The first year with a dog goes by in a rush of vet visits, chewed shoes and small worries, and most of the advice you’ll find online was written for somewhere cooler, with different diseases and different rules. This guide is written for India. Choose age, build and city below: the dashboard brings the right stage forward, changes the risk notes and points every local action to your city.
New adopter · 18 min read
Your dog’s first year, week by week. Built for India.
A practical, saved-on-your-device plan for the questions new Indian dog parents actually ask: vaccines, toilet accidents, biting, sleep, food, alone time, street dogs, heat and monsoon.
Build your first-year plan
Age decides what matters now. Build changes the risk notes. City changes every directory link.
Dog’s age
Choose the closest breed or build15 options. Swipe or use arrows
Indie / Indian pariah Indie / desi
est. 3–13 kg nowA broad planning range. Track the measured weight every 2–4 weeks and ask your vet if the growth curve shifts.
Breed-specific notes
Indies may have fewer breed-linked inherited risks than some selectively bred dogs, but early history and individual health still matter. Build the plan around the dog in front of you, not a promise about the breed.
Most often got wrong: Under-stimulated rather than under-fed. They are working-alert dogs and get destructive when bored, not when hungry.
Estimated 12-month budget for Indie / Indian pariah₹26k-₹66k baseline for under 16 weeks. Open to see the calculation.
Based on 15–25 kg projected adult weight. The baseline adds setup, age-adjusted routine medical care and 12 months of food. Optional services and emergency treatment are excluded.
- Setup
- ₹2k-₹5kBed, bowls, lead, ID, cleaning supplies and a size-appropriate harness
- Routine medical
- ₹6k-₹13kPublished puppy-vaccine and parasite-control ranges, plus an initial consultation; sterilisation is excluded
- Food
- ₹2k-₹4k/monthPublished India range selected by projected adult size; prescription and premium diets can cost more
- Optional services
- ₹300-₹2k/groomPublished professional-grooming range. Training, walkers and boarding depend on use and are excluded
- Possible emergency bill
- ₹8k-₹80k+Published range spans hospitalisation to orthopaedic treatment. It is not included in the baseline
India-wide planning ranges, not clinic quotes. Benchmarks: VOSD and Adopt-a-Pet India. Prices vary by city, diet, clinic and medical history.
01Before they arriveBuy less than you think, and ask two questionsMost of a first adoption budget goes on things the dog doesn't need yet. What really matters in the first week is somewhere quiet to sleep, food they already know, and a vet you've already chosen.0/7 done
Set up
- Choose a vet before you need one, and save the number in your phone tonight
- Find your nearest clinic that stays open after hours, and save that separately
- Ask the shelter or breeder: what are they eating now, and what have they been vaccinated and dewormed with so far
- Ask for whatever paperwork exists, even if it is a handwritten card
- Save two clear photos, fit an ID tag and ask your vet whether a microchip is appropriate
Buy
- A week of the exact food they are already eating, whatever you plan to switch to later
- Two heavy bowls that cannot be tipped over
- A flat collar and a plain lead. Not a retractable one
- A washable bed, and a crate only if you intend to learn how to use one properly
Puppy-proof first
- Move wires, medicines, cleaners, rat poison, socks and small swallowable objects out of reach
- Block balcony gaps, open windows, stairs and access to garbage
- Check plants and human foods before assuming they are safe
- Buy only a few size-appropriate toys until you know how hard this dog chews
Indie / Indian pariahIndie / desi
If you are adopting off the street or from a rescue, ask whether the dog has been sterilised and vaccinated already. Many rescues do both before rehoming; show every record to your vet before they build the next schedule.
