What should I teach my puppy?

How learning works

Behaviour that leads to a worthwhile outcome is more likely to be repeated. A marker such as “yes” tells your puppy which moment earned the reward: say it as the wanted behaviour happens, then give the reward. Teach this association with a few easy marker–food pairings first. Keep cues consistent across carers and put rewards within reach before you begin.

Use a small food portion, access to sniffing, a toy or interaction your puppy actually enjoys. Count food rewards within the day’s diet and choose safe bite-sized pieces. Praise is useful when valued; it is not automatically enough in a challenging environment. Prevent access to hazards instead of testing whether training can overcome them.

A roadmap based on competence

Success means a willing response with relaxed behaviour. A puppy that freezes, cannot disengage or repeatedly fails needs a smaller step. Do not advance every skill together. Adolescent dogs often benefit from returning to easier versions.

Name response, attention and check-ins

1. In a quiet room, say the name once while your puppy is nearby.
2. Mark the turn towards you and reward. If there is no turn, remove distractions and try later at an easier moment.
3. Use the name in pleasant everyday interactions so it predicts connection, rather than correction.
4. Reward spontaneous glances towards you without always asking. Add an attention cue if useful; looking and coming all the way back are different skills.

Keep your recall cue distinct. Do not repeatedly say the name until it becomes background noise.

Teach settling and calm greetings

Place a comfortable mat where the puppy can relax without being isolated. Quietly reward choosing it, then a pause, sitting or lying down. Deliver rewards low and calmly so the puppy need not spring up. Build tiny periods of relaxation before adding a cue such as “settle”. The mat is an invitation, not an instruction to suppress distress.

For greetings, arrange space or a gate before a visitor enters. Reward four paws on the floor and allow the puppy to decline contact. If jumping resumes, reduce excitement and increase distance from the visitor; a visitor can pause attention without pushing the puppy away. Protect children with active adult supervision and separation.

Drop, leave and swapping

Drop through a fair trade

Begin with a low-value safe toy. Offer another toy or suitable food; as the puppy releases, mark and reward. Often give the original safe toy back. Add “drop” just before the familiar release, then fade the visible food prompt while continuing to reward. Do not routinely take every possession away.

Leave before access

Start with a safe item under a cover or behind a barrier. Reward turning away towards you. Introduce “leave” before the familiar turn and build gradually; the item stays unavailable. Never practise with real poisons, medicines or objects that could be swallowed. Use physical management for those hazards.

Stiffening, freezing, growling or guarding needs space and qualified help. Do not pry jaws open or repeatedly remove a food bowl. If something harmful has been swallowed, use urgent ingestion guidance.

Sit, down and a brief wait

If useful, guide a puppy with a small food lure into a comfortable sit or down; mark and reward, then fade the lure into a hand signal. Avoid pressing the body into position. For a wait, reward a moment of stillness, give a release cue and build one small element at a time. Do not add distance, distraction and waiting time together.

A wait is never the sole protection at a road, open door or gate. Use a lead or barrier. If a position seems painful, stop and ask your vet rather than repeating the exercise.

One household plan, individual puppy practice

Agree the cue, the response you want and the reward before practising. For example, “come” means arrive within reach, receive a reward and allow a gentle harness touch. Each carer starts with the same easy version rather than testing a harder one. Record the setting where the puppy succeeds and change only distance, duration or distraction next.

If another dog lives with you, train the puppy separately at first and protect the resident dog’s rest and attention. The older dog is not responsible for teaching the puppy. Reintroduce shared activity only when both are comfortable, with supervision and separate resources. Use the existing Multi-Dog Households guidance for introductions and management.

Multi-Dog Households

If this isn’t working

• Only responds when food is visible: make the hand signal smaller, mark the response, then reach for the reward. Avoid showing food before every cue.
• Gets wild during practice: shorten the session, lower excitement and check toilet and rest needs.
• Works indoors but not outdoors: the environment is harder. Reduce distraction and rebuild close to home.
• Carers use different words: agree a short cue-and-reward list; practise separately before combining handlers.
• Sudden change or discomfort: speak to your vet. Persistent fear, guarding or unsafe biting needs individual support.

Your location matters

Training principles are shared; vaccination exposure, professional services and legal duties depend on location. Any UK-specific rule or register is labelled as UK guidance. Follow local veterinary and public-authority advice.

Continue with your puppy’s needs

Puppy & Young Dog · What should I teach my puppy? · Puppy first-weeks checklist

Evidence and review

Reward-based learning is supported by behavioural evidence. Welfare guidance informs the advice about comfort, management and gradual exposure. The programmes and progression criteria here are practical editorial recommendations, not independently validated schedules or guaranteed outcomes. Evidence for exact age-based exercise and sleep rules is limited. These pages have not been clinically reviewed by a vet. Source publications may be in English.

• Dogs Trust — positive reinforcement
• Dogs Trust — puppy training
• ABTC — assessed practitioner roles

Evidence standards · Report a correction