Or call us at 209-879-9367 — we'll answer Mon–Fri, 8 AM to 4:30 PM.📍 1973 N. Tracy Blvd., Tracy, CA 95376
Schedule OnlineBefore your puppy comes home, have growth formula puppy food, stainless steel or ceramic bowls, a crate, a collar or harness with an ID tag and leash, an enzymatic cleaner, and a few safe chew toys ready. Then plan the first vet visit for the first week home. At our Tracy clinic, that visit comes to $42 in cash, our $30 DHPP vaccine plus $12 deworming.
Bringing a puppy home is exciting, right up until the first accident, the first night of whining, and the first moment of wondering what to do next all land at once. A new puppy checklist makes those first days calmer.
I'm Dr. Mike Wesselink, and this is the first time dog owner checklist I'd hand any new family: the supplies, the health timeline and costs we work with every day at our high volume clinic, the socialization window that's easy to miss, and two common first year mistakes to sidestep.
Print this list or keep it on your phone, and check items off before pickup day.
These 10 items cover the first month.
Puppies explore with their mouths. Walk every room at puppy eye level the day before they arrive.
Secure electrical cords with covers or tape. Move toxic plants, shoes, and small objects off the floor. Lock cabinets that hold cleaners, meds, or trash. Block stairs and off limits rooms with baby gates. Create one main puppy zone that holds the crate, bed, toys, and water, so the house feels calm when your puppy walks in.
We treat every new puppy as if it already carries GI parasites, because common worms can pass to puppies through the mother's milk. That's why we deworm on a schedule instead of waiting for symptoms, which may not show until a puppy is carrying a lot of worms. Our puppy deworming schedule lays it out visit by visit.
Plan the first visit within the first week home. Vaccines are a walk in service here, Monday through Friday from 12 to 3 PM, so you can come by without an appointment during walk-in hours.
Your puppy gets the first DHPP vaccine and a pyrantel dewormer, along with the quick wellness check that comes with every wellness service. Together that's $42 in cash: $30 for DHPP and $12 for deworming.
You can also start a prescription flea, tick, and heartworm preventive at the same visit. The price depends on the product and your puppy's size.
Start the core series around eight weeks. We give boosters every three to four weeks until the final dose lands at 16 weeks or older. That final dose is the one most puppies actually respond to.
Early vaccines often do little while the puppy still has maternal antibodies from colostrum. Those fade between eight and twelve weeks in many pups, but some last long enough to block a shot at 16 weeks, and no one can predict the day for a single puppy. That is why we repeat the series.
Core vaccines include distemper and parvo (DHPP), at $30 a dose. Add rabies at 12 to 16 weeks. California requires it for dogs, and it's $30. The first rabies shot is good for one year, and after that the booster moves to every three years, as long as it stays current.
We deworm with pyrantel at every vaccine visit. Many heartworm preventives also control intestinal worms, so if your puppy is already on one, ask us whether the separate pyrantel can drop off. For the shot by shot chart, see our puppy vaccine schedule.
We recommend spay or neuter between 4 and 6 months for puppies of every size, large breeds included. That window sits before sexual maturity, which usually arrives between 6 and 12 months. Neutering before marking behavior starts gives the habit less chance to form.
Once a year old dog is already marking, neutering may reduce the behavior a little, but it rarely erases it. Owners who waited ask us about this often.
If you have a Mastiff, Great Dane, or another giant breed and the joint research worries you, your primary care vet can help you set a plan, and our guide on when to spay or neuter a large or giant breed dog explains how we think about it.
Our primary goal is reducing overpopulation and keeping mammary cancer risk near zero by spaying before the first heat. Removing the uterus also ends the risk of pyometra, a serious uterine infection. That's why we run a high volume clinic.
Puppies can come in for spay or neuter once they're at least 4 months old and weigh at least 3 pounds. We strongly encourage vaccines before surgery, which for most puppies means finishing the series first. A $20 non refundable deposit holds the appointment and comes off your total on surgery day, and if plans change, you can reschedule up to 72 hours ahead with no additional deposit.
Dogs need to weigh between 3 and 100 pounds, and dogs 80 pounds and up get a quote by phone at 209-879-9367. We don't accept French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, Rottweilers, or any dog over 100 pounds for surgery, so for those dogs your primary veterinarian is the best place to plan it.
