Getting ready for a puppy: the essential checklist before day one

The market offers a thousand accessories, but a puppy in its first days needs a few well chosen things. Better a handful of the right items than a trolley full of things you will use for a week.

For collar and harness choose adjustable ones, because the puppy grows fast and what fits today will be tight in a few weeks. For the bed, a washable and not overly large model gives more of a sense of shelter than a huge empty one. Many decorative accessories, coats, bags, electronic toys, can safely wait.

A puppy explores with its mouth and knows no dangers. Making the home safe before its arrival prevents ordinary accidents and reduces the stress of having to say no constantly.

1. 1

   Put anything toxic up high

   Cleaning products, medicines, parasite treatments, chocolate and dangerous plants must go out of reach, in closed cupboards or high shelves. Many poisonings start with a cupboard left open.

2. 2

   Hide cables and small objects

   Electrical cables, socks, elastic bands, children's toys and coins easily end up in the mouth. Gather or protect them, especially in areas where the puppy will be alone.

3. 3

   Mark off the accessible spaces

   With gates and pens define a safe zone where the puppy can be without constant supervision, with an easy to clean floor and no escape routes.

4. 4

   Protect balconies, stairs and windows

   Falls from height are a real risk. Check railings, netting and the option to block off steep stairs until the puppy is coordinated.

5. 5

   Prepare the feeding and resting areas

   Choose in advance where bowls and bed will go, in quiet spots away from through traffic, so the puppy finds its landmarks straight away.

The part almost everyone underrates is made not of objects but of decisions and appointments. Settling these before the arrival avoids last minute scrambles in the most delicate days.

• Choose the vet and book a first visit in the early days, for a general check and to set up vaccinations, worming and parasite control.
• Get from the breeder or shelter the health record, the dates of worming and vaccines given and the food in use.
• Buy in advance the same food the puppy already eats, so you avoid an abrupt change during the stress of the move.
• Check the microchip and registration, and update your contact details on the record linked to the identifier.
• Agree the basic rules as a family, where it may climb, who takes it out, what it is called, so as not to confuse the puppy with mixed messages.
• Plan the first days so that you are there: a puppy left alone for many hours straight away starts on the wrong foot.

Keeping health records, booster dates and food information in one place makes everything simpler when you need them. Many owners realise only at the second visit that they cannot remember when the last worming was done: noting it from day one avoids gaps and needless repetition.

Not everything has to be bought before day one. Telling the essential from the desirable avoids waste and lets you choose more calmly the purchases that depend on adult size or on habits you do not yet know.

Many purchases only make sense later, once you know the adult size, the coat type and your dog's preferences. Buying an adult lead, a huge bed or sports gear straight away often means buying it again. Start with the essentials, watch the puppy over the first weeks and add the rest when its needs become clear.