Before Buying a Puppy: The Complete UK Checklist for Choosing the Right Dog
A puppy can change your home in wonderful ways. There will be companionship, laughter and probably a stolen slipper or two. There will also be interrupted sleep, toilet accidents, sharp little teeth and bills that continue long after the purchase price.
Before buying, choose a dog whose adult needs suit your household, check the breeder and health records, and make a realistic plan for time and money.
This guide takes you through those decisions—from finding a suitable breed to bringing your puppy home.
1. Choose for your real life
Picture an ordinary weekday. Who is home? How much time do you have? What happens when work runs late, the children are ill or the weather is miserable?
The dog you choose needs to fit that life.
Ask yourself:
Does everyone in the household want a dog?
Who will provide daily care?
How long would the dog regularly be alone?
Can we manage its adult size and strength?
Can we afford care throughout its life?
What would happen during holidays, illness or a change in circumstances?
Check your tenancy or housing conditions before paying a deposit.
A garden helps with toilet training and outdoor play, but it does not replace walks, training or companionship. Equally, a smaller home does not automatically rule out a larger dog if its needs can be met.
Choose the adult dog you can care for—not just the puppy you find adorable.
2. Which breed suits your household?
Research adult size, activity, instincts, grooming, barking and health. Meet adult dogs and speak to owners about the difficult parts as well as the enjoyable ones.
For an active family
Gundogs such as Labradors, Golden Retrievers and spaniels may be worth researching, but they still require training, exercise and company. A lively adolescent can be much stronger and more demanding than the puppy you brought home.
Ask whether the litter comes from working or show lines. Working Cockers, for example, may need more activity than someone expects from a family spaniel.
For people who enjoy training and dog activities
Working and pastoral breeds can appeal to owners who enjoy structured training. However, intelligence and enthusiasm can bring demanding daily needs.
Border Collies need substantial engagement; a dog selected for its cleverness can become difficult to live with if its needs are overlooked.
For a quieter household
Research companion breeds and suitable adult dogs. Consider grooming costs, barking, physical fragility and how much company the dog needs.
A small puppy still needs frequent toilet trips, training and supervision.
For families considering a Staffy
Staffordshire Bull Terriers can be affectionate, energetic companions. Look carefully at the parents’ temperament and the individual puppy.
Affection towards people does not automatically mean compatibility with other dogs or cats.
For first-time owners
Consider whether you are equipped for strong guarding, chasing or herding instincts, high activity levels or a powerful adult dog.
Ask yourself whether you would enjoy the breed’s normal behaviour—not whether you hope training will remove every inconvenient trait.
For allergy-sensitive households
Spend time around adult dogs of the breed before committing. No breed is guaranteed to be allergy-free, and a low-shedding coat may still require considerable grooming.
For anyone interested in showing
Explain your plans to the breeder. Discuss registration, endorsements, the breed standard and realistic prospects.
A promising puppy can change as it grows. Show potential should never be presented as a guaranteed championship.
Pedigree or crossbreed?
Both need careful selection. Crossbreeds can inherit health risks and behaviour from either parent breed, and adult size, coat and temperament may be less predictable.
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3. Do you have time for puppyhood—and adolescence?
Puppies need attention in repeated small sessions throughout the day.
You will be managing:
Toilet trips after waking, eating and playing.
Feeding and cleaning.
Safe chewing and puppy biting.
Short training sessions.
Gentle socialisation.
Rest and night-time settling.
Vet visits and grooming practice.
Working from home helps only if you can pause to meet those needs.
A young puppy should not arrive and immediately be expected to cope alone for an entire working day. Build comfortable time alone gradually and arrange reliable care.
Plan beyond the first few weeks. Adolescence may bring greater strength, excitement, distraction and changing social preferences. Your dog still needs patient training when the novelty has worn off.
Who will care for the puppy when your normal routine resumes? Have that answer before collection.
4. Will the puppy suit your existing dog?
Your current dog’s needs deserve equal consideration.
An elderly dog may find a persistent puppy exhausting. A nervous dog may struggle with the disruption. A sociable dog may enjoy a companion, but that does not make every pairing suitable.
Consider:
Your dog’s health, temperament and previous experiences.
Differences in size and play style.
Whether either dog guards food, toys or resting places.
Space for separate feeding and undisturbed sleep.
Time for individual walks, training and attention.
Ask about the puppy’s parents and their behaviour with other dogs. Puppy friendliness is not a guarantee of adult compatibility.
Introduce dogs gradually, accounting for the puppy’s vaccination status. Prevent pestering and provide safe separation when you cannot supervise.
A puppy should not be bought as a treatment for another dog’s separation distress or behavioural difficulties.
5. Can the puppy live with cats or smaller pets?
Ask what experience the litter has had with cats. A brief encounter is different from calm, regular contact.
Research chasing tendencies and discuss the parents’ behaviour. Growing up together can help, but it cannot guarantee safety.
For cats:
Provide dog-free spaces and high escape routes.
Use barriers for gradual introductions.
Keep food and resting places separate.
