Guide: microchipping a puppy
Microchipping a Puppy: How It Works and Why It Matters
Microchipping a puppy means placing a tiny identification chip under the skin between the shoulder blades. It is not a GPS tracker. Instead, it holds a number that a vet or shelter can scan and look up in a registry. The chip only works if it is registered to you, so updating the registry is the step that matters most.
How microchipping a puppy works
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) describes a microchip as a small electronic chip in a glass cylinder, about the size of a grain of rice. It has no battery. When a scanner passes over it, the scanner’s radio waves activate the chip, and the chip sends back its identification number (AVMA).
A vet places the chip with a needle, much like a vaccine. After that, it stays in place for life and needs no maintenance.
A microchip is not a GPS
This is the most common misunderstanding. A chip cannot show where your dog is. It only works when someone finds your dog and takes it to a vet or shelter, where staff scan for a chip as one of their first steps.
So a microchip is a backup for the collar tag, not a replacement. Use both.
Does microchipping a puppy really bring dogs home?
Yes. In a study of stray animals at shelters, cited by the AVMA, dogs without microchips were returned to their owners about 22 percent of the time. Microchipped dogs went home about 52 percent of the time.
The same study explains the gap that remained. When a chipped pet was not returned, it was usually because the registry held wrong contact details, or none at all.
Registering and updating the chip
- Get the chip number from your breeder or vet.
- Register it in your name with the chip maker’s registry.
- Check it. The American Animal Hospital Association runs a free lookup tool that shows which registry holds a chip number.
- Update it every time you move or change your phone number.
- Ask your vet to scan it once a year, to confirm it still reads.
Keep the number with your dog’s records. Our guide to the cost of owning a puppy lists the other paperwork to keep.
Microchipping a puppy before it goes home: what we do
Every one of our puppies is microchipped before it leaves, along with a vet check, first vaccinations and deworming. The vet records go home with you.
On the day your puppy comes home, ask us for the chip number and the registry. Then put your own contact details on it straight away, because the chip is only as good as the phone number behind it.
Other ways to keep a puppy safe
- A collar tag with your phone number, for the neighbor who finds your dog
- A secure harness on walks, since small puppies can slip a loose collar
- A fenced or supervised yard
- A reliable recall, practiced from the first week
For the first days at home, see our new puppy checklist.
Related guides
- How to Choose a Puppy Breeder: 12 Things to Check Before You Pay a Deposit
- AKC Papers: What They Mean and What They Do Not
- Home Raised vs Kennel Raised Puppies: What Is the Difference?
- Pet Insurance for Puppies: Is It Worth It?
- Flying With a Puppy in the Cabin: A Step-by-Step Checklist
See all our puppy guides, or meet our Havapoo puppies for sale and Goldendoodle puppies for sale.
Sources
- American Veterinary Medical Association. Microchipping: FAQs for pet owners. avma.org
- American Animal Hospital Association. Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Microchipping. aaha.org
- American Animal Hospital Association. How to Update Microchip Details. aaha.org
Sources were checked on October 7, 2026.
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Our puppies are born and raised inside our family home in Eagle Mountain, Utah, from health-tested parents. See who is available now, or ask us a question.