Best overall dog toy
KONG
KONG Classic Stuffable Rubber Dog Toy (Medium)
4.8
🏆 Best Overall Dog Toy
Tradeoff: The red compound handles normal chewing — a serious chewer needs the Extreme.
Puppy Care: The First Year
The early window matters more than anything you buy. The weeks in which a puppy readily accepts new people, surfaces, sounds and handling are limited, and calm positive exposure during that period does more for the adult dog than any later training will. Nearly everything alarming at this stage is a stage.
Start here
- Socialization has a deadline; obedience does not. Prioritise accordingly in the first months.
- Balance exposure against your vet's guidance on where an incompletely vaccinated puppy can safely go — carried outings and meetings with known healthy dogs are the usual compromise.
- Buy crates, collars and harnesses for the adult size wherever a divider or adjustment makes that possible.
- Biting is normal and outgrown. Chewing is not something to stop, only to redirect.
- Large breeds need a slower growth curve than small ones, which changes both the food and when you switch off it.
Learn
20 guides on puppies, grouped by what you're trying to work out.
The first week
What to have ready, night one, settling in, and the first vet visit.
- Bringing Your Puppy Home: The First Car RideTwo people, an empty stomach, a secured carrier, and a toilet stop before you set off. How to make the drive home boring instead of traumatic.4 min read
- What to Do Before Your Puppy Comes HomeThe setup that actually matters in week one: a crate sized for the adult dog, a small safe space, a vet booked, and a plan for night one.4 min read
- Your Puppy's First Night at HomeCrate beside your bed, one silent toilet trip in the small hours, no lights and no chat. Why the first three nights are loud and how to shorten them.4 min read
- Your Puppy's First Vet Visit: What Happens and What to AskBook it within the first few days. Here is what the vet checks, what to bring, what it costs, and the questions worth asking while you are there.4 min read
Feeding a puppy
How much, how often, which food, and when to move to adult food.
- Does My Puppy Need Large-Breed Puppy Food?If your puppy will mature above roughly 70 lb, yes. The reason is controlled calcium and a slower growth curve — not protein, and not marketing.5 min read
- How Much Should I Feed My Puppy? By Age and WeightStart with the bag chart for expected adult weight, then adjust by body condition every two weeks. Here is how to read the numbers and when to change them.4 min read
- Puppy Feeding Schedule by Age: How Often and How MuchFrom 4 meals a day at 8 weeks to 2 at a year — the schedule, the portions, and the switch points.4 min read
- When Should a Puppy Switch to Adult Dog Food?Size decides the timing, not age alone: roughly 9-12 months for small breeds and up to 24 for giant ones. Plus the 7-day transition that avoids diarrhea.5 min read
Early training
House training, crate training, name recognition, and stopping the biting.
- House Training a Puppy: A Schedule That Actually WorksTake the puppy out every time they wake, eat, or stop playing, pay them outside within three seconds, and clean accidents with enzyme cleaner. No scolding.4 min read
- How to Introduce a Puppy to a CrateFeed every meal in it, leave the door open for days, and build duration in seconds. The crate has to predict good things before it predicts absence.4 min read
- How to Stop Puppy BitingPuppy mouthing is normal and outgrown, not aggression. Redirect onto a toy, pause the game when teeth land on skin, and check whether they need sleep.4 min read
- Teaching a Puppy to Be AloneStart in week one, build from seconds rather than hours, and always return before the puppy asks. Separation problems are far easier to prevent than to treat.4 min read
Growth & milestones
Teething, adolescence, neutering timing, and what size they will end up.
- How Big Will My Puppy Get?Use adult breed weight, the paw-and-skin rule of thumb, and a growth curve chart to estimate your puppy's adult size.5 min read
- Puppy Adolescence: Why Your Dog's Training Seems to Disappear at 6-18 MonthsA well-trained puppy testing every rule at 6-18 months is normal adolescence, not a training failure. Here's what changes and how to handle it.6 min read
- Puppy Teething Timeline: When Baby Teeth Fall Out and Adult Teeth Come InBaby teeth erupt by 6 weeks, start falling out around 12 weeks, and all 42 adult teeth should be in by 7 months. Here's the full timeline.5 min read
- When Should I Spay or Neuter My Puppy?Timing varies by breed size and growth-plate closure, and it's genuinely different advice dog to dog. Here's what to bring to the vet conversation.5 min read
Gear for puppies
Researched picks from the categories this section covers.
Best for power chewers
KONG
KONG Extreme Durable Rubber Dog Toy (Large)
4.7
💪 Best for Power Chewers
Tradeoff: The toughest KONG still needs inspecting — replace it once pieces start coming off.
Best for long-distance fetch
Chuckit!
Chuckit! Classic 26M Ball Launcher with Ultra Ball
4.7
🎾 Best for Long-Distance Fetch
Tradeoff: Fits only 2.5" balls, so your existing tennis balls won't load.
Best puppy chew toy
KONG
KONG Puppy Toy
4.7
The single most recommended puppy toy in existence: soft-rubber chew, treat-stuffable, and the foundation of alone-time training.
Tradeoff: Heavy chewers graduate to the Classic fast.
Best crate for most dogs
MidWest Homes for Pets
MidWest iCrate Double-Door Folding Dog Crate, 36"
4.6
🏆 Best Overall Crate
Tradeoff: Determined escape artists can bend the wire.
Best for mental stimulation
AWOOF
AWOOF Snuffle Mat Foraging Feed Game for Dogs
4.6
🧠 Best for Mental Stimulation
Tradeoff: Supervise it — some dogs decide the mat itself is the snack.
What to know about puppies
The first year, stage by stage — setup, socialization, feeding, and surviving the chewing phase. The early window matters more than anything you buy: the weeks in which a puppy readily accepts new people, surfaces, sounds, and handling are limited, and calm positive exposure during that period does more for the adult dog than any later training will. Balance that against your vet's guidance on where an incompletely vaccinated puppy can safely go — carried outings and controlled meetings with healthy vaccinated dogs are the usual compromise. Expect to feed more often than an adult dog, and to switch to adult food at a point that depends on the breed's eventual size, with large breeds needing a slower growth curve. Biting is normal and outgrown. Chewing is not something to stop, only to redirect. Buy crates, collars, and harnesses for the adult size wherever an adjustment or divider makes that possible. Sleep will be broken for a few weeks, and nearly everything alarming at this stage is a stage.
Puppies questions owners ask
How often should I feed a puppy?
Roughly four meals a day up to about twelve weeks, three a day until around six months, and twice a day after that. Small breeds need the frequent end of that because they are prone to low blood sugar. Divide the daily amount across meals rather than adding a meal to it.
When can my puppy go outside and meet other dogs?
That is a question for your own vet, because the answer depends on local disease risk and the vaccine schedule they are following. The common middle ground is carried outings, private gardens, and meetings with known, healthy, fully vaccinated dogs during the socialization window, with dog parks and public ground waiting until the course is complete.
How do I stop my puppy biting me?
Redirect onto something it is allowed to bite, every time, and end the game briefly when teeth find skin — a short, boring pause teaches more than a scold. Puppies bite hardest when overtired, so a bitey spell late in the evening is usually a nap problem rather than a training one.
When does a puppy stop teething?
Most puppies have their full adult set by around six to seven months, with the worst of the chewing in the middle of that. Frozen chews and appropriate chew toys get you through it. Baby teeth still present once the adult tooth is in are worth mentioning at the next vet visit.
Socialization & vaccines
The window, what to expose them to safely, and how the vaccine schedule interacts with it.