New puppy checklist: what to buy and how to prepare your home
A practical UK puppy checklist covering the essentials to buy, a safe home setup, collection-day paperwork, vet registration and insurance.
By Vet Reviews · Updated 24 September 2026 · 3 min read
The most useful puppy shopping list starts with what your puppy will do on an ordinary day: eat, drink, sleep, toilet, play and travel safely. Get those basics ready before collection, then add extras once you know their size and preferences.
What do you need for a puppy?
- Food and water: bowls and a supply of the complete puppy food they already eat. Ask for the feeding routine in writing.
- A resting place: washable bedding in a quiet spot. A suitably sized crate or pen can be useful if introduced positively; a crate is not compulsory.
- For outings: a correctly fitted collar, identification tag, lead, suitable harness and poo bags. Recheck fit as your puppy grows.
- For the journey: an appropriate secured carrier, crate or dog car restraint. A blanket on someone's lap is not a substitute for a restraint when the car is moving.
- For play and care: a few puppy-appropriate toys, a brush suited to their coat, cleaning supplies and safe chews appropriate to their age and size.
These priorities draw on the PDSA puppy checklist. You do not need every item in a pet-shop display before day one. Put spare money towards care rather than buying lots of equipment that may not fit for long.
Prepare a small, safe part of your home
Use a room or gated area where you can supervise easily. Move cables, medicines, cleaning products and small chewable objects out of reach. Check the garden for gaps and secure tools and chemicals. Set up a calm resting area that everyone knows to leave undisturbed.
Decide who handles meals, daytime company and toilet trips. Write that rota before collection, especially if people work different hours. Agree household rules so one person is not encouraging something another person will later discourage. Dogs Trust's preparation guide covers home safety and arrangements for time away.
What to collect with your puppy
Keep the agreement, date of birth, seller or rescue details, vaccination record, parasite-treatment record and microchip number together. Ask which database holds the chip and how to transfer the keeper details. In the UK, dogs generally need to be microchipped and registered by eight weeks; the government guidance explains the requirements. Updating the database is a separate job from registering at a vet.
If you have not chosen a puppy yet, start with our responsible breeder guide. Ask to meet the puppy with their mother where they were raised; do not let an urgent deposit deadline replace those checks.
Arrange the first vet visit
Register before collection and ask when the practice would like to see your puppy. Save its daytime number and the number of its out-of-hours provider. Bring the existing records so the team can agree the next vaccination and parasite-care steps. Ask about safe socialisation while vaccination protection is developing.
Set up the money side too
Make separate allowances for equipment, routine care and unexpected bills. Our puppy cost guide gives sourced baselines and a worked budget. If considering insurance, compare the start date, waiting periods, exclusions, cover limits and your contribution. Confirm any introductory cover with the provider rather than assuming it starts automatically.
Next: plan the first week with your puppy and explore our pet insurance guides.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked 24 September 2026. Written by Vet Reviews; veterinary advice should be tailored by your practice. Cost examples are planning illustrations, not personal insurance recommendations.