How to train a puppy

When to start training

Start the day they come home. Typically at 8 weeks old. There's a persistent myth that you should "let them settle" before training begins. This is wrong. Puppies have a critical socialisation window that closes between 12–16 weeks. What they experience (and learn) in this window shapes their personality for life.

This doesn't mean drilling commands at a distressed puppy. It means starting basic positive associations immediately: their name, their crate, sitting for food, gentle handling.

The first commands to teach (in order)

Don't try to teach everything at once. These are the commands in priority order:

1. Their name. Say it, reward them when they look at you. Do this 50 times a day.
2. Sit. The foundation of impulse control. Hold a treat above their nose until their bottom goes down.
3. Recall (come/here). The most safety-critical command. Never call your puppy to you for something they dislike (like a bath). Always make coming to you the best thing that happens all day.
4. Leave it. Essential for safety. Teach it with low-value treats first, then work up.
5. Down. Harder than sit, requires more patience.
6. Stay. Only once the others are solid.

How to structure training sessions

Puppy brains fatigue quickly. The rules:

• Under 12 weeks: 3–5 minutes maximum, 3–4 times per day
• 12–16 weeks: 5–7 minutes, up to 4 times per day
• 4–6 months: 10 minutes maximum per session

Always end on a success. If they're struggling with something new, ask for something they know well and reward it, then stop. Never end a session on a failure. It sets a negative emotional anchor.

Teaching a reliable recall

Recall is the command most owners never properly teach, and then wonder why their dog won't come back in the park. The mistake is calling your dog to you and then putting them on the lead to go home. They learn that "come" means "fun ends."

The protocol:

1. Use a special recall word (many trainers use "here" rather than "come" as it's less commonly used in everyday speech and hasn't been contaminated by ignored calls)
2. Never call your dog unless you're 90% sure they'll come
3. When they do come, make it a party. Treats, praise, play
4. If you need to put them on the lead, recall them, reward massively, then lead them back to where they were and give them more sniff time before going home
5. Practice recall in the garden daily, on a long-line before going off-lead in the park

Stopping puppy biting (bite inhibition)

Puppies bite. It's completely normal. They explore the world with their mouths and they learned to play with their littermates by biting. Your job is to teach bite inhibition: the ability to moderate jaw pressure.

What works:

• Yelp loudly ("ouch!") when teeth touch skin. Mimics littermate communication
• Immediately stop all interaction and turn away for 10–30 seconds
• Resume only when the puppy has calmed
• Redirect to appropriate toys

What doesn't work:

• Tapping the nose or alpha rolls. These increase anxiety and mistrust
• Yelping so dramatically the puppy gets more excited
• Inconsistency. If biting is only sometimes corrected, it never stops

Toilet training

Puppies have tiny bladders and zero sphincter control. They cannot "hold it". They go when they need to. Successful toilet training is about setting them up to succeed outdoors, not punishing them for going indoors.

The protocol:

• Take outside every 30–45 minutes, after every meal, after every sleep, and after every play session
• Use the same spot. The smell encourages them to go
• Use a cue word (e.g. "toilet") while they're going. Eventually they'll go on command
• Reward immediately after they finish outdoors, not when they come back inside
• Never punish accidents. They happened because you missed the window
• If you catch them in the act indoors, calmly pick them up and move outside

Most puppies are reliably toilet trained by 4–6 months. Some breeds (Dachshunds, Chihuahuas) can take longer.

Socialisation

Socialisation isn't just "meeting other dogs." It's exposure to the full range of things your dog will encounter in adult life: different people, sounds, surfaces, vehicles, children, other animals. The window closes at 12–16 weeks.

Before vaccinations are complete (around 11–12 weeks typically), you can:

• Carry them in public places. Streets, car parks, town centres
• Visit friends' houses (especially homes with vaccinated dogs)
• Attend puppy classes. Reputable ones are run before full vaccination
• Expose them to different surfaces: grass, gravel, wood flooring, carpet
• Introduce them to children, elderly people, people with hats/beards/umbrellas

Under-socialised puppies become fearful adult dogs. Fear is the root cause of most aggression. Socialisation is the single most impactful thing you can do.

Common training mistakes

1. Repeating commands. If you say "sit, sit, sit, SIT", you're teaching them that you say sit four times before you mean it. Say it once, wait, then help them into position if needed.
2. Punishing confusion. Puppies failing to respond are usually confused, not defiant. Lower your criteria and make success easier.
3. Training when frustrated. Dogs read emotional state. Training in frustration poisons the sessions.
4. Poisoning cue words. Using "come" when you're about to do something they hate. They learn that "come" predicts bad things.
5. Inconsistency. If some family members allow the puppy on the sofa and others don't, you're teaching the puppy that rules depend on who's watching, not on the behaviour itself.
6. Too many treats, too little difficulty. Treats should be earned, not showered. Gradually raise criteria (ask for a longer sit, or sit with distractions) to maintain value.