Before you move on0/7
02Day one to threeMake the first days quiet, not rigidA new dog has just lost everything familiar. Keep the first few days predictable and low-pressure, then let their behaviour set the pace. A confident puppy may explore sooner; a frightened rescue may need much longer.0/6 done
Watch for
- Whether they eat and drink at all in the first 24 hours
- Loose stools from stress or a food change. That is common; bloody diarrhoea is not
- Whether they are scratching constantly, which usually means fleas or ticks arrived with them
- Lots of sleep is normal in a puppy; being difficult to wake, weak or uninterested in food is different
Feeding
- Same food, same bowl, same two or three places, same times
- Leave the bowl down for fifteen minutes, then lift it. Free-feeding makes house-training guesswork
- Fresh water always, changed twice a day in summer
- Avoid table scraps: they add unmeasured calories, can teach begging and may contain toxic ingredients
House rules
- Keep visitors and outings minimal at first; add one easy experience at a time when the dog looks relaxed
- Out to the same toilet spot after every sleep, every meal and every play
- Reward outside within two seconds. Never scold an indoor accident, because it teaches them to hide it, not hold it
- Start ten-to-thirty-second periods behind a gate or with a chew while you stay nearby; build alone time before you need it
- Night crying is communication, not manipulation. Keep the sleep space close, boring and consistent while toilet needs settle
Indie / Indian pariahIndie / desi
A street rescue may find indoors genuinely frightening at first: hard floors, ceiling fans, doors closing. Leave a door open to one safe room rather than confining them, and let the house get smaller once they choose to come in.
Before you move on0/6
03Week oneThe first vet visit, and the clock it startsBook this in the first three days, before anything is wrong. This visit sets the vaccination schedule, and the schedule is the one part of the first year you can't make up as you go.0/6 done
Health
- Bring the vaccine card. If the history is missing or uncertain, let the vet build the catch-up plan
- Core puppy vaccination generally starts no earlier than six weeks and repeats every 3–4 weeks until at least 16 weeks
- Ask about a core dose at or shortly after 26 weeks, or titre testing, under the 2024 WSAVA guidance
- Rabies timing follows the vaccine label, your veterinarian and local requirements; do not treat one India-wide date as universal
- Build a parasite plan around age, weight, geography and exposure rather than tying every deworming dose to a vaccine date
- Ask them to weigh the dog. Every dose and every food chart runs off weight
- Start age- and weight-appropriate flea/tick prevention; never split or guess a product dose
Food
- Keep the food they arrived on for a week, then change over across seven days, mixing a little more of the new each day
- Meal frequency varies with age, size, food and medical needs. Ask for a total daily amount, then divide it into meals
- Never: chocolate, grapes and raisins, onion and garlic, xylitol, cooked bones
- No masala, no leftover curry, no salted food. Plain is not boring, it is safe
Training
- House-training runs on a clock, not on scolding
- Teach name response, then reward-based toilet, recall and handling work in tiny sessions
- Handle paws, ears and mouth every day. It makes every future vet visit easier, cheaper and safer
- Bed or crate as a safe place, never as a punishment
- Redirect mouthing to a toy and end play briefly when teeth touch skin; overtired puppies often bite harder
Indie / Indian pariahIndie / desi
Indies may have fewer breed-linked risks than some selectively bred dogs, but an individual rescue can still arrive with important health problems. Ask whether the dog's history and examination justify tick-borne disease or stool testing.
Before you move on0/6
04Weeks 2 to 16Use the socialisation window without flooding themThe main socialisation window overlaps the vaccine course. The goal is not maximum exposure: it is a series of safe, positive experiences planned with your vet around local disease risk. Relaxed means continue; hesitation means create distance; fear means stop.0/8 done
Do this
- Use a carrier, clean blanket, private terrace or your arms where your vet advises avoiding public ground
- Offer positive exposure to different ages, appearances, sounds, surfaces and vehicles without forcing interaction
- Introduce them only to adult dogs you know are vaccinated and even-tempered
- Sounds: pressure cooker, lift, traffic, crackers and thunder at low intensity, paired with food
- Handling by other people, and by a groomer or vet, before either is urgent
Avoid this
- Ground where unvaccinated dogs gather, like parks, beaches and street corners with a resident pack
- Dog parks and daycare until the course is complete
- Anywhere a puppy with parvovirus may have been in the last several weeks. The virus survives in soil for months
- Meeting street dogs nose to nose, however friendly they look
Keep going
- Follow the written vaccine plan. A delay does not automatically mean every vaccine series restarts; ask about the product used
- Keep the age- and risk-based parasite plan going
- Practise name, recall, leave it, drop, settle and calm handling in short reward-based sessions
- Weigh them weekly if you can. Steady is right; sudden is not
Indie / Indian pariahIndie / desi
Early history matters as much as breed. A street-rescued puppy may already be wary of people, traffic or enclosed spaces; work at the distance where they can still eat and choose to approach.
