Practical, sourced guides for dog owners. Most of our guides cover the first year with a puppy, from the first week at home to training, feeding, and health care. Each guide lists its sources and says whether a veterinarian has reviewed it.
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Puppies: getting ready, the first week, routines, and growth
Training and behavior: crate, leash, biting, night crying, and socialization
Food and feeding: how much to feed, switching foods, and foods to avoid
Health and care: vet visits, vaccines, parasite prevention, teething, and exercise
Good places to start
New puppy checklist: what to buy before day one
First week with a new puppy: a calm, day-by-day plan
Foods dogs should never eat: toxic people foods and what to do
Reviewers rarely agree on one best pet insurer, and that is useful to know. NerdWallet’s 2026 list puts ASPCA first, Dogster’s June 2026 ranking puts Lemonade first, and Spot is the one company that appears among the top picks of both. So instead of crowning a single winner, this page sorts nine companies by what…
Put a crate that fits your puppy, a thin washable mat, and one or two chew-safe toys inside, and keep everything else out at first. Take off your puppy’s collar before crating. Plush toys, rope toys, and thick blankets can wait until you have seen how your puppy chews. A crate works best as a…
No dog food has been shown to cure a yeast infection. Yeast overgrowth on the skin or in the ears is usually secondary to something else, most often an allergy, and your vet needs to find and treat that cause. Diet matters when a food allergy is involved, but changing food alone rarely solves it….
Ask three review sites for the best dog brush and you get three different winners. NBC Select, which consulted a groomer and other experts, picks the Maxpower Planet grooming rake. Kinship’s editors choose the FURminator deshedding tool. Hepper’s reviewers name the Safari self-cleaning slicker. That spread tells you something: the type of brush matters more…
Flea shampoo kills fleas on your dog during the bath, and that is where its job ends. It does not stop new fleas from jumping on afterward. Use it for fast relief from an active infestation, then rely on a vet-recommended preventive and clean your home. Check the label for a minimum age before using…