Our surgery requirements list everything to check before you book, and what to expect covers surgery day. For the bigger timing picture, see when to spay or neuter your dog, and our dog spay recovery and dog neuter recovery guides cover the days after.
Most female dogs have their first heat between 6 and 24 months of age. Small breeds often start earlier, at about 4 to 7 months, while large and giant breeds may not cycle until 18 to 24 months.
That first cycle can be quiet, with few of the usual signs, so plenty of owners miss it. That's why we schedule most females for a spay at 4 to 6 months, before anyone has to guess. Our guide on when dogs go into heat covers the stages, the signs, and how long a heat lasts.
Timing matters for her health, too. Spaying before the first heat gives the strongest protection against mammary cancer, and that risk rises with each heat she has before surgery.
If her first heat arrives before her appointment, don't worry. Give us a call at 209-879-9367 and we'll talk through the timing with you.
Deworming continues monthly until about 6 months, or until a year round preventive that covers worms takes over, and again as needed if your puppy eats feces. Heartworm, flea, and tick prevention can start as early as 8 weeks, depending on the product, and continues year round.
Microchip at the spay or neuter visit or earlier. A microchip is $30, and we register it for you through 24PetWatch the day of your visit. After that, keep the registry current if you move or change phones. When the AVMA looked at why some microchipped pets never made it home, the usual reason was incorrect or missing owner information. Our guide to what it costs to microchip a dog covers registration in more detail.
Book the first dental discussion around the one year mark. Many small breeds already show tartar by then.
| Puppy's age | At the vet | Cost at The Pet Advocate |
|---|---|---|
| About 8 weeks | First DHPP vaccine and pyrantel deworming, walk in | $42 ($30 DHPP + $12 deworming) |
| About 11 to 12 weeks | DHPP booster and deworming | $42 ($30 DHPP + $12 deworming) |
| 12 to 16 weeks | Rabies vaccine, required for dogs in California, often given at a booster visit | $30 |
| 16 weeks or older | Final DHPP booster and deworming, the dose most puppies respond to | $42 ($30 DHPP + $12 deworming) |
| 4 to 6 months | Spay or neuter, held with a $20 deposit that comes off the total | Spay from $200, neuter from $170 (priced by weight) |
| 4 to 6 months or earlier | Microchip, registered with 24PetWatch | $30 |
| From about 8 weeks, year round | Prescription flea, tick, and heartworm prevention | Priced by product |
| Around 12 months | Dental discussion, with a cleaning if one is recommended | Cleaning $700, including pre anesthetic bloodwork and full mouth radiographs |
| 1 year after the first rabies shot | Rabies booster, then every 3 years while it stays current | $30 |
Spay and neuter prices go by weight. A dog spay is $200 under 20 pounds, $240 from 20 to 40 pounds, $280 from 41 to 60 pounds, and $350 from 61 to 79 pounds.
A dog neuter is $170, $195, $230, and $260 for the same weight ranges. Canine pain tablets ($21) and an e collar ($18) are available for safe healing.
All prices are cash prices from our prices and rates page as of October 2026, and card payments add 3%.
Choose a food labeled for growth or all life stages with an AAFCO statement. If your puppy may top 50 pounds as an adult, pick a large breed puppy formula whose statement includes growth of large size dogs. Most young puppies do well on 3 to 4 meals a day for the first few months, then twice daily. Consistent feeding times also make potty training easier.
After any anesthetic procedure, offer small portions that evening. Anesthesia can cause mild nausea, so eating less that night is okay.
A crate is one of the most useful training tools you can have. Size it so the puppy can stand, turn, and lie down but can't eliminate in one corner and sleep in the other.
Rotate 2 or 3 toys every few days. Frozen Kongs stuffed with wet food or plain yogurt soothe teething. Avoid hard nylon bones that can fracture puppy teeth. Supervise all plush toys, since stuffing becomes a choking risk fast.
If your puppy pulls, start with a well fitted harness rather than a collar alone. Two fingers should fit under any collar. Reflective gear helps for early morning and evening walks.
You can skip most calming collars and supplements. The basics above matter far more.
