Search "puppy checklist" and you get forty items. You will use about eight of them in the first week, and buying the other thirty-two now means buying them again in three months when the puppy has doubled in size.
What you actually use in week one
- Washable training pads. House training is the whole first fortnight. Disposable pads mean a bin bag a week; washable ones go in the machine and come back. Buy three so there's always one down while two are in the wash.
- A treat pouch. Not optional. Puppy training only works if the reward lands within a second of the behaviour, and that is impossible if you're digging in a pocket. A pouch at your waist is the difference between training and hoping.
- A harness that fits now. Not the size they'll grow into. A loose harness is what a startled puppy backs out of, and the first escape teaches a habit that takes months to undo.
- A slow feeder. Puppies inhale food. A maze bowl turns twenty seconds into several minutes, which helps digestion and takes the edge off.
- A snuffle mat. Ten minutes of nose work tires a puppy more than an hour of running, and unlike running it doesn't stress growing joints.
What can wait
The bed they'll outgrow. The coat for a season three months away. The long lead for recall training that starts in month two. Toys beyond three or four — puppies habituate fast and rotation beats volume.
The three things that aren't objects
- A routine. Out after waking, after eating, after playing, before bed. Puppies learn the schedule long before they learn the command.
- Short sessions. Five minutes, several times a day. A puppy's attention span is measured in seconds, and a long session teaches them that training is boring.
- Handling. Touch the paws, ears and mouth every day from week one. The dog that lets you trim its nails at three years old is the one whose paws were handled at eight weeks.
On sizing
Measure the chest weekly for the first three months. Puppies grow in steps, not smoothly, and a harness that fitted on Monday can be tight by the following Sunday. Two fingers flat under every strap, every time.