Honest reviews and step-by-step guides to help you raise a happy, healthy puppy — from crates and toys to feeding, supplements, and first-week training.
Jump straight to the guides that matter for this stage of puppyhood.
Editor’s pickA plain six-foot flat lead is the right first leash for a puppy, and the good one costs about four dollars. Here are the five things we judge a puppy leash on, the six we would buy, and why most of the money on the leash wall buys padding you do not need yet.
Training & Crates4 picksA long line is the honest answer to when you can let your puppy off leash, and the answer is not yet. Here is the protocol we would run, why the line goes on a harness and never a collar, and why you start at 15 feet in a quiet field rather than 30 in a park.
Training & Crates4 picksA puppy biting the leash is usually aroused, frustrated or teething — not defiant — and the three causes need three different answers. Here is how to tell them apart, the protocol we would run on the next walk, and the honest line between gear that trains and gear that only hides the problem.
Training & Crates4 picksWaiting until a puppy is fully vaccinated is the wrong frame, because waiting has its own cost. Here is how the two real risks compare, what the published vaccine guidance actually says, how to choose lower-risk ground before the series is finished, and how far a puppy can reasonably walk at each age.
Training & Crates6 picksFit range and growth headroom matter more than features on a puppy harness, because a puppy outgrows gear in weeks. Here is how we judge one, the six we would buy at between $10 and $19, and why a cheap harness you replace twice beats an expensive one that fits for a month.
Training & Crates4 picksLoose leash walking is one rule applied without exception: slack gets paid, tension stops the walk. Here is the criterion you are actually reinforcing, the indoor foundation that has to come first, and a day-one protocol short enough to run in your hallway tonight.
Training & Crates4 picksPulling works, which is why your puppy does it. Leash training a puppy that pulls means making tension stop the walk and slack pay — while a front-clip harness buys you a survivable walk today. Here is why it happens, the three drills that change it, and what the no-pull harness evidence actually shows.
Training & Crates3 picksA puppy who plants their feet is telling you something — the harness hurts, the street is too loud, or nobody has shown them that following you pays. Here is how to rule out the physical causes, why dragging them makes it worse, and the short reset that gets a frozen puppy moving again.
Training & Crates5 picksLeash training starts indoors, with no walking in it at all. Here is the whole sequence — introducing the gear, paying for position, fixing a puppy who pulls and a puppy who freezes, what we would clip on, and how to think about the first trip down the street.
Training & Crates5 picksA flat collar carries the ID tag. A harness takes the leash. That split is what the evidence actually supports, and it is cheaper than it sounds. Here is the case for each, what the research does and does not show, how to fit both, and the five we would buy.
Feeding & Watering5 picksA teething puppy usually eats less, not nothing — sore gums can make hard kibble unpleasant anywhere in the 12-week-to-six-month teething window. Here is how to tell ordinary fussiness from a puppy who needs a vet, what the evidence actually says about teething and diarrhea, and seven things to try at tonight's meal.
Training & Crates4 picksYou can start the day your puppy comes home at eight weeks, because the first stage of leash training happens indoors and involves no walking at all. Here is the four-week indoor sequence we would run, what the AVSAB actually says about the socialization window, and why the sidewalk is your vet's call rather than ours.
Toys & Enrichment6 picksA teething chew is food, not hardware — so it has to be digestible, too big to swallow whole, and cheap enough in calories to fit a puppy's daily treat budget. Here is how we judge an edible chew, the six we would buy, and the chews to leave on the shelf while the baby teeth are in.
Training & Crates2 picksPuppy mouthing is normal development, but a toddler is the hardest audience a puppy will ever have — short, fast, loud, with hands at exactly mouth height. The adults manage the environment; the training comes second. Here are the non-negotiables, the household rules, the short list a small child can actually follow, and the thresholds that mean you call a professional this week.
Training & Crates2 picksTeething chewing is about the object and the gums. Play biting is about you. The two look identical from the couch and need opposite responses, so here are the five tells that separate them, a two-question test you can run in five minutes, and the third category most lists miss.
Training & Crates2 picksPainful puppy biting usually eases between four and six months, and in our experience most owners are through the worst of it somewhere in the four-to-eight-month window. But teething and biting run on two separate clocks — one ends on its own, the other only ends if you teach it. Here's the age-by-age timeline, what 'stopped' honestly looks like, and why some puppies take longer.
Toys & Enrichment6 picksA teething toy only has to do three things: give under a fingernail, stay too big to swallow, and be more appealing than your hand. Here's how to choose one by tooth stage, the six we'd buy, and the chews veterinary dentists tell you to skip.
Health Supplies3 picksCold does most of the work: a frozen wet washcloth, a freezable toy, or a rubber toy stuffed and frozen solid. Here's the relief playbook in order of how well it works, plus the short list of things never to put in a teething puppy's mouth.
