Bringing home a new puppy in Australia: your first 30 days

The first 30 days with a new puppy set up the next 15 years.

Not everything, of course, but the habits you build in month one become the routine your dog carries their whole life. The way they sleep, how they greet visitors, whether they think the vet is scary or fun, whether they trust you with a full food bowl, whether they know their name. All of it starts now.

This guide is written for Australian puppy owners, particularly in South-East Queensland. It walks you through what to do before your puppy arrives, day by day for the first fortnight, then week by week to the 30-day mark. Bookmark it and use it as a checklist.

Note: this is general information. Every puppy is different and your vet's advice always wins.

Before your puppy comes home (do this now)

Puppy-proof the house.

Get down on your knees and look at every room from puppy height. Anything chewable, swallowable, or fatal (lily plants, electrical cords, chocolate on low benches, medications on bedside tables, string, socks, headphones) needs to go. Puppies eat everything. Assume they will find what you missed.

Buy the essentials.

You don't need much for month one:

• Crate or pen, for safe overnight and daytime rest
• Two ceramic or stainless steel bowls
• Puppy food, whatever the breeder or shelter was feeding, since you change food gradually if at all
• Collar and lead (flat collar, no choke chains, ever)
• ID tag with your phone number, more on this below
• A few tough chew toys (Kong is a classic for a reason)
• Old towels for accidents, and there will be many
• Puppy pads if you're indoor-training

Skip: cutesy outfits, expensive automatic feeders, anything with small parts.

Find your vet before your puppy arrives.

You will need a vet within the first week. Have a clinic picked, phone number saved, and appointment mental-flagged. Pet Health Hub's vet search sorts local clinics by availability so you're not calling twenty numbers on day three.

Set up their space.

Puppies need a "yes place", a bed or crate somewhere quiet enough to sleep but close enough to feel included. Kitchens or family rooms usually work. Away from front doors and heavy foot traffic.

Day 1 to 3: settling in

Your puppy has just left their mother, siblings, and the only home they've ever known. Everything is new and slightly terrifying, even the things you think are fun.

Do:

• Keep it quiet. No visitors for at least the first few days.
• Let them explore at their pace. Sit on the floor and let them come to you.
• Feed on schedule, the same food they were on, at the times the breeder recommended.
• Toilet trips every hour, plus immediately after eating, drinking, sleeping, and playing.
• Praise heavily for weeing outside. Ignore accidents. Never punish.
• Introduce their crate as a good thing, with treats, meals, and praise.

Don't:

• Take them to a park or crowded space. They're not vaccinated yet.
• Let them meet other dogs unless you know those dogs are vaccinated and friendly.
• Bathe them. Wait a week or two unless they're covered in something awful.
• Panic if they cry the first night. It's normal. A soft ticking clock (mimicking a heartbeat), a warm hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, and something that smells like their old home all help.

Get them microchipped if they aren't already. Under Queensland law all dogs must be microchipped, and it's a $100+ fine to register a dog without one. Most breeders and shelters do this before you take them home, but check.

Day 4 to 14: first vet visit, first routines

The first vet appointment

Aim to have your puppy at a vet within the first week. The first vet visit is not just about vaccinations. It covers:

• General health check (weight, teeth, ears, eyes, heart, coat)
• Weight-based worming and flea and tick treatment
• First round of vaccinations, usually C3 or C5 depending on the vet and your region
• Council registration paperwork
• Discussion of desexing timing, usually 5 to 6 months for smaller breeds, later for large breeds
• Diet and feeding advice
• Answering all your daft new-owner questions, because there is no such thing as a silly puppy question

For South-East Queensland puppy owners, paralysis tick prevention starts now. Ask your vet about a suitable product, since Bravecto, NexGard, Simparica Trio and similar are all excellent options. See our full guide: Preventing paralysis tick in Queensland dogs.

The vaccination schedule (general Australian guide)

Standard puppy vaccination schedule in Australia:

• 6 to 8 weeks: first vaccination (C3, covering distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus)
• 10 to 12 weeks: second vaccination (C3 or C5, where the "5" adds kennel cough protection)
• 14 to 16 weeks: third and final puppy vaccination
• 12 months, then annually: boosters

Your vet may vary the schedule slightly based on your puppy's history and local risk factors. Follow their advice.

Until the final puppy vaccination is complete, usually around 16 weeks, keep your puppy off shared dog spaces such as parks, footpaths in busy areas, and beaches. Carrying them in your arms in public is fine.

