How to Train Puppies: The Essential Guide For New Puppy Owners

Puppies are like little sponges.

From around two weeks of age, they begin to see, hear and walk, and from around three weeks of age they start exploring the environment.

Between five and sixteen weeks is the prime age for learning.

This post will give essential information for new puppy owners who want to start training.

Puppy socialisation from eight weeks

By eight weeks, your new puppy will already have learned a lot.

A good breeder will support young puppies in their early learning by introducing them to different sights, sounds, smells, people, dogs and other anaimals. The puppies will start building up a bank of experiences which will help grow their understanding of the world and how they fit into it.

This aspect of early training is often called ‘Socialisation’ but ‘Exposure’ explains the process more accurately.

Positive early experiences help young puppies to grow into well rounded confident individuals.

I talk more about puppy socialisation in my previous blog post.

Consistency is the key in training your puppy

Consistency in training in the early weeks will reap benefits, for example, if the breeder took the puppies outside to toilet at regular intervals, and you continue to do this, they will quickly learn that they should toilet outside and you will be off to a flying start.

My youngest dog, Flash, was a breeze to toilet train because his breeder had started the process from a very young age and we carried on with the training when he came home.

Puppies are always learning, its important they’re learning what you want them to know and not what they are learning from the environment.

You have a wonderful opportunity to influence your puppy’s development and grow them into a family member that will be a joy to be around.

What to do when your puppy comes home

In the very early days of your puppy coming home, you can set them up for success by ensuring they have adequate sleep and rest, regular food and drink, and trips outside to toilet.

During this period, you can spend time playing and handling your puppy to start building a bond.  You can play simple training games which will increase their desire to be with you, and help later when you want them to come back to you.

By paying attention to these basics, you will save yourself so many difficulties in the longer term; if you miss these opportunities for early training, you may find yourself dealing with more difficulties than you needed to.

Failure to progress with toilet training can lead to frequent accidents in the home which in turn generates more cleaning and can lead to frustration.

A puppy that has too much freedom will entertain itself, and may become destructive, have difficulty settling and become over tired, they may become fractious and nippy. They will learn to self reward away from you by interacting with the environment, for example, playing tug with the curtains.

Early training and appropriate exposure supports the development of a well adjusted puppy and reduce the likelihood of behavioural problems developing.  Whereas failure to provide appropriate training and exposure can lead to anxiety, insecurity and aggression.

How my Puppy Training Bundle can help you

My Puppy Training Bundle consists of two hours of one to one training to help you with any aspect of puppy training.

I can visit before the puppy arrives, and help with choosing equipment and setting up the environment to make the first few weeks as easy as possible. This can be especially useful for first time puppy owners.

Alternatively, I can visit as soon as the puppy comes home, and help with settling the puppy, starting toilet training, crate training, and early training games to help loose lead walking and recall.  

You can find more details here.

Don’t delay training your puppy

I often hear new puppy owners say they will ‘see how things go’ before they commit to any training.

I presume they think they that it can’t be that difficult to train a puppy, or maybe the puppy will grow out of toileting in the house, or barking, or biting, or chewing the furniture, or (insert any unwanted behaviour), and they will save their money.  

In fact, the opposite is true, the more a puppy practises a behaviour, the better they get at it, and the more they will do it.

This applies equally to desirable behaviours and unwanted behaviours. A little help in the early days can nip problems in the bud or prevent them altogether.

Essential Puppy Training Basics

Remember the puppy you are training today is your dog of the future.

Try to keep this in mind. If your puppy develops bad habits, this is how your dog will behave.

Build a great relationship with your puppy.

Make training fun.

Puppy Toilet Training

Consistency is everything.

Start toilet training as soon as puppy comes home.

Take puppy outside for regular toilet breaks, after sleep, after eating or drinking, after play, if they are circling or sniffing, or if they have ‘that look’ in their eye.

During their time outside, let them sniff and walk around.

Do not interact with them, you don’t want to distract them.

Pair a word or short phrase with trips outside, later you will be able to use this as a cue for your dog to toilet. I say ‘quickly, quickly’.

Give verbal praise and a food reward when they toilet.

If your puppy toilets inside, do not scold them, take them outside in case they haven’t quite finished.

Clean up any accidents immediately, use an enzymatic cleaner to remove all traces of odour and prevent the puppy toileting again in the same place.

