The first ninety days after a puppy arrives home decide most of what comes after: house-training habits, health foundations, and how confident the dog is around people. In India, those ninety days come with two extra variables most guides ignore — vaccination timing built around local disease exposure, and weather that can genuinely hurt an unprepared puppy.
Weeks 1–2: settling in and the vet visit that can't wait
Book a vet appointment within the first 48–72 hours, even if the puppy looks perfectly healthy. This first visit isn't optional — it's where you confirm deworming status, check for common issues like parvovirus exposure risk, and get a personalised vaccination schedule started. Puppies from breeders usually arrive with a vaccination card; puppies adopted from shelters or the street often don't, and the vet will need to start the schedule from scratch.
Keep the first two weeks low-key. No dog parks, no crowded markets, no unfamiliar dogs. A puppy's immune system isn't fully protected until the core vaccination series finishes, typically around 14–16 weeks.
Feeding: what actually works in an Indian kitchen
Commercial puppy kibble suited to the breed size is the simplest starting point, but it isn't the only workable option. If you're feeding home-cooked meals, the two things to get right are protein source (cooked chicken, egg, or dal-based protein in rotation) and calcium, which kibble already balances but home food usually doesn't. Ask your vet about a calcium supplement if more than half the diet is home-cooked.
Feed small puppies 3–4 times a day until around 4 months, then gradually reduce to twice daily. Avoid milk — most dogs are lactose intolerant as adults even if puppies tolerate it — and keep onion, garlic, grapes, raisins, and chocolate permanently off the menu; all four are toxic to dogs.
Monsoon and summer-proofing your home
Two Indian seasons cause more puppy health issues than almost anything else: monsoon skin infections and summer heatstroke. During monsoon, dry the puppy's paws and belly fully after every walk — damp fur against skin is exactly what fungal and bacterial infections need to take hold. During summer, walk only in early morning or after sunset; hot asphalt can burn paw pads within minutes, and puppies overheat far faster than adult dogs.
House-training that doesn't rely on punishment
Take the puppy out immediately after waking, after eating, and after play — those three moments predict most accidents. Reward outdoor success immediately with a small treat and calm praise. Punishing an indoor accident after the fact teaches nothing except fear, since puppies can't connect punishment to something that happened minutes earlier.
A general rule of thumb: a puppy can typically hold its bladder for about one hour per month of age. A 3-month-old puppy needs a bathroom break roughly every 3 hours during the day.
Socialisation: the most underrated 90-day task
Once the vet confirms it's safe, expose the puppy to a wide range of calm, controlled experiences — different people, gentle vaccinated dogs, the sound of traffic, being handled on all four paws. The window between 3 and 14 weeks is when puppies form lasting associations most easily. A puppy that meets ten calm strangers before 14 weeks is far less likely to become a fearful or reactive adult dog.
The goal of the first 90 days isn't a perfectly trained dog — it's a healthy, confident one. Training gets easier every month after that; a fearful foundation is much harder to undo.
A simple week-by-week checklist
- Week 1–2: Vet visit, quiet home settling, start a feeding routine.
- Week 3–6: Continue vaccination boosters, begin gentle handling exercises, introduce a crate or designated sleeping space.
- Week 7–10: Controlled socialisation once the vet approves, start basic cues like "sit" and name recognition.
- Week 11–13: Final core vaccination boosters, gradually introduce short walks in safe areas.
Every puppy is different, and your vet's specific guidance always overrides general advice like this. But if you get the vet visit, the feeding routine, and the socialisation window right, you've covered the three things that matter most in these first 90 days.