Health Supplies2 picksNormal puppy teething symptoms are a short list: more chewing, a little drool, sore gums, a dot of blood on a toy, a tooth you never find. Fever, lethargy and diarrhea are not on it. Here is the triage, with the thresholds that mean call your vet instead.
Training & Crates2 picksA puppy biting you is almost always normal development, not aggression. But mouthing has five different drivers — teething, unfinished bite inhibition, overtiredness, accidental reinforcement, and plain under-stimulation — and each one needs a different response. Here is the tell that identifies each, the fix that follows from it, and the warning signs that are worth a professional.
Training & Crates4 picksStopping puppy biting is a teaching job, not a suppression trick. The loop is redirect, mark and disengage, reward the soft mouth, and manage arousal — plus the overtired evening hour that new owners mistake for aggression. Here's the protocol, the mistakes that make biting worse, and when it's worth asking a professional.
Health Supplies3 picksTeething and biting run on the same clock: baby teeth arrive around three weeks, adult teeth start replacing them from around 12 weeks, and most puppies have a full adult set by about six months. Here's what's actually happening in that mouth, what helps sore gums, how to teach a puppy to use their teeth gently, and the few things worth a call to your vet.
Health Supplies4 picksTwenty-eight baby teeth in by about six weeks, shedding from roughly 12 to 16 weeks, and 42 adult teeth in place by six to seven months. Here is the age-by-age puppy teething timeline, what is normal along the way, and the one thing on the calendar worth a vet check.
Training & Crates6 picksMost of house-training is free. The gear list is short, one item on it does more work than all the others combined, and several of the things sold for this job are worth skipping entirely.
Training & CratesA puppy who still isn't getting it almost never has a comprehension problem. It is a medical problem, a schedule that outruns the bladder, a spot that still smells, accidental punishment, or inconsistent follow-through — and a three-day log tells you which.
Training & Crates2 picksPuppy potty training in an apartment runs on the same schedule as anywhere else. The only real difference is the 90 seconds between the signal and the sidewalk — here is how to compress that gap, cover it with an indoor station, and then take the station away.
Training & Crates2 picksA spot that looks clean to you can still read as a toilet to your puppy. Here is the enzymatic method that actually removes the scent cue — carpet, hard floors, grout, bedding and the old spots you cannot see.
Training & Crates2 picksYou cannot teach a young puppy to hold it for nine hours, and you should not try. Here is the honest math on hold times by age, how to cover the midday gap, and the pen setup that protects your training instead of wrecking it.
Training & Crates2 picksThe bell method gives your puppy one clear way to tell you they need out — but it is a signal bolted onto a schedule, not a substitute for one. Here is how to hang it, the four training steps with realistic timelines, and the fix for the puppy who rings it every ten minutes.
Training & Crates2 picksPee pads work — at containing a mess in one spot indoors, which is not the same job as house-training. Here is the real trade you are making, who should take it, who should skip it, and how to use pads so the transition outside later is survivable.
Training & Crates2 picksUsually two to four weeks in our experience, and longer for a puppy who has only ever gone on a pad. Here is the day-by-day protocol — consolidate to one pad, move it a foot or two a day, take it outside, shrink it, then hand the scent over to the grass.
Training & Crates1 pickMost puppies sleep through the night without a potty break around four months old. Until then: one alarm, one boring trip outside, and an evening routine that starts at dinner. Here is the night-by-night plan, plus what to do about the crate soiler and the puppy who cries but does not need to go.
Training & Crates2 picksA puppy who was clean for weeks and is suddenly having accidents again has usually not forgotten anything. Here is the triage — medical first, then freedom, schedule, adolescence and old odor — plus a two-week reset that actually holds.
Training & Crates1 pickFour to six months is the honest answer, and some puppies need up to a year. Here's what actually moves that number — age started, breed size, confinement, prior history — and why the 'potty trained in 3 days' promise is describing your schedule, not your puppy's bladder.
Training & Crates2 picksPotty training is four habits repeated until they stick: take them out on a clock, always to the same spot, reward within two seconds, and confine them when you can't watch. Here's the age-by-age schedule, how long it really takes, and what to do when a puppy who had it figured out starts having accidents again.
Training & Crates1 pickA puppy potty training schedule is really one number that keeps growing: the interval between trips outside. Here it is hour by hour at 8 weeks, then how it stretches at 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 4 months and 6 months — plus the six moments that override the clock entirely.
Feeding & Watering5 picksThe best slow feeder bowl for puppies is the cheapest one that holds an entire meal and uses the simplest maze. Here's how to size one correctly, why a slow feeder is not bloat insurance, and the five bowls we'd actually consider — plus the free version that works just as well.
