The adoption is approved, or the breeder has confirmed the date. In two weeks there will be a dog in your home who has never seen it before, doesn’t know the rules and can’t be told them. You’ve bought a bowl and a squeaky toy. That’s a start.
The first days go more smoothly when the decisions are made before the dog arrives. A dog settles faster in a home where the people already agree on what happens and when. Plan these seven things now.
Thing #1 – The Household Routine
Routine is what a new dog needs most, so agree yours before pickup day. Dogs learn a home through repetition: the same door, the same times, the same words.
If you’re still deciding on a dog, ask for advice. The CDC suggests you talk to your veterinarian about the right type of dog for you. A vet can tell you how much exercise and care a breed or age is likely to need.
Then write down who does what:
Morning and evening walks
Feeding times and who measures the food
Toilet breaks, including the late one
Who’s home during the working day
Who covers weekends away
Put the schedule on the fridge. Everyone in the house should use the same words for the same things, so “off” always means off the couch and “down” always means lie down.
Thing #2 – A Resting Space
A resting space of its own gives a dog somewhere to retreat when a new home gets to be too much. Set it up before the dog arrives, so it’s the first place you show them.
Where to Put It
Choose a quiet corner where the dog can still see the family. A hallway everyone walks through is too busy, and a closed-off laundry room is too lonely. Keep it away from drafts and radiators.
What Goes in It
A bed or crate big enough to stand up, turn around and lie flat in is the basic need. Add a washable blanket and one safe chew toy. Ask the shelter or breeder for something that smells of the dog’s old home.
The Rule That Goes With It
Make the bed a no-disturb zone. When the dog is there, nobody pets, picks up or calls them out. Teach children this before the dog arrives. A dog that knows it has a safe place settles more easily everywhere else.
Thing #3 – Furniture and House Rules
Furniture rules are easier to set on day one than to change in month three. Decide now whether the dog is allowed on the couch and the beds, and make sure every person in the house gives the same answer.
If the answer is yes, prepare for it. Put a throw over the dog’s spot and keep a towel by the door for wet days. If you’re buying seating around the same time, look at the fabric before anything else. Ranges such as Home Reserve’s sectional couches in washable fabrics show what to look for, which is a cover that can be cleaned. Ask for a fabric sample for any couch you’re considering and test it with water before you commit.
If the answer is no, give the dog a good alternative. A bed beside the couch, at the family’s feet, is usually enough.
Use the same thinking for the rest of the house. Decide which rooms are open, where the dog sleeps at night and whether there’s a gate on the stairs.
Thing #4 – Dog-Proofing the Home
Dog-proofing means looking at your home from knee height before the dog does. A new dog explores with its mouth, and it doesn’t know what’s food.
Get down low in each room and move these out of reach:
Electrical cords and phone chargers
Shoes, socks and children’s toys
Medications, cleaning products and trash
Houseplants, until you’ve checked they’re safe for dogs
Chocolate, grapes, raisins and sugar-free gum
Check the yard as carefully as the house. Walk the fence for gaps, latch the gate and store garden chemicals up high. Ask your vet for a list of foods and plants to keep away from dogs.
Thing #5 – The First Vet Visit
Book the first vet visit before the dog comes home, for the first week. Choosing a clinic in advance means you know who to call when you have a question on day two.
The CDC calls regular veterinary visits essential to keeping your pet and family healthy. At the first appointment, bring any records from the shelter or breeder and ask about vaccines, parasite prevention, diet and microchipping.
Write your questions down beforehand. Ask the clinic about emergencies too: who to call after hours and where the nearest emergency hospital is. Save both numbers in your phone.
Thing #6 – The Budget and Insurance
A dog’s costs are easier to manage when you list them before the first bill arrives. Food, vet care, a collar and leash, a bed, training classes and boarding or a dog walker all belong in the plan.
Decide how you’d pay for an unexpected vet bill. A savings account set aside for the dog, an insurance policy or both will do it.
If you’re considering insurance, compare the terms as well as the price. Is Spot Pet Insurance the best pet insurance for a first-time owner? The only way to tell, with any insurer, is to read a sample policy next to two or three others. In every policy, check the waiting periods, what’s excluded, how pre-existing conditions are defined and whether you can use your own vet.
Then set a monthly amount for the dog and review it after three months, when you know what life with this particular dog costs.
Alt text: A woman clips a leash onto a rescue dog at the front door as her son greets it
Thing #7 – The First Week
The first week should be quiet. A new dog needs time to learn the house and the people before it meets the neighbors, the cousins and the dog park.
Bring the dog home at the start of a weekend or a few days off. Show it the yard, then its bed, then the water bowl. Keep visitors away for the first few days and keep walks short and close to home.
Expect some accidents, a restless night or two and a dog that’s quieter or busier than it will be in a month. Stick to the routine you wrote down. Praise what you like, and calmly interrupt what you don’t.
Top Tip: Keep a simple log for the first two weeks. Note when the dog eats, drinks, toilets and sleeps, and anything that seems to worry it. Patterns show up within days, and they tell you when to schedule walks and toilet breaks. Take the log to the first vet visit, because it answers most of the questions you’ll be asked.
Hold the Family Meeting Tonight
Sit down with everyone who lives in the house and answer three questions: who walks the dog and when, where the dog sleeps, and whether it’s allowed on the couch. Write the answers down. Those three decisions will do more for your first week than anything you can buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I buy before bringing a dog home?
Start with a bed or crate, bowls, food, a collar and leash, and one safe chew toy. Set up the resting space before the dog arrives, so it’s the first place you show them.
Should I let my new dog on the couch?
