Checklists Puppy
New puppy first-week checklist (India)
A puppy’s first week is mostly about safety, sleep, toilet routine and getting the vet plan started. The list below runs in the order you will need it. Tick items as you go; your ticks stay in this browser only.
Puppy: first-week checklist
20 items
Before the puppy comes home
India’s Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 say breeders must not sell pups less than eight weeks old.
Source: Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017. Checked 26 October 2026.
The same rules require breeders to give buyers these details in writing, and to keep the pup’s vaccination and treatment record. A rescuer may also have records worth copying.
Source: Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017. Checked 26 October 2026.
Puppies need a series of core vaccine doses and a regular deworming plan; the first visit is where your vet sets that schedule for your pup.
Sources: WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024; TroCCAP canine worm guidelines (tropics). Checked 26 October 2026.
Keeping the same food for the first days avoids adding a diet change to an already big move. Change foods gradually later if you need to.
Veterinary behaviourists recommend confinement training with pens or crates so puppies have safe places to rest; crates should feel like comfort or play areas, not punishment.
Source: AVSAB puppy socialisation statement. Checked 26 October 2026.
Day one
AVSAB’s position statement credits early socialisation and positive training programmes with helping to prevent behaviour problems.
Source: AVSAB puppy socialisation statement. Checked 26 October 2026.
Rest of the first week
WSAVA’s 2024 guidelines advise several core vaccine doses every 2 to 4 weeks, with the final puppy dose at 16 weeks or older, and a further dose at or after 26 weeks.
Source: WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024. Checked 26 October 2026.
Tropical parasite guidelines advise deworming puppies every two weeks until 8 weeks of age and monthly after that, with the product chosen by your vet.
Source: TroCCAP canine worm guidelines (tropics). Checked 26 October 2026.
The first three months are the main socialisation window. AVSAB says puppy classes can start at 7 to 8 weeks once the pup has had at least one set of vaccines 7 days before and a first deworming.
Source: AVSAB puppy socialisation statement. Checked 26 October 2026.
AVSAB advises scheduling time for puppies to play alone or nap in safe places so they learn to settle without you.
Source: AVSAB puppy socialisation statement. Checked 26 October 2026.
These are the preferred tick attachment sites listed in tropical ectoparasite guidelines, which also advise prompt removal of any tick you find.
Source: TroCCAP tick and flea guidelines (tropics). Checked 26 October 2026.
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Common first-week questions
Can my puppy meet people and other dogs before all the vaccines are done?
AVSAB, a society of veterinary behaviourists, calls the first three months the primary socialisation window and considers it the standard of care for puppies to be socialised before they are fully vaccinated, in ways that keep the risk of illness low. It says puppy classes can start at 7 to 8 weeks if the pup had at least one set of vaccines at least 7 days before the first class and a first deworming. Ask your vet which places and dogs are lower risk where you live.
Source: AVSAB puppy socialisation statement. Checked 26 October 2026.
Why does a puppy need several vaccine doses?
Antibodies a puppy gets from its mother interfere with early vaccines, and their level varies widely within and between litters. WSAVA therefore advises several core doses every 2 to 4 weeks, with the last puppy dose at 16 weeks or older, then another dose at or after 26 weeks.
Source: WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024. Checked 26 October 2026.
How many treats can I give during training?
WSAVA’s guide says treats should make up less than 10% of a dog’s daily calories. Using pieces of the daily food ration as training rewards keeps you inside that limit.
Source: WSAVA: treats for dogs. Checked 26 October 2026.
Things to have ready
Our essentials list explains what to check for each product type. A starting set for this pet:
Sources for this page
- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (G.S.R. 496(E)), as reproduced in the Odisha Gazette (notified 23 May 2017). Checked 26 October 2026.
- 2024 Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats, executive summary, World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Vaccination Guidelines Group (2024). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and control of canine endoparasites in the tropics, second edition, Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites (TroCCAP) (March 2019). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Position statement on puppy socialization, American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Guidelines for the control of ectoparasites of dogs and cats in the tropics, first edition, Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites (TroCCAP) (1 January 2022). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Feeding treats to your dog, WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee (November 2025). Checked 26 October 2026.