Feeding & Watering3 picksScheduled meals win for nearly every puppy — they make house-training predictable, keep growth in check, and turn a skipped meal into an early warning you can actually see. Here's the fair case for free-feeding, the two real exceptions, and a step-by-step way to move a grazer onto a schedule without a standoff.
Feeding & Watering3 picksYes — abrupt food switches, oversized portions, and rich or unfamiliar foods are among the most common causes of puppy diarrhea. But parasites and parvovirus can look identical from the outside. Here's how to tell a mild food problem from a call-the-vet problem, and what actually helps at home.
Feeding & Watering3 picksSoftening puppy food is a five-minute job: warm water, a 10–15 minute soak, a fork. The real questions are whether your puppy's age calls for it, what never to add to the bowl, and how to taper back to dry kibble on schedule. Here's the full weaning-to-crunching timeline, with AKC and veterinary sourcing.
Feeding & Watering3 picksEvery major veterinary and public-health body in the US discourages raw feeding, and the recall record explains why. Here's the honest case for and against raw for a puppy, what freeze-drying and HPP really do, and the handling routine to follow if you feed it anyway.
Feeding & Watering3 picksLarge-breed puppy feeding has one goal that surprises most new owners: slowing growth down. A large-breed growth formula, measured portions, and no calcium supplements may help protect developing joints — without changing your puppy's adult size. Here's the full plan, plus the two foods and the scale we'd buy.
Feeding & Watering3 picksAn 8-week-old puppy does best on four small meals a day, served at the same times every day. Here's the exact schedule we'd run for the first weeks home — sample times, portion logic, water, treats, and what changes by 10 and 12 weeks.
Feeding & Watering3 picksTwo lines on the back of the bag tell you almost everything: the AAFCO statement and the calorie content. Here's how to read both, what the new Pet Nutrition Facts box changes, and why the front of the bag is the least honest part of the package.
Feeding & Watering3 picksTransitioning a puppy to adult food is a 7–10 day mixing job: swap in a quarter of the new food every couple of days until the bowl is 100% adult formula. Here's the day-by-day schedule vets recommend, how to redo the portion math, and the signs that mean slow down — or call your vet.
Feeding & Watering3 picksMost dogs are ready to leave puppy food behind somewhere between 7 and 24 months — and breed size is what decides where your dog lands in that range. Here's how to read the timing, the signs your puppy has actually finished growing, and why lingering on puppy food too long quietly adds up.
Feeding & Watering3 picksMost puppies eat four times a day until about three months, three times a day until roughly six months, then settle into two meals a day for life. Here's the stage-by-stage schedule, why toy breeds are the exception, and how meal timing quietly does half your house-training for you.
Feeding & Watering3 picksMost puppy feeding charts quietly assume every kibble has the same calories. They don't. Here's a chart built on calories instead of cups — plus how to convert it to your actual bag of food, and the body-check that beats any chart.
Feeding & Watering5 picksA puppy feeding schedule comes down to two decisions: how often, and how much. The AKC's frequency guidance answers the first in about ten seconds. The second isn't a number we can give you — it's on your food's own bag, adjusted to your puppy's body. Here's the whole system, stage by stage.
Feeding & Watering5 picksRaised, mess-free feeders can make mealtime cleaner and more comfortable for many dogs. Here's how to choose the right one — plus the five elevated bowls we recommend right now.
Health Supplies5 picksOmega-3 fish oil can support a softer coat, calmer skin, and healthier joints in dogs — but the EPA and DHA on the label matter far more than the words 'fish oil.' Here's what actually helps, plus the five supplements we recommend.
Health Supplies6 picksSore joints can slow your dog down, but a healthy weight, the right exercise, and a few evidence-backed supplements can make a real difference. Here's what actually helps — plus the six joint products we recommend right now.
Toys & Enrichment7 picksThe right toys do more than entertain a puppy — they soothe sore gums, burn off mental energy, and offer comfort. Here's how to choose safely, plus the seven toys we'd put in a new-puppy kit.
Training & Crates5 picksDone humanely, a crate becomes your puppy's safe den — and your shortcut to faster house-training, fewer accidents, and calmer nights. Here's how to do it right, plus the crates we recommend.
Health Supplies5 picksA daily probiotic may help support your dog's digestion, stool quality, and gut balance — especially during diet changes, antibiotics, or stress. Here's what actually matters when you choose one, plus the five we recommend.
Supplements & Vitamins5 picksA daily multivitamin can help fill real nutritional gaps for some dogs — but a pup on a complete commercial diet usually doesn't need one. Here's how to choose by life stage, plus the five dog multivitamins we recommend right now.
Every pick is researched against veterinary guidance and real owner feedback — not marketing copy.
We compare each product against close alternatives and only recommend what we would give our own dogs.
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From the first night home to a happy, well-fed, well-trained pup — we’ve done the homework.