Everything You Need
for Your Puppy’s
First 30 Days

Start with the essentials: a crate sized for your puppy’s adult weight, a washable bed, food and water bowls, age-appropriate food, a collar and lead, and a couple of safe chew toys. Everything else can wait until you know your puppy’s habits.

Most puppies eat three to four small meals a day until around four months, then move to two or three. Start with the feeding guide on your food’s packaging, then adjust to your puppy’s body condition rather than the number on the bag.

Wait until your vet confirms the vaccination course is far enough along — usually after the second round. In the meantime you can socialise safely with healthy, fully vaccinated dogs you know, and by carrying your puppy out to see the world.

Most puppies are reliably house-trained between four and six months, though accidents past that are normal. Frequent trips outside, consistent timing, and praise the moment they get it right will move things along faster than anything else.

It’s a personal call, but the first year is when unexpected vet bills are most likely — swallowed objects and tummy upsets top the list. Cover is cheapest and easiest to get before any condition is on record, so it’s worth pricing up early.

We look at safety, build quality, how well a product suits a growing puppy, and what long-term owner reviews actually say. We only recommend things we’d put in our own homes, and we say when a link earns us a commission.