crate and pen. It is entirely possible to do this well at the lower end.
Within the first fortnight: the next 8
- Insurance (£20–45/month) — arrange it before the first vet visit, not after. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, and “pre-existing” starts the moment something is noted on a record.
- Vet registration and first check-up (£0–60) — many practices see new puppies free.
- Vaccinations (£60–100 for the initial course) — book as soon as you know your collection date.
- Microchipping (£15–25) — legally required in the UK by eight weeks, so usually already done. Update the registered keeper details to you.
- Worming and flea treatment (£10–20/month) — your vet will set the schedule.
- Car restraint (£20–50) — a crate, harness or guard. An unrestrained dog in a car is both dangerous and an offence under the Highway Code.
- Nail clippers (£8–15) — get them used to having paws held long before you need to cut anything.
- Puppy classes (£60–120 for a course) — book early, good ones fill up months ahead.
The 4 things that can wait
- An expensive bed. It will be chewed, weed on, or both. Use cheap washable bedding for the first six months.
- A raincoat or jumper. Buy it when they’ve stopped growing, unless they’re a genuinely thin-coated breed in December.
- A retractable lead. They teach pulling and are hard to control. Get lead manners established first.
- The bulk-buy toy bundle. You don’t yet know whether yours is a squeaker dog, a tugger or a chewer.
One thing that isn't on any shop's list
A written plan for who does what. Who gets up for the 6am toilet trip, who does lunchtime on a Wednesday, who books the vet, who pays for it. Most first-fortnight arguments are about workload distribution that nobody agreed in advance.
Write it down before the puppy arrives. It takes ten minutes and it is the single highest-value thing on this page.
The full version lives in the guide
This checklist is drawn from chapter four of Getting a Puppy?, which also covers puppy-proofing room by room, setting up the first night, and the 12-point readiness checklist that closes the book.
Ready to Give Your Puppy the Best Start in Life?
Get your copy now and start your journey with confidence.
All Sales Final — No Refunds