That’s your choice, but decide before the dog arrives and make sure everyone in the house gives the same answer. Furniture rules are easier to set on day one than to change in month three.
When should a new dog first see the vet?
Book the first visit for the first week, before the dog comes home. Bring any records from the shelter or breeder, and ask about vaccines, parasite prevention, diet and microchipping.
The adoption is approved, or the breeder has confirmed the date. In two weeks there will be a dog in your home who has never seen it before, doesn’t know the rules and can’t be told them. You’ve bought a bowl and a squeaky toy. That’s a start.
The first days go more smoothly when the decisions are made before the dog arrives. A dog settles faster in a home where the people already agree on what happens and when. Plan these seven things now.
Thing #1 – The Household Routine
Routine is what a new dog needs most, so agree yours before pickup day. Dogs learn a home through repetition: the same door, the same times, the same words.
If you’re still deciding on a dog, ask for advice. The CDC suggests you talk to your veterinarian about the right type of dog for you. A vet can tell you how much exercise and care a breed or age is likely to need.
Then write down who does what:
Put the schedule on the fridge. Everyone in the house should use the same words for the same things, so “off” always means off the couch and “down” always means lie down.
Thing #2 – A Resting Space
A resting space of its own gives a dog somewhere to retreat when a new home gets to be too much. Set it up before the dog arrives, so it’s the first place you show them.
Where to Put It
Choose a quiet corner where the dog can still see the family. A hallway everyone walks through is too busy, and a closed-off laundry room is too lonely. Keep it away from drafts and radiators.
What Goes in It
A bed or crate big enough to stand up, turn around and lie flat in is the basic need. Add a washable blanket and one safe chew toy. Ask the shelter or breeder for something that smells of the dog’s old home.
The Rule That Goes With It
Make the bed a no-disturb zone. When the dog is there, nobody pets, picks up or calls them out. Teach children this before the dog arrives. A dog that knows it has a safe place settles more easily everywhere else.
Thing #3 – Furniture and House Rules
Furniture rules are easier to set on day one than to change in month three. Decide now whether the dog is allowed on the couch and the beds, and make sure every person in the house gives the same answer.
If the answer is yes, prepare for it. Put a throw over the dog’s spot and keep a towel by the door for wet days. If you’re buying seating around the same time, look at the fabric before anything else. Ranges such as Home Reserve’s sectional couches in washable fabrics show what to look for, which is a cover that can be cleaned. Ask for a fabric sample for any couch you’re considering and test it with water before you commit.
If the answer is no, give the dog a good alternative. A bed beside the couch, at the family’s feet, is usually enough.
Use the same thinking for the rest of the house. Decide which rooms are open, where the dog sleeps at night and whether there’s a gate on the stairs.
Thing #4 – Dog-Proofing the Home
Dog-proofing means looking at your home from knee height before the dog does. A new dog explores with its mouth, and it doesn’t know what’s food.
Get down low in each room and move these out of reach:
Check the yard as carefully as the house. Walk the fence for gaps, latch the gate and store garden chemicals up high. Ask your vet for a list of foods and plants to keep away from dogs.
Thing #5 – The First Vet Visit
Book the first vet visit before the dog comes home, for the first week. Choosing a clinic in advance means you know who to call when you have a question on day two.
The CDC calls regular veterinary visits essential to keeping your pet and family healthy. At the first appointment, bring any records from the shelter or breeder and ask about vaccines, parasite prevention, diet and microchipping.
Write your questions down beforehand. Ask the clinic about emergencies too: who to call after hours and where the nearest emergency hospital is. Save both numbers in your phone.
Thing #6 – The Budget and Insurance
A dog’s costs are easier to manage when you list them before the first bill arrives. Food, vet care, a collar and leash, a bed, training classes and boarding or a dog walker all belong in the plan.
Decide how you’d pay for an unexpected vet bill. A savings account set aside for the dog, an insurance policy or both will do it.
If you’re considering insurance, compare the terms as well as the price. Is Spot Pet Insurance the best pet insurance for a first-time owner? The only way to tell, with any insurer, is to read a sample policy next to two or three others. In every policy, check the waiting periods, what’s excluded, how pre-existing conditions are defined and whether you can use your own vet.
Then set a monthly amount for the dog and review it after three months, when you know what life with this particular dog costs.
Alt text: A woman clips a leash onto a rescue dog at the front door as her son greets it
Thing #7 – The First Week
The first week should be quiet. A new dog needs time to learn the house and the people before it meets the neighbors, the cousins and the dog park.
Bring the dog home at the start of a weekend or a few days off. Show it the yard, then its bed, then the water bowl. Keep visitors away for the first few days and keep walks short and close to home.
Expect some accidents, a restless night or two and a dog that’s quieter or busier than it will be in a month. Stick to the routine you wrote down. Praise what you like, and calmly interrupt what you don’t.
Hold the Family Meeting Tonight
Sit down with everyone who lives in the house and answer three questions: who walks the dog and when, where the dog sleeps, and whether it’s allowed on the couch. Write the answers down. Those three decisions will do more for your first week than anything you can buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I buy before bringing a dog home?
Start with a bed or crate, bowls, food, a collar and leash, and one safe chew toy. Set up the resting space before the dog arrives, so it’s the first place you show them.
Should I let my new dog on the couch?
That’s your choice, but decide before the dog arrives and make sure everyone in the house gives the same answer. Furniture rules are easier to set on day one than to change in month three.
When should a new dog first see the vet?
Book the first visit for the first week, before the dog comes home. Bring any records from the shelter or breeder, and ask about vaccines, parasite prevention, diet and microchipping.
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