Reward calm behaviour and prevent chasing.
Let the cat control how closely it approaches.
Rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and other small pets need secure protection. Apparent friendliness is not enough to justify unsupervised contact.
6. Are children ready—and are adults ready to supervise?
No breed is automatically safe without supervision.
Teach children to leave a dog alone when it is eating, sleeping, chewing or moving away. Avoid hugging, climbing on dogs, putting faces close to theirs or taking food and toys.
Adults must actively supervise. When that is not possible, separate the child and dog safely
Consider physical size too. A larger puppy can knock over a toddler; a small puppy can be injured by rough handling.
Ask the breeder about positive experience with children. Do not rely on a puppy tolerating one busy visit.
The adults are responsible for care and safety, even when the puppy was requested by the children.
7. Work out the full cost before buying
Separate your budget into four parts.
The purchase price
Prices vary by breed, breeder and location. Compare responsible breeders and ask exactly what is included.
A high price, unusual colour, pedigree or show-winning parent does not prove good health or responsible breeding.
Read deposit terms before paying. Know what happens if you withdraw, the breeder cancels or a health concern arises.
Initial costs
Budget for equipment, transport, veterinary care still due and training:
Bed, barriers or a suitable puppy pen.
Bowls and initial food.
Collar, identification tag, harness and lead.
Safe vehicle restraint.
Grooming and dental-care equipment.
Toys, cleaning supplies and toilet-training materials.
Vaccinations or other appointments not already covered.
Puppy classes.
Ask which items and treatments are included in the breeder’s price.
Monthly costs
PDSA currently publishes minimum estimates of £69 for a small dog, £83 for a medium dog and £116 for a large dog per month.
Those figures were calculated in 2024. They are a starting point—not current 2026 quotations. They exclude several expenses, including grooming, training, boarding, day care and illness or injury treatment costs.
Get actual quotes for your chosen breed and location.
Paid care can significantly change the budget. For illustration, £15 of care on 20 days adds £300 a month. That is a calculation, not a market-price estimate.
Unexpected costs
Plan for insurance excesses, exclusions, emergency treatment and replacement equipment.
Check waiting periods, annual limits, co-payments and cover for ongoing conditions. Temporary breeder insurance may expire soon after collection.
Being able to buy the puppy is different from being able to afford its lifetime care.
8. Calculate feeding costs properly
Ask the breeder for the exact food, daily quantity and meal routine.
Choose a complete food suitable for growth and expected adult size. Large and giant puppies need particular care over growth nutrition.
For dry food:
Monthly cost ≈ bag price ÷ bag weight in kilograms × daily amount in kilograms × 30.
For example, a hypothetical £48 bag weighing 12 kg costs £4 per kg.
At 250 g daily: approximately £30 a month.
At 500 g daily: approximately £60 a month.
These amounts demonstrate the calculation; they are not feeding recommendations.
Use the food’s guide, monitor growth and body condition, and adjust with appropriate advice. Wet, fresh and raw diets have different costs and storage requirements.
Home-prepared diets need suitably qualified nutritional advice, particularly during growth.
Start with the breeder’s food and introduce changes gradually.
Discuss any proposed supplements with your vet rather than automatically adding calcium, vitamins or muscle-building products to a puppy’s diet.
9. Understand health testing before contacting breeders
“Vet checked”, “vaccinated” and “health tested” describe different things.
A puppy examination assesses its condition at that appointment. Vaccinations address particular infectious diseases. Appropriate parental health testing helps assess specific inherited risks.
Testing can include:
DNA tests for particular inherited variants.
Hip and elbow assessments.
Specialist eye examinations.
Heart screening.
Hearing tests.
Breathing assessments.
Other breed-specific investigations.
A large DNA panel does not replace relevant physical screening. The BVA recommends asking for both parents’ appropriate health results.
Which breeds have health tests available?
Many breeds have recommended DNA tests, screening schemes or breed-club programmes. The exact combination differs by breed and sometimes variety.
Examples include:
Staffordshire Bull Terrier: L-2-HGA and hereditary cataract DNA tests; eyes, litter eye screening and elbows.
Labrador Retriever: hips, elbows, eyes and several DNA tests, including prcd-PRA and EIC.
Golden Retriever: hips, elbows, eyes, gonioscopy and relevant DNA tests.
Cocker Spaniel: hips, eyes, gonioscopy and DNA tests including prcd-PRA, AMS, AON and FN.
German Shepherd Dog: hips, elbows, eyes and a DM DNA risk test.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: specialist heart screening, eyes and relevant DNA tests.
French Bulldog and Pug: respiratory function grading and other breed-specific screening.
Dachshund: IVDD screening and additional checks according to variety.
Poodle: eye, joint and DNA checks differ between Toy, Miniature and Standard varieties.
These are examples—not complete schedules, legal requirements or a ranking of healthy breeds
For Cavaliers, also discuss CM/SM MRI screening. Other breeds may have additional heart, hearing or patellar programmes.
Check the Royal Kennel Club Health Standard and ask the breed health coordinator to explain the current recommendations.