Before you move on0/8
05Months 4 to 8Adolescence, and the sterilisation questionSomewhere around six months the dog you trained appears to forget everything. This is normal and temporary. It is also when the sterilisation decision arrives, and the honest answer is that timing depends on size and that practice is still changing.0/6 done
Sterilisation
- Discuss timing using sex, expected adult size, breed-linked risks, first heat, pregnancy risk, health and lifestyle
- There is no single six-month rule that fits every dog, and neutering is not an automatic cure for behaviour problems
- If you have a female, learn first-heat signs and prevent all unsupervised contact with male dogs
- If you have a male, expect possible marking, mounting or roaming without treating every behaviour as hormonal
- Review whether the WSAVA 26+ week core vaccination or titre plan is due
Training
- Recall stops working around now. Go back to a long line rather than losing the behaviour
- Teething and chewing peak. Use size-appropriate chews that yield slightly under a thumbnail; remove anything splintering or being swallowed
- Keep sessions short and end while they are still winning
- Trade for guarded objects instead of repeatedly taking food away. Get qualified, reward-based help if guarding escalates
Food
- Down to two meals a day after six months
- Large breeds stay on large-breed puppy food until 12–18 months, not until six
- Adjust by body condition, not by the bag. You should feel ribs easily without seeing them
- Treats count. Keep them under a tenth of the day's food
Indie / Indian pariahIndie / desi
Indies mature into independent, opinionated adults. Keep the recall work going well past the point it feels finished, and keep them on lead near traffic no matter how good they are.
Before you move on0/6
06Months 9 to 12They look grown. The adult routine still needs buildingGrowth may be slowing, but behavioural and social maturity often come much later. Use the end of year one to review health, close record gaps and establish the baseline that will tell you when something changes.0/6 done
Health review
- Book a wellness review: body condition, teeth, joints, skin, ears, parasite plan and vaccination record
- Record weight and take top and side photographs so slow body-condition changes are easier to notice
- Keep rabies, core, lifestyle-vaccine and municipal records together; update microchip and ID details
- Consider insurance before a new diagnosis becomes a pre-existing condition, and read exclusions before price
Food and body
- Ask whether growth has slowed enough to transition to adult food; large and giant breeds often stay on growth food longer
- Change food gradually and keep portions tied to body condition, not only the bag chart
- Know this dog's normal eating, drinking, stool and activity rather than waiting for a generic threshold
- Start or maintain home dental care with products your vet considers safe
Adult-life skills
- Keep recall, loose-lead walking, settle, handling and alone-time practice alive through adolescence
- Test boarding or daycare with a short trial only after checking vaccine rules, staffing and how dogs are grouped
- Use a secured crate or crash-tested restraint in the car; never let the dog ride loose in the front seat
- Prepare a lost-dog plan: clear photo, ID, current phone number, local groups and municipal contact
Indie / Indian pariahIndie / desi
Do not mistake independence for finished training. Keep rewarding check-ins and recall, especially around traffic and street-dog routes.
Before you move on0/6
Stop reading and call a vet if you see any of these
Call immediately
- Collapse, difficulty breathing, seizure, severe bleeding or major trauma
- Repeated retching without bringing anything up, especially with a swollen or tight abdomen
- Heatstroke signs: frantic panting, abnormal gum colour, staggering, vomiting or collapse
- Suspected poisoning, human medication exposure or a swallowed foreign object
Puppy: call early
- Repeated vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, sudden food refusal with lethargy, not drinking or extreme weakness
- A rapid change matters more than waiting for a universal 12- or 24-hour threshold
Same-day advice
- Pale gums, fever, unusual bruising, nosebleed or sudden weakness—tick-borne illness needs prompt testing
- Persistent diarrhoea, repeated limping, strong ear smell/discharge, failure to gain weight or worsening guarding
Usually normal in a puppy
- Lots of sleep, brief zoomies, mouthing and a short attention span
- Wanting to chew, occasional hiccups, baby teeth falling out and temporary training regression
Worth discussing with your vet
- Persistent diarrhoea or vomiting, poor weight gain, repeated limping or very itchy skin
- Ear smell or discharge, extreme fear, escalating resource guarding or an inability to settle