Socialization builds a well rounded dog, and the first three months of life are the prime window for it. Veterinary behaviorists recommend safe socialization before the vaccine series is finished, so start the day your puppy comes home. Puppies who get plenty of calm, positive experiences early tend to grow into more confident, less fearful adults.
Start at home with different floor textures, household noises, car rides, and gentle handling of paws and ears. Puppy classes can start at 7 to 8 weeks, once your puppy has had a first set of vaccines at least a week before class and a first deworming. Choose a class with clean, easy to disinfect floors, and add play with vaccinated, friendly adult dogs. Save dog parks, pet store floors, and other busy dog spots until about one to two weeks after the final vaccine dose. Keep every new experience short and positive so confidence grows instead of fear.
Training works best when you reward the choices you want. Short 5 to 10 minute sessions 2 or 3 times a day work better than long drills. Use soft treats and end on a win. Puppies form habits fast, so the first year is when yours learns that listening to you pays off.
Two traps catch a lot of loving, well meaning owners. Both are easy to avoid once you know them.
The first is skipping training altogether. Without guidance, a puppy repeats whatever gets rewarded, and jumping, barking, and guarding food or toys often get rewarded by accident. Those habits feel harmless in a small puppy and are much harder to change in a 40 or 80 pound dog.
The second is using harsh or overly firm corrections. Punishment can leave a puppy fearful, so it freezes or shuts down. We see this pattern often in rescue dogs with unknown or abusive histories. The dog becomes hard to socialize and hard to train because it's too scared to try new things or trust people.
Reward based training avoids both traps. Clear, consistent rules, plenty of rewards for the right choices, and early socialization build a confident dog who trusts you and enjoys learning from you.
The first rows count from pickup day. The rest follow your puppy's age, which drives vaccine and surgery timing.
You'll want a crate, puppy food and bowls, a collar or harness with leash and ID tag, poop bags, enzymatic cleaner, a few safe toys, and a booked first vet visit.
Plan the first vet visit within the first week home, ideally sooner, for the first DHPP vaccine, deworming, and a quick wellness check. Boosters follow every three to four weeks until 16 weeks or older.
At The Pet Advocate, a puppy's first visit comes to $42, the sum of our listed $30 DHPP vaccine and $12 deworming. Listed prices are cash prices, and card payments add 3%.
Every puppy needs deworming, even one that looks healthy, because common worms can pass through the mother's milk. Deworm at each vaccine visit rather than waiting for symptoms.
You can start the day your puppy comes home, because veterinary behaviorists recommend safe socialization before the vaccine series is finished. Puppy classes can start at 7 to 8 weeks, once your puppy has had a first set of vaccines at least a week before class and a first deworming. Save dog parks, pet store floors, and other busy dog spots until about one to two weeks after the final vaccine dose.
We recommend four to six months for most dogs, large breeds included, before sexual maturity and before marking or roaming habits set in. That usually comes before the first heat, and spaying before the first heat gives the strongest protection against mammary cancer.
Puppies need to be at least 4 months old and 3 pounds, and we strongly encourage vaccines before surgery.
Most female dogs have their first heat between 6 and 24 months of age, and small breeds often start at 4 to 7 months. A spay at 4 to 6 months means many are spayed before that first cycle.
The series runs from about 8 weeks to a final dose at 16 weeks or older, and boosters follow about a year later. The first rabies shot is given at 12 to 16 weeks and is good for one year, then boosters move to every three years as long as they stay current.
Your puppy will settle best in a crate right next to your bed, with a towel or bed that smells like home, so you can hear when it needs a potty break.
A good new puppy checklist covers the shopping and the whole first year, including the medical timing, socialization, and training that keep dogs in their homes.
Ready to start? Walk in for your puppy's first vaccine and deworming visit or schedule the spay/neuter appointment. Walk ins are welcome for many wellness services, and we post our prices so you know the cost before you come in. We see families drive in from the Bay Area and beyond.
Bringing home a kitten too? Our new kitten checklist covers the same first year for cats.
We'd love to meet your new puppy. Stop by our Tracy clinic during walk in hours, Monday through Friday from 12 to 3 PM, or call us at 209-879-9367 with any questions.