For a crossbred litter, investigate the relevant checks for both parent breeds.
What do those abbreviations mean?
A few examples:
PRA: progressive retinal atrophy, a group of inherited retinal diseases.
EIC: exercise-induced collapse.
HC: hereditary cataract.
IVDD: intervertebral disc disease.
DM: degenerative myelopathy; DNA findings assess risk rather than provide a diagnosis.
BOAS: brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, assessed through respiratory function grading.
Ask for the full condition name and an explanation of what each result establishes.
Are the parents tested, or the puppy?
Much breeding-related screening is carried out on the parents. Some checks, such as appropriate litter eye screening, apply to puppies.
Ask which dog was tested, for what condition, when and with what result.
Request full certificates and identifying details. Where available, verify records through the Health Test Results Finder.
Does “clear” mean completely healthy?
No. It refers to a particular test or condition.
For straightforward autosomal recessive conditions, a carrier normally does not develop that specific disease. A verified clear-to-carrier mating is generally expected not to produce affected puppies for that condition, although puppies may be carriers.
Other inheritance patterns and risk tests need different interpretation. Verify claimed hereditary-clear status rather than accepting it verbally.
Health testing reduces particular risks; it cannot guarantee lifelong health.
10. Assess health beyond the paperwork
Watch whether the puppy and parents breathe, move and interact comfortably.
Do not dismiss persistent noisy breathing, difficulty moving or poor recovery after mild activity as simply normal for the breed. Respiratory grading assesses signs of BOAS.
Ask about family history, including allergies, epilepsy, spinal disease, heart problems and early deaths. Some important conditions cannot be ruled out by a DNA panel.
Seek veterinary advice if anything concerns you.
11. Choose a breeder who welcomes questions
A responsible breeder should explain the pairing, discuss health openly, assess your suitability and help match a puppy to your household.
Meet the mother and litter where they were raised. The father may live elsewhere, but his identity, temperament and health records should be available.
Ask:
Why was this pairing chosen?
What are the parents like in everyday life?
What health concerns exist in the family?
Can I see the complete test results?
What positive experiences have the puppies had?
Which puppy suits my household, and why?
What support is available after collection?
What happens if I can no longer keep the dog?
Registration and show success do not replace welfare checks.
Where licensing is required, verify the licence with the council. Requirements differ by UK nation and breeding activity.
12. Visit carefully and avoid pressure
Observe the litter over time. One sleepy or shy moment does not define a puppy.
Look for comfortable movement and breathing, appropriate engagement when awake, and clean eyes, ears and skin. Ask about coughing, diarrhoea, discharge, lameness or skin problems.
Check how the puppies are being prepared for everyday life—not just whether their surroundings look tidy.
Walk away if the seller refuses proper visits, hides the mother, pressures you, provides inconsistent paperwork or cannot substantiate health claims.
Do not pay to “rescue” a puppy from a suspicious sale. Report concerns; paying can fund further trading.
13. Check the contract and collection arrangements
Before collection, obtain:
A written contract and receipt.
Date of birth and microchip details.
Vaccination records and treatment dates.
Vet-check findings and disclosed conditions.
Parent health certificates.
Registration documents and endorsements, where applicable.
Feeding instructions.
Insurance details, if supplied.
The breeder’s contact information.
The puppy should not be handed over before eight weeks. Check microchipping and transfer arrangements, including any genuine veterinary exemption.
Check official rules for your UK nation. Imported puppies have additional requirements.
Before buying a bull-type dog, check current legislation. In England and Wales, prohibited-type assessment depends on appearance rather than the seller’s label, and buying or selling an XL Bully is illegal.
14. Prepare for a calm first week
Secure fences and gates. Remove access to cables, medicines, chemicals and toxic plants.
Prepare a quiet sleeping area, food, bowls, suitable equipment, safe transport and separation barriers. Register with a vet and know the out-of-hours arrangements.
Keep introductions manageable and allow plenty of rest.
Socialisation means positive experiences at the puppy’s pace. Discuss safe exposure before vaccinations are complete with your vet.
Practise gentle handling, grooming and rewarding training from the beginning. Arrange holiday care before you need it.
Your essential before-buying checklist
☐ Everyone agrees, and our housing allows the dog.
☐ We understand the breed’s adult needs and the particular line.
☐ We have considered children and all existing pets.
☐ We can provide supervision and safe separation.
☐ We have a daily care plan and reliable backup.
☐ We have budgeted for purchase, setup, monthly care and emergencies.
☐ We have checked food costs and insurance terms.
☐ We know the current health-testing recommendations.
☐ We have verified relevant parental and puppy results.
☐ We have met the mother and litter where they were raised.
☐ We are satisfied with welfare, temperament and socialisation.
☐ The contract, deposit and paperwork are clear.
☐ Collection age, microchipping and legal requirements are checked.
☐ Our home, transport and veterinary arrangements are ready.
☐ We are making the decision without pressure.
A well-chosen puppy is one you can support through every stage of life—from those first unsettled nights to the years of companionship ahead.
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