The new puppy checklist

Bringing a puppy home goes smoother when the boring parts are done before the cute part arrives. This checklist covers the four fronts every new owner juggles at once: the house, the vet, the training window and the paperwork.

Two timing notes worth knowing. The socialization window — roughly 3 to 14 weeks of age — is when positive exposure to the world pays off for a lifetime, and it overlaps the vaccination schedule; your vet can help you balance the two (carrying the puppy counts as exposure). And the first vet visit should happen within days of pickup, not weeks, even for a perfectly healthy-looking puppy: it establishes the baseline every later visit compares against.

Tick items off below — your progress saves on this device — or print the list and stick it on the fridge.