If you find your puppy will toilet indoors when you’re distracted, try putting them in their crate when you are unable to supervise them.

My previous post on toilet training goes into more detail.

Puppy Crate Training

Think of the crate as a den or safe space, this will really help you introduce it in a positive way.

A crate can keep your puppy out of harm’s way when you’re busy and unable to supervise them.

A crate provides an opportunity for downtime, by limiting a puppy’s options and encouraging rest.

Make the crate an inviting place for your puppy by placing some treats, a chew or a filled food toy inside.

Spend time each day in several short sessions, showing your puppy that the crate is a good space to be. You can use their daily food allowance for this training.

Make sure the size of the crate is suitable for the size of the puppy, if the crate is too small, they will be cramped, and if it’s too large, they may rest in one area and toilet in another.

I wrote about crate training in more detail in a previous post.

Recall your puppy

To start recall, build on your puppy’s desire to be with you.

Back away from them with arms wide open and make a noise to get their attention.

When they get to you, reward with verbal praise, cuddles and a treat.

Repeat this often, practise in the house to start with, then you can move to the garden.  

More details about dog recall are in my previous post.

Walking your puppy on a lead

You can start training your puppy to walk nicely on a lead in the house or garden, but without a lead.

Have a small amount of their daily food and reward them for standing next to you.

Take a step forward and reward them for coming with you.

Create a reward history by giving frequent food rewards and lots of verbal praise.

Other puppy training

I cover the above tips and more in my previous post on training my own puppy.

Puppy socialisation and training

The importance of exposing puppies to new sights, sounds, and experiences cannot be stressed enough.

The aim is to make every experience a positive one, this can start in the home by exposing them to the washing machine, hairdryer, vacuum cleaner, visitors, and other pets.

Before they are fully vaccinated, you can take them out in the car, visit different places, such as the park and cafe (as long as you don’t put them down).

You can take them to explore on public transport.

If they are worried about a noise or experience, you can move away and reassure them using calming strokes, gentle verbal praise and a treat. You can get closer again once they are feeling more comfotable.

Once they are fully vaccinated, puppies can begin exploring the outside world under their own steam. At this stage you will be supervising them closely and without any pressure to interact.

They do not need to meet every person or dog. In fact it’s better for them if they don’t.

I call this “none of your business training”, see my previous blog post on puppy socialisation.

The dangers of over-socialisation on your puppy

I do not recommend allowing strangers to pet or give a puppy treats.

You and your family need to be the most important people to your puppy.  

Over socialisation with other people and dogs can make it very difficult for you to teach your pup a reliable recall. This is a situation I am often called to help with as a well meaning owner has encouraged their puppy to interact with everyone in the park and their puppy has no interest in their owner whatsoever and will not come back when called.

Puppy Training Classes for socialisation

In puppy training classes, each puppy has their own space, the aim being that they learn to work with their owner whilst in the company of other dogs and people.

They will learn to wait patiently without jumping up while their owner talks to another person.

They will learn to watch other puppies work and take turns.

Later on in the course, they will learn to recall away from other puppies.

Common puppy training mistakes to avoid

Don’t leave it too late to start training your puppy

I advise all puppy owners to start simple training to build relationship and the foundations of loose lead walking and recall as soon as their puppy comes home.

If you do this it will make more formal training so much easier.  

Don’t expect too much too soon when training your puppy

Keep training fun and enjoy the process. Avoid putting yourself and your puppy under pressure.  

Understand that all puppies are different and learn at a different pace.

Try not to compare your puppy with past puppies or your friend’s puppy.  

Consistency in puppy training

Your puppy will learn what you want more easily if you are consistent.

This applies to every aspect of training.

How I can help you train your puppy

If you need help and support with any aspect of puppy training, you can book one-to-one sessions with my Puppy Training Bundle.

As part of the bundle, you can message me on WhatsApp Monday to Friday and I can support and guide you through any hiccups.

I run Foundation Training Classes for puppies, we cover walking on a lead, recall, leave, sit and stay, polite greetings (not jumping up) doorway manners, play, and preparation for vet visits.

You can find more details about dog training classes here.

When you have the correct support, you will be able to educate your puppy and they will grow into well adjusted adult dog that is a pleasure to have around.