Building the routine

Puppies thrive on predictable rhythms:

• Meals at the same times each day, usually 3 to 4 meals for pups under 4 months
• Toilet trips at consistent intervals
• Sleep in the same place every night
• Play, cuddle, and quiet time in similar patterns each day

Day 15 to 30: the socialisation window

This is the single most important thing you'll do in month one of puppy ownership.

Between roughly 8 and 16 weeks of age, puppies have a socialisation window where their brain is wired to accept new experiences as normal. Anything they encounter positively during this window they'll likely be relaxed about for life. Anything they miss or find frightening they may struggle with forever.

What "socialisation" actually means

It's not just meeting other dogs. It's exposing your puppy calmly and positively to:

• Different people (men, women, kids, older folks, people in hats, uniforms, wheelchairs, walking sticks, mobility scooters)
• Different sounds (vacuum cleaner, doorbell, car horn, thunder, fireworks, garbage truck)
• Different surfaces (grass, sand, tiles, gravel, decking, wet ground)
• Different environments (busy streets from a distance, cafés with outdoor seating, quiet parks, being in the car)
• Handling (feet, ears, mouth, tail) so vet visits and grooming feel normal
• Being alone briefly, with short absences, even 10 minutes at a time

All of this, until they're fully vaccinated, should be while being carried or in a well-controlled environment. You're not letting them wander through crowds. You're letting them observe from safety.

Puppy preschool

If there's a puppy school near you, book it. Well-run puppy schools are one of the best socialisation investments you can make. They typically require your puppy to have had their second vaccination and are held in a controlled, clean environment.

Ask your vet for recommendations, or search local trainers on Pet Health Hub.

Basic training foundations

Keep sessions short (5 minutes max), positive, and end on a win. Focus on:

• Their name, so they respond and look at you
• Sit
• Come when called, starting indoors then expanding outside
• Loose lead walking, bare minimum for now, since the real work comes later
• "Leave it" and "drop"
• Being handled everywhere: paws, ears, mouth

Reward with tiny treats or their normal food. Never punish. If they're not getting it, they're either tired, over-stimulated, or the task is too hard, so end the session and try again later.

What every new puppy needs (checklist)

By 30 days in, your puppy should have:

• Been to the vet at least once
• Received their first vaccination
• Been microchipped, with registration under your name and address
• Started monthly (or 12-weekly) tick, flea, and worm prevention
• A flat collar with an ID tag showing their name and your phone number
• A profile on Australia's Lost Pet Register, so if the worst happens, finding them is fast

Free tag reminder: Pet Health Hub gives every Australian pet owner a free QR pet ID tag, and you only pay $9.99 postage. Your puppy's profile is linked to the tag, so if they ever wander off, whoever finds them scans and rings you within seconds. Grab yours here.

Red flags in the first month

Some puppy behaviour is normal even when it feels alarming. Some isn't. Ring your vet if you see:

• Refusing food for more than a day, since puppy blood sugar drops quickly
• Vomiting more than once, or bloody vomit
• Diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, or bloody diarrhoea, since parvovirus is the biggest concern and it is deadly and highly contagious in unvaccinated puppies
• Extreme lethargy, when they should still be doing puppy things between naps
• Wobbling, weakness, or trouble breathing
• Not weeing or pooing for a full day
• Excessive scratching, especially around ears, since mites are common in young puppies

When in doubt, ring. Vets would rather you called about nothing than not called about something. See our full guide: 10 pet symptoms you shouldn't ignore.

Common mistakes to avoid

Skipping the first vet visit because "they seem fine." Vet visits catch problems early and build the foundation for a lifetime of care.

Taking an unvaccinated puppy to the dog park. Parvovirus is horrific and often fatal in unvaccinated puppies.

Punishing accidents. Puppies can't hold their bladder. Praise successes and clean up the rest without drama.

Overloading them with visitors and new experiences on day one. They're already overwhelmed.

Not starting socialisation until fully vaccinated. You'll miss the window. Socialise carefully from day one, carried, in controlled environments, with gentle exposures.

Cheap or missing ID. A collar tag is a two-dollar problem that solves a heart-breaking one.

A note from Pet Health Hub

We built Pet Health Hub because pet care in Australia was harder than it should have been. Everything for your new puppy is in one place: find and book a vet, keep vaccination records, get a free ID tag, register them on Australia's Lost Pet Register. Free for pet owners, always.

Enjoy your first month. It goes fast. Take photos.