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Training your puppy from day one is key to a well-behaved pooch
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Bringing home a new puppy can be a whirlwind! And amidst all the excitement, you can easily get lost in how you’re now meant to raise and care for this little fury addition. With so much to consider, including diet, training, accessories and vet trips to name a few, you also might be wondering where to start.
As the home of experts in puppy care, nutrition and overall well-being, we’ve collated our most important top tips for bringing home a new puppy, so you can hit the ground running and your pup can kick off their new life with their best paw forward!
There are many elements to puppy training, each one needing undivided attention to help them grow up to be their best adult selves! One of the most crucial parts of puppy training is socialisation - getting them acquainted with new people, dogs and environments to teach them that there’s nothing to be afraid of!
Unsocialised puppies can grow up to have issues with fear, stress, anxiety and in extreme cases, reactivity towards other people and dogs. This makes socialisation at an early age crucial for avoiding potentially problematic behaviour later in life.
Many aspects of puppy training can be approached in their first few weeks at home, and teaching them their name can begin as soon as they tottle through the door! Not only does teaching them their name make future training a little bit easier, but it’s a great way to build up that puppy-pawrent bond.
But how do you successfully teach a puppy their name? Like any training, it takes time, repetition and lots of patience, and with the right method, your pup will be responding to their name in no time at all!
One of the main forms of training you’ll conduct with your puppy is obedience training. It involves teaching your pup various commands and tricks which, in the long run, can help curb problematic behaviour, keep your pup safe and help build the bond between pup and pawrent.
There’s a whole repertoire of commands you can teach your pup, all of which can be aligned with their age, ability and development. From the classics sit and paw, to stay, fetch, leave and not forgetting recall, obedience training is a crucial part of your pup’s growth and should be approached with a solid strategy and lots of patience!
The success of puppy training relies on approach, patience, and consistency. It's important to approach it strategically, remembering that these things take time. To design an impactful puppy training schedule, remember these crucial components!
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Discover the best way to train your puppy with our comprehensive guide. Simply fill out the form, and we'll email you expert advice and tips designed to help you raise a happy, well-behaved pup.
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There are many aspects of puppy training that can start from the very beginning, including toilet training and sleep/crate training. When it comes to obedience training, one of the first things you can teach your new pup is their name! Not only does it set you up for successful training, but it provides ample opportunity to bond with your new furry pal. To learn how to teach your puppy their name, be sure to check out our training video from expert trainer, Jon.
Successful puppy training takes a lot of patience, consistency and - time! The length of your puppy's training will rely on your puppy, their capability and of course, your dedication to training. Setting up a solid training schedule prior to your puppy coming home is key, as well as sticking to it - and not feeling disheartened if the penny doesn't immediately drop. When it comes to obedience training, most puppies will be accustomed to the basics by 6 months old.
Puppies are able to safely go outside on walks about 7-10 days after their last round of vaccinations. This should be at around 12 weeks of age. That said, lead training can start well before this! To get your puppy accustomed to the lead, the harness and a collar, you can start lead training indoors or in your garden. When they're ready, this can continue outdoors in the big wide world.
Your puppy's nutrition should be focused around their main meals, but treats are always a must - especially when it comes to training! However, you should always consider how many treats you're feeding your puppy. Generally, the 10% rule applies - for example, if your puppy weighs 4kg, you’ll be looking at an intake of around 200 calories a day, 20 of which should come from treats. For more information, explore our article: 'How many treats per day can my dog have?'
Toilet training is one of the most important things you can teach your puppy, and can be taught from the get-go. Some people choose to use puppy training pads in the early days of toilet training, but others find this counterproductive. You can try and put the training pads outside if this is what your puppy's accustomed to, as the main aim is to get them used to peeing and pooping in their designated area - not inside the house! For further advice, check out our expert training video: 'How to toilet train a puppy'.
When it comes to puppy training, the younger the puppy is when you start, the better! Between 8-16 weeks old (the age a puppy should be when they come home with you), their little mind is like a sponge. This will make training a lot easier and it shouldn't take long for them to pick things up. Can't teach an old dog new tricks? Not necessarily. It'll just take a little more time and patience, so it's advised to start as early as possible.
Biting is a natural instinct for puppies and cannot completely be avoided. However, you can train puppies to redirect their biting, mouthing and nipping to dog toys and help avoid extensive, destructive chewing. Like any training, you can help puppies stop biting with dedicated training, using lots of patience and of course - treats! For more guidance on helping your puppy to stop biting, be sure to check out our expert training video:
Sleep/crate training is one of the harder forms of puppy training and takes a lot of determination. Part of crate training does include not tending to your puppy when they're crying or whining for attention, however this should always be approached with caution. If your puppy's getting too stressed when on their own, or not settling down, you should approach them to calm them down - but ensure you're not making too much of a fuss. Explore our how-to article to learn more about crate/sleep training for your pup.
Starting training from the get-go is always encouraged with pups, as the earlier you start, the easier it'll be and the quicker they'll learn! However, you should also consider the amount of training you're doing at one time. After all, puppies are still growing and developing and can only take so much exertion. Younger puppies should do no more than 15 minutes of training a day, but this can be gradually increased as they get older. If you'd like to know about avoiding over-exercising your puppy, be sure to check out our how-to article.
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