New Puppy Checklist: Exactly What to Buy for the First Week
PetFamPicks is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
You just brought a puppy home, or you’re about to, and the panic has already started. Most new owners buy the fun stuff first and skip the gear that gets a household through the hardest seven days. This new puppy checklist what to buy first cuts the noise down to six items that solve real week-one problems, plus what you can skip until later.
New Puppy Checklist at a Glance
Here is the short version. Each item below links straight to the product, and each one earns its spot for a specific week-one problem.
| Item | What it solves | Best for | Price tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| KONG Puppy Teething Toy | Teething and crate-time boredom | Small-breed puppies | $ |
| Snuggle Puppy Heartbeat Toy | First-night crying, separation anxiety | Any puppy sleeping alone | $$ |
| Amazon Basics Pee Pads | Indoor accidents in week one | Apartments and pens | $ |
| Nature’s Miracle Enzymatic Cleaner | Stopping repeat marking | Every household | $$ |
| PetSafe Easy Walk Harness | Starting leash manners right | Pulling-prone pups | $$ |
| PetSafe Nylon Dog Leash | A reliable everyday training leash | Every puppy | $ |
The Day-One Six: What to Buy Before Your Puppy Comes Home
These are the six things we would actually put in a cart before a puppy’s first night.
1. KONG Puppy Teething Chew Toy
What it solves: A bored, teething puppy in a crate chews the crate bars, the bedding, or their own paws out of frustration. The KONG Puppy is a natural rubber chew sized for young mouths, and it can be stuffed with a little food to keep a puppy occupied.
Our take: This is the toy we would reach for first. It gives a puppy something appropriate to gnaw instead of the couch leg.
Honest con: It is sized for small puppies, so a big-breed pup outgrows it fast, and it needs stuffing to hold interest.
2. Snuggle Puppy Heartbeat Dog Toy
What it solves: A lot of the 2 a.m. crying comes down to a puppy suddenly sleeping completely alone for the first time. The Snuggle Puppy has a real-feel heartbeat insert and a spot for a heat pack, mimicking the warmth of sleeping next to another body.
Our take: If you only buy one comfort item, this is it, since it addresses the actual cause of the crying instead of just muffling it.
Honest con: The heartbeat battery pack and heat pack are consumable, and some pups chew the plush open.
3. Amazon Basics Dog and Puppy Potty Training Pee Pads
What it solves: Week-one accidents are a math problem, not a training failure: a young puppy’s bladder cannot hold on for hours yet. These leak-proof, quick-dry pads give you a designated landing zone, especially overnight.
Our take: We would put these down in the pen and by the crate door on day one.
Honest con: Leaning on pads too long can slow full outdoor housetraining, and some pups shred them.
4. Nature’s Miracle Dog Stain and Odor Remover
What it solves: A regular cleaner does not break down the compounds in urine that make a puppy remark the same spot. Enzymatic cleaner actually digests that residue, which is what stops repeat marking.
Our take: Pair this with the pee pads above and you have covered containment and real cleanup.
Honest con: The scent is strong to some people, and it needs a real soak time, not a quick wipe.
5. PetSafe Easy Walk Harness
What it solves: Leash habits start forming the first time you clip something on. The Easy Walk is a front-clip harness that gently redirects a puppy back toward you when they pull ahead, instead of letting them build the habit of dragging.
Our take: We would reach for this over a collar-only setup for early leash walks. If your dog turns into a serious puller as they grow, see our guide on how to stop a large dog from pulling on the leash.
Honest con: The front clip can chafe or loosen on deep-chested pups, sizing runs tricky, and it is not a chew-proof harness.
6. PetSafe Nylon Dog Leash
What it solves: A plain 6-foot leash beats a retractable one for a puppy learning to walk politely, since it keeps a consistent distance for practicing loose-leash walking.
Our take: Pair this with the harness above and skip the retractable entirely for training walks.
Honest con: It is basic, with no padded handle and no reflective stitching.
What You Can Skip in Week One
Skip the orthopedic memory-foam bed until you know whether your puppy is a chewer; a cheap blanket works for now. Skip buying multiple types of toys in bulk before you know what your puppy actually likes. Skip a GPS tracker on day one too, since it matters once your puppy is mobile in the yard, not while they are barely walking on a leash; our guide on the best GPS trackers for dogs that escape the yard is worth reading later. And skip a wardrobe of outfits and costumes entirely. None of it solves a real week-one problem, and it is easy money to spend once you know your dog’s actual personality.
A Simple First-Week Day-by-Day Plan
Day 1 to 2: Focus on the crate and the Snuggle Puppy, and keep pee pads down anywhere your puppy is unsupervised. Day 3 to 4: Introduce the KONG stuffed with a little food during alone time, so the crate starts feeling good instead of isolating. Day 5 to 7: Start short, low-pressure sessions with the harness and leash in a quiet area like your driveway, just to build comfort with gear before an actual walk. Keep the enzymatic cleaner within reach all week, because accidents will happen either way.
Grab the Printable: Our New Puppy Checklist
If you would rather have this on paper than scroll back to this post at 11 p.m., our New Puppy Checklist printable lays out the same first-week essentials in a format you can stick on the fridge. It is the exact companion to this post. Once the first week settles down, our Training Basics printable picks up where this list leaves off.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a new puppy cost the first week?
Between the six items on this new puppy checklist what to buy, most owners land around $60 to $100 for gear alone, not counting food, a crate, or a first vet visit.
What do you NOT need to buy right away?
Skip the expensive orthopedic bed, a big wardrobe of toys and costumes, and a GPS tracker until your puppy is older and more mobile. See the “what you can skip” section above.
Crate vs. pen: which one do I need for week one?
Most households use both. A crate gives a safe, den-like space for sleeping, while a pen gives more room for supervised playtime with pee pads nearby. If you can only buy one, a crate paired with pee pads outside the door covers more situations.
When can I start walks, and what about vaccination timing?
Short, low-pressure leash sessions at home, like the ones in our day-by-day plan, are generally fine early on. Actual walks in public spaces depend on your puppy’s vaccination schedule, and that timing is a conversation to have directly with your vet, not something to guess from a blog post.
If You Only Buy Three Things This Week
If the full list feels like too much at once, start with the Snuggle Puppy for the first-night crying, plus the pee pads and enzymatic cleaner for the accidents coming either way. Circle back for the KONG, harness, and leash once the first few nights are behind you. For more gear we have vetted for new owners, our Amazon picks page rounds up other picks.
